Planning Win In National Park

Brunnen & Co Consultancy secures planning permission at Appeal on behalf of Southcott Homes for a scheme of 12 beautiful homes in the Village of East Meon (East Hampshire).

With high visions set in place, a site was allocated in the South Downs National Park Neighborhood Plan for a scheme of 11 houses. But with the extensive requirements and indicative layout, the clients, Southcott Homes, turned to Brunnen & Co Consultancy (B&CC) for support. However, not only did B&CC blend their 50+ years of UK property development and land acquisition experience to ensure a successful outcome amid the numerous challenges, but they also went a step further – helped their client drive the initial scheme from 11-units to now an approved 12-units.

The Case Study

Driven by both integrity and trust, Brunnen & Co Consultancy has quickly made a track record for converting high-profile projects into ones that are seamless solutions that foster win-win scenarios for both the client and stakeholders. With that as their base, it inevitably inspired Southcott Homes to network with B&CC as a collaborating partner on this project – a decision that has since been deemed quite the fruitful one. 

Allocated in the South Downs National Park Neighborhood Plan, the Southcott Homes project was set for a scheme of 11 houses in addition to a range of requirements for the site along with an indicative layout. But as pleasing as it looked on paper, the site itself came with numerous issues to overcome, including (but not limited to) drainage, highways, and landscape impacts – challenges Brunnen & Co Consultancy were able to effectively remediate while coincidingly evolving the 11-unit scheme as per the allocation to a now approved 12-unit scheme.

“We are really pleased to have secured planning on this site, it has had its fair share of challenges, but Claire and Daryl have overcome these with persistence and determination and pushed it through to success. As a small SME, we work closely with Brunnen & Co Consultancy and value their support on our projects.”

– Andy Southcott, Chairman of Southcott Homes.

Throughout the Planning process, Brunnen & Co Consultancy worked closely with the various Consultees within South Downs National Park, addressing both the drainage and highways issues and ultimately, the Planning Inspector agreed that the scheme was, in fact, a ‘Landscape-led’ scheme – leading to the granted approval in December 2021. During this time, Brunnen & Co Consultancy performed as the lead consultant and managed the process from initial feasibility through to coordinating the consultants, undertaking consultation with the Parish Council, overcoming technical issues including drainage design and highways layout, and liaising with the legal team to secure the provision of affordable housing and offsite nitrate mitigation within an S106. 

What’s The End Goal?

All in all, the goal of Southcott Homes is to deliver exceptional homes in prime locations such as the South Downs National Park. The team at B&CC worked closely with Pope Priestley Architects and paid close attention to the built form and scale of buildings within the village setting and the traditional architectural style, referencing the East Meon and South Downs vernacular in terms of walls, roofs, window patterns and materials, which include a palette of flint, face brick, slate, and timber cladding. 

Coupling that with a Landscape-led approach, the development has a key focus on sustainable living and ecology enhancements. To do this, the scheme proposes to have a green roof car barn, rain gardens, swales, and the introduction of a 6.5m landscape and wildlife corridor – collectively making the perfect blend of traditional, high-quality eco-friendly homes for future generations. 

Many thanks go to the consultant team for all their assistance on this project, including:

  • Dennis Priestley at Pope Priestley Architects;
  • Michael Knappett at BJC Planning;
  • Tim Button at Cowan Consultancy;
  • John-Paul Friend at LVIA Ltd; and
  • Graham Sutton at Tetra Tech;

Extraordinary Reach; Extraordinary Results

From ‘raising the roof’ at The Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea to accentuating the quality of living here in South Downs National Park, the Brunnen & Co Consultancy team has certainly left a futuristic mark on the South Coast’s landscape – proving that traditional high-quality housing can still be delivered. Even more, proving that any project, large or small, can be a substantial win with the right set of tools, team expertise, and opportunity capitalisation.

In summary, the main objective is to bring forward new development opportunities and transform them into realities for future generations without compromising quality and doing so in the most seamless process possible. That said, if you are ready to embark on a project(s) with the confidence that it will succeed, then have the peace of mind knowing that the full B&CC team is ready when you are to ensure that happens.

Brunnen & Co Consultancy – Get in touch today at info@brunnenconsultancy.co.uk.