Planning (UK) articles from April 2007

Planning (UK) archives from April 2007

Planning in the media.
April 6, 2007... Balance and insight are rare commodities in media coverage of planning, especially in relation to the green belt. But BBC One's Countryfile did try in its report on residents of Easton-in-Gordano, who are campaigning against the expansion of...

Diary.
April 6, 2007... Actress Penelope Keith found herself campaigning for the good life at Westminster last week. A former high sheriff of Surrey, Keith was backing South East County Leaders' (SECL) demand for greater infrastructure investment. 'We would like...

Appointment at Bellway.
April 6, 2007... Andy Wibling has joined Bellway as managing director. He previously ran his own construction and development business and spent 23 years with Lovell

Appointment at Knight Frank.
April 6, 2007... Andrew Fuller has moved to the North West planning and development consultancy team at Knight Frank as a senior planner

Appointment at Lovell.
April 6, 2007... Paul Bonnett has been appointed business development manager for East Anglia at Lovell

Appointment at Steer Davies Gleave.
April 6, 2007... Jamie Connors and Marc Funda have joined Steer Davies Gleave as senior consultants and Shaun Bennett and Victoria Hawkes as consultants

Appointment at John Martin & Associates.
April 6, 2007... Jenny Thomas has been made an associate at John Martin & Associates. She comes from Huntingdonshire District Council

Appointment at Halcrow.
April 6, 2007... Stefano Smith has been promoted to associate director at Halcrow in Edinburgh. Blathnaid Duffy and Ailsa Wright have both joined as consultant planners. Catherine Wood has joined the company's Glasgow office

Appointment at the Advisory Team for Large Applications.
April 6, 2007... Tim Chapman has been made sustainable communities consultant at the Advisory Team for Large Applications

Appointment at Transportation Planning (International).
April 6, 2007... Paul Beecham has become an associate at Transportation Planning (International) in Birmingham

Appointment at Capita Symonds.
April 6, 2007... Emma Langmaid has moved to Capita Symonds as a principal planner in Cwmbran

Appointment at CB Richard Ellis.
April 6, 2007... Lisa Chaney and Andrew Bowe have joined CB Richard Ellis in Birmingham as senior planner and associate director respectively

Appointment at Remarkable Group.
April 6, 2007... Daniel Hayman has been appointed director of the property and planning communications division at the Remarkable Group

Sustainability scoping can work with assessment stage.
April 6, 2007... Data collected for sustainability appraisals must be fully considered in plan-making, argues Riki Therivel. Today, in the brave new world of front-loaded, evidence-based, sustainable plan-making, the information collected in the scoping...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
April 6, 2007... Conduct and discipline decision The RTPI has recently warned a consultant member for not acting on his client's instructions, overcharging and not providing sufficient detail in the invoice submitted. Anthony Dodd acted on behalf of a...

RTPI broadens its media coverage.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
April 6, 2007... The institute has made a number of successful forays into television and radio but planners can help take this further, insists Andrew Kliman. So far this year, the RTPI has been involved in four television appearances and as many national...

Planning Aid Bulletin.
April 6, 2007... Bringing strategic planning to the people. It is notoriously difficult to engage local people in policy and strategy documents. Even with mandatory consultation requirements, most are simply unaware of the different layers of planning...

System reform proposed in budget should not be dismissed out of hand.
April 6, 2007... If the sector is waiting in anticipation for reform of the planning system then it should be looking closely at the recent budget report rather than the still delayed English planning white paper, maintains Kelvin MacDonald. A bientot...

DC Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Occupancy condition lifted from cottage.
April 6, 2007... In quashing an enforcement notice and granting permission for the removal of an agricultural occupancy condition imposed on a farm cottage in Somerset an inspector has ruled that although the condition remained clear and enforceable it had been...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Airport car parking rejected as unlawful.
April 6, 2007... Appeals against enforcement notices and a Sussex local authority's decision to refuse a lawful development certificate for car parking have been dismissed after an inspector decided that the use was unauthorised and conflicted with policies....

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Crane storage rejected at green belt farm.
April 6, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the use of land at a farm in the Essex green belt for the storage of cranes and high lifting equipment has been refused because it involved an inappropriate and harmful form of development. The appellants...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Commercial use of garage turned down.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... An appellant's has failed to overcome the requirements of an enforcement notice that sought the cessation of a commercial use in her garage at a dwelling in Kent after an inspector decided that the use undermined local residents' amenity. ...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Guest suites foiled at engineering factory.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... The provision of three guest suites associated with an engineering business in the Essex green belt has been rejected after an inspector expressed doubts about their longer-term use. The company, which manufactured connecting rods for the...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and drink uses - External flue allowed in conservation area.
April 6, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of an external flue at a delicatessen and cafe in a Suffolk conservation area has been quashed because it was not overly obtrusive. The council had imposed a planning condition requiring approval...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: new build - Sewerage condition upheld at dwelling.
April 6, 2007... An inspector has refused to delete a condition on a permission for a dwelling and pumping station in Cumbria that required it to be connected to mains drainage before occupation. A local plan policy stated that the proliferation of small...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: new build - Bungalow freed from traffic condition.
April 6, 2007... A condition requiring a traffic calming scheme for a bungalow in a Surrey village has been deleted after an inspector decided that it was not necessary for highway safety and did not fairly relate to the development permitted. The...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: Conversion - Youth club conversion beats parking fear.
April 6, 2007... The conversion of a former youth club in Sheffield to 11 apartments has won approval after an inspector rejected the council's concern over the lack of on-site car parking. The inspector noted that the appeal site contained a large vacant...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Helicopter pad turned down in green belt.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the owners of agricultural land in the Cheshire green belt to stop using it for landing and taking off helicopters and remove a hangar has been upheld after an inspector decided that the appellants were unlikely...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Access rejected next to dwellinghouse.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... An enforcement notice alleging that an access had been created next to a dwellinghouse in Oxfordshire has been upheld after an inspector rejected a claim that it was permitted development. The appellant claimed that the access was permitted...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and entertainment - Caravan park intensification held lawful.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of ten caravans from a caravan park in north Wales has been struck down after an inspector decided that there had been no material change of use. The appellant stated that the land subject to the...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Mineral Development - Surface mining allowed at green belt site.
April 6, 2007... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's recommendation to grant permission for surface mine coal extraction in the Derbyshire green belt after finding that the environmental effects would be acceptable. The secretary of state...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Food store rejected in conservation area.
April 6, 2007... A scheme in a South Yorkshire conservation area comprising a food store, restaurants, housing and a hotel has been rejected after an inspector decided that there was no compelling need for further convenience goods floor space. The...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Employment land loss foils development.
April 6, 2007... A mixed-use development on a business park in west Gloucestershire has been rejected because it would prejudice the planning strategy for the area to create an appropriate and sustainable balance between housing and employment provision. ...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - Food store fails quantitative need test.
April 6, 2007... Aldi Stores Ltd has failed to secure permission for a food store in Essex after an inspector concluded that there was insufficient quantitative need for the scheme. The firm proposed a 1,100m2 store of which 165m2 would be used to sell...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - Convenience store foiled by bland design.
April 6, 2007... An appeal by Tesco Stores Ltd for a neighbourhood convenience store in a Sheffield local shopping centre has been rejected after an inspector decided that its design was unacceptable. The appeal site comprised an open area in the local...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Filling station shop rejected as harmful.
April 6, 2007... The demolition of a petrol station in a Surrey town and its replacement with a larger facility has been rejected on the grounds of harm to local shopping centres' vitality and viability. The petrol station had an ancillary shop of 94m2,...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Waste management - Soil treatment facility beats objections.
April 6, 2007... The installation and operation of a contaminated soil treatment facility in Berkshire has won the backing of an inspector who held that the council had failed to substantiate its objections. The scheme involved constructing a tarmacadam...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Waste management - Lorry restriction varied at waste station.
April 6, 2007... A condition imposed on a planning permission for an inert waste transfer station in Hampshire has been varied to improve the efficiency of the operation and to create a more sustainable form of development. The condition stated that the...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Next week.(briefs)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Fast food outlet ruled harmful to amenity A drive-through restaurant in south Wales has been refused because it would be unduly prominent and would unacceptably alter a retail park's appearance and setting. DCS Number OT100-047-751 ...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - In depth - Flat block extension refused due to harm to listed church's setting.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... The construction of ten flats on the roof of an existing block of flats in south London has been rejected because it would harm the character and appearance of the street scene and the setting of a listed church. The appeal property...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing New Build - Demolition allowed in protected area.
April 6, 2007... Conservation area consent has been granted for the demolition of a former nursing home in Liverpool because it failed to make a positive contribution to the area's character and appearance and had no viable use. The demolition was already...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing Conversion - Lightwell detail foils pub conversion.
April 6, 2007... The conversion of a pub in a north-west London conservation area to four flats has been rejected because insufficient details had been provided on proposed lightwells. The inspector agreed with the council that the amount of light that...

DC Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - Bulky goods retail store wins approval.
April 6, 2007... The secretary of state has overruled an inspector and granted permission for a retail warehouse store in Worcestershire after concluding that there was a clear quantitative need for the scheme and no sequentially preferable sites existed. ...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
April 6, 2007... Email your queries or your replies to earlier queries to casebook@haymarket.com or post them to Development Control Casebook Forum, DCS Ltd, Casebook Suite 1, Fullers Court, 40 Lower Quay Street, Gloucester GL1 2LW. Comment and post at...

How we did it - Historic mill pioneers progressive energy use.
April 6, 2007... PROJECT: Heating and cooling system for New Lanark Mill Visitor Centre, southern Scotland. BACKGROUND: New Lanark Mill is an 18th century cotton mill and now a world heritage site on the banks of the River Clyde. The award-winning visitor...

The things I know.(Interview)
April 6, 2007... - What skills did you have when you graduated? Although I had a BSc in maths, physics and chemistry, I had realised halfway through that science was not for me. - What attracted you to a career in planning? The total irrationality...

Barker reviewed.(planning reform reviewed)(Column)
April 6, 2007... The government must take a good long look at any reforms it plans in response to the Barker review to prevent the system being lumbered with more obligations, insists Kerry Higgins. There has been a lot of fuss about Kate Barker's review of...

No fit state to be in.
April 6, 2007... In the first in a mini-series on planning and health, Ben Willis finds that despite planning's roots in the 19th century drive for public health these principles have fallen by the wayside. Every day we are told what unhealthy and...

Care provision planner.
April 6, 2007... Although planners are sympathetic about meeting the needs of disabled people a lack of understanding and joined-up policy is hindering efforts, John Garnham tells Catherine Early. The government aspires to move disabled people from...

Transport sector must take lead when it comes to environment.
April 6, 2007... Transport secretary Douglas Alexander's speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research says much about the government's thinking on climate change - it is well developed in some areas but naive in others Alexander is right to assert that...

Fyson on ... blinkered outlook on the rationale for a super casino.
April 6, 2007... Blinkered outlook on the rationale for a super casino that was caused by test requirements It seems as though a belated rebellion against the liberalisation of gaming law helped to motivate last week's House of Lords overthrow of the Casino...

Legal report - Budget fails to lift cloud of uncertainty over levy.
April 6, 2007... Chancellor Gordon Brown's budget statement did not shed much more light on whether the government will proceed with the proposed planning gain supplement (PGS). The official line remains that PGS will be introduced no earlier than 2009 if,...

Bell on ... wasting time with rubbish.(residents planning to improve recylcing operations in the city )(Column)
April 6, 2007... It was a long dark night in the land of the midnight sun. Shadowy figures were being admitted to the warmth of the flat in a Stockholm suburb. Some were strangers, others were friends. A meeting of a secret society? Terrorists plotting to...

Cities face climate test.
April 6, 2007... Scottish cities have much to do if they are to achieve the government's ambitious targets for cutting carbon emissions but they cannot rely on advances in technology, warns Huw Morris. During the Scottish Enlightenment, that heady 18th...

Consortium picked for Lochaber plans.
April 6, 2007... Long-awaited plans to regenerate Fort William's waterfront have been unveiled after Highland Council selected a preferred developer for the scheme. A civic square, 350 homes, a hotel and supermarket are included in proposals for the 7ha...

Flats to limit parking bays.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... One-bedroom flats in an Edinburgh docklands development will be sold without parking spaces to encourage more public transport use. Only larger homes in the Wimpey scheme at Leith will have allocated spaces, while controlled parking zones...

Executive guidance urges sustainability.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Development plans are vital to sustainability and must focus on implementation, says draft guidance from the Scottish Executive. The consultation paper, issued last week, identifies location, design and layout as the three key ways that...

Planning stats.(public expenditures)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Dollars 21 trillion - The amount in US dollars to be invested in energy and transport infrastructure across the world over the next generation. 33 million - The number of vehicles on UK roads, according to the Department for Transport. ...

Poll fears for local retail.(Survey)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Eighty per cent of adults in the UK feel that it is important to support local high streets but still shop elsewhere, a survey has found. Research by Hyder Consulting shows that less than a third of people actually shop on the high street...

GVA Grimley gains study.(contracts with Basildon Renaissance Partnership and Basildon District Council )(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Basildon's housing market is to be reviewed to inform regeneration partners what is required to meet future economic demands. Basildon Renaissance Partnership and Basildon District Council have chosen GVA Grimley to conduct a strategic...

Atkins looks at renewal.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Consultancy Atkins is carrying out evaluations of two regeneration schemes in the North West. Its regeneration and economic development team is working with property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton and specialists from Sheffield's...

Firm set for flood review.
April 6, 2007... Consultancy Scott Wilson has been chosen to carry out a major flood risk assessment of the Greater Manchester sub-region. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has commissioned the company to help produce the strategic...

Policy sought over business land loss.
April 6, 2007... Planning policy on economic development must be updated to help tackle a fall in employment land, a report by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners has warned. The report, commissioned by the regional development agencies, says 42 per cent of...

Consultancy team lined up for regeneration of former airfield.
April 6, 2007... The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has announced the team that will deliver the regeneration of the former HMS Daedalus site in south Hampshire. Masterplanners Terence O'Rourke, consultancy Drivers Jonas, transport firm MVA...

City laments casino vote.
April 6, 2007... Manchester City Council's plans to transform its most deprived areas could be thrown into disarray if it loses the battle to host the UK's first regional casino. The council said it was disappointed after the House of Lords refused...

Radstock to gain housing.
April 6, 2007... Derelict land at Radstock in Somerset will be used for homes after Norton Radstock Regeneration (NRR) gained outline planning consent this week. The Bellway Homes scheme proposes 210 homes and commercial and community space on the former...

Tate Modern plans growth.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Regeneration on London's South Bank has moved forward after the Tate Modern gained permission for a pounds 215 million extension last week. The London Development Agency is investing pounds 7 million in a building designed by Herzog and de...

Middlesbrough zero carbon plan backed.
April 6, 2007... The UK's biggest zero carbon scheme has been given the go-ahead by planners at Middlesbrough Council. The pounds 200 million development at Middlehaven, designed by Will Alsop, will see retail and leisure space built across a 9.3ha site. The...

Mersey Waterfront wins funding boost.
April 6, 2007... The 135km Mersey Waterfront regeneration scheme received a major boost last week after securing pounds 91 million of investment. The Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) pledged almost pounds 11 million towards the project, which secured an...

Minister aims to cut carbon.(Douglas Alexander)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... The government is set to launch a strategy for using technology to cut carbon emissions from transport. Transport secretary Douglas Alexander said the sector has 'a real opportunity' to cut emissions. In a separate move, the Department for...

Durham link road backed.
April 6, 2007... A pounds 10.5 million link road has been given the green light in a bid to improve transport connections and revitalise east Durham's economy. The 2.3km single carriageway between the A1(M) and the A19 was approved last week by the...

Heathrow runway worries rebuffed by government.
April 6, 2007... The government has denied claims that a third runway at Heathrow Airport will be fast-tracked in an attempt to push through expansion. Stephen Nelson, chief executive of airport operator BAA, said the new runway could be 'twin-tracked' with...

Department for Transport has eye on street design policy gap.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... The Department for Transport (DfT) is considering whether to draw up guidance on the design of secondary streets, Planning has learnt. High streets, secondary retail streets and those connecting residential areas fall between the Manual for...

Greener cars win discount.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Drivers of low-emission cars in Manchester will be eligible for discounts in NCP car parks, it has emerged. The green badge parking scheme will be similar to the blue badge scheme used by disabled drivers. Motorists who drive cars that emit...

Bypass faces more enmity.(Natural England and the Peak District National Park Authority )(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Natural England and the Peak District National Park Authority have restated opposition to plans for a bypass that would cut across the protected landscape. Both bodies reiterated their objections to the Mottram-Tintwistle scheme during...

Judge orders fresh gas terminal vote.
April 6, 2007... Planners must vote again on a controversial gas pipeline terminal being built at Cilfrew in south Wales, a High Court judge has ruled. The scheme, which would handle liquefied natural gas from Milford Haven, gained planning permission by a...

Wind association laments lack of progress on Welsh projects.
April 6, 2007... Welsh authorities have only approved two wind farms since planning policy was revised in 2005, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). This means that Wales is 72 per cent behind schedule in achieving its target for 800 MW...

Marine power study urged.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... More work is needed to provide evidence on the effects of wave and tidal power devices, claims a strategic environmental assessment. A study for the Scottish Executive by Faber Maunsell and Metoc looked at likely outcomes of installing...

Sector waste cut proposed.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Plans to cut the 109 million tonnes of waste produced each year by UK construction were issued this week. Around 13 per cent of all solid materials delivered for the sector go unused, up to a third of which is landfilled. Around a third of...

Tesco responds to land bank charges.
April 6, 2007... Retail giant Tesco this week rejected claims that it holds land banks to stop its competitors expanding. In a document responding to the Competition Commission's review of the sector (Planning, 26 January, p3), Tesco argues that it would...

Sunderland wins approval for brewery regeneration scheme.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Plans by Sunderland arc to redevelop a Tesco-owned brewery site have been backed by communities secretary Ruth Kelly. The former Vaux brewery will be developed with 1,000 homes, 47,000m2 of offices, two hotels, shops and restaurants. The...

Councils hit time targets.(in managing urban planning)(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Fifty-six planning authorities will be taken off the DCLG's poor performance list after meeting or exceeding planning targets, ministers announced this week. Three-quarters of English authorities are now meeting three national targets for...

Agenda.
April 6, 2007... 24 April: Sea and Water Annual Conference. Organiser Waterfront Conference Company. Venue Liverpool. Fee pounds 99-pounds 349 + VAT Details (tel) 020 7787 1210 25 April: Retail Town Centres. Organiser RTPI. Venue Newcastle. Fee pounds 99....

Stonehenge plans hit roadwork delay.(Brief article)
April 6, 2007... Plans for a visitor centre at Stonehenge are up in the air due to indecision over local roadworks, despite approval from the communities secretary this week. Ruth Kelly made it clear that the centre is conditional on upgrading of the A303,...