Planning (UK) articles from April 2004

Planning (UK) archives from April 2004

Hill announces decision time achievement.(planning minister Keith Hill)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The government has halved decision times on called-in applications for major schemes, planning minister Keith Hill revealed this week. More than 80 per cent of call-in cases and recovered appeals were decided within 16 weeks of the close of...

Government hails green belt growth.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... There is more green belt land in England than ever before, the government has announced as it continues efforts to prevent urban sprawl. Latest ODPM figures show that 25,000ha of green belt have been created since 1997, bringing the total...

Broadcasting House artwork approved.(Westminster City Council)(BBC's Broadcasting House on Regent Street, London)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... An application for a public artwork at the BBC's Broadcasting House on Regent Street, London, was approved by Westminster City Council last week. Commissioned from Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, the artwork, titled Breathing, will comprise a...

Agency signs joint venture housing pact.(Barking Riverside)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... English Partnerships has signed its first major public-private partnership with a house builder to deliver housing in one of the ODPM's growth areas. A joint venture with Bellway will develop 150ha of land at Barking Reach in the Thames...

Authorities improve processing times.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Local authorities have made big improvements in the time taken to process planning applications, according to latest statistics. ODPM statistics for the last quarter of 2003, released last week, reveal that 73 per cent of planning decisions...

Opportunity created for statutory design clause.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... An amendment to the planning bill that could pave the way for statutory design statements has been welcomed by developers and architects. Planning minister Keith Hill announced last week that the House Builders Federation and the British...

Owner angered by Lots Road decision.(Circadian to appeal)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The owner of the Lots Road power station in west London is to appeal against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's decision to refuse planning permission for a pounds 500 million redevelopment. The London Borough of Hammersmith and...

Tricorn demolition begins.(Portsmouth's Tricorn Centre )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The demolition of Portsmouth's Tricorn Centre began last week. An excavator started dismantling the 1960s building and demolition will continue for several months. Once complete, the centre will be replaced by a mixed-use development built by...

Campaigners seek changes in travel plans.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The government needs to do more to guarantee the integration of transport and land-use planning, according to campaigners. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), in a report published this week, argues that the government should...

Frigate sunk to create reef for dive centre.( HMS Scylla )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A former Royal Navy frigate was scuppered just off Whitsand Bay in south-east Cornwall this week to begin a new life as the UK's first artificial diving reef. It is hoped that HMS Scylla will generate pounds 1 million a year for the...

Office developers condemn system.(British Council for Offices )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Office developments are being stifled by delays in the planning system caused mainly by council understaffing, according to latest research. A report by the British Council for Offices (BCO) and property adviser Cushman & Wakefield Healey...

Camden strives to engage minorities.(London Borough of Camden)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A video aimed at encouraging black and minority ethnic (BME) groups to get involved in planning has been launched by the London Borough of Camden. Around 30 per cent of the north London borough's population come from BME communities. But...

London mayor issues advice on open space.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... London mayor Ken Livingstone is urging boroughs to form strategies for safeguarding the capital's open spaces in his latest planning guidance, published this week. The best practice guidance aims to give boroughs advice on preparing open...

In Brief: Council intervenes in hedge disputes.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Council powers to intervene in high hedge disputes between neighbours are the subject of consultation launched by regeneration minister Yvette Cooper this week. The ODPM exercise will cover the fees that local authorities should charge for such...

In Brief: Bluestone granted planning permission.(Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority)(Bluestone holiday village )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The controversial Bluestone holiday village has been granted outline planning permission by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. The pounds 60 million 340-chalet scheme received unanimous backing from the authority's development...

In Brief: Llanelli Rugby Football Club to move away.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Llanelli Rugby Football Club has announced plans to move away from its Stradey Park stadium. The Scarlets are working in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council on a pounds 20 million 15,000-seat stadium. The development features...

In Brief: Limehouse Cut Canal moorings.(London Borough of Tower Hamlets )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The first moorings are to be created on the Limehouse Cut Canal in London in a bid to meet demand for floating residential and office space. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has granted permission for three residential moorings and one...

In Brief: South Devon College given go-ahead.(Torbay Borough Council)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... South Devon College has been given the go-ahead to move to an out-of-town campus by Torbay Borough Council. The plans include developing an existing site at Vantage Point, Paignton, and a new building on an adjacent site. Property adviser GVA...

In Brief: Spellar lends support.(Northern Ireland's social development minister John Spellar)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Northern Ireland's social development minister John Spellar has lent his support to major regeneration plans for Bangor town centre. The minister said that the scheme would improve the town centre and counterbalance the effect of out-of-town...

In Brief: MPs criticise rail withdrawal.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... MPs have criticised the withdrawal of direct rail services between south Wales and the north of England. In a report published this week, the Commons Welsh affairs committee claims that the Strategic Rail Authority failed in its legal duty to...

In Brief: Milton Keynes plans submitted.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Plans for expanding the western boundary of Milton Keynes have been submitted in response to the ODPM's vision for the South Midlands growth area. The proposal, drawn up by David Lock Associates on behalf of Westbury Homes (Holdings) Ltd, seeks...

National Trust shows up environmental disaster.
April 2, 2004... The building of single homes in the open countryside in Northern Ireland is 'an environmental disaster' and should be banned immediately, according to a major report. The findings of a special inquiry into the Northern Ireland planning...

Assemblies lobby seeks call-in powers.(Campaign for the English Regions and the Local Government Information Unit )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Elected regional assemblies should be able to call in planning applications and the Planning Inspectorate should be regionalised, according to a report published this week. The report, published by the Campaign for the English Regions and...

Ten city areas chosen to trial renewal tactic.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Ten inner city areas have been chosen to trial a new approach to urban regeneration in the second phase of the government's city growth strategies (CGS). The move by the DTI's small business service (SBS) follows the success of schemes in...

Fees increase announced to cover inflation.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Planning fees in Northern Ireland are set to rise by ten per cent, it was announced last week. The increase, which will take effect from 12 April, is intended to help recover a higher proportion of planning service costs. Planning...

Regeneration News: Pathfinders set to scoop extra cash.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The pounds 500 million ODPM scheme to bolster market renewal in low-demand hotspots is likely to receive a pounds 100 million shot in the arm after it emerged that the programme is running out of cash. Deputy prime minister John Prescott...

Regeneration News: CHDA led consortium chosen.(Chichester Diocesan Housing Association )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A consortium led by Chichester Diocesan Housing Association (CHDA) has been chosen to redevelop a derelict barracks in Brighton. The Preston Barracks plans include more than 400 homes, commercial space and community facilities. The development...

Regeneration News: Projects to be reviewed after stiff criticism.(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Two major city developments in Leicester are being reviewed after heavy criticism from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). The watchdog claims that proposals for the Granby Halls site and for rebuilding a...

Regeneration Brief: Shillam and Smith to develop masterplan.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Architects and urban planners Shillam and Smith have been appointed to develop a masterplan for housing market renewal in east central Rochdale by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, the Rochdale Development Agency and Oldham Rochdale...

Regeneration Brief: Salubrious Place scheme to be extended.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Swansea city centre's Salubrious Place retail and leisure scheme is to be extended with a pounds 30 million 12-screen cinema, restaurant and casino complex. The first phase, which is nearing completion, includes a 116-bedroom hotel, a car park...

Regeneration Brief: Aldershot consultation to launch.(Rushmoor Borough Council)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A six-week consultation on proposals to extend Aldershot is set to be launched by Rushmoor Borough Council. The consultation on draft supplementary planning guidance follows the release of 137ha of army land under a Ministry of Defence...

Regeneration Brief: Mine ski centre subject of KPMG study.(Stobswood and Maidens Hall mines at Widdrington, Northumberland)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Plans to develop an indoor ski centre in the UK's largest opencast mine are to be the subject of a feasibility study by consultancy KPMG. The centrepiece of the leisure facility would be a 140m deep cavity that has been created at the Stobswood...

Regeneration Brief: Colliery consultation to begin.(Chatterley Whitfield Colliery in Stoke-on-Trent)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Consultation on the regeneration of the former Chatterley Whitfield Colliery in Stoke-on-Trent, a scheduled ancient monument, is set to begin. The colliery was closed in 1976 after 140 years of mining. Six of its 34 buildings are listed.

Regeneration Brief: Chatterley Whitfield identifies uses.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The Chatterley Whitfield Partnership has identified a number of potential uses at the site for consultation and a successful bid has been made for European Regional Development Fund support to bring the colliery's main office, wages office and...

Regeneration Brief: Priority Sites starts work.(Victoria Colliery site at Biddulph in Staffordshire)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Priority Sites have started work on the pounds 2.1 million regeneration of the former Victoria Colliery site at Biddulph in Staffordshire. The scheme involves eight industrial units totalling 4,200 sq m of office space and could create up to 90...

Regeneration Brief: RTKL submit site plans.(Liverpool Central Station)(Merepark PLC joint venture)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Plans to regenerate a derelict site behind Liverpool Central Station have been submitted by architecture and design firm RTKL. The pounds 100 million development, a joint venture between Ballymore Properties Ltd and Merepark PLC, is for a 1.4ha...

Regeneration Brief: Last Royal Doulton factory to close.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Royal Doulton has announced that it will close its last UK factory, with the loss of 525 jobs. The ceramics company has sold its Nile Street plant in Stoke-on-Trent to developer St Modwen Properties PLC for pounds 2.5 million. Around 50 people...

Regeneration Brief: Housing associations net share of grant.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Four housing associations have netted the largest share of the Housing Corporation's development grant funding in the North East under the quango's new partnering arrangements. The NEET Partnership of Newcastle and Whitley Housing Trust,...

Transport News: Authorities call for greater bus powers.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Transport authorities are demanding greater powers to force private bus operators to improve their services. 'Restrictive legislation' inhibits the ability of passenger transport executives (PTEs) to specify and regulate bus services,...

Transport News: Support for road bridge infuriates green groups.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Plans for a pounds 450 million road bridge across the River Thames in east London have been endorsed by Transport for London (TfL). The transport body gave its backing for the capital's first road bridge in more than 30 years last week. It...

Transport News: Government rejects freight route plan.(Central Railway )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The government has decided not to support Central Railway's proposal for a dedicated freight line to link the Channel Tunnel with the North West. Transport minister Kim Howells announced that he will not follow up calls for a bill to...

Transport News: London mayor seeks control of rail network.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... London mayor Ken Livingstone could take control of suburban commuter rail services in the capital, under plans unveiled last week. London transport commissioner Bob Kiley said that proposals developed for the mayor by Transport for London...

Transport News: Figures reveal travel pattern among Scots.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Bus and coach services are more popular in Scotland than other parts of the UK, according to latest figures. Scottish Executive research published last week finds that there were around 445 million journeys on bus services north of the...

Business Brief: ODPM commissions forest survey.(Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The ODPM has commissioned a major survey of England's urban forests to help shape government policy. Research consultancy ADAS will study the number, species and condition of urban trees throughout the country. Myerscough College in Lancashire,...

Business Brief: HLL Humberts Leisure appointed.(HLL Humberts Leisure Consulting)(Derbyshire Dales District Council)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... HLL Humberts Leisure Consulting has been appointed to advise on the development of a leisure attraction in Matlock by Derbyshire Dales District Council. HLL will examine the demand for tourism and leisure uses and advise on the most viable mix...

Business Brief: ERM to examine interaction.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... ERM is to examine the interaction between land-use planning and environmental regulation for the Scottish Executive. The research will look at the systems of regulation for integrated pollution and prevention control, waste management licensing...

Business Brief: Robert Muckle and SQW to advise.(SQW Ltd )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Solicitors Robert Muckle and SQW Ltd are to advise regional development agency One North East on how to handle its expanded role in the planning system. As a statutory planning consultee, the agency is required to assess strategic...

Business Brief: tp bennett secures consent.(tp bennett )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Architects tp bennett have secured planning consent for 23 apartments in a local conservation area of Bromley. The site, facing onto Tetty Way, uses redundant backland parking areas and air space to the rear of high street shops.

Business Brief: Voaden Sandbrook opens office.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Minerals and waste adviser Voaden Sandbrook has opened an office in Bristol to complement its established offices in Derby, Beaconsfield and London. Based in the key business district of the city, the new office will offer a wide range of...

Business Brief: Urban Cultures goes down under.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Urban Cultures is taking its urban planning skills down under in a project for the Australian Capital Territory. The consultancy will evaluate the need for new and improved performing arts venues and facilities in the City West precinct of...

Business Brief: Scott Wilson to audit parks.(Wakefield City Council)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Leeds-based consultancy Scott Wilson is to audit 22 major parks in Wakefield to help improve its green spaces. The study, commissioned by Wakefield City Council, will record the condition of the parks, including paths, lakes and ponds, bowling...

Business Brief: Balfour Beatty joins MET.(MET Consortium)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Balfour Beatty has joined the MET Consortium, one of two bidders left in the race to design, build and operate Liverpool's Merseytram. The construction company, which has widespread experience in light rail and tramway systems, joins the...

Business Brief: JMP to conduct transport overview.(Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... JMP Consulting is conducting an overview of transport in Bolton to create a vision for future improvements. The study, commissioned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, will set the agenda for the area's transport partnership. A key...

Scottish News: Waverley Station plan scaled down.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A pounds 400 million redevelopment of Edinburgh's Waverley Station, including up to nine new platforms and 46,450 sq m of retail space, is expected to be shelved in favour of a smaller scheme. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is set to...

Scottish News: Tower proposal put to Glasgow council.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Plans have been submitted for a 39-storey block in Glasgow that would be the tallest building in Scotland. Developer Elphinstone wants to build a 134m high teardrop-shaped block containing flats, offices and shops on the site of the former...

Scottish News: Consultant set to launch city heritage pitch.(Glasgow City Council )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Glasgow City Council is to employ a consultant to create a pitch for the buildings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh to be granted world heritage status. The Glasgow School of Art and the Scotland Street School will be included in the bid to...

Analysis: Joined-up policy for more homes.
April 2, 2004... Coalitions of social housing landlords in high-demand areas have dominated the recent funding allocations, reports Chris Baker True to its word, the Housing Corporation's emphasis on partnership in the latest round of bids for housing...

Where will all the waste go?
April 2, 2004... The planning system faces more pressure to speed up delivery on waste facilities, writes David Dewar Every day, the UK produces more and more waste. Despite efforts to encourage waste minimisation and recycling, the total amount of rubbish...

Opinion: Fyson on... the importance of protecting our market towns.
April 2, 2004... The interesting thing about the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) 'health check' of 120 market towns is not so much that they face threats as that the future of this sort of town is so important. While there are traditional markets in...

Editorial: Figures alone fail to show whole picture.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 2, 2004... Albert Einstein once commented that not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted. The cynical view of the jump in planning application handling times revealed in the latest ODPM statistics is that...

Interview: Punching for Watford.
April 2, 2004... Former civil servant Chris Pagdin has no qualms about being on the receiving end of government targets in his new local authority role, Marino Donati discovers When Chris Pagdin took up the post of head of planning and development at...

Return to professional pride.
April 2, 2004... The government's draft policy statement on core principles will return the planning system to the cutting edge of society, promises Keith Hill It is always pleasing to produce something that meets a demand. Judging by the reaction to...

Pivotal vote on town centres.
April 2, 2004... Businesses could deliver a boost for town centres if they vote to extend a pilot scheme imported from the US, says Josh Brooks Imagine going shopping in your local town centre and finding the streets litter-free, graffiti a distant memory...

Notebook: A planner walks into a pub..
April 2, 2004... A planner who thought that he could escape the daily grind in his local came across a barman who knew far too much, as Cliff Hague recounts 'Evening Dave. Usual?' 'Thanks, Andy. Pint of bitter.' 'Busy week?' 'Always is. How...

Casebook: Asda wins key argument on mezzanine floorspace.
April 2, 2004... Asda Stores Ltd has obtained a lawful development certificate (LDC) confirming that the installation of a mezzanine or conversion of back-up space to retailing at a superstore in Hampshire is lawful, with an inspector concluding that the total...

Casebook: Funfair rides allowed as no threat to historic pier.(Noble Organisation Ltd.)
April 2, 2004... The deputy prime minister has endorsed an inspector's recommendation to grant planning permission and listed building consent for two replacement amusement rides at the end of Brighton Pier, accepting that the scheme would contribute to the...

Casebook: Court cases - Mobile phone mast objector granted full hearing.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The High Court has granted permission for a Buckinghamshire resident to challenge South Bucks District Council's failure to consider a prior approval application submitted by O2 within the specified 56-day period. The 12m high mast had...

Casebook: Court cases - Full hearing ordered on green belt eyesore.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The owners of land near Waltham Abbey, Essex, that was subject to an enforcement notice alleging a material change of use from agricultural land to a mix of commercial uses have been granted leave to challenge an inspector's decision to uphold...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural Development - Keeping of horses held to trigger material change.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Various enforcement notices alleging that a material change of use of farmland in the Bristol green belt was caused by keeping horses have been upheld. While the inspector concluded that the use itself was immune from enforcement due to the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Energy Development - Wind turbine judged harmful to Bronte landscape.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A wind turbine providing electricity to a dwelling with no connection to the national grid has been refused permission in a special landscape area in the West Yorkshire green belt on the grounds that it would seriously harm the character and...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Gypsies and Travellers - Gypsy site harm overrides personal circumstances.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The deputy prime minister has accepted an inspector's recommendation to refuse permission for a residential Gypsy site in the Warwickshire green belt, concluding that it would be inappropriate and unsustainable. The site was intended to...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Sheltered housing permitted with loss of offices.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... McCarthy & Stone Ltd has secured permission for 54 assisted living apartments for the frail elderly in a Kent town centre, with an inspector concluding that the loss of a four-storey office building on the site would not harm employment...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Homes held no threat to power station connection.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Ten residential park homes for retired people have been allowed at a site in Lancashire after an inspector determined that they would not prejudice connection of a proposed power station to the national grid. The site was a triangular field...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Inspector overruled on rural housing proposal.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... An inspector's recommendation that planning permission should be granted for five houses in the Kent countryside has been overruled by the deputy prime minister, who concluded that the removal of the existing industrial use was not overriding....

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Redevelopment of green belt care home supported.(County and Metropolitan Homes)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The deputy prime minister has supported a scheme promoted by County and Metropolitan Homes to redevelop a former residential care home in the Surrey green belt, concluding that the existence of a valid planning permission for a new care home...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Inspector orders natural stone for hillside estate.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... An inspector has dismissed an appeal seeking to vary the terms of a condition requiring the use of natural stone for 193 houses at a site in West Yorkshire, despite claims by the appellant that high-quality artificial stone would be equally...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Obligation held unjustified for holiday let scheme.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... An inspector has accepted that a council's request for completion of a section 106 obligation to secure the use of a farm building in Sussex for two holiday lets was not justified because conditions could be imposed to control the nature of the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Demolition of listed signal box turned down.
April 2, 2004... An appeal by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd seeking consent to demolish a listed signal box in Devon has failed after an inspector found that insufficient justification had been given to warrant its loss. The signal box, which occupied a...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Relocation of gate piers allowed on railway route.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The deputy prime minister has agreed that Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd should be allowed to relocate two grade II listed gate piers at a Staffordshire estate to ensure that proposed improvements to the West Coast Main Line can press ahead....

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Neon signs ruled out on listed shopfront.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A listed building enforcement notice issued against three neon signs at a shop unit in Covent Garden has been upheld after the deputy prime minister agreed that they harmed the character of the market hall and piazza. The signs had been...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Lighting wells considered harmful to listed flat.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... The insertion of lightwells with glazed domes into a listed flat in Bath has been rejected by the deputy prime minister on the grounds that the operation would harm the historic and architectural value of the building. The three circular...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Minerals Development - Peat extraction rejected due to faulty assessment.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... A proposal to extract peat from a 1.7ha site in Somerset has been rejected after an environmental statement on the potential impact of the scheme was ruled inadequate, given the location of the mineral in a site of special scientific interest...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed Development - Capacity study backs greenfield scheme rejection.(George Wimpey UK Ltd )(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... George Wimpey UK Ltd has failed to convince the deputy prime minister that it should be granted permission for a mixed-use development in Kent, following an inspector's recommendation that the scheme was unacceptable. The scheme involved...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed Development - Positive impact of new college buildings agreed.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2004... Proposals to demolish existing buildings and build a new college and 48 dwellings in Windsor have been supported by an inspector who concluded that the scheme would have a positive impact on a conservation area. The inspector agreed that...