Planning Application Update

We’re thrilled to share that at the Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, our application to vary several planning conditions relating to The Oval Bandstand & Lawns was unanimously approved by Thanet District Council’s elected members.

This is a huge moment for GRASS Cliftonville CIC and for everyone in our community who has supported the regeneration of The Oval. The decision provides the clarity, flexibility, and permission we need to press ahead with key elements of the project — most notably, the installation of our new shipping container retail units, green roofs, landscape plans, and other essential site enhancements.

🏗 What Was Approved?

Our application sought to vary seven planning conditions attached to the original consent granted in September 2024 (Ref: F/TH/23/1614). The variations were practical and modest, but essential for making the development viable, fundable, and deliverable. Here’s what was approved:

✅ Condition 3 – Shipping Containers (Now Approved for Permanent Use)

The shipping containers that will house retail, meeting, and storage units within the bandstand amphitheatre were previously granted temporary permission until the end of 2026. We’ve now secured permanent permission for these vital structures — meaning we can confidently proceed with installation, knowing the units will remain as part of the site’s long-term infrastructure. This is crucial to making The Oval financially sustainable, as income from these units will help fund the upkeep of over four acres of public gardens and the historic amphitheatre.

✅ Condition 4 – External Cladding Installation (Extended to 12 Months)

We now have more time to complete the cladding of the in-situ shipping containers. This extended timeframe gives us the breathing space to work with our structural engineer, finalise the designs, secure grant funding, and deliver a high-quality finish. The approved cladding design — which includes timber finishes and a green roof — will soften the visual impact of the units and reflect the unique character of The Oval.

✅ Condition 7 – Landscape Management Plan (Deadline Clarified)

We’ve replaced the vague “prior to occupation” clause with a clear nine-month deadline to submit our full Landscape Management Plan (LMP). This will be based on the Nature Recovery Plan we’ve already developed, and will formalise the long-term management and maintenance of the lawns, raised beds, hedgerows, and wildflower areas.

✅ Condition 8 – Green Roof Details (Sedum Roof Approved)

The planners original condition required us to submit a wildflower roof scheme — something technically and financially unworkable due to the structural demands of a wildflower mix. We’re pleased to confirm that a sedum-only green roof has now been approved, and we will now install this on the same schedule as the external cladding. Sedum is a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance planting system that still delivers strong biodiversity benefits and softens the visual profile of the containers.

✅ Condition 9 – Indoor Music (Allowed)

We can now play indoor music within The Oval Café. This was a small but meaningful change — the café has just 12 seats and is over 60 metres from the nearest residence. 

✅ Condition 10 – Year-Round Opening Hours (Standardised)

We are now permitted to operate all Oval facilities — including the café, bar, and kiosk — from 8am to 9pm, seven days a week, all year round. This replaces the previously restrictive winter hours that limited operations to Wednesday–Sunday only. It ensures we can keep facilities open, run events, and maintain a reliable community presence on-site through the off-season.

✅ Condition 11 – Security Lighting (Clarified)

We’ve secured approval for essential security lighting to remain on overnight, as long as it’s part of an approved lighting scheme. This protects the site from vandalism and antisocial behaviour — a persistent issue — while ensuring that feature lighting is switched off at 11pm to protect residential amenity. 

🌱 What This Means Going Forward

This decision unlocks the next major phase of The Oval’s transformation. With these conditions now varied:

✅ We can proceed with the installation of the shipping container retail units.

✅ We can move forward with installing the timber cladding and sedum green roofs.

✅ We can formalise our Landscape Management Plan, building on our Nature Recovery strategy.

✅ We have clarity on music, lighting, and operating hours — making The Oval easier to manage and enjoy.

All of this helps us continue our mission: creating a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable public space for Cliftonville.

🙏 Thank You

We are grateful to the Planning Committee for their thoughtful and supportive decision, and to everyone who submitted supporting comments, signed our petition, or backed this application. We’re especially grateful to our volunteers, who continue to help us deliver the physical work on site — from hedgerow planting to wildflower sowing and garden maintenance.

This decision clears the way for our small team to continue delivering big things for Cliftonville — one project, one planting season, and one event at a time.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you again for being part of this journey.

To view the Supplemental Design Justification Report which details all of our approved shipping container design proposals, please CLICK HERE.

We were invited to speak for three minutes at the planning committee meeting, this is our statement in full:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. I represent GRASS Cliftonville CIC, the not-for-personal-profit community organisation that has managed The Oval Bandstand & Lawns since it was transferred from the council in 2021.

We’re asking you to approve the variation of several conditions attached to our previously approved planning application, which received unanimous support from this committee last September. These are not changes to the nature or ambition of the project — they are practical adjustments that reflect the reality of delivering a major community-led regeneration with limited resources.

Our application proposes removing the temporary status of the shipping container retail units, which are essential for generating sustainable income to support free and subsidised events and maintain the site. We’re also seeking more realistic timeframes for completing the cladding, installing sedum roofs, and submitting our landscaping and lighting plans — all of which require specialist input, structural design, and external grant funding. We’re requesting permission for low-level indoor music within our new café space, while retaining the existing restriction on external speakers. And we’re asking to clarify that essential security lighting can remain on overnight to deter antisocial behaviour — an issue we’ve had to manage repeatedly at the site.

We understand the Conservation Officer recently requested additional design details for the containers. These were submitted last week and are included in the documents before you this evening (note: they weren’t). We’ve worked with a structural engineer and are fully committed to delivering those visual and ecological improvements in full compliance with planning policy.

We’re grateful that the officer’s report supports all the proposed variations. It acknowledges the modest and measured nature of the changes, and the very real community benefit that The Oval delivers through its self-sustaining business model.

Since taking on The Oval, GRASS has welcomed over 16,000 visitors a year, hosted more than 150 community events and dozens of wellness classes, planted over 400 metres of multi-species hedgerow, reinstated historic flowerbeds, established wildflower meadows, launched our new Ecology Hub, and begun work on a free-to-use outdoor gym and wellness garden. We’ve fully refurbished and upgraded The Oval Pavilion, are about to open a new café and ice cream kiosk, and have created much-needed jobs and training opportunities for young people in Thanet — all while supporting thousands of local performers, traders, and volunteers through our vibrant programme of events.

These variations aren’t about cutting corners. They’re about ensuring a community organisation can continue delivering for Cliftonville — sustainably, responsibly, and with long-term impact.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you’ll support the officer’s recommendation to approve.