Evans Jones secures planning approval for new sports development

• Posted by Karyn Middleton on 29th Sep ’08 at 15:21 UTC
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Evans Jones LLP, the Cheltenham-based firm of building surveyors, architects, planners and access consultants, has secured planning approval for a new grandstand, changing rooms, multi-use games area (MUGA), floodlighting, conference and educational facilities for Hemel Hempstead Amateur Rugby League Football Club at Pennine Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The rugby club, also known as Hemel Stags, has fixtures with teams nationwide playing in the Co-operative Rugby League Conference National and the Northern Rail Cup. The club′s rapidly developing profile and well supported youth development rugby programme, run in association with local schools, urgently called for new playing and training facilities.

Appointed in October 2007 Evans Jones remit was to consult with the local authority to prepare and manage the planning application. In depth discussions with the local authority′s planning, highways, legal, leisure and recreation departments at pre-application stage were crucial to the successful outcome of the planning application.

Key benefits from the efforts made at inception stage included: a design that related well to surrounding built forms; a layout that provided sufficient car and coach parking, and turning areas; respect for surrounding habitats; retention of pedestrian connections in and around the site; appropriate levels of security and natural surveillance, and support for the rugby club′s ethos of encouraging everyone to participate in sport through the provision of a facility which benefits the community as a whole.

Bob Brown, Chairman of Hemel Hempstead Amateur Rugby League Football Club commented: “The commitment made by Evans Jones during the pre-application stage of this project was instrumental in the successful outcome of the planning application. In particular, this involved working in partnership, not only with the local authority planning, highways, leisure and legal departments but also with Sport England and other specialist consultants with expertise in highways, archaeology and land contamination”.

The scale and nature of this project has demonstrated how efforts made at pre-application stage, to address key matters upfront, are essential in easing the application through the determination process. The club is currently in the process of corroborating funding streams, with an expected construction start date in Summer 2009.

For further information please contact David Jones at Evans Jones on 01242 531411 or david.jones@evansjones.co.uk.