Cratus secured two positive resolutions to grant planning permission on Thursday evening. It was a tale of two very different planning applications with both being of equal importance to our respective clients.
The first success was for one new dwelling in the London Borough of Bexley – a single bungalow – that for our client was as important for their business as if the scheme were for 100 homes. It enables them to move on to the next project with growing confidence. Our support was tailored to where the client needed it most and we are delighted to have helped them over the line – with our Senior Account Executive Osman Dervish being the first member of Cratus to make a representation to a planning committee on behalf of a client.
The second was for a growing house builder in Surrey. The application – first submitted in November 2016 – has been slowly working through the planning process, jumping hurdles, and we have been helping it along the way, nudging the local council’s leadership to encourage their planning department to ensure the application made progress against a background of change, lack of resources and pressure on them from other groups to reject the application, before it made it to committee. Following the deferment of the initial meeting of the planning committee, the application for 54 dwellings, including 16 affordable, was approved 9 votes for 8 against with 1 abstention, bringing the journey in a nail biting fashion to a conclusion.
What is important for Cratus, is that we provided the right support to achieve the outcomes that our clients needed. Nothing was left on the table, and we always ensured we understood and addressed the issues that matter for those who make the decision on the night.