On the hierarchy of headwear…

A week or so ago I came across GWR’s ‘hierarchy of headwear’ and wondered where I might sit on the scale…

With fifteen-years’ surveying under my belt and five years as an independent, after much thought it became apparent that it was really a toss-up between a flat-cap or a bonnet.

Accordingly I’ve come up with my own scale more appropriate to the rural planning consultant, which includes an extra spikey pickelhaube for those tricky conversations with the planning officer, a pith-helmet if a site-visit is sunny, and for days like today, a commanding bicorn replete with gold braid.

Why a commanding bicorn replete with gold braid for days like today? Glad you asked. I quite like Admiral Lord Nelson’s approach to work – “Never mind manoeuvres, just go straight at ’em”…

Which is exactly what we did recently down in the south-east and this week achieved permission to replace a diminutive and uninteresting 1970s dwelling of just 120m2 with a rather fabulous family home of 350m2 representing a circa 150% increase in scale of the original GIA.

This was a very interesting case which centred upon the Local Plan’s need for replacement dwellings to be ‘proportionate’ to the dwelling to be replaced. We successfully argued that proportionality is not a matter to be considered in isolation in terms of a binary increase in scale from the original to the proposed replacement dwelling, but whether the increase in scale is proportionate to its setting and the wider character of the area.

Thank you also to Vince Steele for your help with the LVIA and to Sarah Gould for design. We established a sympatico relationship which allowed this application to move along with relative ease.