Stage 1 Permission In Principle Granted, Cheshire West and Chester

ABL Planning was instructed to secure a Permission in Principle for the development of a new dwelling house within the existing curtilage of an established residential property in Cheshire West and Chester.

Permission in Principle represents a relatively recent addition to the planning system, designed to provide greater certainty for residential development by separating the question of whether a site is suitable for development from the detailed design considerations. The process involves two distinct stages: Stage 1 establishes the principle of development in terms of location, land use, and amount of development, while Stage 2 addresses the detailed design, access, and layout considerations.

For this project, our focus was on securing Stage 1 permission, which required demonstrating that the proposed location was appropriate for residential development, that the land use was acceptable in planning terms, and that the amount of development proposed was suitable for the site and its surrounding context. Success at this stage would provide the client with valuable certainty about the development potential while maintaining flexibility for future design development.

The team included MulberryTM, who provided essential technical expertise in site analysis and development feasibility assessment. Their input was crucial in evaluating the physical characteristics of the site and identifying any potential constraints that might affect development viability. Egg Transport Planning brought specialist knowledge of highway and transportation matters, ensuring that access arrangements and traffic implications were properly considered and that the proposal would not create unacceptable impacts on the local road network.

SBS Design contributed architectural and design expertise, providing valuable input on how the proposed development could be successfully integrated within the existing residential curtilage while respecting the character of the surrounding area. Their involvement ensured that the principle of development could be established with confidence that detailed design solutions would be achievable at Stage 2.

The successful grant of Permission in Principle achieved the client's primary objective of establishing development potential with certainty and confidence. This outcome provided valuable commercial and strategic benefits, confirming that the site was suitable for residential development and enabling the client to proceed with confidence to the next stage of the development process.