Thorngrove in the hunt for Cheshire permissions

Thorngrove Developments has acquired two sites for housing development in Sandbach from Cheshire East Council.

MAZE Planning Solutions has submitted planning applications for immediate redevelopment of the sites, which will provide 14 three, four and five bedroom high quality family homes.


The sites at Middlewich Road in the town centre and London Road, near Sandbach railway station, were acquired by competitive tender.

Thorngrove Managing Director, Lee Charnley, said:

“Whilst there are already numerous residential schemes currently under construction in Sandbach, I am very confident that our developments will provide a superior offering that will clearly distinguish them from the typical styles being marketed by the mass builders within the town."

“Whilst these will be the first residential schemes that Thorngrove Developments has undertaken, our commitment to delivering exceptional quality and meticulous attention to detail, with each interior being individually designed by an interior designer, will set us apart from similar priced new build offerings."

“We are currently looking for similar sites throughout the North West as we continue to grow our development portfolio across all property sectors.”

Both developments have been fashioned by North West firms APL Architecture and Urban Green.

Elsewhere, sister company Thorngrove Land & Property has partnered with Richardsons Capital to develop a speculative 260,000 sq.ft high bay warehouse in Derbyshire at J28 of the M1. The scheme is the first major development for Lee Charnley since leaving Property Alliance Group last year, where he was Development Director.

We worked tirelessly on behalf of a private client, with the help of a hand picked, tight-knit advisory team, to secure planning permission for a unique family home in Rossendale with a history of failed applications. A nice one to get right.

For further information, take a look at the project summary or get in touch. 

info@mazeplanning.co.uk  0161 327 2202 

Woodland holiday homes approved on appeal

MAZE Planning Solutions and Urban Green have secured detailed planning permission for 49 holiday homes at Leisure Lakes on behalf of the owner, Leisure Lakes Ltd following a successful appeal. 

 

The proposed holiday homes are situated in woodland with a lakeside setting and form part of significant planned improvements to facilities at the outdoor pursuits, watersports and caravan park near Tarleton in West Lancashire, which are being guided by MAZE on behalf of the owner.

The site lies within the Green Belt and much of it is within a Biological Heritage Site covered by a Woodland Tree Preservation Order, raising a challenging set of land use planning issues. 

West Lancashire Borough Council refused to approve the detailed design for the holiday homes in May 2013, but the scheme has now been approved following reconsideration by a Government Planning Inspector.

The appeal was heard in April and May this year and the Planning Inspector’s decision draws a 6.5 year reserved matters planning application process to a close after negotiations between Leisure Lakes, West Lancashire Borough Council and Lancashire County Council faltered. 

The appeal success owes much to work carried out by Manchester based consultants Urban Green, who were commissioned in the latter stages of the project to prepare a woodland management programme, construction management plan and arboricultural assessment, as well as landscape design proposals for the holiday homes.  Urban Green’s work enabled Leisure Lakes and the Borough Council to reengage in discussions about the scheme after the May 2013 refusal.  That ultimately led to the parties resolving their differences during the appeal process and presenting the Planning Inspector with an agreed scheme.    

Andrew Watt, Partner at MAZE Planning Solutions said:

“The planning application process was made difficult by a lack of resource in the County Council’s ecology service which meant that face-to-face meetings needed to discuss and resolve issues raised by the development did not take place, despite repeated pleas from Leisure Lakes.

Whilst regrettable as a course of action, the appeal process focussed all parties firmly on the task of getting the scheme right, which enabled agreement to be reached on development detail and the long term management of woodland areas at Leisure Lakes for ecology.

The Planning Inspector is to be applauded for his approach. He recognised the merits of the scheme and the opportunity it presented to bring large areas of woodland in the Biological Heritage Site under management.  Adjournment of the appeal hearing for a month was permitted to allow time for Leisure Lakes to reach agreement with the Borough and County Councils. That pragmatism was embraced by all parties and the cooperative approach that resulted was key to the approval of reserved matters, which is an outcome I believe all parties are happy with” 

Martin King, Director at Urban Green said:

“The project and permissions had an unusually long history and thus it provided a real challenge to us, as our involvement commenced late in the overall process. We always believed there was a workable solution to the development being able to be implemented in such a woodland and lakeside location. We are extremely pleased that the approach of appropriate management, along with sensitive design and construction methods within this setting was acknowledged by all parties and that we were able to be part of this successful appeal. Hopefully the project will now move forward positively."

A copy of the appeal and related costs decision can be viewed here.

Bromley Cross foodstore unveiled

MAZE Planning Solutions has submitted a detailed planning application to Bolton Council today (7 November) for a retail and office development in Bromley Cross. 

The application has been made on behalf of the landowner, CW Construction (North West) Ltd, and proposes redevelopment of the vacant former Green Bengal restaurant on Darwen Road.
 

The anchor foodstore has been designed in conjunction with Sainsbury's and the scheme also includes further unit shops as an expansion of the established Bromley Cross local shopping centre.
 

The new buildings will be constructed in natural stone and materials reclaimed from the existing building will be used to form boundary walls and other hard landscaping elements.  

Standish foodstore application submitted

Proposals for development of a foodstore at High Street in Standish have been submitted to Wigan Council following public consultation earlier this year.

The planning application was submitted on 1 July by MAZE Planning Solutions and is  promoted by the landowner, Noel Chadwick Ltd.  It will enable comprehensive redevelopment of the site at 51-67 High Street to provide a foodstore designed to meet the need for additional convenience retail space to serve the local population.


The application proposes a building of 2,618 square metres, with a net retail sales area of 1,571 square metres and a café of 100 square metres, served by 150 space car park which will be available free of charge on a short stay basis to enable users to visit other shops, services and schools in the town centre area.

The applicant 's design team engaged in a lengthy period of pre-application consultation with Borough Council officers and latterly the public in February and March this year.  This revealed that a significant majority of respondents are supportive of a new foodstore, welcoming the benefits they consider that would bring in terms of shopping choice, competition and quality, much need car parking for the town centre, and local job opportunities.

The foodstore will replace the existing collection of buildings on the site which include an abattoir, restaurant and butcher/delicatessen which are all operated by the applicant.  The design process has been particularly rigorous as parts of the site are situated in the Standish Conservation Area dictating the need for great care with design detail and materials proposed for the store.

Further details of the development can be viewed on Wigan Council's website by clicking here and searching for planning application number A/13/78303.

Lancashire golf course application submitted

MAZE Planning Solutions has submitted a planning application for development of an 18 hole golf course at Leisure Lakes, near Southport.

Leisure Lakes has facilities for camping, caravanning, walking, cycling, fishing, equestrian, golf, football, jet-ski and jet-boat activities, supported by cafes, a pub, children's outdoor play area and recently added Jollies Barn, a brand new indoor play centre.

The leisure park has an existing 9 hole golf course, 18 bay driving range, golf shop and professional tuition provided by Southport Golf Academy.  The proposed 18 hole course will site alongside the established golfing facilities covering an area of almost 56 hectares (138 acres), set within a retained landscape framework of existing fields, hedgerows and drainage ditches which will provide the basis for new water bodies and woodlands, with significant benefits for ecology and biodiversity.

Full details of the planning application can be viewed on West Lancashire Borough Council's website by clicking on this link and searching for application 2013/0385/FUL  

Lancashire Golf Course - Public Consultation Launched

This consultaion is now closed. Please telephone for further information

MAZE Planning Solutions has lauched a public consultation exercise seeking views on the proposed development of an 18 hole golf course at Leisure Lakes, in the village of Mere Brow near Southport, Lancashire. 

The ambitious new course will sit alongside Southport Golf Academy's existing 9 hole course, driving range and golf school at Leisure Lakes camping and outdoor pursuits centre. The new course has been planned to attract younger golfers to the area, and provide an easier and cheaper golfing alternative to the area's more challenging championship courses.

The course will provide 5700 yards of play, incorporating the exisiting water features, hedgerows and trees on the site.  Richard Carpenter, Director of Southport Golf Academy at Leisure Lakes said:

"We play an important role in developing young players, but after a while they are keen to play on a full size course and the proposed development will keep them playing in the area.  As a flat course it will be great for older golfers too."

If planning permission is granted the new course is expected to employ 10-15 full time staff. Work is planned to start in October and take 12-18 months to complete.

The public consultation exercise runs until 15 February.

Housing Application at Rossendale United

MAZE Planning Solutions has submitted an outline planning application for housing development on the former Rossendale United ground at Dark Lane, Newchurch, on behalf of the owner, Rossendale United Holdings Ltd.  The application follows public consultation undertaken in the spring and proposes a development of 50 family homes, together with a commitment to provide a financial injection to sport and recreation facilities serving the local community in Newchurch.

Rossendale United ceased to be an active football club at the end of the 2009/2010 football season when it was expelled from the Vodkat League because funds were not available to cover the costs of a playing campaign.  Significant debts had built up and there was no way of balancing the books.

In January this year the club’s redundant Dark Lane ground in the Newchurch area of Rossendale was subjected to an arson attack that destroyed the main stand, drawing attention to the need to identify a long term use for the site.

Andrew Watt of MAZE Planning Solutions said:

“We are pleased to have now moved on to the formal planning application process.  It brings the prospect of sorting out the mess that now exists at Dark Lane nearer to a conclusion. 

The need to improve the supply of housing development opportunities in Rossendale Borough is self-evident.  The land at Dark Lane is well suited to help the Council achieve that objective.  It sits in the midst of established housing and residential use is the only realistic alternative for it.

We will work through the application process carefully with the officers at Rossendale over the coming weeks and are hopeful of securing their support and a planning permission early in the New Year.” 

 The proposed development layout can be viewed here.

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.

Rossendale United - Planning Application Imminent

Coverage in this week's Lancashire Telegraph confirms that preparations for submission of a planning application for housing development on the former Rossendale United football ground are at an advanced stage.

MAZE Planning Solutions is leading the application process, following on from public consultation undertaken during the spring which sought feedback on the proposed 50 home development. 

Click here to read the Lancashire Telegraph Article.

Malvern Retail Park Extension

The Malvern Gazette has reported details of MAZE Planning's application for extension of Malvern Shopping Park made on behalf of the owner Consolidated Property Group in April 2012.  The article reassures local readers that Malvern town centre is in good health, with few vacancies and typically fast turnaround of any space that does become available. 

The planning application proposes development of two additional units, extending the existing retail park by 252 square metres.  If approved the new units will have permission for dual use, allowing occupation for both retail and cafe/restaurant uses. A decision on the planning application is expected in early June.

Read the Malvern Gazette article here