Haven Farm, Sutton Valence
Fernham Homes win a competitive tender process managed by DHA Land on behalf of the owner of Haven Farm on the northern edge of Sutton Valence.
Sustaining rural communities is a key agenda item for many local authorities, with developers increasingly called upon to deliver public hubs and facilities alongside new homes.
This was followed by DHA’s planning team submitting a planning application to Maidstone Borough Council.
The application satisfied local demand for a new GP surgery, space for a post office and shop to accompany the new homes, as DHA secured permission for 110 new homes on a seven-hectare site on behalf of the Kent housebuilder.
The team worked closely with Sutton Valence Surgery which will bring together two existing surgeries onto one site, with the land provided by Fernham Homes.
The site which forms an important allocation within the Local Plan Review, would see the scheme include affordable homes and provision of self-build plots. A new toucan crossing over North Street has been designed to help residents access the village and the surgery part of the application. The scheme includes over 1ha of new woodland planting. The scheme was positively supported by officers and local members.
Project Team
Danielle is a Director and leads our Viability team as well as running a large caseload of planning projects.
Danielle Lawrence MRICS
Director
Danielle joined DHA in 2014 with a BSc in Real Estate from the University of Reading, having gained relevant planning & development experience through a series of placements in both the public and private sector. She qualified as a Chartered Surveyor of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2016 and has since focused on developing her career in planning and development.
During Danielle’s time at DHA, she has been involved on a number of developments including the construction of a performing arts centre and boarding house at an independent school, the restoration and extension of the Grade II* listed Leas Lift in Folkestone, care homes and student accommodation schemes.
Danielle also works closely with a number of housebuilders to deliver large scale residential-led developments across the South East.
Alongside planning, Danielle leads our viability team who specialise in providing advice on affordable housing and planning obligations. This includes advising clients on the viability of development schemes, preparing application stage Financial Viability Assessments at the and leading negotiations with local planning authorities on a range of residential and mixed-use schemes.
Mark heads up the Land Team who offer a range of consultancy and agency services as part of our multi-disciplinary teams. Mark's background is in Economics, with a Degree from Sheffield University before taking a Masters in Planning & Development and qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 2008. He started his career in Development Team at Cluttons splitting his time between Kent & London, before moving to RPC Land & New Homes and then Sibley Pares working at Director level.
Mark Presland MRICS
Director
Mark's experience covers a broad range of client groups, including Public Bodies, Local Authorities, Charities, Trusts, Housing Associations as well as Private Land Owners and Developers. His experience also covers a broad range of project types, from placing consented sites to structuring subject to planning agreements, options, promotions on larger strategic sites. These projects are primarily residential led, but also include Care, Retirement and Commercial sectors when appropriate.
Utilising his experience and detailed knowledge of the South East, Mark is uniquely placed to offer clients insight and market knowledge on how best to bring forward land for development and how to optimise land value.
"It is key for landowners to consider the big picture first, keeping an open mind, and considering all types of development in order to give the best chance of successfully achieving planning. I always like to offer my clients a range of alternative approaches, from offering detailed consultancy services that enable them to achieve planning themselves, to structuring agreements with trusted and experience development partners that can take the associated cost and risk that many would prefer not to take."
Matthew leads some of the practice's biggest projects, predominantly involving large scale residential development.
Matthew Woodhead MRTPI
Director
Matthew is one of DHA’s most experienced planners, with over 28 years’ experience across both the public and private sectors. He is dual-qualified in Planning and Urban Design, bringing a broad perspective to complex development projects.
Matthew leads some of the practice's biggest projects, predominantly involving large-scale residential development. This ranges from the promotion of land for landowners through to working with housebuilders and developers on major housing, mixed-use and regeneration projects.
He has secured permissions for clients for developments comprising many thousands of homes, while also bringing extensive experience in more bespoke projects, including one-off houses in the countryside.