Marston Business Park, St Neots

An underused site within an existing industrial area and the first employment development in the town in decades. The Council’s pre-app service was suspended due to lack of resources so we had to ensure that the application we submitted was comprehensive and clear. We did this by ensuring that the team were well briefed; that they understood and responded to the relevant policy context; and by reviewing and commenting on their reports prior to submission to ensure that they were consistent and robust.

Despite the application being in accordance with policy and all technical issues having been covered (not to mention the investment and jobs that the scheme delivered), the decision kept on getting delayed. We involved the head of planning and local members to exert pressure, which eventually resulted in the application being approved under delegated powers.