Explore Industrial Park, Worksop
A new off-site manufacturing hub for international construction firm Laing O’Rourke.
DHA secured planning permission for the Explore Industrial Park, a new off-site manufacturing hub for international construction firm Laing O’Rourke. The 98 hectare former colliery, limestone quarry and brick refractory site straddles the boundary between two counties and two districts.
The masterplan permission includes 27ha of development platforms in addition to extensive areas for ecological mitigation and the relocation of a small area of ancient woodland. Public exhibitions held locally revealed support from 97% of attendees.
DHA originally secured permission for a £110m advanced factory to create pre-cast concrete construction products, which opened in 2009. Since then, DHA has secured outline permission for the wider masterplan covering the whole site, as well as detailed permission for various projects within the site, including a new 42,000 sqm advanced manufacturing building in 2015.
The new facility will contribute to Laing O’Rourke’s Design for Manufacture and Assembly agenda which revolutionises the way it delivers construction projects, with many of the components being manufactured in factories and delivered to sites for rapid installation.
Project Team
Jonathan is a Director leading our Gatwick office. He joined DHA in 2005 and brings more than 30 years of planning consultancy experience.
Jonathan Buckwell MRTPI PISEP
Director
Prior to joining DHA, he worked with Hepher Dixon (now Savills) in Milton Keynes and London, contributing to major regeneration projects, including the Emirates Stadium.
Jonathan works across a broad range of residential and commercial projects and has also advised local authorities on major developments, including the Manston Airport Development Consent Order.
His notable successes include securing planning permission for a major industrial complex in Nottinghamshire, an urban extension in Cornwall, a 1 million sqft medical campus in Maidstone, and a 600-space HGV park in Ashford.
In addition to his consultancy work, Jonathan also chairs Developers East Sussex, an organisation that brings together public and private sector development interests across the county. Through this role, he has engaged directly with Secretaries of State and Ministers within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on matters affecting development and economic growth.
Outside of work, Jonathan coaches a girls’ football team and enjoys the enduring highs and lows of supporting Leicester City.
Paul joined DHA in 2014 having previously worked for Kent County Council and the Department for Transport in the fields of development planning, transport policy, capital projects and public transport. Paul leads our Maidstone-based Transport Team and our public sector transport planning work.
Paul Lulham FCILT
Director
He provides advice to a range of clients throughout the UK to support the preparation of planning applications, Local Plans, transport strategies and the negotiation of developer contributions for transport infrastructure and services. He is also an experienced expert witness, having appeared at numerous Public Inquiries, Appeal Hearings and Local Plan Examinations.
Some of Paul's projects include:
- Millwall Football Club Training Ground and Academy, West Kingsdown;
- South East Maidstone Urban Expansion;
- Kent Medical Campus, Maidstone;
- Mole Valley Local Plan Transport Assessment;
- Hartopp and Lannoy Point estate regeneration, Hammersmith and Fulham;
- Chatham Waterfront and Mountbatten House, Chatham;
- Ledian Gardens Integrated Retirement Community, Maidstone;
- School of Science and Technology, Maidstone;
- Abbey Farm Primary School, Swindon.