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A pleasant afternoon allowed a visit to a cluster of three recently completed projects. We helped Harworth Group gain outline planning consent for a residential development of 250 houses, east of Shilo Way in Awsworth. Avant Homes purchased the site, and have implemented the traffic signal controlled access junction on Shilo Way that we designed. It has recently opened. On the opposite side of the road, we helped The Friends of Bennerley Viaduct gain consent for a cycle and pedestrian embankment to the Bennerley Viaduct, visitor centre and car park. The ramp and visitor centre are both now open (picture below). The visitor centre is served by a new access road that joins Shilo Way, opposite Avant Homes’ site, and we helped support a third application, again for Harworth, for a small industrial estate, which has recently been completed (picture below).

Working with Cerda Planning, we are pleased to report that Kler Group’s outline application for 76 houses has been approved by Cherwell District Council. The application was supported by our Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy. We also prepared a Transport Assessment, using Oxfordshire County Council’s decide and provide guidance. Masterplan by Vista.

As reported in the press, it is great news that ALB Group’s application for a 56,00sqft international-standard padel centre has been approved. Located on Electric Avenue in Nottingham, the padel centre also offers a pilates studio, PT studio, physiotherapy facilities, coworking space, offices, a lounge, bar, roof terrace, events plaza and food outlets. Working with Leonard Design – their illustration below – it is not the first padel centre we have assessed, but it is the most ambitious. We look forward to having a game once it opens.

On 25 June 2026, Charnwood Borough Council’s Plans Committee approved Bloor Homes’ hybrid application for 220 dwellings on land north of Willow Road in Barrow Upon Soar. Their application was supported by our Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy, and Transport Assessment. It follows approval to the outline application in October 2025. For us, it is the end of a lengthy journey that began in 2019 when we first provided advice to the landowner’s agent about the feasibility of developing the site, and the access strategy.

Its not all greenfield sites, and sometimes the drainage is truly urban. Employed by Rapleys, we produced a joint Flood Risk and Drainage Assessment in support of a Class MA prior approval application to convert existing office space to 85 apartments at Lombard House on Great Charles Street Queensway in Birmingham city centre. The our drainage strategy was accepted by the LLFA, and the application was granted consent.

The cakes were bought in the office, following technical approval being granted by ViaEM to our detailed design of highway works on the A60 Mansfield Road at Redhill in Nottingham. We previously designed the S278 works for Phase 1, the redevelopment of the former Metallifacture site, built by Cora. Cameron Homes have taken on Phase 2, the land to the rear of Phase 1, which requires the current priority controlled junction to be upgraded to traffic signal control. It is a complicated layout, needing to fit in the space reserved in front of Phase 1, on a very busy arterial route in to the centre of Nottingham. Despite that, following our submission, and a first round of comments from ViaEM on 11 December 2025, the technical approval letter was issued only three months later, on 30 March 2026. Well done to our Infrastructure Design team.

Not the largest scheme we have ever designed, but at the time it caused some head scratching. When the before shot was taken in May 2021 the levels and vegetation made it difficult to envisage how we would design the shared pedestrian and cycle link on Storth Lane in Pinxton that provides access to the rear of Gleeson Homes’ proposed development. The after shot from May 2026 shows we managed it successfully. It is always instructive to revisit sites and see how they have turned out.

We are pleased to report that last week the Planning Inspectorate accepted for Examination the Development Consent Order (DCO) application for Oxfordshire Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (OxSRFI).  The scheme proposes a new Rail Terminal connected to the Chiltern Main Line railway and 6.5 million sqft of warehousing and distribution floor space, with additional allowance for mezzanine space.  This is an important milestone for the project, which ADC infrastructure have been working on for many years.   Our work on the project commenced with an initial transport appraisal and other due diligence work.  We formed and chaired the Transport Working Group (TWG) comprising National Highways, Oxfordshire County Council (the local highway authority), and Cherwell District Council (the local planning authority).  Through that process, we have worked collaboratively to develop the transport proposals for the scheme, which include a comprehensive Sustainable Transport Strategy, Public Transport Strategy, and Framework Travel Plan.  We have developed a package of embedded Highway Works, including substantial improvements to M40 Junction 10 and the A43, a bypass for the village of Ardley, the provision of a relief road for Middleton Stoney, and a new link road to Heyford Park.  The next stage in the process is the Examination, which will start later this year.  Illustrative masterplan by FPCR.     

We were grateful to be invited by BDW North Midlands to their charity go-karting event in aid of The Children’s Bereavement Centre. Our team of five – Arun, Chris, Taylor, Riley and Ashley – placed 6th overall, although held first place for a few laps. Taylor made the second fastest lap of the day. Well done all, and for supporting a great cause.

We supported Cora to get planning consent for their Eagles Edge development in Redhill in Nottingham, and also gained consent for the S278 works that allow access to the development. Now, having helped get planning consent for Phase 2, we have assisted Cameron Homes’ ambitions by undertaking the detailed design of the upgrading of the access junction from a priority controlled T-junction to signal control. We prepared a full S278 package that was vetted by ViaEM and we are pleased to say it has gained technical approval.