The O’Dea Family Legacy: How one family sold property for redevelopment

5 New Houses | Four siblings sell a long-held family property to Landhaven via an Option Agreement

The land owned by the O’Dea family at the proposed new development, Court Farm Mews, in Westbury-on-Trym, has previously been used for private garages and a commercial unit, but it is now under-used, deteriorating and in urgent need of redevelopment.

The O’Dea family wanted to think outside the box and do something creative that would both complement the site’s environment and benefit the local community. This is the story of how the decision to sell family property for redevelopment gave a new lease of life to a deteriorating brownfield site in Westbury-on-Trym.

The history

For over 60 years, our family has owned the site of 47 High Street, a brownfield site in Westbury-on-Trym comprising lock-up garages and an old commercial building/workshop.

Once home to a thriving business that established our family at the heart of the local community, the site has since become unviable. With the buildings and infrastructure in need of significant repair, we were looking for a longer-term plan for land usage that would not only maximise the value and future potential of the site but also deliver a solution that was sympathetic to its surroundings and that would benefit the local community.” - Peter O’Dea

The foundations of a partnership built on trust

Local builder, Craig Short, had rented some of the garages from the O’Deas for several years and had mentioned that he saw potential in the site. The O’Deas spoke with several different selling agents and Planning Consultants but didn’t feel comfortable with the corporate options on offer.

Having always got on well with Craig, and knowing he was a trusted, local builder, the O’Deas approached him to see whether he might be interested in buying their site. He was, and thus began a solid partnership between the O’Dea family, Craig Short and Andrew Minto, who has driven the design and development work to date.

“Peter and I have had a good look at all your plans (the overall design package) and they look fantastic and very comprehensive. We certainly can see the huge amount of work you have done to produce these exceptional plans.” - Maeve O’Dea

“The understanding of our objectives, the advice and input we have received, and the service Andrew has delivered in every step of designing and delivering a turnkey solution for us has been exemplary—and one that we could not have achieved without his enduring help and support.

“Andrew went to exhaustive lengths to ensure every aspect of this project was fully considered from a client and a community perspective. He engaged with all stakeholders on our behalf, and addressed any potential challenges by presenting positive solutions to deliver an extremely comprehensive planning application for an exciting and sympathetic development of homes and commercial property that will benefit the local community going forward.” - The O’Dea Family

From purchase agreement to completion of a planning application: a timeline

Securing planning permission is rarely a straightforward process. It’s our job to engage with the community, stakeholders, and council on behalf of the seller. We pride ourselves on overcoming every challenge along the way.

BCC Planning advise that a case officer has been appointed. The officer will aim to decide on the application by 31 January 2024.

December 2023

The O’Dea family agree to a formal Extension of Time to our Option Agreement, purely because of the unforeseen delays caused by BCC Planning.

October 2023

No work can continue until Bristol City Council assigns a case officer.

July – November 2023

• Work focuses on the design and production of a local information leaflet and a new web page is created for people to get more information.

• The leaflet is delivered locally to coincide with the Planning Application going live on the Council’s website.

• Bristol City Council announce a 24-week wait for our application to be allocated to a case officer.

June 2023

• The planning consultant collates and reviews all the submission documents produced to date and prepares their Support Planning Statement.

• The whole design team reviews all the planning submission documents.

• Two bat surveys are carried out.

• The design team starts planning for a community information leaflet to be produced and delivered locally.

• The Planning Application is submitted.

May 2023

• Design work continues. Andrew Minto meets with the architects to analyse and refine the proposed design.

• Transport consultants use the latest design proposal to analyse and write a justification for why the (very narrow) existing access, is still acceptable to serve the new houses. The architects’ details are refined based on the transport report.

March – April 2023

• Archaeologists carry out an initial desk-based assessment.

• Geotechnical engineers carry out an initial ground investigation (contamination and ground conditions).

• The architects continue to develop and finalise the drawings, as well as prepare the Heritage Statement and the Design & Access Statement documents.

January 2023

An Ecological Appraisal (survey) is carried out. It finds that two further bat surveys are required but these can only be carried out during May – September.

December 2022

At Landhaven, our projects are based on strong design principles, quality craftsmanship, and unwavering respect for the environment and the local community. If you’re looking for collaborative property development opportunities that maximise potential and work well for all involved, get in touch.