Savills was instructed by Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd to provide planning consultancy advice in respect of a residential-led, mixed-use neighbourhood of approximately 1,000 homes at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. A local plan allocation was secured in 2010 and a masterplan was then produced in partnership with local stakeholders and adopted by the Borough Council. A hybrid planning application was submitted in July 2013 and approved in October 2014.
With a project of this scale and importance, we needed a planning consultancy that would both work well with the three Local Authorities involved, Parish Councils, talk to the local communities and work well with the rest of the consultancy team. Having worked with Mike Davies before on a project where we secured planning permission for 400 homes on an unallocated greenfield site, I had every confidence he, together with Jessica Graham and Chris Moore before her, would be the people to calmly take this project forward.
Steve Price Regional Director, Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd
Savills role included local plan representations, appearance at the local plan examination, project management of the masterplan and planning applications, negotiations of planning obligations and reviewing drafts of the Section 106 Agreement. Savills was also retained to progress a number of applications for reserved matters approval and the discharge of pre-commencement conditions for strategic infrastructure and the first phases of residential development.
In response to changing market conditions, Savills submitted a further application to increase the density and number of dwellings permitted on the site by the hybrid permission, which was approved in 2020.
As a result of the development, archaeological investigations took place over several years with significant finds indicating extensive Bronze Age activity.