Shakespeare Marina, Stratford-upon-Avon

Dobson-Grey Ltd were instructed to undertake a retrospective and prospective strategy and planning review of a leisure-based development site with a complex planning history, located in a sensitive riverside location on the edge of Stratford-upon-Avon.  It was necessary for the previously approved development to evolve to meet changing economic circumstances and to overcome issues encountered by the client at implementation stage. At the time of Dobson-Grey’s instruction, it was not possible for on-site construction to continue in accordance with previously approved plans.

Dobson-Grey Ltd subsequently prepared a Section 73 planning application to revise the scale and layout of the main marina development on the site and proposed changes to many of the site’s controlling conditions.  The submitted application required close liaison with Planning Officers and was ultimately approved under delegated powers.  This established an up to date planning position which enabled lawful implementation of the key commercial elements of the development to occur.  Ongoing support to the client in relation to the discharge of conditions and with regard to further development of the site is ongoing.

Challenges

  • Planning and Regulatory Navigation: The site had a lengthy and complex planning history dating back to 1974 and necessitated a comprehensive and detail-oriented masterplanning approach as part of the recommended planning strategy.
  • Complexity of site constraints: The site was largely within Flood Zones 2 and 3, located adjacent to a Conservation Area, outside the defined Built Up Area Boundary of the town, within an Area of Restraint and traversed by several public footpaths.  The need to recognise these and other constraints was a key element of the client instruction.
  • Collaborative working: the scale and complexity of the development required collaborative engagement with the client and a wider design team as well as with Officers at the local authority.

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