Village Green, Fiskerton

Planning Commissions

The spatial planning work of Antony Aspbury Associates Limited is ‘cross cutting’ in terms of development sectors and categories of development. Thus in looking at what we do under the broad headings set out below, it is important to appreciate that many of our commissions cover more than one sector and category simultaneously. For example, a residential, commercial or retail scheme, or a mixed use development, may also constitute an urban regeneration project or involve an urban extension, as can be seen from our Case Studies.

Residential Sector

We act for a wide range of national, regional and local housebuilders, as well as landowners in promoting housing development through all stages of the planning process, including the development plan and the development control/management (planning application/appeal) stages. We possess exceptional experience in this sector and, accordingly, we undertake commissions concerned with housing at all levels from the strategic (national and sub-national) down to the local and site specific level and have a deep knowledge and understanding of the issues raised by development in the Residential Sector. Apart from general housing we have specific expertise in relation to Student- and Retirement housing.

Commercial Sector

We have been involved in a large number of mixed use, catering and licensed trade (restaurants, public houses and hot food takeaways), hotel, residential (e.g. nursing homes) and non-residential (e.g. schools, nurseries, crèches, clinics/health centres, churches etc.) institutional developments, acting for commercial developers, operators and landowners.

Industrial Sector

This sector includes development for what is known in the planning world as ‘Employment’ development, that is, uses falling within Use Classes B1, B2 and B8, i.e. offices, research and development, light industrial, factories and warehouses. We have secured planning permission for a wide range of industrial/employment schemes, including speculative developments for developers and occupier-dedicated projects for individual companies. Amongst the more prestigious commissions we have undertaken recently is the second phase of Nottingham Science and Technology Park on behalf of Blueprint Regeneration.

Agricultural Sector

We have undertaken work in the agricultural sector ever since the Practice was founded in 1983, when much of our early case load was for local farmers in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. We have been the Panel Planning Consultants for the National Famer’s Union, firstly in the Midlands and latterly in the East Midlands. We have developed a particular expertise in the field of Spanish Polytunnels and related development (seasonal agricultural workers’ accommodation and irrigation reservoirs etc.) for the soft fruit industry throughout England.

Retail and Leisure Sector

The Practice has undertaken a wide variety of commissions concerned with retail and ‘assembly and leisure’ developments, in and on the edge of a variety of ‘centres’, in out-of-centre ‘parks’ and in free-standing locations (such as Middleway Park, Burton-upon-Trent). In recent years we have been especially successful in securing planning permission for a number of Tesco ‘Express’ stores (acting both for developers and directly for Tesco Plc), mainly in the Midlands and North of England, as well as for other small supermarkets. To date, however, we have not dealt with large retail superstores or multi-store enclosed shopping centres/malls. Nor do we undertake sophisticated (PPS4) retail impact/sequential assessments. We can recommend other professionals who can undertake such work, however.