Plans for 470 new homes submitted remotely as industry adapts to Covid-19

A multi-discipline team from national consultants Pegasus Group successfully submitted a major planning application for 470 new homes while working remotely from home during the current COVID-19 pandemic, on behalf of a group of landowners.

The Reserved Matters application submission to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council was made against a tight deadline, to ensure that existing outline permission (including matters of access) on the site did not lapse.

The Pegasus Group teams had just five weeks in which to make the submission, at the same time the current COVID-19 lockdown measures were brought into force by the Government.

The detailed submission for land at Kingsgate in Bridlington included reserved matters of design, scale, layout and landscaping, and was completed by Pegasus Group’s Planning, Urban Design and Environment teams from the Leeds office.

The Urban Design team provided detailed plans, including house-type designs with elevations and floor-plans, street-scene elevations and a detailed site layout plan for 470 houses, working to the parameters set by the outline permission, but also being mindful of current policy requirements for open space provision and affordable housing for the East Riding of Yorkshire. They also supplied an updated Design and Access Statement for the scheme which took full account of the latest approach from the National Design Guidance issued in 2019.

The Environment team provided detailed landscaping design proposals for the application, including design and siting for outdoor sports provision, outdoor recreation space, an equipped area of play, and green corridor planting to reinforce local landscape character and improve net gains for Biodiversity. They worked closely with external consultants on ecology and drainage to scope requirements for such material considerations within the design and layout proposals for the 470-dwelling scheme.

The Planning Team provided a detailed planning statement which assessed the development proposals against current local and national planning policy. They also project managed the coordination of design, landscaping, drainage and ecology matters in drawing together the reserved matters submission.

Chris Calvert, Executive Director of the Leeds office said: “This major reserved matters submission, drawn together by our multi-disciplinary teams, fully demonstrates that despite the current COVID-19 Government restrictions, Pegasus Group are still able to produce high quality planning submissions for major planning applications.

“The scheme will bring about much needed housing for the town, while providing high quality public open spaces, affordable homes, and contributions toward education.

“I am extremely proud of the teams who delivered such a quick turnaround for our client all while working from home: this was a fantastic achievement and shows how resilient and prepared we are as a company to deal with the challenges the development and planning sectors face during this pandemic.”