Rural
Planning
Solutions

Dunsop Bridge Master Plan

Designed and supported the community in the production of a master plan setting out the future priorities and development needs of the community. The plan was adopted by the village, the major land owner (Duchy of Lancaster) and the local planning authority (Ribble Valley District Council). It has subsequently been used to support successful planning applications for:

• Rural workspace
• 12 affordable houses
• A café and art gallery
• Holiday accommodation
• Artists studios

Abbeystead Estate Development Vision & Strategy

Commissioned by Grosvenor Estates to produce a Development Vision and Strategy for the Abbeystead Estate in north Lancashire. The estate is set within the Bowland Area of Outstanding Beauty and includes grouse moors, let farms and a wide range of residential properties and community facilities.

Kay Shuttleworth Estates

Provided strategic planning advise and is supporting the estate management team in their engagement with the emerging Lancaster City Council Local Development Framework and in collaboration with the local community.

Dunsop Bridge

Abbeystead Estate

Salesbury Hall Business Centre

Provided design advice and market research to support the development of the scheme design. Subsequently produced a detailed Viability Assessment & Demand Study which was used to support the successful planning application for the development of a rural business centre at this Ribble Valley Farm. The scheme involved the conversion of traditional and modern farm buildings and an element of new build.

Willow Farm, Wrea Green.

Played a key role in assisting North West company, RealtimeUK, in expanding and fulfilling its potential. RealtimeUK works at the cutting edge of digital animation and graphics with a client base which includes Sony, Microsoft, Lexus, Vauxhall and Glaxo Smith Kline. We assisted with both planning and funding that allowed the company to move from small offices in Blackpool to two high quality studios in Wrea Green. The extra space has allowed the company to invest in new equipment and facilities, which enables them to compete with their London based competition.

Backridge Farm, Twitter Lane

Assisted the development through planning, funding and site expansion. Backridge Farm has proved to be an excellent example of how rural development can take place in a sympathetic manner to create a dynamic working environment that does not detract from the surrounding area. Most of the businesses are owned by local villagers who choose to locate at Backridge due to the close proximity to home combined with the attractive environment. In six years a single struggling farm business has been transformed into sixteen thriving businesses employing over seventy people. Despite initial planning objections the site has steadily expanded and is now one of the main centres of employment within the Ribble Valley.

Willow Farm

Backridge Farm

West Durham and Teesdale Rural Housing Trust

Currently working for this new community owned rural housing trust helping them to secure planning consent and develop detailed proposals for rural housing on sites gifted to them by Teesdale and Durham Councils.

Dunsop Bridge Affordable Housing Scheme

Responsible for identifying and proving the need for affordable housing and helping the community to produce evidence which was used to shape the scheme design and support the successful planning application.

North West Biogas

Delivered complex planning associated with commercial Anaerobic Digestion facility located at Fleetwood, Lancashire. The plant has the capacity to process 40,000 tonnes per annum of contaminated organic waste. We delivered full planning support including odour assessment, noise assessment, landscape impact assessment, transport impact assessment and flood risk analysis. subsequently provided technical services associated with funding, feasibility studies and technology selection.

Bowland Wild Boar Park

A range of micro renewable options were delivered at this innovative tourism attraction located within the Forest of Bowland AONB. Technology utilised includes wind turbines, solar PV and solar hot water. We delivered all the required planning permissions and funding packages associated with the development.

Bio Direct

We delivered both planning and permitting support to this innovative renewable technology company. Bio Direct utilises waste vegetable oils as a fuel within CHP plants to generate both electricity and heat for local energy use.

Biogas

Bowland Wild Boar Park

Holker Food Hall

Provided market research, business planning and design advice to support the development of this successful and award winning tourism development at Holker Hall, Cumbria. We subsequently produced a Viability Assessment and Demand Study that was used in support of the planning application.

Fell View Caravan Site

Provided full planning support for the successful delivery of the expanded site. Services included full business plan in support of the proposal, landscape impact assessment, ecological survey and planning policy review. In addition we have delivered funding support which included a feasibility study for the proposal, market research, marketing strategy and financial appraisal.

Thornton Hall Visitor Centre

Provided full planning support for the creation of a large, farm based visitor centre located on the Lancashire Yorkshire border. From a green field site the business now operates a successful year round tourism attraction generating over 10,000 visitors a year. We provided full planning, funding and business planning support through its development and subsequent expansion.

Fell View Caravan Site

Thornton Hall Visitor Centre

Tattenhall CP Neighbourhood Planning Pilot

Commissioned by Chester West & Cheshire Council to support the Council and Tattenhall Parish Council in the development of a Neighbourhood Plan. It is hoped that this process will establish an approach for collaborative plan development which can then be rolled out across the remainder of the borough.

Poorsland Trust Community Workspace

The proposal was to convert redundant farm buildings into a community enterprise centre. The income generated from the facilities is utilised to support other community activities within the village of Slaidburn. We undertook and supported the original planning application with design, business planning and ecological services. We have subsequently assisted with its expansion . The centre has now operated for four years and has remained fully occupied throughout this period.

Making Local Food work

Support to third sector organisations developing new food related enterprises across the UK. Support provided with [planning issues and business development appraisals.

Poorsland Trust Community Workspace

Cornwall Council Small Settlement Strategy

Member of the team that developed a ground breaking Small Settlement Strategy for Cornwall Council. The Strategy has subsequently been used to inform the development of the Core Strategy and a Small Settlements DPD.

Cheshire West & Chester Rural Regeneration Strategy

Led the team which has produced a 15 year rural regeneration strategy for the Council. The Strategy will set the context for the policies on rural development within the new Local Development Plan. Rob has been closely involved with, and has actively advised the Forward Planning Team on the shape of their new rural development policies.

Ribble Valley

As part of the Local Development Framework we formed part of the team delivering an assessment of local enterprise need within the district. This included interviews with local businesses, surveys of business need and an assessment of likely development sites.