End-to-end planning advice relating to Heatherwood Hospital over ten years
Reserved Matters application
Permission achieved
Development to start at the end of 2022
Reserved Matters Application Case Study - Taylor Wimpey West London – Heatherwood Royal
230
dwellings
£3.6
m
to be delivered in CIL contributions
Challenge
Vail Williams has been involved in the redevelopment of the Heatherwood Hospital site in Ascot for almost 10 years since Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust aspired to provide a brand-new elective care hospital onsite.
In 2017, Vail Williams acted for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust to obtain outline planning permission for a residential development, which formed part of a wider site allocation for up to 230 homes, a new hospital, SANG and GP hub which is within the adopted Windsor and Maidenhead Local Plan.
Following this, we were appointed by the developer, Taylor Wimpey West London, to advise on the Reserved Matters application for 230 residential dwellings on the site – the final piece in the site’s redevelopment.
How we helped
- The site was in a prominent position within Ascot, requiring high-quality design and landscaping to create a new green gateway into Ascot, with sustainability at its heart
- To ensure positive engagement with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and agreement to a programme which met our client’s needs, we undertook pre-application discussions with the Borough, putting in place a Planning Performance Agreement
- We submitted the Reserved Matters application in September 2021 which achieved a resolution to grant at planning committee in March 2022
- Throughout the process, we managed the consultant team, with regular project and design team meetings to ensure we kept to our client’s planning programme
- By collaborating with the Borough, we swiftly addressed matters as they arose through the planning determination period, amending planning proposals accordingly
- This allowed us to agree suitable planning conditions which would not conflict with the approved hybrid consent, minimising the need for additional pre-commencement conditions.
- Effective communication and stakeholder management, together with consistency of advice from two key contacts in our team who had been involved in the wider scheme for ten years, ensured the best possible outcome for our client.
We are really proud to be associated with the redevelopment of the former Heatherwood Hospital site and are delighted that our residential proposals for 230 new homes were positively determined in a timely matter by RBWM.
Robin Pearmain, Head of Planning, Taylor Wimpey West London.
Results
- Planning permission for the development of 230 homes was achieved in July 2022
- Taylor Wimpey West London completed the purchase of the former Heatherwood Hospital site in September 2022
- The sale will part fund the brand new Heatherwood Hospital which opened in April 2022
- Development of the residential scheme, named Heatherwood Royal, will commence at the end of 2022 / early 2023
- It will see the redevelopment of a brownfield site to deliver a high-quality residential scheme allocated for development in the adopted RBWM Borough Local Plan.
- A landscape-led development, it will create an enhanced green gateway into Ascot along with improvements to wildlife habitats which surpass recommended biodiversity net gain requirements.
- The scheme is expected to deliver a range of important financial contributions for the Borough including an estimated £3.6 million in CIL contributions and £6.35 million in contributions to support the provision of affordable housing.
“Having started advising on the Heatherwood Hospital site at the start of my career at Vail Williams, it has been incredibly rewarding to work with both Frimley Health Trust and Taylor Wimpey West London to see this project through from the Trust’s vision for a new state-of-the-art elective care hospital to Taylor Wimpey delivering this high-quality residential scheme in Ascot.”
Sarah Isherwood, Associate, Vail Williams.
Get in touch
If you think you may need similar support to that described here, or you would simply want to have an informal chat with a member of our team to discuss your property needs, get in touch.
LondonOxford
London
