Levanter Developments recruited Tetra Tech Planning to secure permission for the regeneration of Alvaston, Clandon Road – an under–utilised residential site in a sustainable urban location.
The site, where we secured consent for redevelopment featuring high density flats, lies to the north-east of Guildford town centre, near the London Road rail station, at the junction of the A3100 London Road with Clandon Road.
Image courtesy of Levanter Developments and SCd Architects
From the onset, Tetra Tech delivered planning strategy advice on this residential redevelopment right by Guildford Town Centre, adjacent to two Conservation areas and Listed Buildings.
Acting as planning and heritage advisor to Levanter Developments, we supported the initial site appraisal and steered the application through several design iterations in pre-application discussions and revisions during the planning application process.
As ongoing detailed negotiations ensued with local authority planning, design, and conservation officers, we also assisted our client and SCd Architects in responding to representations and secure planning approval.
A robust case was prepared to address significant challenges:
- high density of the scheme at 140 dwellings per hectare,
- The sensitivity of the site being a Conservation Area,
- proximity to residential neighbours and Listed Buildings,
- narrow tapering 0.1-ha plot with challenging gradients adjoining the cutting enclosing the mainline railway
Detailed negotiation and exemplary design standard proved vital, alongside presentation to the Planning Committee to resolve significant objections and steer the scheme towards securing planning permission. Guildford Borough Council accepted the case after seeing that the major social, economic, and environmental gains comfortably outweighed the potential for minimal harm to heritage assets.
Tetra Tech also provide noise and daylight assessments in support of the proposals to demonstrate that the development’s impact on existing residential neighbours would be negligible.
The outcome maximized the density of development, allowing for the regeneration of an underused urban site and delivery of high-quality 1- and 2-bed market flats in a very sustainable location.
Tetra Tech was retained to submit subsequent discharge of condition and non-material amendment applications.
Work on site clearance has commenced.
