MAZE Planning Solutions is marking 10 years in business this month, reflecting on a busy and tumultuous period for the property industry.
Thank you to everyone who has played a part in helping the business reach this milestone as we look forward to the next 10 years with equal relish and enthusiasm.
The first 10 MAZE projects - a quick run through the filing cabinet in late 2003 and where the schemes ended up:
001 - Red City, Salford: providing retail impact work for what is now Salford City Stadium and associated retail warehouse development at Barton. The retail element is yet to be built.
002 - West Bowling, Bradford: a B&Q Warehouse store to kick start a major business park development for Landmark Development Projects. Bradford Council liked it but the Secretary of State had other ideas and refused planning permission after a call-in inquiry. The site is now home to Prologis Park, anchored by M&S's enourmous distribution warehouse.
003 - Electric Park, Trafford Park, Manchester: a major employment regeneration scheme for Green Property, now home to Kellogg's 35,000 square metre distribution warehouse and L'Oreal amongst others.
004 - Durham City Retail Park: a 20,000 square metre retail warehouse, restaurant and car showroom scheme for Consolidated Property Group, secured after a lengthy multi-party call-in inquiry. The scheme was up and running soon after approval, with B&Q anchoring.
005 - Chester Road, Manchester: an ambitious Ian Simpson designed glass-clad apartment scheme providing 90 units in the Castlefield basin, promoted for Sterling Capitol. Approved at the same planning committee as the nearby Deansgate Tower, but ultimately confined to the drawing board. The site was sold on and remains vacant today.
006 - St Anne Street, Liverpool: another 90 unit inner city apartment scheme, which this time failed to impress the City Planners, concerned about scale and density. The site remains in industrial use.
007 - Thornaby District Centre, Stockton-On-Tees: £30m town centre transformation project for Thornfield Developments and Stockton Council, approved and built before Thornfield's demise and now occupied by Home Bargains, Wilkinson and others.
008 - New Road, Crook: 57 houses and 1400sqm of office space for Wolff Developments to replace ageing warehouse and factory premises and provide access to a landlocked employment development allocation. Housing now built and sold.
009 - Dunnings Bridge Road, Bootle: working with JMP Consultants on behalf of the Highways Agency to appraise Ikea's proposals for its first Merseyside store. Ikea pulled the plug in December 2005 when the Secretary of State intervened in Sefton Council's decision to grant planning permission.
010 - Altrincham Town Centre: working as part of the Sterling Capitol team to win and then almost immediately lose preferred developer status for regeneration of land at Oakfield Road after political wrangling at Trafford Council caused havoc. Now under Nikal's control the 'Altrair' scheme has recently been reinvigorated and looks set to progress.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Friday, 21 September 2012
Helping Barnardo's in Blackpool
MAZE Planning Solutions is pleased to have helped children's charity Barnardo's establish a new donation centre and shop in Blackpool.
MAZE secured planning permission with the support of officers at Blackpool Council in August to enable Barnardo's to occupy a 550 sq.m (6,000 sq.ft) vacant unit at Cherry Tree Retail Park, Blackpool, FY4 4PH.
The new use combines a 'front of house' retail space together with a larger area devoted to receiving, sorting and redistributing donated goods to maintain a flow of stock for the charity's established network of stores in the Fylde coast area.
MAZE acted for the retail park owner, Laketime Holiday Ltd.
Landlord's legal adviser: Napthens Solicitors
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Gateshead Housing Application Submitted
MAZE Planning Solutions has submitted an outline planning application for development of 7 houses in the village of High Spen, Gateshead, on behalf of the owner, Northern Properties.
Maze first secured planning permission for development on the site in 2006. The revised scheme provides an alternative form of housing to appeal to the current market and preserves an existing home on the site which was previously due to be sacrificed to the development scheme.
Click here for a 3D image of the proposed scheme
Interested purchasers can contact Stephen Smith at Ashley Smith Chartered Surveyors in Durham for further details.
Maze first secured planning permission for development on the site in 2006. The revised scheme provides an alternative form of housing to appeal to the current market and preserves an existing home on the site which was previously due to be sacrificed to the development scheme.
Click here for a 3D image of the proposed scheme
Interested purchasers can contact Stephen Smith at Ashley Smith Chartered Surveyors in Durham for further details.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Rossendale United - Public Consultation
MAZE has launched a public consultation exercise to help shape development proposed at the former home of Rossendale United Football Club in the Newchurch area of Rossendale Borough.
Rossendale United ceased to be an active football club at the end of the 2009/10 season. Significant debts had amassed and the consequent inability to pay the day-to-day bills led to expulsion from the Vodkat League.
The Club's pitch and associated facilities at Dark Lane have become a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour. On 15 January this year the main stand was devastated in an arson attack.
It has become increasingly urgent and important to identify a positive future for the ground to prevent it becoming a serious blight on the local community, and to remove the risks and dangers of a repeat of the recent fire.
The consultation exercise seeks to do that by encouraging the local community and other interest groups to get involved. The consultation was launched on 14 February and runs until the 7th March 2012. It asks for feedback on a proposed family housing development of about 50 units, together with ideas for an associated 'sporting legacy'.
Further details: www.darklanedevelopments.co.uk
Rossendale United ceased to be an active football club at the end of the 2009/10 season. Significant debts had amassed and the consequent inability to pay the day-to-day bills led to expulsion from the Vodkat League.
The Club's pitch and associated facilities at Dark Lane have become a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour. On 15 January this year the main stand was devastated in an arson attack.
It has become increasingly urgent and important to identify a positive future for the ground to prevent it becoming a serious blight on the local community, and to remove the risks and dangers of a repeat of the recent fire.
The consultation exercise seeks to do that by encouraging the local community and other interest groups to get involved. The consultation was launched on 14 February and runs until the 7th March 2012. It asks for feedback on a proposed family housing development of about 50 units, together with ideas for an associated 'sporting legacy'.
Further details: www.darklanedevelopments.co.uk
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Planning Myth? You Decide
Planning's a pretty topical media subject at the moment, with the reform of national planning guidance being hailed as a developers charter and the planning system declared as an overweight ball of red tape that ties its users in knots and generally gets in the way of all that's good about development for our economy.
Clearly miffed at some of some of the negative press its Members have been getting, The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has instigated a campaign to dispel some of the more prevalent planning myths:
- The default response to a planning application is a resounding 'no';
- Planning is slow
- Planning is costly;
- The planning system is a drag on economic growth
- It forces house prices up
If any of this sounds familiar or touches a nerve, you might want to take a minute to check out the RTPI's website for the full story. Planning myth? You decide:
http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/12742/Planning-Myths.pdf
Clearly miffed at some of some of the negative press its Members have been getting, The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has instigated a campaign to dispel some of the more prevalent planning myths:
- The default response to a planning application is a resounding 'no';
- Planning is slow
- Planning is costly;
- The planning system is a drag on economic growth
- It forces house prices up
If any of this sounds familiar or touches a nerve, you might want to take a minute to check out the RTPI's website for the full story. Planning myth? You decide:
http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/12742/Planning-Myths.pdf
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Morecambe FC 'On Song'
MAZE Planning Solutions is working with its established client, Morecambe Football Club, to bring an exciting new music event to the town, which would be hosted at the club's Globe Arena stadium. Proposals are being worked up for a 2 or 3 day music festival which it is hoped could become an annual event in July each year, starting in 2012.
MAZE has submitted a planning application to Lancaster City Council to vary an existing planning condition which currently restricts use of the stadium to sporting events only. Understandably it's a cause of concern to some local residents worried about noise and crowds, but the Football Club is well used to managing events and will be working with specialist concert promoters and managers to ensure the process runs smoothly.
The planning application is supported by Noise Assessment work undertaken by specialist adviser, Hepworth Acoustics, and it's proposed that events will comply with the Noise Council's Code of Practice for noise control at concerts, a nationally recognised standard of good practice.
Development of the visitor economy in Morecambe, including festivals and other such special events, is a key corporate priority for Lancaster City Council. Events at Globe Arena would raise the town's profile as a leisure destination, encourage more visitors to the District and bring with it expenditure on overnight stays, eating out, shopping and related activities to boost local businesses.
It's hoped that planning permission will be granted shortly so that preparations for the inaugural 2012 event can be put in motion.
MAZE has submitted a planning application to Lancaster City Council to vary an existing planning condition which currently restricts use of the stadium to sporting events only. Understandably it's a cause of concern to some local residents worried about noise and crowds, but the Football Club is well used to managing events and will be working with specialist concert promoters and managers to ensure the process runs smoothly.
The planning application is supported by Noise Assessment work undertaken by specialist adviser, Hepworth Acoustics, and it's proposed that events will comply with the Noise Council's Code of Practice for noise control at concerts, a nationally recognised standard of good practice.
Development of the visitor economy in Morecambe, including festivals and other such special events, is a key corporate priority for Lancaster City Council. Events at Globe Arena would raise the town's profile as a leisure destination, encourage more visitors to the District and bring with it expenditure on overnight stays, eating out, shopping and related activities to boost local businesses.
It's hoped that planning permission will be granted shortly so that preparations for the inaugural 2012 event can be put in motion.
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