There are various residents groups across Knowle West working together for the local area, including looking at possible local developments.
The planning system can seem complicated. Knowle West Regeneration Planning Group provides planning related advice to groups if they need it, including training on planning issues.
Knowle West Futures meet regularly in person and online; it is a co-ordination group for the various local groups across the area who want to make sure that the local community is able to take an active and informed role in building Knowle West for the future. Everyone is welcome to these meetings.
Recently, Knowle West Regeneration Planning Group provided an opportunity to look at a couple of local completed housing developments, using pictures and simple plans from the original Planning Application to compare with the finished build.
The aim was to help local residents understand how things change between planning and the construction of a housing development. Comparing how things look on a plan to the finished construction can help with visualising potential future developments.
We walked to two developments near the Northern Slopes: Clover Park and Oakhill Drive, different sites with different histories, developers and builders.
We had visual pictures of the designs and of what the development should look like from the planning application, and were able to compare with what is actually there.
We were spotting changes in the original design and looking at how developments fit with the surrounding estate. Are the bricks a similar colour, chimneys in the style of the estate and does the roof pitch match? Have trees and planting on the plans been delivered?
Firstly, we visited Clover Park, looking first at how the homes had been finished and if they looked like the plans (they did).
Looking at newer completed developments and comparing them to other homes around and about can help understand how future developments might look.
Then we walked to Oakhill Drive/Mason Square. The developer’s designs included features to support wildlife and it was good to see these had been incorporated into the build. It was also interesting to note some slight changes in the design and that a commercial building hadn’t been retained; this may have offered workspaces and local jobs. The building that appeared on the plans had been replaced with homes.
There will be future events – keep an eye on the KWA Facebook page. If you are interested in planning and development, ask to join the Knowle West Futures mailing list by contacting knowlewestfuture@gmail.com
Knowle West Alliance 