Project background

We were approached by Miller Homes to support them with a planning application for this site in Timperley, having initially worked alongside them when successfully bidding for the site.

Trafford Council had recently adopted their Design Guide; the Outline planning permission required consultation with a Design Review panel; and the site was the first element of a much larger strategic land allocation, so would be the subject of much scrutiny.

Our approach

We developed bespoke house types, based loosely on Miller's standard types to maximise build efficiency, but using a thoughtful context-study led approach. This resulted in an interpretation of the Timperley suburban vernacular, using modern details.

We worked with NJL Consulting and Miller Homes to guide the project through a series of pre-application discussions with officers from Trafford. We also produced an initial Design Code for the site, in response to an Outline planning condition. Both the Design Code and an early iteration of the designs were presented to the Places Matter Design Review Panel. This process culminated in a Reserved Matters submission, with the principles of the design and layout already agreed with the council.

We produced one of our "panotours" for the site, and made it available to planning officers and panel members to help them understand the building interrelationships, and begin to get a feel for the spaces between the buildings. This proved very helpful, and officers commented on how easy it made it for them to understand the proposals in detail.

Planning approval was gained (via delegated powers) in March 2025.