NAAFI Building, Kenley Aerodrome

Overview

ECE Planning are delighted to announce that planning and listed building consent has been secured for the reuse and refurbishment of the Grade II listed NAAFI building at Kenley Aerodrome, for use as an independent secondary school.

The NAAFI building has a distinguished past as part of the former RAF airfield at Kenley, described as “the most complete fighter airfield associated with the Battle of Britain to have survived”, making it a site of particular national historic significance. The wider site contains a number of listed buildings associated with the former airfield, and is located within the Kenley Aerodrome Conservation Area and within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
As planning consultants for the scheme ECE Planning’s role involved working alongside designers Unispace and co-ordinating a multi-disciplinary team.

The development provides both a high quality education facility and the significant opportunity to ensure the retention, re-use and refurbishment of the currently vacant and unused Listed Building. The proposals also involve the sensitive extension and infilling of rear service areas to facilitate additional floorspace and retention and enhancement of key elements of heritage significance, secured through considered design and consultation with Tandridge District Council and the Surrey County Council Listed Buildings Adviser.

ECE Project Director Huw James commented as follows:

‘The work involved building a close relationship with the local authority from the earliest stages of the project.
The proposals represent a key regeneration opportunity for a vacant and unused listed building that now offers long-term community benefits, meeting a defined need for education provision in the area and securing the building’s long term future as a national heritage asset.’

The refurbishment and extension works are due to be completed by September 2015 for the start of the new school term and ECE Planning continue to work with the clients and the local authority to deliver this exciting project.

LOCATION

Kenley, Surrey

AUTHORITY

Tandridge District Council

SECTOR

Educational

SERVICES

Conservation and Heritage

Gallery

Conservation and Heritage. Education. NAAFI Building, Kenley Aerodrome (1)

Conservation and Heritage. Education. NAAFI Building, Kenley Aerodrome (2)

Client Testimonial

Oliver Bardsley, Vistry Group

"The planning team were very proactive and were in constant contact with ourselves. They have been monitoring and chasing down all aspects of the project from conditions to getting responses from the case officer.

Rebecca Hoad has been highly praised by our Technical team for dealing with conditions, chasing them down and ensuring they are on top of all information submitted."

Simon Lewis, Development Director, St William Homes

"A fantastic result and team effort. However, there is no way we would have got our scheme permitted without ECE. You have been the game-changing ingredient!"

Rod Flavell, President, Saltdean United Football Club

"Working with ECE’s planning professionals has been a pleasure.

A process as complex as Saltdean United’s application to redevelop its facilities for our communities' future generations of adults and children to enjoy in an area of outstanding natural beauty was always going to take a sensitive touch to balance the needs of all the stakeholders.

We are delighted to say the ECE team dealt with the challenges with great patience, persistence and professionalism.

Its been a long but ultimately fruitful journey to this point and we are under no illusions that there are many more challenges to come as we move to the development phase but with ECE’s continued support we believe that the club will deliver a legacy for future generations to enjoy."

Matt Heath, Director Dawson Heath Property Ltd

“Once again an excellent service from the Planning team at ECE. Good value, great attitude to work, proactive and easy to get along with.”

Ben Cheal, Managing Director Roffey Homes Ltd

“ECE Planning have provided a friendly, yet highly professional service, displaying both their detailed planning knowledge and strategy on many occasions. Chris, Sam and Karen have been consistently excellent on managing the planning aspects of all projects we have worked with them on, and would hope to continue that relationship beyond the current live and recently completed projects.”

Tim Warren, Planning and Land Manager, Jenner Group

“We have worked closely with ECE for a number of years and continue to build on an excellent working relationship with them based on true collaborative working and trust. ECE have undertaken feasibility work, planning advice, planning submission and working drawings for us on a number of projects and we have always found them to work to a high quality and professional in their approach. We will continue to enjoy working with them on future projects as our experience with them has always been very positive.”

Tim Hague, Director of Property & Development Shoreham Port

“Sam and the team at ECE Planning have successfully steered three complicated commercial schemes through the planning system on behalf of the Shoreham Port Authority. We have been impressed by the professionalism, efficiency and dedication to progress our projects through the planning system under challenging timeframes. We are absolutely delighted with the results.”

Sammi Charad, Development Manager, Shaptor Capital

'ECE excelled in providing clear advice in our recent planning appeal and other successful projects. We are very happy with the advice and service we have received from Huw and Ben.'

Darren Jacob, Managing Director, ValidusLM

“ECE Planning have always worked pro-actively to address challenging planning matters, solving problems as they come up on this complex site. Chris and Sam managed the intricate submission and relationship with the client and key stakeholders with a dynamic and always positive ‘can-do’ attitude. I look forward to working further together.”

Alan Goldberg, CSN Homes

‘Huw and Karen at ECE have been fundamental in delivering some challenging brownfield sites on our behalf. They have provided clear professional advice ,without delay and we look forward to working with them again.’

Clive Lawrence, Senior Design Manager, Kier

“ECE have worked with Kier to deliver a number of projects, often on challenging sites. Huw and Karen have provided clear professional advice and worked proactively on each of our projects. We have forged a good working relationship and we look forward to working with ECE again.’

Sam Wiggins, Oceanview Developments Ltd

"ECE Planning were instrumental in getting our Reserved Matters and associated conditions applications positively determined under very challenging circumstances. We've been thoroughly impressed."

Brian Wilkinson, Private Client

"We are so pleased - indeed delighted - to get planning permission after such a long journey (I think we initiated this process back in 2015!). Thank you to all involved at ECE for your efforts. A great result."

Terry Brightmore, Terra Firma Designs

“Once again an excellent service from the team at ECE. They were able to interpret our design brief and work around the site constraints and were also able to increase the scale of the scheme from 16 to 24 units, increasing the value of the project and taking leadership of the planning process.”

John Longhorn, Planning Manager, Vistry Homes

"Working with both ECE Architecture and ECE Planning is a seamless and exceptionally well managed process. Planning considerations are integrated fully with the design approach from the outset. Chris, Sam, and Nick have been excellent in managing the planning aspects of many schemes, always taking a proactive, pragmatic and responsive approach to delivering difficult projects in challenging timeframes."