Case Study No. 1: Conversion of building into 9 apartments in Buckinghamshire
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Planning permission granted for the conversion of a former nursing home/elderly accommodation into 9 apartments
The client approached us following a refusal of planning permission for the conversion into apartments of a vacant building, formerly occupied as nursing home/elderly accommodation, sited within a village, close to listed buildings, at the edge of a conservation area. Following a review of the case, rather than going down the appeal route, we provided advice setting out how to overcome the reasons for refusal.
Those reasons concerned:
the loss of a community facility;
the adverse impact on the character and appearance of the area;
limited parking availability;
the living conditions for future occupants; and
inadequate refuse storage.
We provided input into a revised design, landscaping scheme and layout prepared by Malvern Architecture, and produced a Planning Statement to accompany a revised application which we submitted to the Council. We also carried out a consultation with the Parish Council and local councillors to make them aware of the scheme, and in order to enable us to address any potential concerns.
Having regard to the former use of the property, case law and appeal decisions, our Planning Statement included detailed evidence that the property should not be considered a ‘community facility’. We set out that the principle of the development was acceptable and in accordance with the development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.
We also successfully argued that there was no need for specialist residential care facilities in the area, and that, given the building’s size and configuration, it was no longer suitable for such a use. Additionally, we detailed the importance of delivering residential accommodation on small, sustainable, brownfield sites such as this if the Council was to achieve its housing targets.
Having regard to both the principle of the development and detailed design matters Council Planning Officers agreed that the previous reasons for refusal had been addressed. Planning permission was granted.
“Chris prepared a convincing and comprehensive Planning Statement. He kept us fully informed throughout the application process. ”