BCP Council (Christchurch): Matt Annen is over the moon to have secured planning consent for the demolition of an existing bungalow and the erection of two traditionally-styled detached two-storey houses in Mudeford designed by local firm ARC Architecture for mutual client Glass Harbour Group.
Matt is particularly proud of securing this consent as it is the first full planning consent for additional dwellings in Christchurch (within the catchment area of the River Avon Special Area of
Conservation – SAC) since October 2023! This was down to the failure of the LPA and Natural England agreeing appropriate mitigation to prevent the phosphate load into the SAC being increased by new development.
The site is situated within the settlement of Christchurch. Policy KS2 of the Christchurch and East Dorset Core Strategy provides a settlement hierarchy for development, with towns including Christchurch, being placed at the top of the hierarchy. As such, the principle of development was considered to be acceptable. In coming to his positive recommendation the appointed planning officer concluded; “The application plot is larger than most others within the street scene, due to its location on the corner of the street. It is noted that some of the other plots are notably narrower… The proposed development would subdivide the existing larger plot but in the context of the local area this is not considered to be harmful to the character of the area… The two units are well articulated, retaining the traditional form, in keeping with the local area”.
During the course of the application we calculated the phosphate load generated by the net increase of one dwelling and secured an agreement to purchase the equivalent credits off Pennyfarthing Homes one of the providers that owns a site formerly used for fish farming (which released phosphates into the SAV – Many thanks to Ben Arnold who was great to work with). Given the acceptability of the scheme otherwise, and with both the BNG resolved and S106 Agreement all sorted we were fortunate that we were ideally placed to be the first consent to be issued once the wording for a Grampian planning condition was agreed with Natural England to ensure that the credits will be purchased prior to commencement of the development.
Our client was thrilled; “We’re excited to have received planning consent for these beautifully designed new homes which reflect our commitment to high-quality design and the hard work of our team in delivering a consent that will positively contribute to the area’s character and growth”
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