NLP, on behalf of Inspiredspaces, secured planning permission for the development of a new South Shields Community School as part of the Government's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The site, which accommodated a derelict comprehensive school, lies within the Green Belt.
The development comprised inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and therefore, as part of the application submission, NLP prepared a Planning Statement to demonstrate that very special circumstances existed to justify the departure from national policy. This included a site search assessment to demonstrate that there were no other suitable sites to accommodate the school outside of the Green Belt.
In addition to preparing the Planning Statement, NLP’s role also included preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion request, which resulted in EIA not being required, assisting the architect with the Design and Access Statement and advising on permitted development rights.