Client: Private client
Location: St Osyth, Essex
Planning Consultant: JB Planning
Architect: Brewster Bye and City and Country Residential
Conservation architect: Carden & Godfrey
Historic Landscape Advisor: Debois
Quantity surveyor: McBains Cooper
Engineer: Gerry Bullard Associates
Ecologist: the Ecology Consultancy with Susan Deakin Ecology, Essex Bird Services, Herptologic, 
Dr Mike Edwards, Marek Nowakowski 
and Dr Robert Stebbings Arboriculturalist: Hayden’s Arboricultural Consultants
PR consultant: PPS Group

Brief
St Osyth Priory is one of the most important collections of historic buildings in East Anglia but is in a poor state of repair after years of neglect.  Our client’s aim is to find a sustainable future for a Scheduled Ancient Monument, 22 listed buildings and 154 hectares of land which includes 93 hectares designated as Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest where at least a third of the park had been ravaged by mineral extraction.  As part of a multidisciplinary team Liz Lake Associates role was to contribute to proposals for enabling development that would help to fund the restoration of the buildings and the parkland.

Approach
The project was landscape led with early involvement in the siting of new residential development and replacement buildings in the park.  This was informed by extensive ecological surveys and historic landscape studies which have been undertaken and reviewed over the last ten years.  The proposals are based upon the protection, conservation and restoration of remaining historic features complimented by new proposals to improve the financial and ecological long-term sustainability of the estate.

Outcome
In spring 2011 seven planning applications were submitted to Tendring District Council for new residential development, the rebuilding of  follies and lodges, a visitor centre and function room and the restoration of the park.  The application included a statement of significance, a comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for both the park and the Priory precinct, extensive ecological and tree surveys, a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment that formed part of the Environmental Statement and landscape proposals for each area of development. The outcome of the applications is expected in autumn 2011.