Planning Appeal Success for New Residential Development within a listed building in Royal Borough of Greenwich

Fuller Long are delighted to have won a planning appeal for the change of use of a three-storey building in Greenwich to form new Residential accommodation. The application included proposals for a rear extension and the creation of a basement.

The property in question raised a number of issues during the planning process despite the fact that it had been vacant for some time and was clearly in need of refurbishment. The property falls within the West Greenwich Conservation Area and within the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Combined with the fact that the property also forms part of a terrace that is locally listed by the council, the application required significant heritage input to put forward a robust case for planning permission.

Unfortunately the Council’s planning officers decided the application deemed that the proposal would constitute overdevelopment of the site and would negatively impact upon neighbouring amenities and the scheme was subsequently refused planning permission on the basis that it did not conform to the policies in the London Plan or the Royal Greenwich Local Plan. Our team, led by Clare Preece (Planning Director), moved forward with appealing the council’s decision, arguing that the public benefit of the new scheme would clearly outweigh the issues raised by the council. 

The Planning Inspector ultimately agreed with our team’s conclusions and was quick to point out that the proposals would see a vacant and neglected building within the conservation area be brought back into use. The Inspector also concluded that the new scheme would not have a detrimental impact on neighbouring amenities and subsequently granted planning permission for the application. 

If you are looking to make alterations to a locally listed building, or a building in a conservation area, be it internal or external, Fuller Long can assist with both planning permission and listed building consent for your scheme.  To speak with one of our experienced team of planning and heritage consultants, please call us on 0808 164 1288 or email us at hello@fullerlong.com.