MDP will again be at the September show providing you with honest, professional planning advice. We'll also be hosting a planning surgery on Saturday at 1pm followed by a Q&A session.
The Show has a timetable packed full of informative and impartial talks, to help inspire your homebuilding plans. Alongside 200+ exhibitors within the NSBRC’s ‘Trade Village’, the ‘Professional Services Hub’ is the place to go for independent, expert advice from a range of specialists. You'll find a number of Architects and Designers, as well as experts on Planning, Project Management, Site Safety, Landscaping and more. In the Build It Theatre, you will hear key topics being discussed including; finding land, budgeting, planning and the new government backed ‘Help to Build’ scheme. This ‘must-attend’ event is the perfect opportunity for you to be inspired, gather information and talk to genuine experts who will be delighted to help answer your questions and offer advice. If you are considering (or just starting) a new build, renovating a tired property or simply looking to create new space then we will have talks, tours and advice tailored to you. One highlight of the show will be the new ‘cost of living surgery’ exploring how we can we mitigate against rising energy costs, and other increasing costs, in our homes. A range of experts explore the technologies and methods available to us, including; improving insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and more. Book tickets
MDP are delighted to have secured planning permission for Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd in Witney, Oxfordshire.
Having already secured planning permission in 2019 for the expansion of the existing parking provision, an application was made and secured for full planning permission to achieve additional parking, including disabled parking spaces, visitors parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points... read more Today MDP secured planning permission for a new dwelling in the Green Belt in the open countryside just outside Oxford. Todays result is the culmination of a three step planning strategy spanning two years originating in a Site Assessment undertaken by us in 2019. The client is delighted with the outcome and will be continuing their self build journey with local NineTen Architects of Aylesbury this summer. See more details MDP will again be at the NSBRC Show this May. Come and meet the team at the Professional Services Hub and get free 1:1 professional planning advice about your project.
Produced by the National Self Build & Renovation Centre (NSBRC), the UK’s award winning Self Build and Home Improvements Visitor Centre, their May Show offers two full days of master-classes, case studies, seminars and an unrivalled line up of experts on hand to share their advice. It is a brilliant event if you are seeking a plot to build a brand new house, renovating a tired property or thinking about extending your existing home. One highlight of the show will be the new ‘cost of living surgery’ exploring how we can we mitigate against rising energy costs, and other increasing costs, in our homes? A range of experts explore the technologies and methods available to us, including; improving insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and more. The Show has a timetable packed full of informative and impartial talks, to help inspire your homebuilding plans. Alongside 200+ exhibitors within the NSBRC’s ‘Trade Village’, the ‘Professional Services Hub’ is the place to go for independent, expert advice from a range of specialists. You'll find a number of Architects and Designers, as well as experts on Planning, Project Management, Site Safety, Landscaping and more. In the Build It Theatre you will hear key topics being discussed including; finding land, budgeting, planning and the new government backed ‘Help to Build’ scheme. Our top 3 tips for making the most of your visit to the National Self Build & Renovation Show:
The Show runs from Friday 13th to Saturday 14th May with FREE advance tickets at: https://www.nsbrc.co.uk/whats-on/our-events/the-national-self-build-and-renovation-show/ The National Self Build & Renovation Show is easy to get to with the NSBRC located on Junction 16 of the M4 and parking is plentiful and FREE! The National Self Build & Renovation Centre, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UB We'll be at the Professional Services Hub on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th May to answer all your planning questions. Tickets to this event are free if you book in advance (or £12pp on the day) Book Now If you missed the Online Planning Surgery as part of the NSBRC's 15-year celebrations back in February, you can now catch-up in the video below. In this session, we discussed the planning system, how you can best prepare a successful application and costly pit-falls to avoid. One important part of any building project is gaining planning permission. Planning is an emotive, and sometimes stressful, subject for many people! This session features two seminars, designed for self-builders and delivered by genuine planning experts, plus a short Q&A session at the end to get your planning queries answered! Mark Doodes of MDP was joined by and Kimberly Corps, Planning Services Manager, Swindon Borough Council.
A planning application for 17 new houses in Stanton St Quintin has recently been submitted by Wiltshire based planning consultancy Mark Doodes Planning. Stanton St Quintin is a sustainable location for modest housing growth near Chippenham with an active local community, primary school with nursery, and a hotel. There have been regular developments around the historic village core, with significant house building projects in the 1950s, 1970s, 1980s and 2000s. Mark Doodes MRTPI said: “This is a good quality project which proposes to bring forward much needed new housing, ultimately designed to ensure the long-term viability of existing services and facilities. The submitted design also aims to retain as much of the existing trees and hedgerows as possible, as well as opening up currently private land to village residents to enjoy a new open space and play facilities. We are looking forward to working with local residents and statutory bodies over the next few months during the consultation period.” Notes:
We recently won, on behalf of a client, an appeal against South Oxfordshire District Council with full reimbursement of costs after planning permission was refused for unreasonable and unfair reasons.
Our client originally applied for planning permission for one additional dwelling on a site in Didcot in January 2020. The proposal was refused. The Planning Officer's decision was based on the fact that there was no evidence of how surface water would be drained after the building had been erected. This was despite the fact that the site is not in an area at risk of flooding (Flood Zone 1) and that the onus is upon the Council to produce evidence to demonstrate its concerns and substantiate its objections with objective analysis. We advised the client to follow up this decision with an appeal based on a number of factors:
Mark Doodes MRTPI said: "It is imperative that LPAs enforce policies uniformly across all planning decisions. It was unreasonable to ask a member of the public to foot the bill for excess surface water and river flooding protections ahead of planning permission being granted, especially when others in the same street had not had to. A suitably worded condition would have been a more pragmatic and fair approach. I am delighted we were able to secure this win and our client is now able to build his new property despite significant unhelpful delays. This appeal will have far reaching consequences in the area going forward." More details on the case can be found here. The Government has published a consultation which sets to overall the planning system which it says is outdated and sluggish and not focused enough on demand and design.
The consultation focuses on three main areas.
The proposed changes also aim to increase numbers of SME builders. Over the past 30 years to proportion of new homebulding built by SME builders has dropped from 40% to 12% today. The consultation lasts six weeks and can be found here at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future |