Urban living: Our expertise Urban living: A marriage of opportunity and need We have a substantial track record with Build-to-Rent, The distinct characteristics of urban living require a tailored Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), co-living approach to planning strategy. Optimising the contribution and for sale residential schemes within town and city of central sites to housing supply, whilst creating high centres across the UK. quality new places, requires an in depth understanding of constraints and opportunities in urban environments. This urban living sector is playing a growing role in responding to The land market is competitive and yet local authority our national housing crisis. At the same time it is underpinning demands, such as affordable housing, are typically the revival of many of our core urban areas as their economic high. Sites tend to have a range of constraints, including roles evolve. We are witnessing a significant market and public residential and commercial neighbours and protected sector-led drive towards greater diversification in the urban heritage assets. High quality architectural design is critical living sector catering for groups with different housing needs. to realising the potential of these sites. New residential sectors have emerged. This includes Understanding how to match client goals with local Build-to-Rent, backed by new sources of finance, including authority priorities is also key where compromises need long-term ‘patient’ capital from institutional investors, as to be intelligently made. well as increasing market activity from the public sector and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). Whilst we are witnessing With planning consultancy at the core, our service offering the emergence of new models of urban living through co- and is well placed to support the delivery of major urban living micro-living proposals, the demand for Purpose Built Student schemes. We have a broad range of experience in the Accommodation also remains strong. sector, applying our technical and strategic expertise to optimise development opportunities and respond positively to constraints to secure deliverable planning permissions across all areas of the urban living sector. Key Project Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) Build-to-Rent (BTR) examples For sale schemes Co-living Mixed-use regeneration 24 Westfield Road, Edinburgh Academy Street, Belfast 61-63 London Road, Edinburgh Forth Banks PRS Scheme, Newcastle upon Tyne Skelhorne Street, Liverpool Port Loop, Hunslet Road, South Bank, Leeds Birmingham New Wakefield Street, Manchester Echo Street, Manchester The Mercian, Birmingham Snow Hill Wharf, Shadwell Street 100 Avenue Road, Swiss Cottage, London Birmingham Imperial, Bromley-by-Bow, London West End Gate, Paddington Green, London Victoria Square, Woking, Surrey Bargate Shopping Centre, Southampton West End Gate, Paddington Green, London Delivering Westminster’s largest housing site Our role Results CLIENT • We guided the delivery of Westminster’s largest housing site through the • At over 840 homes, West End Gate is the single largest housing site in Berkeley Homes planning process, as a very high profile EIA development, containing seven Westminster, delivering a long stalled site of strategic importance to buildings including one of the tallest buildings in Westminster, at 30 storeys. Westminster, that had been vacant for over 30 years. This represents nearly LPA one year of Westminster’s housing delivery target. • Delivered an initial planning permission in 2016 for 652 new homes, which Westminster City Council has grown to over 840 through a series of amendment and slot in full • 25% of homes are affordable including decant accommodation for the applications across the site as neighbouring buildings have been acquired neighbouring housing renewal area. STATUS as part of the overall masterplan. Over 25% of the homes are affordable, • The site has been active since 2016 and is nearing first occupation in Planning permission including decant accommodation for the neighbouring Church Street spring 2020. consented, currently housing renewal area. amending during • Our long established team in Westminster led on the planning and heritage • We have guided the planning process and led on engagement with the construction aspects of the proposal, delivering a scheme that optimises this key site, council and the GLA in delivering this long vacant and constrained key site using established expertise and relationships in the city to guide the scheme in Westminster. An overall placemaking vision has driven the process, with SERVICES through the planning process. significant public realm improvements, landscaping and planting, new retail Planning, Heritage and other commercial uses. • The achieved massing and density has led to the city council revising its and Townscape expectations for the neighbouring sites within their housing renewal area. 100 Avenue Road, Swiss Cottage, London Impact of tall building on heritage assets in London concluded as acceptable Our role Results CLIENT • Following a public inquiry, the Secretary of State agreed with his Planning • Agreement that any harm was limited to the impact on one view from one Essential Living Inspector’s recommendation and granted planning permission for the conservation area and that there would be no harmful impact to adjacent redevelopment of 100 Avenue Road, a 24 storey building providing listed buildings. LPA purpose-built housing for renting and affordable housing. • Secretary of State concluded that the public benefits of the proposals London Borough of Camden • Provided expert heritage evidence covering relative impact of the outweighed the limited harm to heritage assets. proposals on the setting and significance of adjacent and nearby heritage STATUS • Underpinning the evidence was our robust understanding of the heritage assets, including listed buildings and conservation areas. significance of the assets, including the relative role that the setting and Planning permission granted • Included an assessment of the impact of the tall building in views appeal of the site played, together with the correct legislative context to and from the various conservation areas. for consideration of these matters. SERVICES • Scheme will be residential-led, mixed-use including purpose built housing Planning, Heritage and for rent, affordable housing, complementary town centre uses, potential Townscape area for a new London Underground station, public realm improvements, and a community facility. Imperial, Bromley-by-Bow, London Residential-led, mixed-use development comprising new homes and flexible retail, commercial and community floorspace Our role Results CLIENT • We are advising Guinness Developments Ltd in relation to their • Historically, our project team has been advising Danescroft on the wider Guinness Developments Ltd / residential-led, mixed-use development scheme at Bromley-by-Bow, site (Imperial Phase 1) since 2016, securing full planning permission for Danescroft Land Ltd London. The site is of strategic importance, being a key gateway to the wider 500 Build-to-Rent homes and approximately 3,500 sq m of non-residential masterplan area known as ‘Bromley-by-Bow South’ which seeks to create a floorspace in buildings of up to 28 storeys in height, in September 2018. LPA new District Centre in close proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. • We were retained as planning advisors following Guinness’ acquisition of London Legacy Development • With the principle of redevelopment being set out in a formal site allocation Phase 1 and the neighbouring site (Phases 2 and 3) in late 2018. We have Corporation (LLDC) in the LLDC Local Plan, and forming part of an illustrative masterplan of the recently submitted an application for non-material amendments to Phase Bromley-by-Bow SPD (which was prepared by the landowners and LPA, and 2, including changes to the internal layouts and unit mix and a new full STATUS adopted in April 2017), our team focused on the preparation of a robust planning application for Phase 3 comprising 321 residential units, ancillary Various planning phases design and planning application submission to push the parameters set commercial uses and a new public park, seeking an uplift of 66 units within the SPD. compared to a previously permitted scheme. SERVICES • Careful negotiation and justification was required to allow key stakeholders, • We are also advising Guinness Developments Ltd on the comprehensive Planning, Strategic including the LLDC, its Quality Review Panel, LB Tower Hamlets, the Mayor affordable housing strategy across Imperial which targets an increase from Communications and Transport for London, to support the proposed design exceeding the the previously consented 25% and 30% affordable housing to almost 50% heights and density envisaged in the SPD. across all phases. Victoria Square, Woking Image courtesy of Blink Image Ltd. 2013 Mixed-use regeneration of Woking Town Centre Our role Results CLIENT • We secured planning permission for a retail-led, mixed-use development • Planning permission for enabling works, including a re-located fire station, Victoria Square which will create 10,000 sq m new retail floorspace, a four-star hotel and was secured in April 2014 and the enabling works were completed in 2016. Woking Limited 427 residential apartments in buildings ranging from 23 to 34 storeys. The • Planning permission was granted for the main development in March 2015 development will also create