Re-Imagining Perry Court, Faversham
In 2017 Hallam Land Management Limited was granted planning permission from Swale Borough Council for new housing, offices, research and development and light industrial uses – a mixed use development - at Perry Court.
At the present time, the housing development which Barratt David Wilson are constructing is close to completion, and the Care Home, hotel and foodstore have all been built and are open.
However, Hallam has not been able to secure a developer or occupier to build the offices which the planning permission would have allowed. This part of the overall sites remains undeveloped with little prospect that it will be developed for those uses.
Hallam are therefore considering how the Perry Court development can be completed. The remaining land is within the town’s settlement boundary where there is a presumption in terms of planning policy that new development will be allowed.
Hallam wish to understand the views of the local community, new residents of Perry Court and those who bound the site, as to how this land could be developed.
The information provided on this website will provide you with:
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background information about Perry Court
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information about the marketing exercise that Hallam has undertaken to secure a user for the employment land
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the opportunity to provide comments to Hallam as to how the site could be completed.
About Hallam Land
Hallam Land Management Limited (Hallam) is the strategic land and planning promotion arm of the Henry Boot Group of Companies.
Hallam has been acquiring, promoting, developing and trading in strategic land since 1990 and we operate throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Hallam has experienced land and planning teams based in Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Northampton, as well as the Sheffield head office, working with landowners, developers, local authorities, communities and other parties to bring forward development opportunities.
Background
Policy MU7 of the Swale Local Plan allocated land at Perry Court for a mixed-use development comprising housing and employment.
Outline planning permission was granted for such development on 27th March 2017. This gave consent for up to 310 dwellings; 11875sqm of B1a floorspace; 3.800sqm of B1b floorspace; 2,850sqm of B1c floorspace, a hotel (use class C1) (up to 3,250sqm) of up to 100 bedrooms including an ancillary restaurant; a care home (use class C2) (up to 3,800sqm) of up to 60 rooms including all associated ancillary floorspace’ a local convenience store (use class A1) of 200sqm.
B1a, B1b and B1c are use classes defined by a Government Order that relates to offices, research and development and light industrial uses.
An area of 2 hectares was also safeguarded for further employment development on the masterplan.
Barratt Homes purchased the residential land (Plot A) following the grant of planning permission later in 2017. Barratt have commenced development and are delivering housing at pace.
Parameters Plan
Plots B, C and D relating to the Care Home, Hotel and Foodstore have been subject to separate detailed consents and were subsequently disposed of to LNT, Premier Inn and Aldi in 2020. All three are now open.
Despite a lengthy marketing campaign which was commenced in 2016, Hallam have not been able to secure either a developer or an occupier(s) to bring forward office, research and development and light industrial uses.
The emerging Local Plan rolls forward the mixed-use sites in the adopted Local Plan, although in the case of Perry Court that serves little practical purpose because the development has largely been completed and there has been very little interest in the take up of the employment element.
Marketing since 2016
In 2016, the emerging Local Plan was well advanced and Strutt and Parker were instructed to commence marketing the Site prior to the grant of planning permission, but in the context of the submitted planning application. This marketing has continued since then.
This has involved normal marketing activity, [comprising on-site hoarding, on-line information and direct mail literature] with sales particulars circulated to an extended list of prospective purchasers. Despite these activities having been conducted throughout this period, [and indeed, renewed attempts in 2020] there has been very limited interest in the employment uses defined by the Local Plan Policy and planning permission.
Only one particular expression of interest is of note; an office occupier seeking accommodation for 12,000 sq.ft (1115sq.m) of space with associated parking. This would have represented the rationalisation and relocation of the prospective occupier’s existing office premises and required them to partner with a developer to construct these premises, which Hallam facilitated. In turn this also required services to be laid within and across the site (rather than simply to the boundary). Moreover, this opportunity was contingent upon the sale of prospective occupier’s existing premises elsewhere. Discussions in respect of this opportunity have been on-going for a considerable period of time, however, COVID-19 has caused its relocation plans to be suspended for the present time and there is no certainty if this will be re-activated.
Other interest expressed in the remaining available land has been for small bits of the site which is neither viable or deliverable.
Alternative Uses
Where interest has been expressed it has been for alternative employment generating uses, such as:
• Restaurants (c.1.5 acre)
• Fuel Station Petrol (c.1 acre)
• Specialist housing (Retirement living and affordable extra care) (c. 2 acres)
• Mixed occupancy trade counter scheme) (c.1.5 acres)
• Day Nursery (c.0.5 acres)
The Local Plan’s Policy MU7 allows for alternative employment uses to be brought forward at this Site where it is demonstrated that B1 uses would not be achievable.
Whilst the Local Plan Policy does not refer to housing development, this could be an option because the site is within the town’s settlement boundary.
Your Views
Hallam want to ensure that the development at Perry Court is completed and that remaining land is put to a beneficial use and want to hear the views of the local community as to what development they would like to see provided.
Your views can be provided by completing the online form or by sending comments direct to Nikki Woodward at Hallam (email nwoodward@hallamland.co.uk). Thank you for the contribution that you have made to shaping the final stage of Perry Court.
Comments can be submitted for two weeks from the 24th February 2022.
Next Steps
Hallam will also be discussing how the site could be developed with the Council who are presently preparing a new Local Plan.
Through these discussions and with the information that is provided by the local community, Hallam will consider how an alternative development can be brought forward.