Client: Rosspark Ltd
Location: Pilgrim's Hatch, Brentwood, Essex
Architect: LAP Architects and Interior Designers Ltd
Planning consultant: Denis Tyson Associates
Planning barrister: John Dagg of Trinity Chambers
Perspective Artist: Michael Bissetpowell

Brief
Liz Lake Associates had previously been part of a planning and design team that had secured consent for a golf academy on this green belt site in Brentwood, Essex. However, the client decided to revert to an earlier permission for a chapel and cemetery and to apply to revise that permission to include a crematorium. Liz Lake Associates was engaged following the refusal of the application on the grounds of inappropriate development in the green belt and a lack of landscape proposals.

Approach
Following the planning refusal, Liz Lake Associates undertook a landscape and visual impact assessment of the revised scheme and prepared landscape proposals that addressed issues of visual amenity within the green belt and made a contribution to the local biodiversity network. At the same time, we developed a design for the site to ensure that the landscape proposals would enable the sensitive and effective operation of the crematorium for mourners attending funerals.

Outcome
Having received the revised plans, the Planning Officer's report to Committee agreed that all the landscape issues had been resolved and that the proposals would enhance the local landscape character. However, the report also recommended that the application be refused because it was inappropriate development in the green belt.

With the consultant team, a letter was prepared for the Planning Committee setting out all the special circumstances that the application was addressing. Currently there is no crematorium in the borough and any other suitable site would also be in the green belt.

With all landscape issues addressed by our proposals, the Committee agreed that these were indeed very special circumstances that warranted the granting of planning permission. To our client's delight, the decision was unanimous, meaning that, for the first time, residents of Brentwood will soon be able to use first-class crematorium facilities on their door step when laying their loved ones to rest.

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