Viable Placemaking have supported a successful planning application for new flats in West Berkshire.
The planning application was a major development for the demolition of an existing hotel and the construction of two blocks of flats (a virtual image extracted from the Design and Access Statement is included below).
Viable Placemaking supported the project managers, SKM Design, with a Planning Statement and Viability Assessment to support the case for the development and address the Council's affordable housing policy.
The key consultants from the planning application project team are listed below:
Support | Consultancy |
Architects and Project Managers | SKM Design |
Civil and Structural Engineers | PRP Consulting Engineers & Surveyors |
Ecology and Biodiversity | Via East Midlands |
Energy and Sustainability | Two Eighty Consulting |
Noise | Noiseair Limited |
Planning and Viability | Viable Placemaking |
Andreas Hadjisavva, who acted as the Agent on behalf of SKM Design, commented that it was "great to lead the scheme and work with a fantastic team to deliver a high-quality residential development." "A truly success story for the client, the local authority, and the wider area which will benefit from 32 new apartment homes catering to the growing housing demand of the region.’’
West Berkshire are currently considering their local plan and the future housing and employment needs of the district. The Government recently closed a consultation on proposed changes to national planning policy, which included updates to the Standard Method - which calculates local housing needs. You can read more on the consultation and what the new Labour Government means for planning and development in our featured Insight, available here.
West Berks housing needs have the potential to significantly increase if the prospective changes to the standard method are adopted. The indicative local housing need for West Berkshire has been extracted and included below:
| Current Method | Proposed Method | Average Annual Net Additions |
West Berkshire | 495 | 1,057 | 660 |
The proposed development will positively contribute towards the local housing needs of West Berkshire at an appropriate brownfield site.
Viable Placemaking is committed to providing all types of housing, including open market and affordable housing, where it is viable and deliverable at a site, to meet the needs of the community.
Clearly, the future of planning means building more homes. If you would like support with the planning or viability matters pertaining to your development, please don't hesitate to get in touch.