Gravis Planning

The weather has been heating up across the UK and Ireland, which is perfect for solar farms such as Dale Farm Ltd's asset in Cookstown to generate clean, renewable electricity, as showcased in the stunning drone footage below. We secured planning permission for this project, which allows one of Northern Ireland's biggest dairy produce providers to power its industrial operations sustainbly. Check out more examples of our work in the energy sector here: https://lnkd.in/gPaY8AFC

With this year's competition now finished, the clock is already ticking towards the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Everyone at Gravis Planning is hugely excited to see how the new and improved Dunluce Course improvements are taking shape, following our work with Royal Portrush to help them secure the necessary planning permission for the works, last autumn. Looking ahead to the world-famous international event, Gravis Planning’s Managing Director of Planning Consultancy, Richard Bowman, said: “Our team at Gravis has a proud history of providing planning consultancy advice for designers and owners of very special golf courses in the UK and Ireland. However, very few courses in the world can rival the stunning setting of Royal Portrush." “We were delighted to work with the Club last year to advise and help them to secure planning consent to enable work on the course improvements to take place on time, ahead of hosting the Open in July 2025." “The 153rd Open will attract up to 250,000 tourists from across the globe to Northern Ireland, creating a huge stimulus for the local economy and tourism industry." “The excitement is building, and we are really looking forward to seeing the world’s best golfers and visitors experience the very best that Royal Portrush and the north coast of Northern Ireland has to offer.”

To mark World PR Day, our Director of Strategic Communications, John Fullerton, took some time to reflect on the importance of public relations and stakeholder engagement in the context of planning. "With an experienced in-house team of strategic communications consultants working alongside our planners, Gravis has always advocated the benefits of early and effective engagement with key stakeholders when taking forward planning and development projects." "Statutory Pre-Application Community Consultation is well embedded for planning applications falling into the ‘major’ category in Northern Ireland and there is no doubt that, overall, this process has led to better planning outcomes." "Consulting with key stakeholders such as elected representatives, community groups and individual residents provides the opportunity for development teams to communicate key messages relevant to their project. This means that a wider audience will understand the social and economic benefits linked to planning approvals, whether that be job creation, infrastructure upgrades, additional rates or improved local services." "The growth of online and remote methods of consultation in recent years has also been particularly evident as everyone had to adapt during the pandemic when social distancing measures were in place. This approach, while necessary to allow planning applications to continue to progress at that time, is now here to stay. Public expectation is that techniques such as answerphone services, project webpages and the ability to submit feedback online are in place for all major projects alongside traditional physical public events and face to face engagement. Where appropriate, virtual consultation rooms, webinars and video production / animation also have an important role to play." "Involving communities before submitting major planning applications allows for feedback to be considered at an early stage and amendments to be made where possible. This approach means that local stakeholders can help shape proposals in their own area, helping to mitigate objection and increase support. Ultimately, it can be a positive for everyone involved." To find out more about the Strategic Communications services which Gravis can offer, contact John via [email protected] or 07746941704.

Check out this drone footage from one of our residential projects, the Castlegate Residential Development in Ballymena. We secured planning permission for this scheme, which provides high-quality housing in a coveted location with close access to the Galgorm Spa and Resort, Ballymena Town Centre, public transport options and more. If you are in need of planning advice for residential development, get in touch with us via [email protected].

Northern Ireland consultancy firm receives a prestigious ‘royal’ accolade for work on QUB Riddel Hall project

Working alongside ISHERWOOD ELLIS LLP, we are pleased to have secured planning permission from Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Planning Committee for a new post-primary school which will become the new home of Priory Integrated College, including a car park, bus drop-off area, Special Educational Needs (SEN) accomodation and playing pitches with floodlighting, on behalf of the Education Authority for Northern Ireland. The new school will be located on the site of the former Redburn Primary School on Old Holywood Road, a brownfield site only a kilometre from the site of Priory’s current campus on My Lady’s Mile in Holywood. At its current location, Priory caters for around 600 pupils aged between 11 and 18 on a 1.96-hectare site. This site area and its accommodation fall considerably short of the areas recommended in the Department of Education’s schedule of accommodation for a 600-pupil post-primary school, hence the need to upgrade to new, handbook compliant facilities on Old Holywood Road. The site of the new school rises from the Old Holywood Road in the west to Redburn Country Park in the East, passing on into the Craigantlet Hills. As such, it benefits from an elevated location with a panoramic view capturing Belfast in the south west to the mouth of Belfast Lough in the north. The layout of the site has been responsively designed to address its topography – for example, through the strategic placement of teaching spaces and communal areas to maximise sunlight – and also to integrate appropriately into the natural setting (Redburn Forest) which acts as its striking backdrop, seeking to retain existing boundary vegetation and supplement this with the planting of native species to enhance biodiversity. We know that this development will greatly improve the experience of both pupils and teaching staff at Priory alike, and look forward to seeing its construction.

We are delighted that our housing scheme in Hannahstown received planning approval yesterday evening by Belfast City Council. The project for 260 houses, which is much needed in the area, includes both general and complex needs housing and a community focused ‘Happi Principals’ apartment block for the over 55’s. The development also enjoys large areas of quality open space with enhanced biodiversity, generous private gardens and a children’s playground. Thanks to our client Radius Housing / Choice Housing Ireland Ltd and the design team Gravis Planning/TAYLOR & BOYD LLP/AECOM/ISD Consulting Engineers for their commitment to securing this approval. We look forward to delivering the next phase of this project. #housing #socialhousing #rmi #rmiarchitects #belfastarchitects #nothernirisharchitects #irisharchitecture

We are very pleased to have secured planning permission for a 260-unit social housing scheme on Glen Road in Belfast, on behalf of Radius Housing and Choice Housing Ireland Ltd in partnership. This development will contribute significantly to meeting housing need in Belfast and aligns with the Belfast Agenda’s goal of increasing the population of the city by 66,000 people by 2035. The Glen Road site is also a short walk from a range of amenities, such as the Glider public transport corridor and green spaces such as the Colin Glen. https://lnkd.in/efsw-u3Z

We are looking forward to Royal Town Planning Institute Northern Ireland's Annual Planning Conference at the Europa Hotel on Wednesday 4th September. Our Director of Planning and current Chair of RTPI NI, Chris Bryson, and our Director of Strategic Communications, John Fullerton, are among a fantastic list of expert speakers who will approach the conference's theme of promoting positivity in planning from a wide range of perspectives. Get your tickets before Monday 26th August: https://lnkd.in/gXFf5Bmi