An extant permission for 55 units on a former nightclub site in central Chelmsford was significantly enhanced to 118 units, securing a substantial uplift in site value.

MRPP were instructed to assist in maximising the potential of the former nightclub site with permission for 55 units, given its prime City Centre location. Permission was initially secured for 84 units on the site following discussions around the imaginative design of the revised scheme, dated Local Plan policies, changes to the surrounding area and the sustainable credentials of the site.

A subsequent application secured 118 units on the site. Discussions with the Council surrounded the heights of the buildings, impact on the listed Cathedral and affordable housing. Most recently a s.73 consent for the site was obtained retaining the existing site levels thus reducing the quantum of spoil that needed to be removed from the site which also sped up the build programme. Any harm (we robustly set out why there was none) to the Cathedral through the minor increase in height was weighed against the benefits of the scheme making it clear that there was a fallback scheme that could be implemented and which did not achieve those things i.e. removing the boundary wall between the site and the adjacent public right of way to increase legibility and wider connectivity to this important and central site