Location:
South Gloucestershire Council
Issue:
Development on a prominent gateway site north of the former Filton Airfield
How we helped and added value:
Our initial review for the client identified that design was likely to be the main planning consideration for this site, which sits on the corner of a main road into a wider new development taking place to the north of the former Filton Airfield. The gateway nature of the site supported a larger building, but the original outline planning application for the wider site contained detailed masterplanning and design principles. We advised the client that the Council would expect a high quality of design in any new scheme that reflected these principles, but that this had the potential to affect the care home from an operational perspective with the Council’s masterplanning and design principles targeting a residential development on the site, rather than care. We therefore undertook initial work with the architect to understand which design principles could be incorporated into the proposal, while preparing clear justification as to why certain principles could not be incorporated and why care was an appropriate use for the site.
We worked with the project team to develop the proposal, and led a public consultation proposal to seek input from local residents. Once the application was submitted, we liaised closely with the Council to resolve queries on technical points - particularly providing reassurance, with the assistance of the sustainability consultant, that the new building would not overheat as a result of its location on the edge of the wider site.
Through negotiations with planning officers and local Town Council, the Council was able to determine the application under delegated powers - avoiding the need for consideration by the Planning Committee. We also negotiated to ensure there were no pre-commencement conditions, allowing our client to start development straight away.
