Bringing you thought provoking opinion articles from our experts and the recent news from within our Planning & Development division.

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The publication of the new London Plan brings with it a clear strategic priority to increase the rate of housing delivery on small sites with the introduction of Policy H2 ‘Small Sites’. But the question is, how are London Boroughs going to begin delivering on this policy?

Our London planning professionals have addressed this essential question and provided their thoughts, including the consideration of how design codes can make an impactful difference going forward. 

To view the article, please click here.

Carter Jonas in the news

On behalf of Stockland Green Ltd, our planning and development professionals in the eastern region have submitted a planning application to expand the cycle shop and café at Phoenix Cycleworks, near Newmarket. The application also includes additional parking and landscaping.

 

Our planning and building consultancy teams have been involved with the bike park since obtaining the original approval for a café, shop and pump track in 2017. A second permission was secured in 2019 for an additional four hectares of trails, jumps and ramps up to five metres high. The new trails, which opened in 2020, have proved extremely popular following the easing of lockdown restrictions and additional visitor facilities are now needed. 

Permission is sought to double the size of the existing café and cycle shop, as well as provide a new cycle hire and repair shop, and increase parking numbers from 50 to 78. The extension is to be constructed of repurposed shipping containers clad in timber, using a striking colour scheme of black and orange, with bold signage and contemporary landscaping. The ‘tower’ entrance feature will become a local landmark. 

BMX and mountain biking are rapidly growing sports, with freestyle BMX set to be an Olympic sport for the first time in Tokyo this year. Phoenix Cycleworks hopes to capitalise on this growing interest, and potentially help to ensure that a future Olympian comes from the West Suffolk region. 

Our professionals hope to work with West Suffolk Council to achieve permission for the expansion and ensure the bike park can continue to cater for its growing number of visitors. 

For further information, please contact a member of our team:

John Mason

Senior Planner
07825 906209

Our professionals have secured planning permission for a significant extension to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The planning consent was granted partially retrospectively in view of the important role that the facility fulfils in the COVID-19 pandemic.

It includes a new five storey Critical Care Building, the demolition of the existing Barnes Unit, relocation of the Tissue Building, a new replacement link corridor within the building connecting the Trauma Building, and various ancillary works.

In an unusual move, the work on the Critical Care Building began prior to planning consent having been granted to meet the urgent demand of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System for increased critical care capacity. Coupled with this demand, Oxford University Hospitals experienced a surge in hospital admissions in the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in an overflow of patients from critical care units to other hospital accommodation such as general wards and theatres, which in turn impacted ongoing elective activity. 

Due to COVID-19 and the important role that the John Radcliffe hospital plays on a regional and national level, Oxford City Council fast-tracked the application process, meaning that much of the planning work taking place behind the scenes was carried out simultaneously to construction work.

It was necessary for the planning application to be fast-tracked due to a combination of factors: time-limited available funding for the new facility, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and the pressing critical care need. Collaboration was key to achieving this. The City Council was consulted at the earliest possible stage and both members and senior planning officials were fully appraised and updated on the initial build phases. Ultimately, this close working partnership resulted in the planning application being placed before the Council’s East Area Planning Committee where, after debate, the Committee resolved to grant the application.

Huw Mellor, Partner, commented, “Under normal circumstances, planning approval and construction for a new development of this scale would take many months or possibly even some years, with building beginning only when planning permission had been granted. This development represents a hugely significant new clinical facility at the John Radcliffe Hospital and provides much-needed critical care for the region. Achieving its delivery in such a short space of time was only possible with the collaborative position afforded by the City Council in their consideration of the proposal, and the proactive way in which they engaged with the Trust team through the whole planning application process. It’s a reflection too and an excellent example to my mind of the direction of travel of the Government’s evolving planning regulations in respect of the general easing of the planning path for health authority related developments, particularly so during the ongoing pandemic.”

For further information, please contact a member of our team:

Huw Mellor
Partner
07739 519195
huw.mellor@carterjonas.co.uk

Change is coming. We don’t know the rules of the game yet, and we can’t be sure who the winners and losers will be. But the one thing we know for certain is that natural capital is going to be the currency in this new world.

To view the full article, please click here.

Responding to fast-moving urban change, we have recruited Juha Raymond as a partner to spearhead our Build-to-Rent (BTR) offer. He is based out of our firm's headquarters, One Chapel Place, London.

Juha joins from Bruton Realty which he co-founded in 2015 to target opportunities in BTR and the wider Private Rented Sector, advising institutional, private equity and developer clients on acquisition, sales, consulting and business operations.

Before this, he was an associate director in the London Investment and Development team at Colliers International. He has also held roles at CBRE, Montagu Evans and US-based private equity real estate business, Westbrook Partners.

At Carter Jonas, Juha will help promote our BTR experience and capabilities in this sector, garnered from our firm's national network including experts in land management and assembly, planning and development, extending to residential professionals in lettings, new homes and portfolio and letting management. Juha will also champion BTR within our firm, ensuring a well-managed, service-led approach for our clients ranging from landowners at the initial stage of a project to the end-users.

Lisa Simon, Head of Residential, said: "Juha brings more than 20 years of experience to Carter Jonas - a significant proportion of which has been invested in the BTR sector, a major area of focus for our business. His expertise will be invaluable as we support clients looking to target opportunities in the residential market, propelled by shifts in living patterns and changing demographics. Juha will be instrumental in bringing together expertise within our business, working with specialists from our land, infrastructure, planning, development and commercial teams, as well as our homes departments, to deliver a collaborative and innovative approach for new and existing clients."

Juha Raymond, Partner, said: "Interest from investors and developers in BTR and new modes of living continues to grow as they are attracted to the relative stability of the sector and its non-cyclical drivers. With a network of offices across the country, in areas that align with the BTR market, Carter Jonas is well placed to provide a full suite of services. I look forward to working with the wider team to grow our market share and support our clients to provide both operational and transactional advice in this exciting and fast-developing area." 
 

For further information, please contact a member of our team:

Juha Raymond
Partner 
07801 666103
juha.raymond@carterjonas.co.uk

On behalf of Swift Referrals, our professionals based on Leeds have successfully secured planning consent for change of use of an industrial unit, located on Thorp Arch Estate, to a critical care specialist veterinary practice.

The critical care facility will be located adjacent to the existing specialist veterinary practice, which opened in 2018, and follows the growth of the business over the last three years. Facilities will include consulting rooms, theatres, a dog ward, cat ward, treatment rooms, MRI room, prep-room, imaging room, CT Scanner, offices, changing rooms and WCs, waste and laundry room, staff areas, meeting room and a waiting area.

The critical care facility will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week given the nature of the services offered.

For further information, please contact a member of our team:

Emma Winter
Associate Partner 
07973 505576
emma.winter@carterjonas.co.uk

The next edition of Planning & Development Bulletin will be published in June, however you can keep up-to-date with our latest firmwide developments on the News & Events section of our website.

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Colin is a Partner and was appointed Head of Planning & Development Division in November 2020, he is based out of our Cambridge office.  He has over 25 years’ experience of planning consultancy and has a broad sphere of work.  He acts for a wide range of private, institutional and developer clients and has worked on significant planning applications and appeals.

He regularly instructs Counsel, and has appeared at a number of Local Plan examinations and in Section 78 and other appeals where he has often given evidence.  He carries out much land promotion work and has a strong track record of delivering planning consents taking projects through their entire process from site identification to construction on site.  

Away from work, Colin is Chairman of the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry and of the Cambridge branch of networking group, Interact.  He is also Chairman of the Dining Rights Committee at the Hawks’ Club, a sporting club in the City for Cambridge University sportsmen. He is a regular, if poor golfer, a keen cyclist and a committed, but somewhat less dangerous skier than he once was.

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James is Chairman of Carter Jonas.  Formerly Head of the Planning & Development Division, James advises clients on proposed development projects throughout the south of England with nearly 30 years of experience in residential and mixed use development.  This includes site identification, project management of planning and development strategies, valuation and viability appraisals, marketing and sale of development opportunities. He has specific expertise in option, promotion and other development agreements, joint ventures and landowner equalisation agreements. James has been involved in sites ranging from new settlements to city centre regeneration and smaller provincial and rural schemes, and also provides expert witness and independent expert valuation services for dispute resolution.

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Nick is a chartered town planner and development surveyor with over 25 years' experience, gained across the residential, commercial, retail and industrial sectors for corporate, institutional and private landowners and developers. He has worked at CBRE and Drivers Jonas Deloitte. His professional experience is in three main sectors – Strategic Land / Projects, Retail / Mixed-Use and Central London. Strategic Projects / Land involves the promotion of land for commercial and residential development for landowners and developers. Retail / Mixed-Use schemes are a blend of edge of centre and town centre mixed-use schemes with food stores and other uses, often residential. This sector includes regeneration and waterside schemes. Central London focuses on projects from Canary Wharf to Hammersmith and Camden down to Wandsworth, Southwark and Lambeth.

When he isn’t working, Nick can be found playing golf (increasingly badly) and spending time re-stocking and emptying his wine cellar to indulge his passion for wine.

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Steven is Partner and Head of Planning Southern Region and is based in our Oxford office.

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John is Head of the Leeds office and the Planning & Development Team North. John advises clients on proposed development projects throughout the North of England.  He has over 30 years’ experience in residential and commercial development acting for private, corporate, institutional, charity and public sector clients.

This includes site identification, project management of planning and development strategies, valuation and viability appraisals, marketing and sale of development opportunities.

John has specific expertise in Options, Promotional Agreements, Joint Ventures and Conditional Contracts, acting mainly for landowners.  John has been involved in projects such as new settlements, to city centre regeneration, provincial sites, large commercial developments and site sales.

The Development Agency team are currently instructed on 6,500 acres in 150 locations across the North West, Yorkshire and the North East.

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