BCP Council: Matt Annen, Director of Pure Town Planning is pleased to share news of a recent planning permission he has secured for the demolition of an existing garage and the erection of a detached 3-bedroom family dwelling in Cotes Avenue in Poole.
A previous application for a detached dwelling which was handled by another local consultant was refused on grounds of impact on character and appearance of street scene and wider area, impact on neighbouring amenity and lack of car parking. Since then a subsequent application for a semi-detached dwelling was approved in early 2018.
In Matt’s initial appraisal to the client he noted that whilst the site circumstances remain substantially unaltered from that of the previous refused detached scheme, another application would be worthwhile as there had been a change in the planning policy context with the adoption of the Poole Local Plan in November 2018. This replaced the previous planning policy documents that the earlier refused and semi-detached scheme were determined under and furthermore the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) had also been revised in February 2019 and updated again in June 2019. Therefore any new scheme had to be assessed to determine whether it was acceptable in relation to the current planning policy context.
A strategic objective of the new Poole Local Plan is to deliver a wide range and mix of homes in the most sustainable locations. It states that the majority of new housing will be directed to the most accessible locations within Poole, these being the town centre, district and local centres and locations close to the sustainable transport corridors. The proposed development site was located within the sustainable transport corridor as identified by Policy PP2 of the Poole Local Plan and as indicated on the Proposals Map. As such, the principle of the proposed development (for an additional residential unit) is supported by policy in terms of its sustainable location.
The scheme was designed by Greenward Associates and the application was supported by one of Pure Town Planning’s comprehensive Design, Access and Planning Statements which eloquently set out how the proposal would provide sufficient land to enable a type, scale and layout of development, including parking and usable amenity space to preserve the area’s residential character (overcoming concerns raised on a previous scheme). The report demonstrated how neighbouring amenity would not be materially harmed and how highway safety would be preserved. Unfortunately due to the significant lack of resources at BCP Council, this like many other applications suffered extensive delays. Whilst this is somewhat unavoidable at the current time, through constant negotiation and liaison with the planning officer Matt was able to push this through to a positive conclusion.
If have received a refusal or even a planning consent which you feel (or would like advice on whether it) could be improved upon. Why not contact a firm of friendly planners with a proven track record of successfully negotiating and delivering planning permissions time after time – call us on 01202 585524 or email us at info@puretownplanning.co.uk to take advantage of our confidential FREE half hour consultation service.