Challenging Deadline Met to Enable Affordable Dwellings

Tetlow King Planning has been successful in achieving planning permission for 41 affordable dwellings at two sites in Withywood, Bristol for Registered Social Landlord, Knightstone Housing Association (KHA). Reserved matters applications for 19 affordable dwellings at Turtlegate Avenue, Withywood and for 22 affordable dwellings at the former Withywood Methodist Church have been granted permission.

Bristol City Council granted outline permission for housing at both sites in April 2006. KHA instructed us in February 2009 to urgently prepare and submit the reserved matters applications before the outline permissions expired in April 2009. KHA’s priority was to secure both permissions before they expired.

Jonathan Adams, Director at Tetlow King Planning sought an urgent meeting with Officers at the City Council and the Architect to discuss the proposed layouts and to agree the supporting information that must be submitted to enable the Council to validate the applications. Jonathan successfully negotiated with Officers that several of the documents listed on the City Council’s ‘validation requirements’ could be provided by planning conditions attached to planning consents. The time taken to prepare some of these reports would have made it very difficult to submit and validate the applications before the outline permissions expired. Other reports such as the arboricultural survey were completed in time. Both reserved matters applications were submitted and validated in March 2009.

Jonathan continued to liaise with Officers throughout the application process. He provided feedback to objections from the Archaeology, Urban Design and Landscape Officers on the design and layout of both application schemes. The Case Officer agreed with almost all of his comments and sought only very minor changes to the layouts, which were undertaken.

The outline permissions required that the applicant provide financial contributions towards recreational space and facilities – approximately £54,000 at Turtlegate Avenue and £63,000 at the former Withywood Methodist Church. Whilst assisting the applicant’s Solicitor in preparing legal agreements for both application schemes, Jonathan asked the Officer to investigate whether the level of need for recreational space and facilities had remained the same in 2009 as in 2006. This prompted the City Council to agree to reduce the combined contributions by more than £25,000.

The City Council granted both reserved matters applications in June 2009. The application schemes will transform both derelict sites and will greatly improve the appearance of this part of Withywood. The 41 affordable dwellings will contribute to the acute need for affordable housing in Withywood and the wider Bristol area.