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Phoenix Strategic Land advances medium-scale housing schemes amid evolving planning reforms

Phoenix Strategic Land is bringing forward two medium-scale residential developments in Holt, Norfolk, and Nassington, North Northamptonshire, as emerging Government planning reforms place increased emphasis on smaller, deliverable housing sites and SME-led development. 

The projects follow the recent planning success of the company’s major residential scheme in Glinton and form part of Phoenix Strategic Land’s wider strategy to promote sustainable developments across the East Midlands and East Anglia. 

Recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have reinforced support for a broader mix of housing sites, with increased focus on improving housing delivery through sustainable, plan-led development and greater participation from Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) developers. 

Phoenix Strategic Land believes medium-scale developments can play an important role in helping local authorities meet housing need, particularly where sites are sustainably located, deliverable, and capable of integrating sensitively alongside existing communities. 

At Holt, proposals are being brought forward for up to 49 high-quality homes, ranging from two to five bedrooms, including a self-build plot. The plans also include an extension to the town’s existing cemetery, providing additional burial capacity and visitor parking, with the land proposed to be transferred to Holt Town Council as part of the development. A planning application is expected to be submitted in June 2026. 

In Nassington, Phoenix Strategic Land is promoting a five-acre greenfield site for a similar number of homes, with engagement continuing through both the Local Plan review and emerging Neighbourhood Plan process. 

Both sites reflect the company’s wider approach to promoting well-designed developments that respond to local context while supporting wider housing delivery objectives. 

David Morris and Daryl Kirkland, Joint Managing Directors of Phoenix Strategic Land, which specialises in land promotion, planning, and acquisition, said: 

“There is increasing recognition across the planning sector that medium-scale developments can make a meaningful contribution to housing supply, particularly where they are deliverable, sustainably located, and capable of integrating successfully into existing communities. 

“The evolving direction of national planning policy is encouraging a more diverse approach to housing delivery, with greater support for smaller and medium-sized sites alongside larger strategic developments. 

“We believe sites such as Holt and Nassington demonstrate how carefully planned developments can deliver high-quality homes while also providing wider local benefits and supporting long-term growth in a balanced and sustainable way.” 

Phoenix Strategic Land welcomes the continued focus on improving certainty and efficiency within the planning system, particularly where this supports the delivery of sustainable developments by SMEs through the plan-led process. 

By promoting deliverable medium-scale sites, the company aims to play a proactive role in helping address housing need while supporting local communities and planning authorities in delivering sustainable growth.

View more Case studies

BECCLES, EAST SUFFOLK

BECCLES, EAST SUFFOLK

A vision for a new garden neighbourhood We hold an Option Agreement over two thirds of the southern allocated site at Beccles – which incorporates 720 of the proposed homes, as well as employment land, education facilities, retail and other complimentary land uses. The vision for the site is built on the principles of Garden Villages, which are an approach to urban development dating as far back as the 1920s with the creation of Welwyn Garden City. Today, garden villages, neighbourhoods and cities are defined by healthy living, associated community and employment areas and amenities that sustain communities to be self-sufficient. This site brings our decades of experience together, with our team having been involved in creating multiple 1,000+ home communities across the East Midlands and East Anglia regions. Extensive engagement with local communities The site is identified in the East Suffolk plan for a development of 1,250 new homes plus supporting infrastructure. Our outline planning application has been the subject of considerable pre-application discussion with the Local Planning Authority (LPA) and other statutory consultees over several years to address major environmental and infrastructure matters associated with the site’s master planning and development. We’ve also consulted with communities as recently as September 2024. While this delayed submission of the planning application, we saw as part of our development strategy, that these major issues should be resolved prior to submission of the outline planning application – to ensure an earlier and more informed determination once submitted. This is an example of navigating the planning system smartly, of knowing when and and how to submit your application in a manner that will give it the best chance of success. Delivering large-scale sites If approved, Phoenix Strategic Land is also in agreement to promote the commercial areas secured under the planning permission to a range of retail and commercial end users. This is a site that demonstrates the ability of our team to successfully manage large scale development through contracting, promotion to secure an allocation, and the problem solving that is so often a key requirement for major scale residential land promotion.
Learn more about BECCLES, EAST SUFFOLK
GLINTON, PETERBOROUGH

GLINTON, PETERBOROUGH

Responding to landowners and engaging communities Located just to the north of Peterborough, the site at Glinton was originally held under an Option Agreement and promoted for residential development in 2017 and 2018. However, after an initial planning application was refused, the landowner expressed an interest in selling the freehold and Phoenix Strategic Land purchased the site without a planning status.In 2023 and 2024, we started promoting the site through the LPA Local Plan review alongside pre-application public consultation – which proactively consulted and communicated with stakeholders and the local community
about the proposal. Navigating a complex planning system Phoenix submitted an outline planning application in September 2024. While this was refused by the LPA in February 2025, the site was subsequently identified as a draft allocation in the Local Plan review, published in April 2025. We had already decided to appeal the LPA’s refusal of planning permission, with a belief in the potential of the site to address local need – and because of the site’s draft allocation status in the Local Plan, the LPA decided not to contest our planning appeal, and we received planning permission in July 2025. Delivering housing, green space and biodiversity This was a site that demonstrates the complexity of the planning system, the time it can take to successfully achieve planning approval – and our flexibility in meeting the needs and wishes of the landowner. Alongside the consented 95 new homes, our plans include a wildflower meadow, public open space, and allotments as part of green infrastructure and biodiversity net gain (BNG) to make the development a sustainable and pleasant addition to the village of Glinton.
Learn more about GLINTON, PETERBOROUGH

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