New homes are set to be built in a Leicestershire village after a property consultancy secured planning permission for 70 dwellings and went on to sell the site.
Fisher German secured outline planning permission for the 6.8-acre site off Hinckley Road, in Stoke Golding, in just 12 months, which it has now sold to Miller Homes.
The firm acted on behalf of the landowner to secure development partner Richborough Estates which subsequently instructed Fisher German’s planning team to work on the planning application.
The complex process involved the team arguing that the site should be allocated for housing in the Stoke Golding Neighbourhood Plan, which only included part of the site as a reserved allocation for 25 units, due to housing calculations being outdated and an increased amount being required.
Despite these arguments being dismissed by the Neighbourhood Development Plan Advisory Committee, members of the team prepared pre-application submission and undertook a consultation exercise ahead of submitting an outline planning application in May 2021.
Further representations were then made to the Stoke Golding Neighbourhood Development Plan following the publication of an updated version of the neighbourhood plan which had removed the site altogether as a result of the approval of an alternative site in the village.
The firm also made representations to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council which had produced its draft local plan that highlighted the need for more housing in the area, demonstrating that the development could support with this.
After receiving a resolution to grant consent from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s planning committee in October, a third-party call-in request was made to the Secretary of State who later determined not to intervene in the decision-making process.
During this delay, a S106 agreement was prepared and completed within three months of the committee’s resolution, following collaboration with the borough council and Leicestershire County Council.
The firm has now sold the development site, which will provide a mix of starter and family homes along with more than two acres of public open space, on behalf of Richborough Estates to Miller Homes.
Angela Smedley, of Fisher German, who led the planning process, said: “We were very pleased to secure planning permission for the site, and it is fantastic that it has now been sold to Miller Homes.
“Despite facing a number of barriers, we were able to achieve an incredibly quick turn around and secure planning permission just one year after being instructed by Richborough Estates.
“We now look forward to seeing the development, which will provide much-needed new homes for the area, come to fruition.”
Fisher German’s development team dealt with the sale of the site.
Ben Marshalsay, head of development at Fisher German, said: “We were attempting to transact in the tax year just ended and it was always going to be a close-run thing, but we were very impressed with the speed at which all parties worked to hit the tight deadlines and our client was extremely happy with the result.”
