BH Planning and Design has experienced significant growth throughout 2018. The appointment of director Mark Ketley has driven an influx of new projects, including for regional and national businesses, charities and a number of major housebuilders.
The growth of the business has also resulted in the appointment of a further senior planner, Joanne Wood, to further support the company’s clients.
Here, Mark Ketley discusses the projects which have particularly stood out during his time with BH Planning and Design.
In recent years Bradley Hall has rapidly became a key player in the North East property industry, and I was delighted to join a team of professional industry experts with an outstanding track record.
My role now includes managing a number of exciting projects while attracting new business and growing the planning and design team. Now is such an exciting time for North East development, and BH Planning and Design is already playing a part in the changing landscape of the region.
We’ve been involved in a number of significant projects, including with well-known brands Story Homes, Miller Homes and Galliford Try, as demand for new housing in the region grows. However, there are two particular projects which have stood out due to their impact on the regions people, entrepreneurs and local communities.
North East charity, Heel and Toe, recently acquired a new centre which will support their work in providing free therapy for children with physical disabilities. The charity wanted to build a specialist therapy centre in Durham which will help increase support for the region’s young people with physical disabilities. They currently provide 12,000 hours of free therapy including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language, conductive education and special educational needs tutoring.
The charity launched the Footprints Appeal last year to raise money to convert a derelict building in nearby Perkinsville, into the only centre in the area to house a hydrotherapy pool.
We were proud to work on behalf of Heel and Toe in gaining planning permission for the state-of-theart hydro centre, which will help provide important sessions for families in the hydrotherapy pool with a therapist, plus therapy rooms, a Gait analysis suit, rebound therapy on a trampoline, a charity shop and accommodation for families who are travelling from outside of the region at reduced rates.
Over 500 children a month have free therapy sessions with the charity and this figure is expected to rise to 600 a month in time for the planned opening of the new centre.
In addition to national corporate companies and important local charities, we also look to support home-grown North-East businesses as they expand. Bells Fish Shop, which has been running for a total of 60 years, will open its fourth operation on Finchale Road in Framwellgate Moor, following gaining planning permission with our support. Business owner Graham Kennedy, who has been in the industry alongside his wife Alleson for 32 years, has invested in the transformation of a former derelict car showroom into a 9,000sq ft restaurant, takeaway and preparation centre.
The planning system is tasked with supporting investment and economic growth, and this is an exemplar proposal as the redevelopment of this derelict site will create new jobs for local people. These projects are especially important as we look to utilise the region’s opportunities and play a part in efficiently transforming the landscape not only in our cities but in our surrounding communities too.
We are looking forward to continuing in our success, growing operations and growing the team. 2018 has been a fantastic year for us and we look forward to the future of BH Planning and Design.
