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Summer Vibes and Other Blessings
June 2026
Wow, how glorious was this half-term?! Even the continental Europeans amongst us found this heatwave a little challenging...
But first things first: please join us in celebrating our Director Matt for 15 years with the business, (and our two other Directors Martin and Ben following close behind)...
Quizzes and Dinners
May 2026
And just like that it's May, with a sunny (well, dry, all fingers crossed...) bank holiday ahead of us, but we are already looking forward to the Bristol Planning Law and Policy Conference on May 14th.
Another annual event we always enjoy was the YEP Bristol Charity Quiz, which several colleagues attended a few weeks back, this year fundraising for 1625 Independent People ...
Spring Perspectives
April 2026
With the improving weather and the trees beginning to leaf and bloom, we have taken the chance to revisit several sites this month.
In addition to our usual ‘Revisited’ feature below, we include this massing image of proposals for the brownfield development of The Fosseway at Hengrove, Bristol...
Full Planning Permission in Cromhall
March 2026
We are delighted to see that Redcliffe Homes has received Full Detailed Planning Permission from South Gloucestershire Council for their site at Church Lane, Cromhall.
This will deliver a high-quality development which is sympathetic to the surrounding context of the site, with 47 new homes including 35% affordable housing...
Out with January, Looking Forward to Spring
February 2026
Hooray! We’ve made it through January: the month that lasts roughly 74 days...
It has been a very busy start to the year for us, with a brisk return to routine and full diaries right from the off.
February is well set to keep the momentum, keeping the team engaged with ongoing projects and also kicking off work on new sites...
Happy New Year
January 2026
We hope that you have had a great Christmas break, and we are looking forward to catching up with many of you in the year ahead.
Towards the end of last year, we were assisting with several public consultations, site promotions and planning applications. One of these applications, by Backhouse, is in full for 49 new homes at Castle Cary...
Merry Christmas 🎄
December 2025
This festive season we are supporting Help Bristol's Homeless, who are committed to finding practical solutions to help those who are sleeping rough on the streets of Bristol.
Our card for this year is a lino cut of our office alongside the Tobacco Factory Theatres and Tobacco Factory Enterprises by our very own crafter Paulina Konopacka.
Season's Greetings
December 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, we would like to thank our clients and colleagues for a busy and successful twelve months and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
We hope you enjoy a peaceful festive break with time to rest and recharge, and we look forward to working with you again in the year ahead.
PAD EOT Turns 2
November 2025
Hard to believe, but it has now been two years since pad became an employee-owned trust.
And this month we were pleased that architect, urban designer and educator Richard Guise has joined us as an independent trustee. In his time as the head of the University of the West of England’s urban design course, Richard was tutor to several of us at pad...
80 New Homes in Cheddar
October 2025
Several applications for outline planning permission have been submitted to Somerset Council this month, including on behalf of Redrow Homes for 80 dwellings at Draycott Road, Cheddar.
The visualisation (left) shows how development is proposed to be set around a central green, and to overlook the landscape edges...
North Leigh Visualisation
September 2025
It might still be the summer holidays for some of us lucky ones, but here at pad work of course never stops and keeps the team busy with a variety of projects across the South West and further afield. Two of those have recently seen planning application submissions: the first a hybrid (full and outline) one on behalf of Coln Signature Homes at Puriton, the other a reserved matters application with Backhouse at North Leigh in West Oxfordshire
Sam’s Padel Courts
August 2025
And just like that it's August with the summer holidays in full swing! A well deserved break too for our final year 10 work experience student of the year, Sam from Beechen School. He spent his week with us in mid-July creating a new leisure facility for padel enthusiasts, which the concept image above represents nicely.
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Take a scroll down to our Instagram feed for images from each of our three work experience students of the year...
Keep cool and carry on...
July 2025
Looking at this 'Wetland Edge' image creates a welcome association in the mind whilst sweltering in this latest heat wave... the concept above shows a residential frontage overlooking an adjoining nature area.
This reflects a sensitive design approach responding to the landscape and incorporating ecological features, and with an added South Bristol flavour (think Upfest) through the incorporation of painted floral motifs...
Nine New Homes in Norton St Philip
June 2025
This month we have seen two projects at public consultation, both of which are targeting an application for outline planning permission.
The first of these, on behalf of Ashberry Strategic Land at Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire is expected to be for up to 190 new homes and the second on behalf of South West Strategic Developments at Woolavington, Somerset for up to 170 new homes...
Spring, Sunshine and Swarms!
May 2025
It is great to see spring in full flow…
Exciting times in this glorious sunshine, a feeling evidently shared by our resident bees that normally live their very private hive life on the Tobacco Factory rooftop but have been swarming in their thousands outside the office door for a couple of days recently...
Success at Grove Farm
April 2025
Great news this month: With unanimous agreement North Somerset Council’s planning committee agreed to grant outline planning permission for Taylor Wimpey’s Grove Farm site at Backwell.
Development will deliver 515 new homes, land for new primary school provision, a community hub and an extensive range of new green infrastructure at Backwell, between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare...
Are Cities Good for Us?
March 2025
"Cities are good for us, or at least they can and should be." … The team attended The Good City talk at the Arnolfini in Bristol organised by Design West last week to find out about the challenges around designing fair, sustainable and healthy urban centres for everyone.
Well, one thing that became quite clear was what a complex business city-making is, not least from a (public) investment perspective...
New Year, New Homes: Cromhall
February 2025
2025 is now in full swing and here at pad we are already working on a number of new projects across the South West with some of our long-standing clients.
Other challenging and much-needed developments that have been in the planning system pipeline for some time include revised proposals that were recently submitted to South Gloucestershire Council by Redcliffe Homes for full planning permission to deliver 47 new homes at Cromhall...
Happy New Year!
January 2025
Welcome to 2025! We hope that you had a great Christmas break and we look forward to working with many of you this year.
Following a successful 2024, we look forward to more exciting projects and planning permissions in what is set to be an interesting year, with a Government target of 1.5 million new homes in the next five years and under the revised National Planning Policy Framework...
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Permission for Meadow Gate
December 2024
As we look forward to Christmas, we are pleased that in our last newsletter of the year we can report that reserved matters approval was granted this month to Stonewood Homes for 49 new dwellings in Sandford, North Somerset.
The Meadow Gate site will also deliver additional land for education alongside the village primary school, and we look forward to including photos of the development on the ground in our revisited section in 2025...
Approved: RM for Another East of Harry Stoke Parcel
November 2024
We are delighted that Reserved Matters are now approved for another parcel of the East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood in South Gloucestershire.
Phase 2.2C is set to see Taylor Wimpey deliver an additional 112 new homes alongside an access from the Stoke Gifford Bypass, a key gateway to the development...
Castle Cary Gets the Go Ahead
October 2024
As we move into autumn, we are pleased to have seen a number of planning applications and Reserved Matters submissions made in recent weeks.
These include at Station Road, Castle Cary, where the Redcliffe Homes proposals finally received a resolution to grant full planning permission...
Residential Development at Cotford St Luke
September 2024
First of all, we are pleased to be assisting Hallam Land with proposals for residential development to the north of Cotford St Luke village, within the authority of Somerset Council.
These were subject to an online public consultation in recent weeks, and could see the delivery of 75 to 85 new homes, together with Green Infrastructure...
Team Day Out at The Old Printworks in Frome
August 2024
Earlier this month the pad team spent an interesting day away from the office, first visiting Shepton Mallet Prison for an immersive 'escape the cell' experience (we did...!) as well as a tour of the prison that closed in 2013.
After lunch, we enjoyed looking around Acorn Property Group's The Old Printworks in Frome to see how the site is progressing...
Sustainable New Home Proposals Submitted
July 2024
An application for full planning permission has been submitted this month for a new high-quality home within the City of Bath Conservation Area.
The proposals will see the existing 1950s house, which is of low architectural merit with considerable subsidence, replaced with an exemplar 4-bedroom sustainable home...
Coombe Dingle Homes for Sale
June 2024
The two homes in the Coombe Dingle area of Bristol, which we designed for private clients several years ago, are now on sale with Rupert Oliver Property Agents.
The bespoke homes (of 4000 and 4500 sq ft) replaced the outdated home that previously occupied the secluded site...
Reserved Matters Approved at Highworth
May 2024
Revised Reserved Matters proposals for 238 new homes, together with a variety of attractive and connected open space, had been submitted to Swindon Borough Council on behalf of David Wilson Homes.
We are delighted that approval has now been received, and will see a high quality addition to this pretty market town...
48 New Homes in Weston-super-Mare
April 2024
March saw several planning applications and reserved matters submissions.
These included at Land East of Lynx Crescent, Weston-super-Mare, where South West Strategic Developments with Grass Roots Planning has applied for outline planning permission to deliver 48 new homes...
Vision of a Contemporary Homestead
March 2024
With 2024 now well underway, we are back into a busy schedule including applications, design reviews, and land promotion work.
We have also undertaken modelling for several of our smaller architectural projects, including the proposal above for a large one-off new home designed as a contemporary homestead...
Another RM Approval in Bristol!
February 2024
We are delighted to report a second Reserved Matters approval in Bristol for Goram Homes and Countryside Partnerships in as many months.
Phase One of the former school site in Hengrove, to the south of the city centre, is set to deliver 130 new homes which includes two and three storey houses and four storey apartments...
Happy New Year!
January 2024
Happy New Year and welcome to our first newsletter of 2024. We hope that you had a great break and we look forward to catching up with you over the coming weeks and months.
We were delighted with a flurry of planning approvals just before Christmas. These included from Bristol City Council to Goram Homes and Countryside Partnerships...
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