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Planning
Context is critical to successful planning. This is where the opportunities lie and the challenges lurk. Objections rarely arise within a red-line boundary but from the neighbouring communities, often prompted by broad socio-economic, environmental and political issues.
We enjoy turning challenges and constraints into an opportunity. At Coypool Park in Plymouth, we are leading the planning process to deliver 550 dwellings for Homes England. The adjoining neighbourhood has a dearth of public open space, while our brownfield site encompasses a poorly managed woodland and a blanket Tree Preservation Order. Our strong and simple strategy focuses on creating a fantastic woodland asset as useable green space, managed for biodiversity, recreation and healthy living. This both addresses planning risk and informs the character of the new place, to offer something distinctive in the housing marketplace.
This typifies LDA Design’s distinct perspective on promoting sites for development, through strategic allocations, applications and development consent orders. Our ethos is derived from our roots as landscape planners. We instinctively understand the bigger picture and are able to build compelling narratives that convey the benefits to counter-balance the harm that comes with development.
“By far the greatest and most admirable form of wisdom is that needed to plan and beautify cities and human communities.” Socrates
Demand for development is intensifying – alongside localism, environmental protection and commercial pressures. Interestingly, this has forced a shift towards new models of delivery that require different planning strategies. They include the promotion of more new settlements and more emphasis on well-planned green infrastructure at a scale that enables strategic growth.
It is our legacy of landscape-led planning, and our iterative approach to planning, environment and design, that help us to frame and consent strategic infrastructure and new communities.
In Fareham, for example, we have been guiding the delivery of over 6,000 home Garden Community, Welborne. We have defined its vision, provided the evidence for the Local Plan, and advised the private developer so that any compromises necessary for delivery do not affect the quality of place or its promising long-term future.
Naturally our planning advice also embraces cost minimisation, value generation and programme management.
St James Hospital is an extensive, under-utilised Victorian hospital complex set in a parkland on the Southsea coast. It is one of the most significant development sites in Portsmouth but not without its commercial and planning challenges. We defined a strong rationale for wholesale but sensitive redevelopment, and prepared a Development Framework to ensure coordinated delivery across multiple landowners and phases. Our design approach balances respectful conversion of listed buildings with use of the parkland site to minimise risk while generating sufficient value for a commercially viable outcome.
Contact Martin Herbert to discuss how we can help.
