A big thank you to all of you who came to see us at Your Horse Live, Stoneleigh, over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is the third year we have attended this event with a stand and we really enjoying speaking to a number of you about your planning problems and aspirations!
As usual we try to do a follow up post for many of you to refer back to in response to some of our most commonly asked questions! So, here they are – the top five queries from the weekend:
- Is Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) mandatory?
Yes, BNG is mandatory for the vast majority of applications from this year. There are some exceptions, but it would be advisable, until confirmed otherwise, to work on the basis of this being applicable to your proposals in terms of both cost and timings.
Relevant Link: Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in practice so far… – The Equestrian Planning Consultancy
- How can you find out what is possible before you buy a potential site or piece of Land?
We, as a company, offer development appraisals which a lot of people use pre-purchase to ascertain whether there are any complete showstoppers which would result in your aspirations for the land being unachievable.
In addition to this you do, of course, have the potential to apply to the Council for pre-application advice however, this can have its disadvantages including the fact that it is without prejudice to the determination of an application, it can take some time to get a response due to the current workload of varying Councils and some Councils have, in fact, closed off their pre-application advice service for the time being.
Relevant Link: DEVELOPMENT APPRAISALS – KICK START YOUR PROJECTS FOR 2023! – The Equestrian Planning Consultancy
- What are the main considerations, in planning terms, when applying for an equestrian arena?
Planning for arenas comes under the umbrella, in planning terms, of engineering operations and the main considerations are size and topography (whether there will be any ground works required), whether there would be any ecological or tree constraints as a result of the construction and general siting within the landscape and proximity to other development.
One of the most commonly asked questions we have is relating to lighting and lighting is, generally, conditioned to ensure that it is appropriate and that any lighting does not spill beyond the area it is supposed to illuminate and cause disturbance to neighbouring properties or undue visual impact within the wider area.
In addition, if your arena is part of a commercial set up, potential levels of use and access would be key from the point of view of highway safety.
Relevant useful links: ALL ABOUT ARENAS – The Equestrian Planning Consultancy
Guest Article – Considering access to your development – The Equestrian Planning Consultancy
- Whether equestrian is a Change of Use?
Horses can, under various pieces of Case Law, be classified as grazing within the definition of agriculture in certain circumstances. Despite this, it is a very fine line between this and equestrian use and generally speaking, if you are supplementary feeding your horses, rugging them or riding out from the site (or on the site) this would come under the umbrella of equestrian use. The horses are then being kept on the land rather than living off the land (by surviving on grass eaten in the field).
This would be the most notable point that an equestrian change of use is required, and this is why we generally combine change of use applications with applications for stabling as required.
We did an article on this within the current edition (Autumn/Winter) of the Yard Supplement – The Yard Supplement Autumn Winter 2023 (fliphtml5.com)
As many of you will know, from speaking to us, we do not just do equestrian planning, and we spoke to a number of you on other matters including barn conversions, removal of agricultural occupancy conditions, live work units and residential development. This is handled through Eldnar Consultancy (Eldnar Consultancy) – our main consultancy.
- What is our background as a company?
Eleni is a dual qualified Chartered Surveyor and Valuer and Chartered Town Planner and Lisa is a BHSAI and showing judge with a BA (hons) first class in Equine Studies. We have combined our extensive equestrian knowledge and understanding, and personal experience with our own horses, with property qualifications to help horse owners, business owners and landowners navigate obtaining the relevant planning permissions for all their equestrian needs. We are supported, full time, by Annette Francis who is a day-to-day point of contact for clients for administration and general support.
A trading arm of award-winning Eldnar Consultancy, we specifically assist equestrian people to obtain permissions for anything from changes of use to accesses and stabling, arenas, gallops and all-weather turnouts as well as looking at existing sites, varying permissions and supporting potential enforcement enquiries with an appropriate and calm plan of action. In the last two years we have forged great relationships with clients and have worked with organisations, such as the British Horse Society, to assist their members with all of their planning queries.
Relevant link: So, who are The Equestrian Planning Consultancy? – The Equestrian Planning Consultancy
If there are any further queries, following on from the conversations we had over the weekend, please do get in touch and we can come back to you with any initial thoughts and/or fee quotes as required to progress any work for you as you wish.
Our next, in person, event will be at the National Equine Show at the NEC, Birmingham in March – come and say hello!