After a long search for a Planning Consultant to head up a potentially contentious application which would only be approved in exceptional circumstances we were introduced to The
Planning Group almost two years ago by recommendation from our Architect Ewan Dryburgh from EDA of Shrewsbury. That recommendation clearly was one that we greatly appreciate with the recent planning success achieved. I cannot recommend highly enough the professional and knowledgeable way that The Planning Group headed up by Martin and his expert team went about this over a two-year period.

Right from the pre application stage through to conclusion the professional sparing with the officers was most impressive, each Council action was met with a better counter action
which greatly helped the Planning Committee reach a majority vote in our favour against the officers recommendation for refusal.

We cannot recommend Martin, Dave and Grahame and the whole of The Planning Group team highly enough.

They are very impressive

John and Jack Gwilliam

Rural housing is normally refused unless you can comply to Local Plan Policies which usually only allow Rural Exception Sites where the applicant qualifies for a S106 Restricted Dwelling (often known as “Local Needs” or an “Affordable” dwelling or an agriculturally tied property).

The NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) Paragraph 84 sates:-

Planning policies and decisions should avoid the development of isolated homes in the countryside unless one or more of the following circumstances apply:

(e)           the design is of exceptional quality, in that it:

– is truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas; and

– would significantly enhance its immediate setting and be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.

Creating something that “pleases all of the people all of the time” is not for the faint hearted.  The costs of exceptional, architectural design do not come cheap and require a great deal of client involvement. Nor does the collating all of the supporting consultants reports to ensure planning complicity, such as Landscape Visual Assessment (LVA), detailed Arboriculture Assessments (AA), detailed Ecology Reports, mitigation and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) plus others that are required.

The investment could be worth it if you have a site that could be the forever home for you and your family.

The Planning Group Ltd (TPGL) was commissioned to work in conjunction Ewan Dryburgh Architects Ltd on behalf of two high net worth individuals to procure planning consent for just such a project.  We advised the best route for this application to be under NPPF Paragraph 84(e), as the land, whilst adjacent to a settlement, was classed as “open countryside” and therefore constrained by both local and national policies.  Relying upon the NPPF would assist us with circumnavigating the Local Plan policy battlefield.

Working in conjunction with Ewan Dryburgh and the clients, a scheme evolved which attempted to tick the boxes.  Detailed consideration had to be given to the “Open Mosaic Habitats Scheme”, even though the site was classed as previously developed “brownfield” land as the site had evolved since the last brownfield use and become a biota of Flora & Fauna.

The site extended to 7.92 hectares but the application site for the two dwellings and access road was constrained to 0.433 hectares, the remaining land was used to conform to the requirement of a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).  The project required working closely with all of the consultees on a daily basis.

Please let us know if you wish to discuss and we can arrange a virtual meeting to assist you.

See the perspective views and detailing below:-

Planning Application 24/01248/FUL (put link 24/01248/FUL | Proposed construction of two dwellings | Proposed Development Land At Redhill Shrewsbury Shropshire) was approved by Shropshire Council’s Southern Planning Committee on the 23 rd July 2024 against Officer
recommendation, the Committee Members concluded that the proposal met and went beyond the high bar as required by the NPPF Paragraph 84 and was an excellent example of a Paragraph 84e development designed by Ewan Dryburgh of Ewan Dryburgh Architects
Ltd.