Projects
PROJECTS WE HAVE WORKED ON INCLUDE
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
We have acted for The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust on a series of projects since 2008.
Examples of work undertaken for the Trust include:
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formulating an Access & Parking Strategy for the Rotherham hospital site
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obtaining planning permission for a new multi-storey car park
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producing a Travel Plan for the Trust and agreeing this with the Council
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obtaining planning permission for a new Mental Health facility on the main hospital site
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evaluating the transport implications of a proposal by the CCG to relocate an existing town centre facility onto the hospital site
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benchmarking the travel characteristics of Rotherham Hospital against all other similar hospitals in England
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obtaining planning permission for a new Urgent & Emergency Care Centre at Rotherham Hospital
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producing a new Travel Plan for the whole hospital site, including the new development, and agreeing this with the Council thereby discharging a condition on the planning permission for the new Urgent & Emergency Care Centre
Cheshire East Council
We acted for Cheshire East Council in respect of a public inquiry to determine a planning application for 104 dwellings submitted by a major housebuilder.
The proposals had been recommended for approval by officers. Despite this recommendation the Council refused permission solely on highway grounds.
The Appellants were twin tracking applications and had already warned the Council that if the matter went to appeal then they would make a cost application. The site already had planning permission for 40 dwellings utilising the same site access junction.
After reviewing the background papers and undertaking a site inspection our senior partner, David Walpole, advised the Council that he could support the Council’s decision on both policy and technical grounds. He did though offer pragmatic advice to the Council given the previous planning permission and the fact that the Council could not demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply.
After a 4 day Public Inquiry the Senior Planning Inspector appointed to determine the case agreed with David Walpole’s evidence and subsequently dismissed the appeal (and the associated costs application) solely on highway grounds.
"I found the analysis of Mr Walpole [Senior Partner at THaT Consultancy], an expert witness with considerable experience, to be well balanced."
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Senior Planning Inspector
(Extract from Decision Letter)
Proposed Hotel, Ebbsfleet Junction, A2(T), Kent
We acted for a developer who had obtained an option to purchase the site of a former filling station located at the Ebbsfleet Junction on the A2(T) Watling Street.
The site, which was located within the grade separated junction, no longer had the benefit of planning permission.
The Ebbsfleet Junction is a major constraint on the development of both the Ebbsfleet Garden City and the London Resort theme park (the first private sector scheme to be progressed through the planning system by way of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project procedures).
Our Client's site would be needed in order to implement highway improvements which would then unlock the development potential of the surrounding area.
Our Client's objective was to secure a planning permission on the site and thereby increase its value irrespective of whether or not the site was acquired by negotiation or compulsory purchase.
We prepared a Transport Assessment (TA) in support of our Client's proposal to construct a hotel on the site.
The scope of the TA was agreed with Highways England, Kent County Council and Dartford Borough Council in advance.
The 'committed developments' that we were required to take into account in our TA included 10,000 dwellings, 0.5M sqm of employment floor space, 41,000 sqm of retail (Bluewater) and 2 hotels.
We presented detailed arguments in support of the proposed hotel arguing on policy grounds and also submitting a detailed technical case.
Ultimately neither Highways England nor Kent County Council objected to the proposed development.
This was a particularly satisfying result given that none of the public bodies involved wanted to see planning permission granted, and also given that Highways England had the power to direct that planning permission be refused - a power that they did not use in this case.
This was a great success, and testament to our ability to successfully argue a case even when the odds are stacked against us.
Boutique Hotel, Camden
In this case we were appointed by a Swiss Property Fund to produce a report documenting the transport impacts likely to arise as a result of converting a terrace of properties opposite Camden Town Underground Station into a boutique hotel.
The site represented the most sustainable location, in terms of transport, of any development we have dealt with across the UK.
This was fortunate because the hotel would have no car parking and no off-street delivery or service facilities.
To complicate matters further the site was located on a Red Route which also forms part of the Strategic Road Network.
Working with a project team distributed around the world, we produced a report documenting the likely transport impacts of the proposed hotel and explaining how servicing and delivery arrangements would work without causing problems on the highway. Our work was made more difficult because the TRICS database of travel surveys did not contain information on any comparable developments. We therefore had to calculate, from first principles, the likely transport impacts of the proposed hotel.
Our findings were accepted by the Council and planning permission was granted without any onerous transport conditions. Following the grant of planning permission we prepared a detailed Construction Management Plan (CMP) that was accepted by Camden Borough Council and Transport for London (TfL).
Proposed Medical Centre & 99 Dwellings, North Yorkshire
In this case the Council and its consultants refused to accept the findings of a Transport Assessment prepared by other consultants acting for the applicants.
We were appointed to prepare a new Transport Assessment and Travel Plan for the proposed development just 5 weeks before the application was scheduled to go to the planning committee.
Unfortunately it was not possible to delay consideration of the application because the NHS funding for the new medical centre was time-limited and required that planning permission be in place before the deadline. The delays already incurred on the project meant that this was the last opportunity to secure planning permission before the funding deadline passed.
We produced a completely new Transport Assessment, including traffic surveys, computer modelling of the surrounding highway network and analysis of patient and staff travel at the existing town centre medical centre within the very short timescale available.
We also produced a Travel Plan.
The Transport Assessment and Travel Plan were agreed with the Council's officers and consultants and the application went to Committee with the support of the local highway authority.
Planning permission was subsequently granted just 5 weeks after we had been appointed.
Sandringham School, St Albans
We were appointed by the Academy to prepare a Transport Assessment and School Travel Plan to support a planning application for the expansion of the school.
Before we were appointed the local highway authority (Hertfordshire County Council) had recommended that planning permission be refused.
We undertook detailed investigations and prepared a Transport Assessment and School Travel Plan that were accepted by the highway and planning authorities. The highway authority subsequently withdrew its previous objection and planning permission was granted.