Case Study: Stonebroom – Planning Statement

As Planning Consultants, we are very often asked to write highly technical responses to application documents or inquiry documents. When we are asked to write Planning Statements or Design and Access Statements however, we have a little more freedom and can respond creatively. Here are a few examples of where we have worked with various design teams to tell a story about a site in support of an application.

VTP have been working in partnership with Green 4 developments a Derbyshire based landowner with an in-house architectural practise. Green 4 developments produce schemes of medium to large scale for local promoters and developers throughout the midlands. We were asked to engage with them on a project in Stonebroom, Derbyshire. They had produced a scheme that was on an allocated site in the North East Derbyshire Local Plan for 35 dwellings. VTP came in towards the end of the project and we were asked to prepare a planning statement to accompany the application.

We began by doing an assessment of local and national policy. We looked at the designations both on site and adjacent to the site then we reviewed the public consultation that had been undertaken. We considered how the scheme had taken into consideration the way the site functioned, looking at footpath connections, access connection, what the landscape boundaries were, and whether there was any utility infrastructure on the site that needed to be taken into account. We then prepared evidence detailing why the proposed scheme would be acceptable and how it met with policy. We also told a story about how the scheme could look when it went through to a detailed planning application stage. By doing this we were able to demonstrate that all of the consultation requirements had been met and that the local plan allocation was being met in full. This application is currently out for consideration with North East Derbyshire council.