Project delivery for Whittington Wharf Narrowboats in Shropshire to assist in the development of as new steel portal framed maintenance and workshop building, at Maestermyn Marina, Welsh Frankton, north Shropshire. 

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Following on from a successful planning application for a new steel framed building at Maestermyn Marina Marina, En-Plan were approached by the owners to help with the project delivery as there were outstanding planning and building regulations matters that needed addressing in order to allow the project to progress.

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Whittington Wharf Narrowboats itself is a friendly, family run canal boat holiday hire company situated on the Llangollen Canal in the idyllic countryside of Shropshire. They rent boats to cruise the beautiful Llangollen Canal and are located in north Shropshire. Whittington Marina is ideally situated to cruise the Llangollen, Montgomery and Shropshire Union Canals. Whittington Marina is located only 8 cruising hours away from Llangollen town.

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To put the site into a geographical and historical context the Llangollen Canal (Welsh: Camlas Llangollen) is a navigable canal crossing the border between England and Wales. The waterway links Llangollen in Denbighshire, north Wales, with Hurleston in south Cheshire, via the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire. The name, which was coined in the 1980s, is a modern designation for parts of the historic Ellesmere Canal and the Llangollen navigable feeder, both of which became part of the Shropshire Union Canals in 1846.

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The original application gained permission for the erection of a commercial building for the refurbishment of canal boats. The applicant runs a canal boat hire service called Whittington Wharf Narrowboats which comprises of a yard with buildings used for a shop, office and cleaning facilities, mooring rights for 35 narrowboats but a total of 16 narrowboats are used for the business. Due to the nature of the canal hire business, the majority of customers book the boats out in the summer months and therefore repairs / maintenance is carried out in the winter months. Currently, they are having to lift the narrowboats out of the water using a mobile crane and transport them to the back of the site where they have space to conduct repairs and maintenance which is not under cover from the weather meaning works can only be conducted when the weather permits. Therefore, a new building would enable to bring the boats in from the canal under cover from the weather and get any repairs and maintenance done much quicker and more efficiently.

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The application was deemedto comply with Policy CS6 ‘Sustainable Design and Development Principles’ of the Shropshire Core Strategy requires development to protect and conserve the built environment and be appropriate in scale, density, pattern and design taking into account the local context and character. This is reiterated in policy MD2 of the SAMDev Plan which indicates the development should contribute and respect the locally distinctive or valued character and existing amenity value.

 

The building will replace a marquee which has been erected as a temporary measure. The marquee is located to the south of Whittington Wharf Narrowboats, however due to the power lines it would not be possible to erect the proposed building in this location. The building has been proposed to the east of the existing buildings in order to allow easy access to the boats on the canal. It is considered that the proposed unit has been appropriately located adjacent to an existing building whilst being within close proximity to the canal. Subject to the building being appropriate in colour it is considered that the siting, scale an design are acceptable in this instance, and permission was duly granetd.

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Post Plannig Approaval En-Plan assisted in the discharge of Planning Conditons in the form of application

​22/03037/DIS | Discharge of Conditions 3 (Details of works adj to canal) and 4 (External materials) relating to Planning Permisison 21/05525/FUL whihc were duly submitted to and approved by Shropshire County Council.  En-Plan have also submitted a Full Plans Building Regulations Application for the build detail to Approved Inspectors in Shrewsbury, who will be inspecting the build and providing the all important completion certificate.

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If you would like to find out more about how our Planning Consultancy and Architectural Design Services can work in perfect sync to achieve a successful outcome in the planning system please contact us and we will be only too happy to talk through any questions or development proposals you may have.

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