Planning Potential secured planning permission to regenerate a former haulage depot to allow for the creation of 80 new dwellings, fronting onto the River Hogsmill in Worcester Park, Espom and Ewell.
The planning application was submitted following the production of a marketing report, detailed pre-application discussions with the Council, and a public exhibition, all of which was coordinated by Planning Potential. Our involvement with the site also included the submission of detailed representations to the local authority’s call for sites, to promote the site for a high-quality, wholly residential scheme.
The vacant site, formerly occupied by a haulage company, comprised poor-quality industrial buildings, hardstanding, and an old mill which was previously served by the Hogsmill River and Worcester Park Lodge. As the Council had not allocated the site for alternative use, we had to fully justify the loss of an employment site. In conjunction with local agents, we submitted a detailed marketing report which set out the marketing activity associated with the buildings and the absence of any interest from commercial users. Supported by robust evidence, we successfully argued that the loss of employment land for the redevelopment of a sustainable site, to meet significant housing need in the borough, was appropriate in principle.
The application sought the regeneration of the site to bring derelict, brownfield land back into use, providing 80 new homes for Worcester Park, road and pedestrian safety improvements, enhancements to the Hogsmill River and enabling public access to bring it back to the community. Planning Potential worked closely with Omega Architects and the project team to provide a scheme which optimised the use of the site, overcoming site constraints such as TPOs, Flood Zones and Environmental Agency Buffer Zones, to deliver a high-quality scheme inspired by the site’s history. Despite concerns over the suitability of the site’s location for residential development, we were also able to justify the location of the site and maximise the development proposals by demonstrating that the proposal was better suited than its existing commercial use.
As a result, Planning Potential managed to overcome all concerns, securing a recommendation for approval and positive outcome at Planning Committee.
Summary of achievements
- Initial assessment of site prospects
- Pre-application advice
- Providing planning policy advice and preparing the Planning Statement
- Project managing the consultant team
- On-going liaison and contact with the planning authority
- Enabling and optimising the regeneration of a brownfield site, bringing back the Hogsmill River back to the community
- S106 Advice
