7 Homes in Castle Cary, Somerset.

Berrys were approached by our client to achieve planning permission for a residential development site and to negotiate the release of land from a long lease with Somerset Council.

How We Approached The Project

Our client had two parcels of land within the village which both had existing long leases with the Council. The first parcel was an empty and unused field with no public access to it, the second was a site used by the village as a sports ground.

A planning appraisal established that the site would be appropriate for residential development and our team then started negotiating the release of the land from the lease. Negotiations concluded with the landowner agreeing to gift the playing field to the Council for use by the village, in exchange for the unused field being released from the lease.

How We Achieved The Project

Berrys architectural team provided a design which reflects the local character of properties in the area, with a layout that will be a seamless addition to the street scene. The design uses materials and design features which can be found throughout the wider conservation area, successfully providing spacious and attractive homes located on the edge of the sought-after town.

Whilst the planning process was underway, Berrys successfully negotiated the release of the site with the Council. Presenting the proposal to the Council’s estates team, who were supportive of the release of the unused site, in exchange for gaining ownership of the towns playing field.

Our planning consultants worked closely with Council consultees to ensure that their comments were taken on board and reflected within the scheme. We were also able to successfully manage a challenge presented to many developments in the area, and elsewhere in the country, by providing a scheme that is nutrient neutral, thereby eliminating any risk of any degradation to any watercourses. The local authority has taken steps to improve water quality in local river systems, which can bring forward developments if they buy “credits”, however none would be released for this scheme. In the absence of credits from the local authority, Berrys worked closely with Natural Capital, who were able to generate improvements to the local watercourse network by reducing pollution from local farms. As a result of this work, Somerset Council and Natural England were able to agree that the proposed would result in no harm to local watercourses and commented in support of the development, thereby allowing the consent to be issued.

Whilst the planning process was underway, Berrys successfully negotiated the release of the site with the Council. Presenting the proposal to the Council’s estates team, who were supportive of the release of the unused site, in exchange for gaining ownership of the towns playing field.

Achieving planning permission for the development and release of the lease involved close cooperation with Somerset Council, along with careful consideration of the design style. Ensuring that the new properties would complement the surrounding conservation area. We were delighted to secure both planning permission and land negotiation for our client.