Creating lasting social impact through planning expertise
ECE Planning are proud to have supported The Hill Group in securing planning permission for a much-needed homelessness prevention project at St Alban’s Close, Gravesend.
As RTPI Chartered town planners operating across Kent, London and the South East, our team led the planning strategy for this innovative scheme, guiding it from early site appraisal through to a successful decision. The approved development delivers eight high-quality SoloHaus modular homes, providing transitional accommodation for single individuals moving on from homelessness through Hill’s Foundation 200 initiative – a pledge to design, construct and donate 200 purpose-built modular homes to tackle homelessness across the UK.
Managed by Gravesham Borough Council’s Rough Sleeping Team, each self-contained unit offers a safe, stable, and dignified environment while helping reduce pressure on the Council’s temporary accommodation stock.
A Balanced Planning Case
Although modest in scale, the proposal involved the redevelopment of a small area of open space owned by the Council. This required careful consideration of open-space policy, local housing need, and community benefit. ECE Planning coordinated a suite of technical inputs – including a comprehensive Open Space Assessment and Planning Statement – ensuring every material consideration was addressed in full.
At the heart of the application lay a key policy question:
How could the loss of a small area of open space be justified when balanced against the urgent need for specialist homeless accommodation?
How the Open Space Argument Was Won
ECE Planning’s analysis applied Paragraph 104 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which permits development on open space where the land is demonstrably surplus to requirements. Drawing on evidence from the Gravesham Open Space Assessment (2016), we showed that:
- The borough exceeds its benchmark for amenity greenspace by more than 20 per cent;
- Within a five-minute walk, residents already access larger, higher-quality spaces; and
- The land fell below the Council’s quality threshold, contributing little to the wider greenspace network.
Only around 300 sqm of land was developed, with the remainder enhanced through tree planting, landscaping, and improved natural surveillance. The total reduction in borough-wide open space was just 0.03 per cent – negligible in planning terms.
By evidencing that the land was low quality, functionally surplus, and ecologically enhanced, the scheme was found to comply with both the NPPF and Core Strategy Policy CS13 (Green Space, Sport and Recreation).
Demonstrating the Social Value
Alongside the open-space evidence, ECE Planning presented a compelling case for the exceptional social benefits of the proposal, aligning it with the Gravesham Rough Sleeper Strategy (2023 – 2025).
Each SoloHaus home provides a highly sustainable, energy-efficient space that supports residents moving from homelessness to independent tenancies.
Planning officers recognised that the development would:
- Deliver a new and essential form of housing not otherwise available in the Borough;
- Directly support the Council’s target to reduce rough sleeping by 50 per cent; and
- Provide a cost-effective alternative to nightly-paid temporary accommodation.
In planning balance terms, these public benefits clearly outweighed the limited and mitigated loss of open space.
Outcome and Legacy
The officer’s report described the planning balance as “clear and compelling”, noting that the scheme represents an efficient use of land within the urban area and an exemplar of partnership working between the Council and the developer.
This project demonstrates how evidence-based reasoning, clear policy interpretation, and a focus on social outcomes can secure planning permission for complex, high-impact proposals.
ECE Planning provided not just documentation but the strategic insight and policy clarity that enabled decision-makers to conclude confidently that the benefits significantly outweighed any harm.
Shaping Places Across Kent
ECE Planning continue to deliver strategic planning advice across Kent, supporting local authorities, developers, and housing providers to bring forward sustainable, people-focused developments that make a measurable difference.
Shaping places. Unlocking potential.
Contact our Kent Planning Team to discuss how we can support your next project.
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