Testimonials
We appointed Keith Cunningham to assist us in objecting to a planning and licensing application by a major restaurant chain wishing to locate a new restaurant close to Gloucester Road station. We felt that this development was in the wrong location for many reasons, not least the adverse impact it would have on the quiet enjoyment of our home and the disruption to us and other local residents of the proposed delivery arrangements. Keith guided us through the complex planning and licensing process such that we understood it much better. His drafting skills with regard to letters of objection were of the highest order and he was effective in representing us at the Licensing Committee hearing. His judgement and advice was good and he always responded to emails and telephone calls in a timely way.
I needed some professional planning expertise on the construction of a studio apartment in the garden of my home in Southfields. I contacted Keith and was impressed by the speed of his response, knowledge of the planning process and the quality of his judgement.
We recently appointed Keith to assist us in objecting to a planning application in North Kensington. He responded very quickly and visited our home to better understand the nature of the proposed development and the local planning context. We had only a limited understanding of planning legislation, regulation and processes but Keith was able to answer all our questions very thoroughly which gave us the reassurance we needed. Keith drafted the letter of objection in a timely fashion and to our satisfaction, with the grounds of objection cross-referenced against RBKC’s planning and conservation area policies. We would recommend Keith without reservation.
Keith assisted me recently in obtaining planning permission from LB Wandsworth for change of use from commercial to residential on a site in Balham SW12. This was a complex matter and the application was finally decided by the planning committee. Keith’s advice was always timely and reliable. He displayed excellent judgement when dealing with Wandsworth planning officers on my behalf and I valued his clear and comprehensive explanations regarding planning legislation and process. I can recommend Keith without reservation.
St Mary Abbots Parochial Church Council was very concerned recently by an application for a large building on an adjoining site which we felt was completely out of character and far too dominant. We retained the services of Keith Cunningham in respect of planning advice and drafting a letter of objection to the Council on our behalf. We were very pleased with Keith's knowledge of the planning system including the relevant local policies and his speed of response. The letter of objection was extremely well drafted. In consequence we subsequently retained his services in respect of another planning issue.
Gebler Tooth Architects have worked with Keith Cunningham on a range of projects both commercial, residential and mixed use. Keith has a good knowledge of the planning policies of Kensington and Chelsea Council and we value his policy analysis as well as his sound judgement and advice. Keith always responds to our requests in a timely fashion. He has also proved very useful when enforcement action has been threatened against clients and is currently assisting us with two retrospective applications. We would recommend his services as a planning consultant unreservedly.
We at European Estates PLC were more than satisfied with the advice and constructive input that Keith Cunningham provided to us and our architects Gebler Tooth. To say that Keith provided invaluable help would be an understatement. On any future brown/green field application located in the south west or west corridors of London we would unhesitatingly use the services of Keith Cunningham
We were extremely concerned to hear of a planning application for a house next to ours which didn't respect neighbouring properties in either scale or design. Recommended by our architect, we commissioned Keith Cunningham to draft a letter of objection to the planning department at Wandsworth Council citing planning grounds for refusal and the local policies under which this application could be refused. Keith subsequently emailed our ward Councillors to try and elicit their support and he also drafted correspondence alerting our neighbours to the proposed development highlighting reasons for objection. He also met me on site so he fully understood the situation.
The planning application was subsequently withdrawn and we are delighted about this. We are not against development per se but believe that it should respect the local built environment. We were very pleased with the quality of Keith's judgement, his speed in acting for us, his knowledge of planning law, policies and processes and his professional intervention on our behalf.
Case Studies
Mayfair Trading Ltd
This project was for the conversion of a public house to residential use. The pub had been closed for some time and had a very poor history prior to closure including drug use and anti-social behaviour. It was important to get the support of the ward Councillor and local residents in order to surmount the objections of the planning authority to the loss of a pub. The property developer had no previous experience of political lobbying and was therefore unaware of the importance of Councillor support. As a result I contacted ward Councillors and an influential local resident on his behalf. Meetings were arranged and the engagement was extremely positive. However this process had to be repeated when new Councillors were elected in May 2011. This also proved to be very positive as the newly elected Councillor was personally supportive of the proposed development. Moreover he offered to consult widely with his ward constituents and provide feedback to the applicant. It is likely that this application will be determined by the planning committee with the ward Councillor providing relevant informant to assist this process.
European Estates
This was an application for a mixed use development in Latimer Road W10. The building was outdated and the project was to build a state of the art multi media sound recording studio in the basement of a new building which would be properly soundproofed. Three flats would be built at 1st and 2nd floor levels. The scheme was approved after originally being considered for refusal. Not only will the new facilities be state of the art when built but the scheme delivers a 200% increase in housing units on site.
Home Owner W11
This home owner had received a visit from enforcement officers in respect of works already completed. Neighbours had complained as had the Kensington Society. Plans had been submitted which were not to scale and borough planning officers were threatening refusal of permission and enforcement action. At my suggestion the client replaced his existing advisors including his architect and commissioned a new one in order to get properly scaled plans submitted quickly. Working with his ward councillor we persuaded the Kensington Society to withdraw their objection to works which had been completed to a very high standard. Retrospective planning permission was granted in November 2010.