The Royal Exchange is a highly significant Grade I listed building situated in a prominent location in the City, hosting a wide range of luxury retail and culinary based occupiers.
Firstplan secured various planning permissions and listed building consents for the amalgamation and change of use of two ground floor units and associated vaulted basement unit at The Royal Exchange in the City of London to create a vibrant new restaurant and bar, The Libertine.
Firstplan worked closely with Incipio Group and the project team to secure the necessary permissions and consents, which included the removal of internal walls, various internal alterations and interior fit out works, external signage and installation of restaurant plant at roof level. Firstplan negotiated with planning and conservation officers at the City of London from pre-application discussions through to the determination of the applications, to secure consent for a high quality, modern bar and restaurant concept, which remains sensitive to the building’s historic significance.
Firstplan has acted for Burger King for a number of years, assisting in ongoing improvements to their existing restaurant portfolio as well as securing planning permission for new sites across the country.
Firstplan deal with all planning related matters including negotiating consent for change of use, installation of plant and extract equipment, external seating, signage and shopfront alterations.
In recent years, we have increasingly been involved in delivering planning permission for new drive thru restaurants and the provision of new and additional drive thru lanes at existing sites as demand for these facilities continues to grow.
As retained planning consultant, Firstplan continue to provide planning advise to support Five Guys’ rapidly expanding UK operation, from undertaking initial appraisals to inform site acquisitions through to securing all necessary planning, listed building and advertisement consents for new restaurants.
Our recent work has included securing a change of use permission for Five Guys’ new flagship restaurant in Bishopsgate. The new restaurant will be one of Five Guys’ largest in the UK, providing 129 covers in the heart of the City of London.
Our planning expertise also help Five Guys unlock new opportunities and stay ahead in a highly competitive market. In Teeside, we successfully obtained a Certificate of Lawfulness to establish Class E use which, alongside subsequent planning consents, allowed Five Guys to occupy an existing unit and open their first UK drive thru restaurant. We have also supported the expansion of takeaway services in existing outlets to meet changing customer trends.
Propelled in no small part by the pandemic, the popularity of drive-thru restaurants in the UK is growing. As a result, there is increasing pressure to find and secure attractive, well located new sites. Firstplan has a proven track record delivering planning permission for drive-thru facilities nationwide – both new build outlets and the adaptation of existing restaurants to accommodate drive-thru lanes.
We act on behalf of many well-known restaurant operators, including Burger King and Five Guys, and many landowners and developers. Our detailed understanding of evolving planning policy and the development control matters associated with drive-thru developments enables us to provide valuable expertise from the initial site search stage through to securing and implementing planning permissions.
Firstplan regularly undertake due diligence work to assess the viability of potential new sites. We also manage all stages of the planning process itself, including:
- Pre-application engagement with Local Planning Authorities;
- Preparing robust planning applications including, where necessary, undertaking sequential assessments;
- Co-ordinating of teams of multi-disciplinary consultants to address all technical matters such as highway impacts, design, amenity impacts (e.g. noise and odour), flood risk, landscaping and sustainability;
- Negotiating and discharging conditions;
- Handling of planning appeals and enforcement issues.
Firstplan has provided planning advice on commercial kitchens for food delivery since their early inception in the UK and is now a market leader in this sector, acting as retained planning consultant for key operators.
As demand for food and grocery delivery services and the need for commercial kitchens for food delivery has increased exponentially, Firstplan continues to provide dynamic and commercially sound planning advice allowing operators to expand into new locations.
Over recent years, Firstplan has gained a wealth of experience securing planning permission for commercial kitchens and other on-demand food delivery operations across various local authorities. This unique expertise and insight enables us to provide unparalleled advice on all planning related aspects, including the evolving approach taken to Use Class issues and associated amenity considerations. Firstplan also has extensive experience of negotiating suitable planning conditions to ensure the kitchens can operate effectively including those relating to hours of operation, delivery and access restrictions, noise, odours and ventilation.
Our services have included:
- Strategic planning advice regarding site roll-outs
- Due diligence and background planning appraisals
- Pre-application engagement with Local Planning Authorities
- Planning Applications for changes of use, external kitchen extraction, variation of conditions and advertisements
- Handling of planning appeals and enforcement issues
Dishoom Kensington
Firstplan secured planning, listed building and advertisement consent for Dishoom in the iconic Barker’s Building, Kensington High Street. The building is grade II listed. The main issues related to listed building considerations and accommodating the plant.
Dishoom Manchester
Firstplan secured planning, listed building and advertisement consent for Dishoom in Manchester. This restaurant occupies part of the Freemason’s Hall, a Grade II listed building in the city centre. The main issues related to resolving the changes required to the listed building to accommodate the restaurant, without loss of historical significance. The proposals also involved providing a revised location for plant at roof level and ensuring that there was no detriment to longer views of the building.
Photographs by John Carey.
Firstplan assisted Sticks’n’Sushi at an appeal hearing to secure consent for a change of use to restaurant use of retail premises in the King’s Road. This is their eighth and largest restaurant in the UK.
Developing a management plan was key to addressing planning concerns relating to servicing and deliveries and the impact on residential amenity.
Firstplan successfully secured consent by prior approval for the change of use of a retail unit (Class A1) for use as a restaurant (Class A3) in this busy town centre location. The existing tenant was soon to vacate the premises and our client sought to maximise the potential to find a suitable long-term tenant by securing the change of use to a restaurant to enable the unit to be marketed to a wider range of occupiers.
The Class A1 retail use of the unit was protected by adopted planning policy. Firstplan therefore advised the client to make use of permitted development rights afforded by Class C of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 which allow for the change of use of retail, betting office or pay day loan shops to a restaurant. These permitted development rights are subject to a number of conditions and limitations, and the prior approval of the Local Planning Authority.
Firstplan has extensive experience of the prior approval process, including office to residential schemes, domestic extensions and other developments. Our understanding of the procedures and restrictions was a huge benefit to our client. As a result, we were able to secure the change of use to a restaurant via the prior approval process, which would otherwise have been more difficult through a traditional planning application.
Firstplan has secured similar consents via the prior approval process at Westminster City Council, Lambeth Council and Southwark Council.
Firstplan acted on behalf of Deliverance, a gourmet food delivery company, operating from five state of the art commercial kitchens across London, to secure planning permission to enable the company to operate from three vacant railway arches at Herne Hill. The proposal was a new concept for Deliverance in that a publicly accessible hot food takeaway and ‘eat in’ restaurant (mixed Class A3/ A5 use) was provided alongside the traditional commercial kitchen (Class B1c) and delivery despatch and storage area (Class B8).
Firstplan advised on all planning related aspects of the project, from the initial appraisal, the pre-application submission and through to negotiation of planning permission.
Firstplan provide continued planning advice to the expanding Honest Burgers restaurant brand, assisting with change of use proposals, shopfront alterations, new signage, variation of planning conditions and listed building refurbishment works.
Each site presents different planning issues and our detailed knowledge and understanding of our client’s business and planning requirements has assisted the company’s rapid expansion to over 10 restaurants across London.