January 2010

PDP wins approval for a new road access and outline consent for 5 dwellings in Littleover

The site lies south east of Littleover village centre and consists of two detached houses located within extensive grounds. The properties suffer from a narrow steep and dangerous access which prevents them from being upgraded and sold on. The gardens are so extensive that they long ago ceased to be fully managed and are overgrown. This is a classic sustainable urban site close to a wide range of amenities that should be developed in preference to edge of city locations.

The site contains important roadside trees which add to the amenity of the area and protect the site from road noise. In preparing proposals for the development of the land and the creation of the access, PDP and the applicant worked closely with an Arboricultural consultant. The consultant identified the most important trees, advised on root protection zones and appropriate pruning. The plans were then drawn up to maintain and protect the best trees on the site while allowing for an appropriate level of development. Trees can in our experience add significant value and should be integrated into a development whenever possible.

The City Council has recently adopted new highway standards and has incorporated new advice from the Government. In our experience when new policies are being operated which have not had time to bed down, differences in opinion can arise and in this case the planning approval was held up because of a difference of opinion between the head of highways and a leading councillor. After a two month delay the application was approved in accordance with the councillor’s wishes.

The access is expected to be built in the spring with the development of the five dwellings to follow on later as the housing market picks up. The access will serve the five new houses in addition to the two existing houses. The site also backs onto another parcel of undeveloped land and the layout makes an allowance for further development should it be possible in the future.

January 2010

New Year brings exciting challenges for PDP



The first month of 2010 has seen the Planning Design Practice commissioned to work on a number of exciting projects across Derbyshire and Staffordshire, as clients plan for the year ahead.

Projects commissioned and started this month include:

· A new housing development in a historic part of Chesterfield;
· A new industrial composting facility in the Derbyshire Dales;
· A new caravan park in the Peak District National Park;
· The conversion of Listed buildings in a Derbyshire Dales Conservation Area to residential accommodation;
· The construction of 12 affordable eco homes and a care home in Erewash;
· The construction of a toilet / amenity block and access track to serve fishing lakes in the Staffordshire Moorlands;
· The construction of 12 new homes in a Derby suburb

The team are looking forward to developing the proposals further in the coming weeks and months.

December 2009 Newsletter

Barn conversions nearing completion


PDP are pleased to report that two of the four barn conversions for which they obtained planning permission at Upper Ashgate Farm in Old Brampton, near Chesterfield, are nearing completion.

PDP originally obtained consent to convert the historic range of barns, which are contained within a Conversation Area, in 2006, on behalf of the Sitwell Estate and their agents Shuldham Calverley. In 2009 PDP were involved again in discharging conditions ready for the development to commence.
The estate has since converted the first two barns to a very high standard, and intends to progress to the conversion of the two remaining barns in the near future.

December 2009 Newsletter

PDP represent local residents as housing scheme is refused


PDP recently represented a group of twenty Ashbourne residents in objecting to a scheme for the demolition of a single house and the erection of 14 apartments.

The application was considered by the Derbyshire Dales Southern Area Planning Committee at their meeting of 30th November 2009, and had the planning officer’s recommendation for approval.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of PDP, addressed the Committee on behalf of the residents group and expressed his concerns about the scale and appearance of the proposed building and its likely impact on the street scene.

Prior to the Committee Meeting, Jonathan Jenkin also made representations to the Town Council, who subsequently decided to object to the scheme themselves.
Planning Committee Members voted unanimously to refuse the application, on the grounds that the scale, siting and design of the proposed development would be detrimental to the visual amenity, character and appearance of the area.

November 2009 Newsletter

Townscape Improvements and the Partial Redevelopment of the Spread Eagle Car Park – Willington Road/Portland Road/Main Street Etwall for Judy Taverns



A Derby planning consultancy has successfully achieved permission for housing developments in two villages, despite local opposition.

The Planning and Design Practice, based in Vernon Gate, which specialises in housing and rural development matters, won the go-ahead for schemes in Etwall and Tansley.

The scheme in Etwall involved the car park of The Spread Eagle pub in the centre of the village, which has played an important part of the area’s social life for more than 200 years.

Situated in the village conservation area, the pub was once surrounded by other buildings which have been demolished, leaving it sitting in sea of tarmacadam.

Working on behalf of new owners Judy Taverns, Jonathan Jenkin, the managing director of The Planning and Design Practice, came up with a scheme to build two pairs of semi-detached homes on the rear of the car park off Portland Street, with their own parking.

The scheme, which was approved by South Derbyshire District Council planning committee, despite 10 objections, also involved re-locating the beer garden to the front of the pub so that it can also be used as a meeting area.

Six of the remaining 14 parking spaces which front Willington Road will also be available for people using nearby shops. New walling and paving will define the edge of the car park and the road.

“This will make a big difference to the centre of the village, improving its appearance,” said Jonathan. “As well as providing new housing, it will prevent haphazard parking which is a potential danger to children from John Port School and other pedestrians.”

In the other scheme, the company represented Peak District Rural Housing Association with plans to build eight low cost homes for rent to local people on a greenfield site at West Yard at the end of Thatcher’s Croft. The site is just outside the village boundary, but surrounded by housing.

Landowner and builder James Neville had drawn up the scheme, for which The Planning and Design Practice obtained planning permission form Derbyshire Dales District Council planning committee.

There was strong opposition to the scheme, which was prompted initially by a survey which identified a need for new homes to retain young people in the village, but objectors failed to identify an alternative site.

November 2009 Newsletter

PDP in the Media

Some of the more larger-scale projects undertaken by PDP are featured within thelocal media, and this month was no exception. The Derby Evening Telegraph ran articles relating to a mixed use scheme submitted by PDP and approved by Derby City Council on a site at City Road,

Furthermore, the Derby Evening Telegraph also ran stories relating to a scheme in the Derbyshire Dales where PDP secured planning permission for 8 affordable dwellings at the West Yard site in Tansley.

Finally, PDP were also featured in the media for a scheme that was approved by South Derbyshire District Council for the urban redevelopment of the Spread Eagle Public House in the centre of the village of Etwall. The scheme, put together and submitted by PDP, was praised at planning committee by a number of South Derbyshire councillors.

The above-mentioned articles can be viewed below. Alternatively, the full articles can be viewed through the following links:


City Road

http://www.midlandsbusinessnews.co.uk/2009-10/prominent-

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Work-way-landmark-new-look/article-1412198-detail/article.html


Tansley & Etwall

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Green-light-given-build-village-homes/article-1518408-detail/article.html





Work under way to give landmark its new look
Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 07:30

A DISUSED building on the edge of the city centre is getting a six-figure makeover.
After a lengthy planning process, a former exhaust and tyre depot on the corner of City Road and Mansfield Road is being revamped to create three new business premises.
Construction work is now being carried out at the building, which has been boarded up for two years.

Next door to a newsagent and general store and close to offices, houses and new apartments, the building is being converted into a restaurant or café premises, a shop and a hot food takeaway.
The proposed restaurant and café at the back of the site will measure 1,000 sq ft and have seating outside with views over the river.

Fronting the development, which will be highly visible from Mansfield Road, will be a shop unit measuring more than 1,000 sq ft.

The entire site area, including parking spaces, measures 8,200 sq ft.

Built in 1961, the building replaced the former City Mill silk mill, which burned down in 1955.
City Hall Developments, based in Spondon, owns the freehold and is behind the project, developed in conjunction with the Planning and Design Practice in Vernon Gate and Derby commercial property agent Salloway.

Salloway says the middle takeaway unit is under offer and will be occupied in early spring, by which time construction work will be complete.

City Hall Developments originally wanted to use the land for a residential scheme but that proved unworkable as the site is so near the river.

The Planning and Design Practice came up with an idea for a seven-storey office block but this had to be withdrawn in the face of an objection from the Environment Agency, again because of constraints to new developments close to the river.

New uses were discussed with the city council, which granted planning permission for the change from industrial use to retail and food.

Jonathan Jenkin, director of the Planning and Design Practice, said: "The site has been an eyesore and it detracts from the appearance and character of Mansfield Road, particularly with the new developments such as apartments there. "This redevelopment will provide services for local people."

Marc Ballard, senior surveyor at Salloway, said: "It has been a long and challenging process to bring this forward but it should do very well. "Chester Green doesn't have a lot of amenities. There are a lot of offices and homes nearby and it is close to Landau Forte College," he said.



Green light given to build village homes
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 07:30

A PLANNING consultancy has successfully achieved permission for housing developments in two Derbyshire villages.

The Planning and Design Practice, based in Vernon Gate, which specialises in housing and rural development matters, has won the go-ahead for schemes in Etwall and Tansley.

The Etwall scheme involved the car park of The Spread Eagle pub in the centre of the village, which has played an important part of the area's social life for more than 200 years.

Situated in the village conservation area, the pub was once surrounded by other buildings which have been demolished, leaving it surrounded by Tarmac.

Working on behalf of Judy Taverns, the pub's new owner, Jonathan Jenkin, managing director of The Planning and Design Practice, developed a scheme to build two pairs of semi-detached homes on the rear of the car park off Portland Street, with their own parking.

The project, which was approved by South Derbyshire District Council planning committee, also involved re-locating the beer garden to the front of the pub so that it can also be used as a meeting area.

There were 10 objections, mainly at the loss of car parking, but six of the remaining 14 parking spaces which front Willington Road will also be available for people using nearby shops.
New walling and paving will define the edge of the car park and the road.

"This will make a big difference to the centre of the village, improving its appearance, said Mr Jenkins. "As well as providing new housing, it will prevent haphazard parking which is a potential danger to children from John Port School and other pedestrians. "It also increases the value of the site and allows for further improvements to the pub."

In the second scheme, the company represented Peak District Rural Housing Association, with plans to build eight low-cost homes for rent to local people on a greenfield site at West Yard at the end of Thatcher's Croft.

The site is just outside the village boundary, but surrounded by housing.
The Planning and Design Practice obtained planning permission from Derbyshire Dales District Council planning committee.

There was strong opposition to the proposed scheme, initially prompted by a survey that identified a need for new homes to retain young people in the village.

Objectors failed to identify an alternative site.

November 2009 Newsletter

Permission obtained for second extension to popular Derbyshire Dales Camping and Caravanning Park



On behalf of Ashbourne Camping and Caravanning Club Site, Bradley, PDP recently secured planning consent for the use of a third field at the Park for camping and caravanning. In 2007 PDP obtained consent on behalf of the previous owners of the Park for a second touring field. The second field is now well established and was fully occupied during the recent summer season, hence the need for further accommodation.

The application was accompanied by a landscape impact assessment, which demonstrated that the location chosen for the third phase is extremely well screened by existing landscape features, when viewed from surrounding public vantage points.

The proposal included the laying of an artificial reinforcement mesh on top of part of the existing field, to provide a solid base for caravan pitches whilst maintaining the green and pleasant appearance of the land. The mesh is designed to allow grass to continue to grow through a series of small holes, and is itself green in colour.
PDP are delighted to have assisted the sensitive growth the of the Park for the second time, and look forward to seeing the new field brought into use in time for the forthcoming summer season.