ethical partnership is involved in a series of negotiations with local planning authorities on the merits of retaining and converting listed buildings (LB’s) as part of development schemes. For some developers it’s just about cost effectiveness and ROI, our clients tend to be more demanding, wanting the simple ROI and to contribute to heritage, culture, social and other objectives. With at least two parties involved in the negotiation getting planning permission (PP) and listed building consent (LBC) can be tedious and time consuming – yes if you didn’t know its not only PP that you’ll need!
So who’s involved: English Heritage will demand the preparation of architectural and economic appraisals for a variety of reuse options – before countenancing any ‘loss’ and certainly before condoning ‘substantial harm’. Local Planning Authorities (LPA’s) in the guise of archaeologists and built heritage officers want the LB’s setting and pedigree to be researched, recorded, and protected, whilst the LPA’s ecologist will want to know if there are any “bats in the belfry” Add in the planner who will reconcile all the others views and you start to realise that just getting a meeting with all the relevant LPA’s officers is time consuming. And that before you need to talk to the highway engineers!
And the decision process is subjective, no matter what you read, the art of the planning consultant is negotiation, and the science is understanding all the architectural and engineering aspects -at least sufficiently to know how you can push the LPA’s officers before the ‘shutters come down’!
You’ve got to have some sympathy for the LPA’s planner trying to reconcile these pressures and local demands, and we do. Our approach is founded on fostering a dialogue and trying to build a consensus. Things are looking good for approvals for all three schemes, but we’re still a way off – inevitably still more meetings to endure!