Wokingham Planning Applications
Wokingham Borough Council has published its pre-submission Local Plan for consultation. The proposed Plan identifies the expansion of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location for 1,100 homes. Lightwood is promoting land within two parts of the proposed allocation for 850 and 95 homes respectively and has been working with Nicholas King Homes and the Council to prepare a comprehensive masterplan. Outline planning applications have been submitted and will be determined during the examination period. A lot has been achieved since the land was signed in 2021. We were pleased to appoint John Simpson architects to prepare the masterplan, application plans and design and access statement. www.johnsimpsonarchitects.com
Lightwood successfully challenges Three Rivers Affordable Housing Viability
The appeal decision was issued by the Planning Inspectorate on 2nd September, and whilst the application was refused on grounds of its impact on the character and appearance of the area (which we do not agree with obviously), the Inspector did agree with Lightwood in the determination of the reason to refuse on the grounds of the lack of provision of an affordable housing contribution.
A financial viability assessment was submitted with the application which demonstrated that no affordable contribution could be made. This was subsequently independently reviewed by Adams Integra, on behalf of the council who disagreed with the methodology used and sought a contribution of £96,201.
The matters in dispute were focussed on the Benchmark Land Value (BLV) used in the modelling. The Council’s conclusions were based on a figure derived from subtracting the Post Development Value (PDV) of the property from the Current Market Value (CMV) of the property to generate an Existing Use Value (EUV) for the development plot only. A 20% premium was then applied. The resultant figure equated to a land value of 14.3% of the Gross Development Value (GDV) which is significantly below accepted industry standards.
In contrast, Lightwood conclusion was based on the (CMV + 20% Premium) – PDV = BLV. This resulted in a land value of 35.7% of the GDV which is reflective of expected return. Subsequently, the Inspector was persuaded that this was the correct methodology to employ and therefore found no conflict with the requirements of Policy CP4 of the CS, the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (2011), or the Framework.
Cullompton Town Centre Relief Road & Cricket Club Relocation
Following the submission of our planning application at the end of July, Mid Devon Council has been awarded additional funding to deliver the town centre relief road. Completion of the road is forecast for 2028 with the major focus of work in the short term being to finalise designs, complete the acquisition of land and fully relocate the cricket club to land that Lightwood control and where it achieved permission for a major new regional facility.
It is expected that the relief road will be the first phase of major road infrastructure investment in Cullompton with further investment expected to support the upgrading of J28 in order to address the capacity of the junction and support wider planned growth. A further business case for investment in the J28 junction is currently with the Government for consideration.
East Cullompton Planning Application
At the end of July, Lightwood submitted its biggest ever planning application for 1,150 homes and supporting uses within the 2,600 homes East Cullompton allocation of the Mid Devon Local Plan. The application follows the adoption of a masterplan SPD, and we will be working with the Council and other developers on a Strategic Design Code and Infrastructure Delivery Plan. This is just the first phase of a 5,000-7,000 home garden village that the Council will progress through the review of its Local Plan, and where we have extensive land interests.
South Wokingham SDL Extension Public Consultation
On Friday 14th June, Lightwood, in conjunction with Nicholas King Homes, shared their emerging proposals for a new neighbourhood at South Wokingham.
The site was identified in Wokingham Borough Council’s new draft Local Plan 2026-2040 for housing growth as an Extension to the South Wokingham SDL, which has been part built out already. Lightwood Strategic and Nicholas King Homes are working together to establish a coordinated masterplanning approach for the creation of this new neighbourhood to the south of Wokingham.
The event was well attended and the comments balanced and fair. The plans will now be refined in response to those comments ahead of the submission of an outline planning application later in the Summer.
Lightwood attend Planning Awards 2024
The Planning Awards 2024 took place on Thursday 13th June at IET Savoy Place, London and the Lightwood Team were delighted to have been nominated at the awards which celebrates the best in planning and placemaking.
Whilst unsuccessful this year, it was a great opportunity to network with other members of the industry and an enjoyable evening. Congratulations to all those that won!
Results 2024 – Planning Awards
What does a new Labour government mean for the planning system?
The Labour manifesto commits to “immediately” updating the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), to reverse some of the changes introduced by the Conservative Party, including re-instating mandatory housing targets.
The current version of the NPPF refers to the standard method for assessing housing need as “an advisory starting-point”. It is hoped that a firmer policy basis for assessing housing need will incentivise local authorities to more readily grant planning permission for residential developments.
Labour has committed to planning reform that would allow for 1.5 million homes to be built over the parliament. This equates to the delivery of 300,000 homes per year – a delivery rate successive governments have promised but failed to achieve.
To reach the 1.5 million home target, the Labour Party has committed to:
- taking a “brownfield first approach” and fast-tracking developments on urban brownfield sites;
- preserving high quality greenbelt land while releasing lower quality “grey belt” land for development;
- building a new generation of new towns in addition to urban extensions and regeneration projects;
- strengthening planning obligations and amending the Affordable Homes Programme to allow for delivery of “the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation”; and
- unlocking development affected by nutrient neutrality
We await the full details with anticipation.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove stands down
Housing Secretary Micheal Gove has announced he will not be standing in the upcoming election, making him one of many MPs to quit over recent weeks.
Naturally, uncertainty around who will the lead the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) following the election adds to the complexities the UK’s built environment is currently facing. The next Secretary of State will not only inherit ongoing issues but will be charged with ensuring policy meets the evolving needs of housing and planning, sectors which have already seen so much change over recent years. Doubtless a shift in leadership will bring different ideology, and with that, different priorities.
As we approach a new phase of leadership, the direction of housing policy and its impact on planning and land development will be watched closely by industry stakeholders.
Rishi Sunak Announces General Election
On 22 May 2024, Rishi Sunak announced he had requested permission from the King to dissolve parliament and called a general election to be held on 4 July. Parliament was prorogued on 24 May and was dissolved on 30 May with the vote taking place 25 working days later.
From a planning point of view, the main impact of the pre-election period is that the government cannot publish further regulations implementing the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) 2023, launch any new consultations, nor announce responses to the various consultations that have closed over the past 18 months. DLUHC’s civil servants can, however, work on processing consultation responses ready for review by the new administration.
The industry is in desperate need of certainty and stability but it will now be a little while before we see how this might be achieved. It is widely expected that the election will deliver a change in administration and therefore a different approach to reforming the planning system. Even if the Conservative Party retains control, Michael Gove’s announcement on 24 May that he will be standing down at the election means that there will be a new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities come what may, which (on the past few years’ experience at least) likely means a new direction of travel.
Photo by Nick Kane on Unsplash
Appeal submitted against decision of Three Rivers
Lightwood has submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the decision of Three Rivers District Council to refuse permission for the construction of a four bed, two storey detached dwelling with associated extension to crossover, access, parking, binstore and landscaping works in Rickmansworth.
The application was refused primarily as the local authority deemed it represented inappropriate development of garden land and a form of development that would fail to respect and would have a detrimental impact on the character of the site and residential area, despite there being other examples of such in close proximity to the site.
Proposed Site Layout, Block Plan & Site Location Plan
Proposed Plans & Elevations
