Commercial, Heritage Consultancy, Tourism and Leisure
Background Last year, Our Suffolk Town Planning And Heritage Consultancy Team submitted a planning application for the White Swan, in Bungay in order to make much needed renovations to the Listed Building and to provide a near-essential element for the viability of any modern pub – an on-site micro-brewery. We are delighted to have secured the planning permission needed to allow the owners to carry out the works and subsequently get ready for the much anticipated re-opening of the hospitality sector in the summer following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Proposal The proposal sought Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for external and internal alterations, refurbishments, and erection of a single story ‘micro-brewery’ building to the rear of the White Swan public house in Bungay.
Our Advice On this project Parker Planning Services produced both a detailed Planning, Design & Access Statement, and a separate thorough Heritage Impact Assessment.
The White Swan is a Grade II Listed Building and is adjacent to a Scheduled Monument; the Bungay Castle. The site also lies in the Bungay Conservation Area where there is an acknowledged need to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the area.
The Planning, Design and Access Statement provided various site-specific information, and a review of relevant development policy requirements too. This concluded that there were no overriding policy conflicts, and the proposal complied with the Council’s Local Plan. Furthermore, the report laid out design and access information as advised by Planning Practice Guidance and summaries of supporting reports and surveys which included a Heritage Impact Assessment, Odour Risk Assessment and Acoustic Report.
Our Heritage Impact Assessment reported that great care had been taken to identify and retain as much of the historic fabric as possible, and not only did the proposal respect the significance of the listed asset, the Scheduled Monument and the Bungay Conservation Area, it also better reveals and enhances the significances of both The White Swan and Bungay Castle. The proposal was therefore considered to maximise enhancement and minimise any potential harm to the heritage assets.
