Redevelopment site through full planning
Structural feasibility and planning input for a redevelopment scheme that was granted full planning permission.
The project
This Canning Town redevelopment scheme was granted full planning permission, with our structural and ground input forming part of the application. The brief was to show the council that the proposed new building could be designed and built safely on the site, and to give the wider design team a realistic structural and geotechnical starting point before detailed design and any intrusive investigation began.
Redevelopment and railside sites in this part of east London often have a long history of industrial, commercial or transport use, and the ground can reflect that. Made ground, buried foundations, old services and changes in level are all possible. A planning application for a new building on such a site is stronger when it explains how the structure will work and what is already known about the ground beneath it.
What we did
- Structural feasibility for the new building
- Geotechnical desk study
- Structural planning statement
Building a structural case for planning on a redevelopment site
We started with a geotechnical desk study, reviewing the site's geology and recorded history to identify likely ground conditions and hazards. That gave the structural feasibility a realistic basis rather than assuming ideal ground. It also showed what a later ground investigation would need to confirm before foundations could be designed in detail, so that fieldwork can be targeted rather than generic.
The structural feasibility then set out how the new building could be framed and founded, with the options and their implications explained. The structural planning statement brought this together for the council, describing the approach and how structural risks would be managed. Our guide to drainage strategies for planning covers another requirement that often arises on sites like this.
What helps a redevelopment scheme through planning
- A desk study gives a realistic view of the ground early
- Feasibility should reflect the site's history, not ideal ground
- The planning statement explains structural risks and how they are managed
- Desk study findings shape the scope of later ground investigation
Planning something similar?
On redevelopment sites, a desk study and a clear structural statement give the council confidence that the scheme can be built, and they prepare the way for detailed design. Our geotechnical desk study is usually the right starting point before any boreholes or trial pits are planned.