Gardiner has recently joined tor&co as a Technical Director within our London Planning Team, bringing with him over 9 years’ experience primarily advising on high-profile and complex projects within London and across the southeast. His passion for town planning focuses on his belief that strategic planning and good design can deliver sustainable and vibrant communities, importantly aligning with the tor&co vision to create places we can be proud of, and mission to deliver good growth. 

Gardiner has an extensive track record with assisting both private and public sector clients to achieve positive outcomes across residential, mixed-use, office, hotel, industrial, renewable and strategic infrastructure sectors. His specialisms include mixed-use regeneration, employment, tall buildings, EIA development, Green Belt, and heritage constrained development. 

Gardiner’s technical skillset and positive attitude has always allowed him to effectively lead multi-disciplinary teams throughout the planning process and lead on preparing early-stage planning appraisals and strategies, promoting land and strategic policy reform via the local plan process, preparing and managing planning applications and appeals, undertaking strategic community and political engagement, preparing CIL strategies and negotiating S.106 agreements. 

In coming to tor&co he joins an inter-disciplinary team, where his skills, quality of work and positive, solution driven, approach complements and reinforces the team. Prior to joining tor&co, Gardiner has held roles at Avison Young, Turnberry and within the public sector in Canada. 

Upon joining tor&co in August 2023, Greg Smith, Head of London Planning, said:

“We are very excited to announce Gardiner has joined tor&co’s growing London Planning Team as a Technical Director. 

He has a demonstrable track-record of delivering positive results on behalf of his clients across London and the southeast and across a wide-range of sectors. Gardiner brings great energy and enthusiasm to every project he is involved with and his can-do attitude alongside his wide-ranging experience will undoubtedly benefit the range of services and advice we can offer our clients moving forward. 

He will be working alongside myself and the tor&co Board Director team to deliver continued sustainable growth for the business, and in particular our strategy around growing our expanding London team offering.”

Planning and listed building consent has been granted for the demolition of several existing poor quality structures and the erection of a major new building – together with the laying out of a new greenspace – at the Bournemouth and Poole College, Lansdowne campus, Bournemouth.

tor&co provided planning and heritage services and submitted the planning and listed building consent applications. The scheme has been designed by Kier Construction’s project design team in close consultation with the Department for Education, Bournemouth and Poole College and BCP Council.

The layout, scale, massing and appearance of the new block has been strongly influenced by the need to respect and enhance the setting of the heritage assets of the site. It was considered by the planning case officer that the less than substantial harm to the heritage assets was “significantly” outweighed by the public benefits stemming from the scheme. These comprise an enhanced educational offer in a highly sustainable town centre location and the ongoing preservation of listed buildings.

We are delighted that Phase 1 of Grand Union in Brent won the Mixed-Use category at the inaugural #BrentDesignAwards  recognising good design across the Borough. The whole team at tor&co worked on the scheme to deliver the detailed planning approval for St George as part of the wider outline masterplan.

We are really pleased to announce that Bridget Pearce became a Board Director of tor&co on 1 April. Bridget has been with the company for over 20 years. During that time she has contributed significantly to the Company’s success, and continues to be our client lead for some of tor&co’s most important and prestigious clients. Her appointment to the Board is the first under the EOT and represents her commitment to the practice, to our approach, structure and colleagues. 

We have assisted Home Group to obtain a resolution to grant planning permission from Sutton Council for a mixed-use redevelopment on the former Victoria House site, in North Cheam.
 
The scheme will deliver 74 homes (market, shared ownership and rented with 35.6% affordable) plus three flexible commercial/community units and improved public realm. This will provide much needed new homes locally and help to reinvigorate the district centre.
 
tor&co planning began assisting Home Group in 2014 and has helped them to redesign and promote the scheme through the planning system, with extensive community engagement with officers, local councillors and resident associations, including two design panel reviews. The local resident association had a key input into the design and development, leading them to speak in support of the scheme at committee.

Image courtesy Stockwool Architects

Towards the end of 2022, tor&co held its first ‘Sustainable Travel week.’ The event was an opportunity for the company to promote sustainable travel modes, encourage staff to make positive changes to the way that they travel to work, and to highlight the great many employees who already travel in a sustainable fashion. 

The scheme was a resounding success, with 31 staff from across the tor&co London, Birmingham and Bournemouth Offices taking part, travelling to work by walking, cycling, car sharing and various methods of public transport. One of the Planning Directors in our Bournemouth office even e-scooted into work!

The survey conducted at the end of the week demonstrated that over 50% of those that took part in the initiative travelled into the office via a sustainable transport method every day that they came into the office that week. The top most utilised forms of sustainable transport during the week were train / tube (24%), car sharing (20%) and cycling (18%). 

Many of our team already ensure their commute is a sustainable one, with a large proportion of staff regularly commuting by such modes. However, the week and feedback received helped to highlight what more the company can do to assist staff in making the choice to travel sustainably in future.

The Director leading the scheme, Richard Burton said: “The tor&co Board were very pleased to see the level of participation from our team in this event, which is one step in tor&co ’s journey to reach our Net Zero goal. We look forward to making further progress in helping people to travel sustainably with a further sustainable travel event, which will take place in March.”

Following on from this successful event, the March event will be a sustainable travel month, which we hope will build on the successes of the sustainable travel week, encourage habit building and help staff to think more carefully about the mode of travel they use on their commute to work. 

We are delighted to welcome Dr James Weir to our team as Associate Director in Heritage.

James has 18 years’ experience working across Britain in the public and private heritage sectors, having worked on a wide range of heritage projects spanning industry sectors and for a wide range of clients and stakeholders, from private individuals to historic estates. He is passionate about the historic environment, both in ensuring its sympathetic conservation and in successfully integrating high-quality modern design and development.

His specialisms include integrating heritage into strategic planning, such as in site allocations, estate masterplans, Local Plans/SPDs, and Neighbourhood Plans; analysis and interpretation of historic buildings and landscapes; and utilising assessments of the significance and setting of heritage assets to identify scope for change.

Before joining tor&co, James worked for Dorset Council as a Senior Conservation Officer, where his responsibilities included the provision of heritage content for the Local Plan, and assessing heritage impacts of major planning applications for residential/commercial, renewables and minerals/waste.

tor&co’s Technical Director of Heritage, John Trehy, said “We are pleased that someone so qualified in architectural heritage with recent conservation officer experience has joined our growing heritage team at tor&co. His particular skills and experience will bring an extra dimension to the services we can offer our clients.”

Well, the government has at least kept one promise this year…the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation has been published before Christmas! Firstly, the consultation period runs until 2nd March 2023, so there is adequate time to consider the 58 questions once you are back in the swing of things at the start of the new year.
 
That said, there is a sense of urgency from this government to implement these changes (we can all take a guess why) with an intention to adopt the proposed indicative policy wording ‘immediately, subject to the results of this consultation’, in Spring 2023 so that policy changes can take effect as soon as possible.
 
Many of the proposed changes will not come as a surprise if you have been keeping up with the news of late. Here is the general direction of travel, for now (expect further updates following the Levelling up Bill & wider changes to the planning system):
 
1.  Seeking to emphasise that housing need should only be met, through plan making, if it can be achieved in a sustainable way, including:

   a.  changing the soundness test to remove meeting need ‘as a minimum’ to ‘so far as possible’

b.  removing the requirement to meet need in the Green Belt

c.  placing emphasis on ‘beautiful’ buildings and local character, with pressure to take forward local design codes

d.  making the standard methodology Local Housing Need (LHN) figures advisory, and enabling some consideration of previous over-delivery. Note needs for retirement housing, housing-with-care and care homes all need to be established

2.  Removing the ‘justified’ soundness test, which had included testing of reasonable alternatives. This will not apply to plans that have reached at least pre-submission consultation stage (or reach that stage within 3 months of the policy being adopted).

3.  Plans must still demonstrate a 5-year Housing Land Supply (HLS), but the plan will only be ‘out of date’ by virtue of HLS shortfall if the housing requirement is more than 5-years old and even then, if the requirement has been reviewed and needs updating – see footnote 9 (although this is not entirely clear when cross-referencing new para 75 & footnote 44). Transitional arrangements (re only requiring demonstration of 4-years HLS) apply to plans that have been submitted or subject to Reg 18 or 19 consultation provided those plans included a policy map and allocations to meet need.

4.  Reducing pressure to meet need through speculative applications, where there is an up to date plan and by removing the buffer from the HLS, also amending the consequences of the Housing Delivery Test (HDT) if sufficient permissions have been granted (HDT will now measure homes delivered and permissions granted). Note also that the Local Housing Need (LHN) ‘uplift’ authorities must meet the uplift within the Local Planning Authority (LPA) area – with an emphasis on the use of previously developed land – unless in so doing there is conflict with the NPPF & legal obligations – Duty to Co-operate does remain for now (Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) changes could have alignment policy instead).

5.  Providing greater protection to neighbourhood plans – aligning the period that they stay up to date for with local plans i.e. 5 years, and during this five year period removing the HLS and HDT test.

Currently there are no draft National Development Management Policies. These are expected to be consulted upon from Spring 2023 and will be in a separate document to the NPPF. They intend to broadly cover existing policies aimed at decision-making already provided within the NPPF, selective new additions to reflect new national priorities (for example net zero policies) and selective new additions to close ‘gaps’ where existing national policy is silent on planning considerations that regularly affect decision-making across the country.

Of note, there are new measures proposed to encourage developers to build out as soon as possible, including publishing data to highlight developer build out rates, requiring an explanation of how they propose to increase the diversity of housing tenures to maximise absorption rates; and include delivery rates as a material consideration in decision-making. There will be “a separate consultation on proposals to introduce a financial penalty against developers who are building out too slowly”. Once again, it is the private developers who are being made the scapegoats for the housing crisis.

Make no mistake, these are proposed changes of great significance which if adopted, will have lasting impact on the way the planning system currently functions. We expect that LPAs with draft local plans out for consultation or at examination will likely pause or withdraw them so they can reconsider their housing needs, particularly in cases which propose green belt release, which will cause more delays to plans being adopted and the delivery of new housing. On the face of it, it appears that the likely affect is that housing delivery will stagnate and decline as a result of these changes.

If you would like to discuss the proposed planning reforms in more detail and in the context of any of your land interests, we would be happy to assist so please do get in touch.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

tor&co has secured another planning permission for Gleeson Land. This time in relation to a 200-dwelling proposal, including 72 affordable units, on land to the south of Billericay in the Basildon Green Belt.

We had been working very closely with the Council to develop a well-designed scheme for the site, which had been an emerging allocation in their draft Local Plan. On this basis we submitted an outline planning application to run concurrently with the adoption of the draft Plan. However early in 2022, during the applications determination period, the draft Plan was withdrawn by Members.

Despite all technical issues being agreed with officers, leaving the principle of development within the Green Belt as the only outstanding issue, we appealed to the Inspectorate based on non-determination of the application.

The resulting six-day Public Inquiry took place in September / October 2022 with the decision issued on the 9 December 2022.

tor&co were able to prove that the Borough’s housing land supply was 1.76 years, whilst the councils supply assertion was reduced to 1.89 years at the appeal due to our evidence. The Inspector acknowledged the persistent shortfall in delivery and that due to the Council’s recent decision to withdraw the emerging Local Plan the poor delivery would continue for the short to medium term. It was agreed that the proposal would bring forward the delivery of much needed affordable units, significantly more than the Council’s upper required range, with tor&co proving that only 2% of the 5-year completions within the Borough were affordable.

The Inspector also acknowledged the character and appearance of the site and its surroundings, including the proposal’s moderate harm to openness and limited harm to other green purposes. However, the Inspector accepted our case in every aspect and concluded that we had successfully demonstrated very special circumstances and that these clearly outweighed any harm identified by reason of inappropriateness to the Green Belt.

Consequently, very special circumstance existed to justify allowing the appeal. The decision will help deliver much needed market and affordable housing in the Borough.

For more information on the appeal see here to view the Decision Notice.

Images courtesy Richards Urban Design

tor&co has submitted a full planning application for the alteration and re-use of a vacant town centre department store.

The building is a local landmark in the heart of the town that has been empty since the closure of Beales in March 2020. A fresh approach to building function and use is proposed to avoid it becoming redundant.

Commercial, business and service use is proposed at ground level with windows and doors opening onto the street to create interest and activity. Residential apartments are proposed at upper levels, with balconies and landscaped roof terrace areas to provide private amenity space.

The proposals involve the retention of the main existing building structure and its adaptation and retrofitting to accommodate new uses. The replacement of the existing building façade enables the building to meet modern requirements and standards, including enhanced energy performance.

The application is set to be determined in 2023.

tor&co’s Associate Director of Heritage, Guy Kendall, has been admitted as a full member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC).

Guy has worked for over 24 years in Britain and Ireland as a field archaeologist and heritage consultant. His area of specialism is field archaeology within the environmental and heritage sector and Historic Building Surveys. He brings significant expertise to the early assessment of built heritage to help guide clients’ development opportunities.

As a full member of the IHBC Guy can confidently advise on development proposals as an accredited conservation professional, giving clients and colleagues added confidence in the advice they receive.

This accreditation further enhances the services offered by tor&co, who also recently added Assistant Heritage Consultant Lorna Critchlow to their growing Heritage team.

More can be read via IHBC’s online journal:

https://ihbconline.co.uk/context/173/60/index.html

tor&co is pleased to add a further three new members of staff: Lorna Critchlow, Michaela Pozzetti and Samantha Powell.

Lorna joins as Assistant Heritage Consultant, having worked as a field archaeologist with AC Archaeology and Oxford Archaeology over the last few years. Her interests include research and the role of heritage within development.

Michaela is an Assistant Landscape Architect, joining tor&co from HDA. She is delighted that her new role will allow her to pursue her interest in designing thriving environments for both people and wildlife.

Samantha is tor&co’s newest Architectural Assistant, having recently graduated from Cardiff University with a First Class degree in BSc Architecture.

All three will be based in the Bournemouth office, working on projects throughout the UK

Blackbird House is a new build mixed use apartment building designed by tor&co that makes effective re-use of a redundant site on a busy arterial road through north-west London. 

Working together positively with the Council, stakeholders and the local community, the proposed redevelopment brings forward a high-quality, sustainable development on a brownfield site that has been vacant since the demolition of the former buildings in 2018.

Contributing to the borough’s need for growth and new housing, the scheme will provide 45 new homes as a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bed apartments in a single L-shaped building. A new community space is proposed at ground floor level for uses which may include a nursery / creche, community hall / meeting place or for medical / health.  

Situated in a transitional area surrounded by a mix of scales and building heights, the proposed scale and massing is a direct response to the site’s context. The height and bulk are concentrated towards the front of the site, providing a strong frontage to the street that follows the established six-storey building height. Towards the rear of the site, the proposed building steps down in scale and away from the boundaries to respond sensitively to the adjacent Conservation Area to the north and the lower scale of the surrounding context. 

Greg has over 17 years experience advising on planning matters in the private sector and has spent the last 14 years working principally on Central London projects. Greg has a proven track record of delivering planning consents on high profile and complex urban redevelopment projects for both private and public sector clients. 
 
He specialises in large scale, mixed use, urban regeneration schemes combining the residential and commercial sectors, and leading inter-disciplinary teams efficiently and effectively through the planning process. 
 
He has broadened his experience by working in a client-side role on a part-time basis over the last 3 years, overseeing the successful planning delivery of TfL and Grainger’s Build to Rent portfolio on multiple sites across London.  
 
Upon joining tor&co in July 2022, he said:
 
“I am thrilled to be joining a highly reputable consultancy in tor&co who share a client-first philosophy with a team of passionate and talented individuals who genuinely care about delivering the best possible outcome for our clients. I am excited by the huge variety of projects that we work on across the sectors and the range of complementary expertise we can offer.  
 
This is a great platform and opportunity to sustainably grow the planning team here in London, raise our profile and build for the future in what feels like an exciting new chapter for the business, particularly now we are an Employee Owned Trust. 
 
I am looking forward to working closely with Jacqueline Mulliner our Managing Director to bring continued success to the company, working collaboratively and proactively with our clients, stakeholders and fellow professionals to deliver commercially successful, design-led, award-winning projects that we can all be proud of”. 

On behalf of the national retailer, Pets Corner, tor&co has secured planning consent for a mixed use scheme on a prominent site on the edge of Newbury. The scheme comprises a retail store, veterinary practice and dog grooming salon with additional residential use. The proposals also include the sympathetic renovation of the former Old Bell Pub which has been derelict for several years, and will bring this vacant site back into much needed employment generating use