Derby's Property & Business Investment Show

Planning Design Practice exhibited at this year’s Derby Property & Business Investment Show which was held on the 11th May 2010 at Pride Park Stadium, Derby.

The show attracted the cream of Derby’s built environment sector and proved to be a huge success for everyone involved. Although many of the exhibitors talked of tough times, there was a real sense of optimism in the air that better times lay ahead. Over 200 people gathered at the show’s seminars to hear speakers from Cushman and Wakefield and the House Building Federation, as well as from sponsors Marketing Derby, Derby Cityscape and Rigby & Co.

Planning Design Practice are looking forward to exhibiting at the larger and more prestigious East Midlands Property and Business Investment Show in November 2010. We hope to see you there!

Extension to barn conversion approved

Planning Design Practice have secured planning permission for an extension to a converted barn at a site near Rotherham.

Initially, the Local Planning Authority were unhappy with the principle of an extension to the converted barn because they felt that it would result in the over-domestification of the building. However, Planning Design Practice were able to locate Ordnance Survey images of the original barn from the late 1800’s depicting a long linear single-storey extension. Planning Design Practice also put forward photographic evidence of markings on the wall of the original barn to demonstrate the existence of a former pitched roof extension.

Given this weight of evidence, the Local Planning Authority eventually accepted proposals for a substantial single-storey extension to the building. The extension was designed to appear as rural in character and appearance as possible, so as not to impact upon the rural street scene.

Construction of 3 dwellings - land adjacent to 140 Stenson Road, Derby

The site lies on Stenson Road on the south west side of Derby about two miles from the city centre, 140 is a large semidetached Victorian Villa. The property benefits from a large side garden which used to contain a tennis court. The next property along the street is 146 Stenson Road.

When the Street was first developed and numbered it was taken that this ‘plot’ would be used for 142 and 144 Stenson Road. The development proposal now before Derby City Council is for three dwellings, two on the road frontage with a dormer bungalow behind. The outline application shows two large detached houses on the frontage, detailed design of all three dwellings is reserved for later consideration.

The key issues relating to this development are:

1. Trees
2. Access

Two large Copper Beech trees are located on the road frontage. These are important to the street scene and must be retained. Gaining access while retaining these trees and providing the necessary visibility splays and road widths without harming the trees have proved to be very difficult. Various options were considered but in the end widening the existing access was seen as the only way to achieve the access improvements and protect the trees.

Agreement has now been reached with highways and with the Council’s tree officer and a decision from the Council is expected within days.

This is currently a brownfield site as it is classed as garden land. Proposed changes to planning legislation proposed by the Coalition will make garden land ‘green’ land with a presumption against development. This raises an interesting question in relation to the development of urban sites. Locations such as this were originally envisaged as being developed. The history of this site is unusual, and the application addresses the anomaly of the past. This site should be development; its development lowers pressure on Greenfield sites on the edge of the city and provides homes in a location well served by facilities and amenities. Councils have always had the power to protect existing low density developments from infilling using local plan policies. This power could easily be used more widely without a change in the status of garden land.