Planning Potential were able to create an on-going dialogue with senior planning officers which was the key to the success of this scheme.
We were instructed by our clients to submit a revised application that responded to the change in market conditions and delivered a financially viable permission.
Following a resolution in 2007 by Spelthorne Council’s Planning Committee to grant consent for the redevelopment of the former Ashford Hospital to accommodate 170 new units our client felt unable to agree to the requirements of the Section 106 in a very uncertain and challenging market. As a consequence the application was subsequently withdrawn to avoid the application being refused at Committee.
We were then instructed to begin work on this scheme to put forward a revised application that adequately responded to the change in market conditions.
The revised scheme reduced the overall number of units to 152, providing larger accommodation in each unit. The scheme retained all the key design elements of the original proposal, but reduced the amount of affordable housing and the overall value of the Section 106 contributions.
Planning Potential were able to create an on-going dialogue with senior planning officers which was the key to the success of this scheme.
Close liaison with key stakeholders was essential to the success and ultimate positive recommendation of this scheme. Since the resolution to grant the original application concerns had been raised about the impact on highways and the local ecology. Planning Potential successfully overcame these concerns in a very short period of time.
Summary of achievements
- Full review of the planning history for the site
- Preparation of the Planning Application
- Co-ordination of the consultant team
- On-going dialogue with statutory consultees
- Detailed discussions with highways and planning officers
- Attendance and presentation at Planning Committee.
