Historic Chipping Sodbury Approval

Tetlow King Planning (TKP) has secured consent for developers WCD Ltd for the redevelopment of a historic ‘burgage plot’ within the Chipping Sodbury Conservation Area, South Gloucestershire – to redevelop the existing courtyard buildings to create six new mews houses.

Chipping Sodbury has been described as a rare example of a mediaeval town with a street plan surviving almost unaltered. It is based on a grid pattern of burgage plots which is paralleled by less than 30 examples of similar date elsewhere in the country.

Today the survival of the deep burgage plots running back from the frontage properties of the High Street is an important part of the character of Chipping Sodbury. However, the introduction of large scale development and unsympathetic uses, car parks and the amalgamation of individual plots has resulted in the partial loss of the historic town layout. Retaining the remaining burgage plots is therefore particularly important.

The site, which is a burgage plot off Hounds Road near the High Street was formally in industrial use but had become a derelict eyesore in the Conservation Area. The proposal will maximise the use of the existing courtyard buildings and previously developed land, providing six new two-bedroom dwellings and associated six off-street car parking spaces and private amenity space. It involves the conversion of existing derelict buildings and demolition of a more recent steel building to open up views through the site to the church of St. John the Baptist.

The project was directed and managed by TKP Director, Jonathan Adams.   Close liaison took place with the Planning Officer and Conservation Area Officer both before and during the application.

Officers raised concerns about the raising of the roof along Hounds Road, which was essential to allow the viable redevelopment of the buildings. We successfully persuaded officers that an appeal decision for another similar proposal to raise the roof in a burgage plot meant that the proposal should be allowed.

Council officers were also concerned that the proposal would not provide the level of amenity space sought by the Local Plan. They were however persuaded that bringing the site back into use through the development of a viable scheme outweighed this concern.

Full planning and Conservation Area consent was granted by South Gloucestershire Council via officers’ delegated powers on 18 May 2012.