Terry's Chocolate Factory

York

We managed a multi-disciplinary team of consultants and co-ordinated an "open forum" community consultation process, the environmental assessment work and an iterative design process for a complex suite of planning and heritage applications.

Location: York
Status: Ongoing, started September 2008
Size: 10ha site comprising 270 residential units; 28,000sqm B1; 150 bed 4 star hotel; 150 bed business hotel; 80 bed care home; 110 unit senior living; 14 live work units
Scale: City quarter

The scheme comprised a hybrid (part full, part outline) planning application, as well as five related applications for conservation area and listed building consent. The application also incorporated elements of flexibility of use within certain existing buildings.

The complexity of the application package, combined with the need to build consensus with the local community, politicians, Council officers and statutory consultees following an earlier refusal of permission, presented a major challenge for project co-ordination particularly with an application with many environmental assessment variables.

We devised an EIA assessment methodology to ensure that the necessary flexibility was built into the assessment work, through effective parameters planning.

A key influencing factor in the assessment process was the need to work in an iterative way, as the local community and key stakeholders shaped both the development and the clients response to the issues raised. It was also important to ensure that the design, planning and environmental aspects of the evolving proposals were fully co-ordinated across the large project team.

The applications were submitted on schedule and were subsequently almost unanimously approved by the Council in February 2010