Stratford on Avon District Council
Rosconn Strategic Land were selected by the Trustee and their agent to promote the 3.8 acre site located within the village of Welford on Avon, in Stratford-upon-Avon District (SDC).
Due to the nature of the estate that the Trustee represented it was very important that the transaction was treated in a an open and transparent way. Rosconn’s proven track record for dealing with landowners in a trusted, transparent and innovative manner was a huge deciding factor.
The site consisted of a single detached residential property and grazing land located within the Built-up Area Boundary of the village. Welford on Avon is classified as a Local Service Village by SDC, meaning it is considered to be a sustainable location for new housing development.
A Promotion Agreement with the landowner was completed in July 2019 and subsequently, a full planning application was prepared and later submitted on the site in November 2019 for the demolition of the existing dwelling and construction of 24 new houses (including 35% affordable units). During the four months of the planning application’s preparation, Rosconn’s team engaged with Key Local Stakeholders to ensure that we were planning a residential development that would not only maximise the land value for the landowners, but also provide a high quality scheme that delivered genuine benefits to the local community.
Our Planning Director Dan Hatcher led the project, engaging early with the Parish Council to develop a concept that reflected local needs and aspirations. Liz Nicholson of Stratford-based Stansgate Planning was instructed to progress the planning application due to her excellent knowledge of the local area, acting as the point of contact for Rosconn with the planning officer and all Statutory Consultees.
During the life of the planning application, the layout underwent a series of amendments to proactively respond to concerns raised by the planning officer and Statutory Consultees. Our architect, Alex Craggs of BHB, was also very responsive, ensuring solutions were found quickly to resolve the various consultee comments.
Due to historical flooding and foul water capacity issues elsewhere in the village, the scheme’s drainage strategy prepared by Ted Wake of Travis Baker was of particular importance to the Parish Council and Local Residents. The strategy was rightly put under scrutiny by the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) Warwickshire County Council. Travis Baker worked closely with the LLFA and Severn Trent, conducting additional surveys including a CCTV survey of the nearby drainage network. This culminated in being able to demonstrate a suitable drainage strategy for the site with no increased risk of surface water flooding and avoiding the part of the foul water drainage network with historical capacity issues.
The consultation process of the application was lengthy but Rosconn positively engaged throughout. The culmination of this work was a recommendation to planning committee for approval from the planning officer. Following that recommendation, members resolved to grant planning permission on the 21st October 2020 with planning permission granted on 18th November 2020 after the negotiation and signing of the s.106 legal agreement.
During the planning process, many technical surveys were instructed and Rosconn’s technical team, led by Operations Director Nick Carr, diligently worked through areas such as ground conditions, utility provision and highway matters. All of this detailed work resulted in a technical suite of information that could be inserted into the sale pack to ensure that the eventual housebuilder was purchasing the land in the knowledge that technical risks on site would be significantly reduced. This reduction in risk gives the housebuilder confidence to offer a higher price for the land. Another example of Rosconn’s team working tirelessly to maximise value for our clients.
During the life of the planning application it was decided by the Trustee, their adviser Edward Lowe of Edwards Estate Agents and Rosconn to send out the sale pack prior to Rosconn achieving detailed planning permission. This was the right marketing strategy for the site, as remarkably it resulted in an exchange of contracts for the unconditional sale of the site within 48 hours of planning permission being granted.
Kendrick Homes were selected as the buyer following a very competitive tendering process. Our legal teams worked tirelessly to ensure that the sale contract was exchanged on time. Rosconn were represented by Claire Waring of Wright Hassall and Kendrick by Debbie Irwin of Shakespeare Martineau. The landowners were represented by John Stagg and Jonathan Davies of Thomson & Banks.
Rosconn’s client was extremely happy with the result, as not only did we exceed their expectations on timescale, but also on how much their land parcel’s value was maximised. Being local residents themselves, that still live in the village, it was very important to not only maximise value but also create a high quality housing scheme that they could be proud of from a legacy perspective. Our dedicated team worked in true Rosconn tenacious style to again deliver on the promises we made to the client.
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Contact the Land Team
T: 01789 868211 E: [email protected]
What did our customers say?
“The estate of my late mother-in-law was a complex equation. Firstly, I sought the advice of Solicitors and Edward Lowe estate agents.
This culminated in the decision to employ Rosconn Strategic Land. All throughout the journey Rosconn advised me and guided me through every step of the process. Rosconn helped me with everything and in the end proved themselves as a Professional company and they get results.
Many thanks to Dan O’Donnell and ALL at Rosconn.”
Steve Hylands
Land Owner
