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Comm Comm UK Planning works with clients and project teams to gain local support for planning applications. We have extensive experience of working with communities and stakeholders communicating key messages and entering negotiations to overturn objections.
We use our on-the-ground community relations and engagement skills to get the best result for both our client and the local community.
Ascot Road
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KOKO
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South London Islamic Centre
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Cecil Road
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King’s Place
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Horton Road
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Farnham
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City of London Primary Academy Islington (CoLPAI)
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Newmarket
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Praed Street
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Tregunter Road
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Winfrith
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Fenwick
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Ilona Rose House
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90-104
Berwick Street
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Parker Tower
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Brake Shear House
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Folgate Court
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Sea Containers House
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Mondrian London
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Douglas Bennett House
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Cross Lane
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Hoxton Holborn
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Hilton Bankside
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Kettner’s Townhouse
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Park Chinois
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Sanderson
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Western Avenue
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St. Martin’s Lane Hotel
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Bounce
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St. George’s Field
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12-22 Pinner Road
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Chichester Rents
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W Hotel
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Amersham Business Park
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Eastcote Arms
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Spires Shopping Centre
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Ascot Road
Orion Cassiobridge Limited
Watford Borough Council
Orion Cassiobridge Limited is developing plans for a residential-led quarter with excellent transport links in west Watford. The site was earmarked for development in Watford Borough Council’s masterplan and is being driven forward by the Cassiobridge Station and bus interchange opening next to the site. The scheme includes 485 new homes for the private and affordable sectors and new businesses and employment opportunities for local people. Comm Comm UK is leading liaison with political and community stakeholders as well as working with local media outlets to build strong press relations.
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KOKO
Vevil International
London Borough of Camden
Comm Comm UK is delivering the public engagement programme and consultation for the redevelopment and refurbishment of KOKO, the Hope and Anchor Pub and adjoining buildings to the rear. The scheme includes a new 32-bedroom boutique hotel, restaurant, sky lobby and recording studio. The new uses complement the existing venue and will ensure the longevity of KOKO as a world-leading live-music venue. Comm Comm UK is working closely with key heritage, music and community organisations as well as residents and businesses to ensure all interested parties are involved in the pre-planning stage.
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South London Islamic Centre (SLIC)
South London Islamic Centre
London Borough of Lambeth
The South London Islamic Centre (SLIC) is a centre for religious, educational and cultural purposes. After 40 years on Mitcham Lane, the centre has become disjointed, ageing and in need of wholesale development. The proposed redevelopment will provide meeting halls, new prayer facilities, gymnasium, nursery, café and inter-faith library. Comm Comm UK is appointed to lead on community consultation and communications to deliver this scheme. Comm Comm UK has undertaken two successful public exhibitions and met a range of stakeholders, including Chuka Umunna MP, ward councillors, local residents and businesses. This was to ensure as many people as possible understood the proposals. An application will be submitted shortly to London Borough of Lambeth.
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Cecil Road
Notting Hill Housing
London Borough of Harrow
Notting Hill Housing has submitted a planning application to redevelop the haulage yard on Cecil Road, Wealdstone. The mixed-use development will provide much-needed family and first time buyer homes in a row of terraced houses with apartments at either end. The scheme has been designed to also deliver flexible workspace at the request of London Borough of Harrow. Comm Comm UK is leading on political and community consultation for the scheme.
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King’s Place
Southwark Homes
London Borough of Southwark
Comm Comm UK has been appointed by Southwark Homes to undertake community, stakeholder and political engagement for King’s Place, a new mixed-use scheme in Southwark. Comm Comm UK has been working alongside award winning architects Allies and Morrison on the scheme, which will deliver 111 new homes as well as flexible workspace, offices and retail units. Comm Comm UK has led an extensive consultation programme focusing on key aspects of the scheme including; the increase to Southwark’s public realm, materiality in relation to the glass towers of Elephant and Castle and the yellow brick façades of Borough Market and neighbouring redevelopment projects. Key aspects of the scheme have been consulted on and discussed in detail with the local community, such as the need for family homes and re-provision of health services on-site.
Southwark Homes has submitted an application to London Borough of Southwark.
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Horton Road, West Drayton
Danescroft Land
London Borough of Hillingdon
Danescroft Land is proposing the redevelopment of land bordering the Grand Union Canal to the West of Colham Bridge, West Drayton. The scheme will provide much-needed, high quality market and affordable homes for the local area. The proposals seek to provide new amenity space with a key focus on the design opening up viewpoints onto the canal. The scheme also features landscaping, improved access arrangements, cycle storage and car parking facilities to complement the new homes. Comm Comm UK is leading on political and community communications for the redevelopment, which sits in London Borough of Hillingdon.
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Farnham
PLOT (Farnham) LLP
Waverley Borough Council
PLOT (Farnham) LLP has submitted a planning application for new homes on land off Hale Road, Farnham. The refreshed proposals offer a number of benefits to the local community including 7.14 hectares of green space, 97 new homes carefully interwoven with the existing village fringes of Hale, and S106 contributions to education, healthcare and local transport. Comm Comm UK was brought on board to develop a targeted consultation programme with local residents who had strongly objected to the scheme. Comm Comm UK explained the proposals to residents’ groups and councillors to help overcome local concerns.
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City of London Primary Academy Islington (CoLPAI)
City of London Corporation
London Borough of Islington and City of London
Comm Comm UK has been appointed by City of London Corporation to deliver stakeholder relations for the redevelopment of the former Richard Cloudesley School into a new school as well as homes for social rent. The redevelopment will modernise facilities on-site as well as provide much-needed affordable housing. Working with London Borough of Islington and City of London Corporation, Comm Comm UK is delivering the political and community engagement programme.
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Newmarket
Forest Heath District Council
St Edmundsbury Borough Council
Comm Comm UK is supporting St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Forest Heath District Council to communicate housing issues and plans in Newmarket.
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Praed Street
Enstar Group
Westminster City Council
Enstar Group has appointed Comm Comm UK to lead a communications and engagement programme for the redevelopment of Enstar House, Praed Street. The site sits in close proximity to Paddington Station and neighbours the recently consented Paddington Cube. Designed by MATT Architecture, the redevelopment will modernise the building, providing new retail spaces and additional, reconfigured office space.
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Tregunter Road
Lennox Investment
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Comm Comm UK successfully supported the owners of a property on Tregunter Road through a highly targeted pre-application consultation with neighbours and political and community stakeholders. Previous concerns over the extension and re-formatting works to the property were overcome through consultation and planning permission was granted by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in October 2016.
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Winfrith
Magnox
Purbeck District Council
Magnox plans to decommission the licenced nuclear site at Winfrith, Dorset by 2023. Comm Comm UK has been appointed to lead on community communications and key stakeholder relationships in preparation for decommissioning of the site. Comm Comm UK is developing a communications strategy to drive forward the project and support Winfrith in its decommissioning journey.
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Fenwick, Brent Cross
Fenwick
London Borough of Barnet
Comm Comm UK has been appointed by Fenwick to support its position in the new Brent Cross Crickleword Regeneration. Comm Comm UK is leading on the stakeholder relations and offering strategic advice for its CPO.
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Ilona Rose
House
Soho Estates
Westminster City Council
Comm Comm UK led the consultation and community engagement for Soho Estates’ significant scheme, Ilona Rose House. Named after owners, Fawn Ilona and India Rose James, the new mixed-use site sits on Charing Cross Road in Westminster. The new development will deliver a mixed use scheme in the Tottenham Court Road Opportunity Area. With support from Mayor Sadiq Khan, Ilona Rose House was granted planning permission in June 2016. Comm Comm UK continues to deliver the community relations programme and offers strategic advice on the scheme, including working on a visual art installation to promote the project and Soho during construction of the building.
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90-104
Berwick Street
PMB Holdings
Westminster City Council
In June 2014, PMB Holdings secured planning consent for a new urban hotel, 12 new private apartments, four new affordable homes for families and 13 updated retail units in the heart of Soho.
Over the course of two years Comm Comm UK got to know individuals in the area extremely well and were able to negotiate and gain widespread support for the scheme. The consultation was considered exemplar by Westminster City Council.
Comm Comm UK is now supporting the construction communications and managing strategic relations with local stakeholders throughout the project.
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Parker Tower
BNP Paribas Real Estate
London Borough of Camden
BNP Paribas Real Estate purchased Parker Tower with planning consent in April 2014. Comm Comm UK was appointed to lead the community relations for a Section 73 application for internal changes within the consented footprint. Comm Comm UK supported the application, which led to the application being granted. Comm Comm UK is now working with BNP Paribas on the construction communications.
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Brake Shear House
Wrenbridge
London Borough of Barnet
In 2016, Wrenbridge Land was granted planning consent for the redevelopment of Brake Shear House into 40 new homes and commercial space. Comm Comm UK led a programme of community engagement with tenants, the community and press. The Barnet Society was in full support of the scheme and spoke in favour of the redevelopment at committee. The committee unanimously voted in favour of the planning application.
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Folgate
Court
DTZ Investors
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Comm Comm UK was appointed to lead the political and community relations for a planning application in Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets in the Elder Street Conservation Area. The application was for a refurbishment of three office buildings to improve connectivity. It also included façade replacement to preserve and enhance the character of the conservation area. In June 2016, Folgate Court was unanimously granted planning consent, following a successful consultation programme.
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Sea Containers House
Archlane
London Borough of Southwark
Sea Containers is a large building on the Thames; it has the longest frontage on the river after The Houses of Parliament. Jessica led the consultation and public affairs work necessary to achieve planning permission for the change of use into a 359-bedroom hotel, new offices and restaurants in 2011. Comm Comm UK has led the community relations during a very complex and lengthy construction period and the recent planning hours application and continues to work with occupier Mondrian London on all of its planning projects.
Jessica was also instrumental in putting together the team for the Jubilee wrap of the building featuring a photo of the Royal Family taken for the Silver Jubilee in 2012 and gaining advertising planning consent for its installation.
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Mondrian
London
Morgans Hotel Group
London Borough of Southwark
Planning hours for the new hotel meant that non-guests needed to leave by 11.30pm each day. Mondrian London wanted later hours to ensure long-term viability.
Comm Comm UK, working with the owner of Sea Containers and the General Manager of the hotel, delivered a strategy that resulted in the Planning Committee granting the applied for hours. This secured the future of the new five-star hotel on the Southbank.
Comm Comm UK continues to work with Mondrian on all of its planning and community relations projects.
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Douglas Bennett House
South London and Maudsley Hospital
London Borough of Southwark
South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust (SLaM) is undertaking a number of improvements to its campus on Denmark Hill. Douglas Bennett House is the first of these projects and the key to unlocking future improvements. The scheme will deliver a Centre of Excellence for mental healthcare of older adults and those with dementia. Comm Comm UK is delivering a programme of community and political engagement and consultation for the project.
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Cross Lane
Oakforest Properties
London Borough of Haringey
Comm Comm UK provided strategic advice and community relations for the redevelopment of Cross Lane into new homes and office space. Comm Comm UK held a public exhibition and met with key stakeholders to ensure as many people as possible were aware and understood the proposals.
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Hoxton
Holborn
The Hoxton, Holborn
London Borough of Camden
Comm Comm UK has worked with The Hoxton, Holborn on a number of occasions delivering community engagement programmes for planning applications. The Hoxton, Holborn was successful in gaining planning permission for a single-storey pavilion extension in March 2016, as a direct result of consultation. Following a prosperous two years operating in Holborn, a new bedroom extension is proposed over the service yard and an application will be submitted shortly to London Borough of Camden.
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Hilton
Bankside
Hilton Hotels
London Borough of Southwark
Comm Comm UK worked with Hilton London Bankside on its planning application to bring its planning hours into line with its late premises licence. Comm Comm UK undertook a programme of engagement with local residents and ward councillors to discuss hotel operations, gain feedback and work to improve key aspects. The planning application was successfully granted in June 2016.
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Kettner’s Townhouse
Soho Estates & Soho House
Westminster City Council
Soho Estates and Soho House are working in partnership on the restoration and refurbishment of 15 former townhouses in the Soho Conservation Area to create Kettner's Townhouse. The scheme, which is made up of 11 listed buildings and two unlisted Buildings of Merit, will create a high-quality restaurant, champagne bar, 28 bedrooms and a new pavilion. Comm Comm UK led the strategic relations and community engagement programme to gain local support for the application, which was granted planning consent in October 2015.
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Park Chinois
AAYA
Westminster City Council
After successfully supporting AAYA with its licensing application for Park Chinois, Comm Comm UK also worked to support its planning application for external duct work. Comm Comm UK worked with the local community directly to resolve issues, which led to the planning application being granted by Westminster City Council.
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Sanderson
Morgans Hotel Group
Westminster City Council
Comm Comm UK provides planning support and community relations for improvements to the Grade II listed hotel in Fiztrovia.
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Western
Avenue
Notting Hill Housing
London Borough of Ealing
Comm Comm UK worked with bptw partnership on the consultation for five sites along the A40 in Ealing, which make up part of the green corridor. The sites were secured some years ago by Transport for London for a new road widening scheme that is no longer going ahead.
Notting Hill Housing bought the sites to redevelop into housing in 2013. Comm Comm UK developed a programme with the team to engage the community in the design process. Pre-application consultation included numerous public exhibitions and meetings, which led to the application being granted by Ealing Council in October 2015.
Due to strong communication links with the local community, Comm Comm UK continued to liaise with residents and councillors during squatting incidents in May 2016. The squatters were successfully removed from the site within two weeks.
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St Martin's Lane Hotel
Morgans Hotel Group
Westminster City Council
Comm Comm UK provides planning and licensing support for improvements to St Martins Lane hotel in Covent Garden.
Comm Comm UK has built excellent relationships with the community, negotiating and gaining support for numerous applications. Comm Comm UK was successful in securing permission from Westminster City Council for refurbishment to the building as well as much-needed amendments to its licence.
www.morganshotelgroup.com/originals/originals-st-martins-lane-london
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Bounce
Bounce Leisure Ltd
London Borough of Hackney
Hackney Council selected Bounce as its development partner to redevelop a disused car park below a large residential tower owned by social housing provider, Hackney Homes. The car park had previously been used by residents in the housing above but was closed due to crime and anti-social behaviour.
Comm Comm UK delivered a stakeholder engagement programme to ensure the local community understood the proposals put forward to Hackney Council. The approach proved successful and the planning application gained wide support locally. Unusually, local amenity group, Shoreditch Community Association, wrote in support of the application. Hackney Council commended the consultation process and planning consent was gained.
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St. George’s
Field
Notting Hill Housing
London Borough of Harrow
Comm Comm UK led the consultation for a new housing scheme in London Borough of Harrow. The site has been very contentious over the past few years as previous planning applications were refused and taken to Judical Review by members of the local community.
Comm Comm UK undertook extensive stakeholder mapping to establish key stakeholders in the area. The proactive and reassuring approach led to no objections to Notting Hill Housing’s reserved matters application, which was granted in 2015.
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12-22
Pinner Road
Notting Hill Housing
London Borough of Harrow
Comm Comm UK is working with Notting Hill Housing on a number of housing schemes across London. Notting Hill Housing purchased the site of Harrow Hotel on Pinner Road in September 2014 to redevelop it into much-needed housing.
Comm Comm UK leads on the consultation and community relations for the scheme facilitating between local stakeholders to establish relationships and support for the scheme.
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Chichester
Rents
Raingate
London Borough of Camden
Jessica led the planning and community relations support for the redevelopment of retail and offices on Chancery Lane since 2012. Consent was secured for a modern, mixed-use scheme that incorporated office, residential and retail behind a retained façade, which overlooks Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Comm Comm UK is now supporting the construction communications, working with the contractor, Chorus Group, to communicate works and timeframes to the local stakeholders in the area.
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W Hotel
W Hotel
Westminster City Council
Comm Comm UK supported W Hotel’s planning application to Westminster City Council for outside tables and chairs on Wardour Street, Lisle Street and Leicester Street in order to extend its restaurant operations in the summer months.
Comm Comm UK worked with key local stakeholders to discuss issues and concerns and reached a solution for all parties involved. This led to the most controversial application being granted by members of the planning committee.
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Amersham Business Park
PMB Holdings
Chiltern District Council
Comm Comm UK worked with PMB Holdings to support strategic political communications and spatial strategy in Amersham. Comm Comm UK successfully worked and negotiated with the local authority to ensure that a gypsy and traveller site was not placed on or near the site.
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Eastcote
Arms
Hycgan
London Borough of Harrow
Comm Comm UK led the community consultation for Eastcote Arms, a vacant pub, in Harrow. Hycgan will be submitting a planning application to redevelop the site into new homes.
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Spires Shopping Centre
Pears Property
London Borough of Barnet
Comm Comm UK, in partnership with Redwood Consulting, provided strategic planning support and advice service to Pears Property for its planning application. The application, submitted to Barnet Council, was for a new façade and Carluccio’s restaurant in the Spires Shopping Centre on Barnet’s High Street.
Comm Comm UK launched an extensive community engagement programme working and negotiating with local stakeholders. As a direct result, the application was supported widely and swiftly consented.
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