Planning (UK) articles from April 2009

Planning (UK) archives from April 2009

Planning in the media.
April 3, 2009... Plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have been dealt a serious blow after a government document warned that owner BAA cannot lodge a planning application before the next general election, The Guardian reported. According to a...

Diary.(Diary entry)
April 3, 2009... The University of Manchester's Kendall Harvey Ball took the pounds 1,500 golden prize in this year's Planning Student Quiz final, sponsored by RPS. Planning and landscape management fourth years Michaela Andrew, Katie Delaney, James Grundy...

Appointment at Bidwells Planning.(Robert Taylor has been promoted to divisional partner )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Robert Taylor has been promoted to divisional partner in Bidwells Planning's Northampton office, while John Long has become an associate and Rob Snowling principal planner in Norwich. -------------------- Did you find this article...

Appointment at Hammonds LLP.(Simon Best appointed as senior associate )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Hammonds LLP has appointed Simon Best senior associate in its planning team. He joins from Warwick District Council, where he was the primary legal adviser to the planning committee. -------------------- Did you find this article...

Appointment at Bidwells Planning.(Andy Butcher promoted as divisional partner )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Bidwells Planning has promoted Andy Butcher to divisional partner in Chelmsford. Helen Thompson, who heads the landscape architecture and urban design team in Cambridge, is also promoted to divisional partner. -------------------- Did...

Appointment at Lend Lease.(Graham Thomas appointed as project finance director )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Lend Lease has appointed Graham Thomas project finance director in the UK. He was previously head of property partnerships at Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander and replaces Julius Gottlieb. -------------------- Did you find this article...

Learning partner newcomer reinforces training message.(DPP organization recieved award for its professional development management)
April 3, 2009... DPP's commitment to professional development gains the institute's recognition, writes Jacqui Ward. Employers are facing challenging times in the economic downturn and training budgets are in danger of being the first to be cut. But the...

Institute's rural policy response stresses community involvement.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The RTPI is urging planners to involve communities in deciding how the landscape is managed and maintained in its response to Natural England's draft policy document All Landscapes Matter. The response, which was informed by the rural planning...

Events.(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 3, 2009... - Landmines Political and Real - Post-War Planning in Angola 23 April. International Development Network. Colin Buchanan, Eastbourne Terrace, London. Colin Buchanan principal planner Donald Chambers will talk about his voluntary work...

Developing examination techniques.
April 3, 2009... Good preparation and teamwork are vital to steering development plan documents through the inquiry process, David Alexander maintains. With many development plan documents (DPDs) set to go for an examination in public (EiP), the RTPI North...

Seeing is believing for study tour benefits.
April 3, 2009... Viewing developments allows authorities to assess first-hand how fresh approaches can be of value, argue Nicholas Falk and Anne Wyatt Although there is a range of information sources available to local authorities, one key way to build...

Welsh sustainability policy package bids to translate vision into practice.
April 3, 2009... The built environment will play a key role in supporting government action to combat climate change and the planning profession is gearing up to encourage sustainable development in Wales, explains Roisin Willmott. The profession is taking...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Vegetable store removal order endorsed.
April 3, 2009... The retention of an agricultural building in Cambridgeshire for vegetable storage has been refused permission following a failed appeal against an enforcement notice requiring its removal. The 25m by 25m building had been put up in July...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Smallholder unable to secure retail sales.
April 3, 2009... The conversion of a former telecommunications building in Nottinghamshire into an agricultural smallholding and retail sales has been refused after the business case was ruled insufficiently robust. The appellants intended to keep one goat,...

DC Casebook: Commercial and Industrial - Council faulted for prioritising deadline.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... In granting permission for an office development on Teesside, an inspector has granted costs against the council on the grounds that it should not have refused the plan simply to hit timeliness targets. The appellants argued that enough...

DC Casebook: Commercial and Industrial - Factory chimney removal notice upheld.
April 3, 2009... A company has failed to overturn an enforcement notice requiring the removal of a chimney at a factory in Nottinghamshire because of its adverse visual impact. A previous appeal had been dismissed last year. The inspector saw no grounds...

DC Casebook: Food and Drink Uses - Poor bus access stymies park catering.
April 3, 2009... Proposals for a family restaurant and pub on a Gloucestershire business park have been pronounced unacceptable on the grounds that the site is poorly served by public transport. The site was served by one bus route, operating hourly between...

DC Casebook: Food and Drink Uses - Riding school cafe approved in green belt.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The provision of a prefabricated building for use as a riding school cafe in the Wirral green belt has been approved despite an inspector concluding that it involves inappropriate development. The appellant explained that the development...

DC Casebook: Food and Drink Uses - Natural stone required for extension.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... A condition imposed on a permission for a two-storey extension to a grade II listed house in Cumbria requiring all elevations to be constructed of natural stone is justified, an inspector has ruled. The owner sought a variation in the...

DC Casebook: Housing - New Build - Homes put on hold pending regional plan.
April 3, 2009... The secretary of state has rejected an outline proposal for 360 dwellings in Gloucestershire, finding that the site has not yet been identified in the regional strategy as an appropriate location for strategic development. The site had an...

DC Casebook: Housing - New Build - Contemporary home approved in park.
April 3, 2009... Permission for a replacement dwelling in the New Forest national park has been secured after an inspector ruled that its design need not reflect the built heritage of the surrounding area. The proposed dwelling comprised a long thin...

DC Casebook: Housing - New Build - Outline scheme rejected on lack of detail.
April 3, 2009... An inspector has rejected outline plans for a housing development on land in south Wales, finding a lack of detail after an illustrative plan showing 18 dwellings was withdrawn before determination of the application. The inspector...

DC Casebook: Housing - Conversion - Flat conversion policy fails to prevail.
April 3, 2009... An inspector has granted retrospective permission for the conversion of a house in east London into two flats after finding that it would not undermine policy objectives to create a balanced housing supply and a mixed community. A unitary...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Celebrity status justifies higher gates.
April 3, 2009... Guitarist Eric Clapton has secured permission for replacement gates at his home in the Surrey green belt after an inspector concluded that their inappropriateness was outweighed by the appellant's need for privacy. The inspector found that...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Garage conversion deemed insignificant.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The conversion of an integral garage at a dwelling in Northumberland has been allowed despite council concern that it would lead to a disproportionate increase in habitable floor space in a rural area. The council's policy indicated that...

DC Casebook: Mixed Use Development - Theatre loss accepted but design faulted.
April 3, 2009... Conservation area consent for the demolition of a former theatre in Gloucestershire has been rejected because of perceived inadequacies in the design of a proposed replacement building The premises had been built as a theatre in 1913 and...

DC Casebook: Mixed Use Development - Football club relocation scheme secured.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Following recovery of three appeals in Hampshire, the secretary of state has decided that planning permission should be granted for a new football club as well as housing on existing sports sites. The first appeal proposed demolition of the...

DC Casebook: Mixed Use Development - Student housing fails to pass vitality test.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... A mixed scheme comprising residential accommodation for students and a mixture of retail and food and drink uses at ground-floor level has been rejected at a site in Leicestershire on the basis that it would not create interest and vitality....

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Retail space held to dent centre vitality.
April 3, 2009... An inspector has refused to vary a size condition imposed on a south London retail park after deciding that a limit on the scale of the individual units is justified. The condition stipulated that no retail unit should be larger than...

DC Casebook: Telecommunications - Olympic footpath width rules out mast.
April 3, 2009... An inspector has endorsed the Olympic Delivery Authority's decision to refuse planning permission for an 11.5m-high telecommunications mast near the proposed 2012 Olympic stadium in east London because it would compromise the width of a...

DC Casebook: Trees and Hedgerows - Tree felling justified on safety grounds.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The removal of four trees protected by a tree preservation order has been authorised after a reporter accepted that they constitute a threat to a house in Ayrshire. The trees were around 24m in height and stood just under 12m from the rear...

DC Casebook: Waste Management - Fishery use secured by waste imports.
April 3, 2009... The import of waste to create two islands and fish holding ponds at a site near Swindon has been approved by an inspector who found that it would not threaten residents' amenity or highway safety. The appellants also proposed to provide two...

DC Casebook: Next Week.
April 3, 2009... Hotel ruled out over amenity concerns A budget hotel in central Exeter has been rejected on the grounds that it would result in unacceptable noise and disturbance for the occupiers of nearby flats. DCS Number 100-061-044 ...

DC Casebook: In depth - Church trial run approved to test amenity impact of overnight use.
April 3, 2009... An inspector has agreed to vary a condition that limits the hours of use of a church in Kent, allowing it to host overnight activities for a trial period lasting 18 months. Permission for the church had been granted in 2004 subject to a...

DC Casebook: Agricultural Development - Council faulted on viability calculation.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... An inspector has extended the period during which a mobile home can remain at a nursery in Hampshire after criticising the council's assessment of financial viability. Permission had been granted for a mobile home on the site in 2005 for...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Outdoor dining judged amenity threat.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The owner of a restaurant in west London has failed to secure the removal of a condition preventing her from placing tables and chairs in front of the premises. The condition prevented the siting of tables and chairs in an open area in...

DC Casebook: Housing new Build - Changing picture allows village home.
April 3, 2009... A dwelling proposed in the garden of a house in a Cornish village has been allowed after an inspector accepted that the site is not so important that it should remain undeveloped. The corner site lay on a main approach road at a point where...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.(Caravan Sites Act 1968)
April 3, 2009... New queries Casebook recently reported an appeal in which the inspector quashed an enforcement notice after holding that a timber dwelling was capable of being moved and was therefore a caravan (DCS Number 100-060-172, Planning, 6 March,...

How we did it ... Hotel takes lead in push towards green business.
April 3, 2009... Project: Turning the Crown Spa Hotel Scarborough into the UK's greenest traditional hotel. Background: The hotel's owners decided that they want to make the grade II* listed mid 19th century building as sustainable as possible. Who is...

The things I know: Jane Piper, Director, Terence O'Rourke.(Interview)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... - What skills did you have when you graduated? I graduated from Coventry University with a BA (Hons) in urban and regional planning and a bachelor of town planning. I'm afraid that I am a planner through and through. - What attracted...

Consents timed out.(Town and Country Planning Act 1990)
April 3, 2009... In the face of the slowdown the government needs to act now to extend permissions and give developers more time to adjust to changing economic circumstances, says Ben Ford. A tremor has been running through the development industry in...

Renewal of confidence.
April 3, 2009... Planners can play a key role in meeting carbon reduction and renewable energy targets if they can build their knowledge base and secure co-operation from other professions, Rob Shaw and Celeste Morgan conclude. Low and zero carbon energy...

Top testament to youth.
April 3, 2009... Knight Frank's Charles Mills has risen to a leading position at an early age and welcomes the enthusiasm that younger planners can contribute to the profession, Susanna Gillman finds. To take the job of head of planning in Knight Frank's...

Rural affordable home response hands rescue baton to planners.(government-backed commission plan on urban development)
April 3, 2009... When it comes to action to save our ailing countryside, there is one crucial piece of advice - don't hold your breath. Take the shambles that is affordable housing provision in rural areas. A government-backed commission was set up to look...

Fyson on ... facing up to climate change responsibility ..
April 3, 2009... Facing up to climate change responsibility with government framework for renewables funding. When an eminent former captain of the energy industry advocates state intervention as the only way to reach national climate change targets, it...

Gummer on ... Taking control of recovery.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Planners are going to have to do their bit to help the UK out of the recession. Going round the country, I have found that this comes as a surprise to the more entrenched. We need the word 'welcome' on the mat for those few developers who...

Legal report.
April 3, 2009... Viability kicks in at policy and individual site levels Debate on developer contributions focuses on reopening and renegotiating existing planning obligations as well as the responsibilities placed on central and local government to...

Planning better health.(health inequality initiatives)
April 3, 2009... With a Commons committee calling for action to tackle widening health inequalities the case for policies to be implemented through the planning system gathers strength, notes Ben Lee. It is Jamie Oliver who usually does the grilling. When...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... pounds 319m The money that DEFRA has awarded for building waste facilities in Hertfordshire, Norfolk and south London through private finance initiatives, to help limit landfill. pounds 170m - The cash that the government has allocated...

Application lodged for Glasgow centre.
April 3, 2009... A 30-storey landmark tower will form the centrepiece of an pounds 80 million redevelopment of Glasgow's Savoy Centre under plans unveiled last week. The scheme by Belfast-based PBN Properties includes a 221-bedroom hotel, 6,000m2 of office...

Croft homes bill attacked.(occupancy regulatory conditions on croft housing )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Proposals to impose occupancy conditions on croft housing have come under strong attack from Highland Council members. The Scottish Government will publish a draft bill later in the spring that is expected to propose measures to reduce...

Talks bid to salvage developer schemes.(Edinburgh City Council negotiate with Mountgrange Capital )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Hopes were raised this week that two major regeneration projects being led by Mountgrange Capital may survive the developer's collapse. Edinburgh City Council confirmed last week that officials are talking to the administrator in an...

Online now ... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk.
April 3, 2009... Today for a look at Corby's first train link with London in 40 years Tory shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman interviewed Also online Planning Podcast with this year's student quiz winners Electric Works, Sheffield, reviewed. ...

Turley drives club consent.(Mere Golf and Country Club contracts with Turley Associates )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Turley Associates has secured planning permission for an 85-bedroom hotel at Mere Golf and Country Club near Knutsford in the north Cheshire green belt. The application was formally approved following referral to the Government Office for...

Appeal lifts home refusal.(plans for a mixed-use project in Mitcham approved)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Plans for a mixed-use project in Mitcham have been given the go-ahead after a successful appeal by Genesis Housing Group and Savills' affordable housing team. The scheme at 181-191 Streatham Road, which will comprise private housing and...

Team shapes waste guide.(Mouchel has been appointed by CSS to prepare advice on waste management )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Mouchel has been appointed by CSS to prepare advice on waste management in housing developments to guide local authorities. The consultancy's waste and urban design teams will work together to produce best practice guidelines on how to...

Firm looks at park and ride.(feasibility study conducted for bus-based park-and-ride service )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Colin Buchanan is looking at the feasibility of a bus-based park-and-ride service in south Manchester. The study for Stagecoach Manchester will establish levels of demand, options for service patterns and potential locations. ...

Drivers Jonas takes on Haringey project.(London Borough of Haringey contract with Drivers Jonas )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Drivers Jonas has advised on a project to regenerate a 5ha former gasworks site in north London with a mixed-use development. Outline plans for the Clarendon Square scheme, being prepared by National Grid Property Holdings (NGPH) and the...

Terence O'Rourke secures key Southampton waterfront deal.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Terence O'Rourke has been appointed to redesign Southampton's Royal Pier waterfront as part of a major regeneration initiative. Southampton City Council, Associated British Ports and Crown Estates want to attract residents and visitors by...

City releases project sites.(Birmingham City Council plans for economic regeneration)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Almost 300ha of land is being touted for development opportunities by Birmingham City Council in a bid to stimulate a wave of economic regeneration. The authority has identified 46 sites in the north-west, east and south of the city. The...

Resorts net more funds.
April 3, 2009... The government has announced plans to spend pounds 2.7 million on nine seaside towns as part of its Sea Change programme. The initiative is designed to revive England's resorts by investing in culture and heritage. Highlights include pounds...

Welsh docks plan unveiled.(Port Talbot County Borough Council's regeneration plan)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... A draft masterplan to redevelop Port Talbot town centre and docks over the next 20 years has been unveiled. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council has drawn up a regeneration plan similar to one already produced for Neath and has...

Permission granted for Leeds centre hotel.
April 3, 2009... How planning has secured planning permission for a 244-bedroom hotel development in Leeds city centre. The site sits between Leeds Metropolitan University, Millennium Square and the proposed pounds 80 million Concert Arena unveiled at the...

South Bank towers win Blears's assent.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Two major high-rise developments on London's South Bank have been granted approval by communities secretary Hazel Blears. Last week, Blears gave the green light to a pounds 1 billion mixed-use project at 1 Blackfriars Road. This will...

Firms flag up line benefits.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The UK's first high-speed rail line could deliver more than pounds 17 billion over 60 years in economic, regeneration and long-term growth benefits, a study has shown. The report by Colin Buchanan and Volterra was commissioned by London &...

Rail freight hub studied.
April 3, 2009... Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners (NLP) has been appointed to provide an independent assessment of a proposed strategic rail freight interchange at Rossington. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council has instructed the consultancy to advise...

Capital gives link approval.(London Assembly approve station at Surrey Canal Road)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The London Assembly has voted in favour of plans to extend the East London Line to Brixton and a station at Surrey Canal Road. The motion proposes a spur creating a stop in Brixton town centre between Clapham High Street and Denmark Hill...

Works investment to support housing.
April 3, 2009... Ministers have revealed that pounds 170 million has been allocated in transport funding to help housing development. Planning minister Margaret Beckett and transport minister Paul Clark said the money will come from the community...

Mayor withholds Victoria plan consent over Crossrail funding.
April 3, 2009... London mayor Boris Johnson has refused consent for Land Securities' plans to redevelop the area around Victoria station. The decision was announced at a meeting of the Greater London Authority planning committee. However, a spokeswoman from...

Councils win waste funds.
April 3, 2009... Waste facilities in three English areas will get more than pounds 300 million of private finance initiative (PFI) funding, DEFRA has announced. The schemes will help the UK meet the targets set under the EU landfill directive to reduce the...

Wilson mulls park status.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Northern Ireland's environment minister has visited Scotland to see whether its national park model could be introduced in the province. Sammy Wilson will consider whether areas such as the Mourne mountains in County Down should get...

Group unites green drive.(Urban Regeneration and Greenspace Partnership )(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The Forestry Commission has formed a partnership to make the UK's towns and cities greener. The Urban Regeneration and Greenspace Partnership was launched at the ParkCity conference in London last week. It will bring together government...

Island quarry set to grow.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Proposals to extend the use of a quarry in Guernsey have been given the go-ahead by a planning inspector. The plans would allow stone to continue to be dug from Les Vardes Quarry until 2030. However, a change to the island's rural area...

Guidance urged for biodiversity action.
April 3, 2009... The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has called for guidance on measuring, reporting and setting targets for biodiversity to be incorporated into planning policy. In a report released this week, the council urges the DCLG to put...

Countryside group slams home targets in Dover core strategy.
April 3, 2009... The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has slammed housing plans outlined by a Kent council. The group's representatives in the county said Dover District Council's core strategy is 'high-risk, undeliverable and inappropriate'. The...

Toolkit to advise on provision of culture.(Town and Country Planning Association)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Government-backed guidance on fostering culture and sport has been issued by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). The five-step online toolkit for planners, developers and regeneration professionals explains how to build sport...

Capital team faces merger.(planning decisions teams at the Greater London Authority merge)(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... The London Plan and planning decisions teams at the Greater London Authority (GLA) are to be merged into one unit under proposals by mayor Boris Johnson. The unit would be led by new executive director for development and environment Fiona...

Yorkshire and Humber heralds regional assembly dissolution.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Yorkshire and Humber's regional assembly has become the latest of the UK's eight such bodies to be formally dissolved as a result of the sub-national review. The reform of regional planning was first mooted in 2007. It will see regional...

Agenda.(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 3, 2009... 22 APRIL: Waste Matters Organiser: RTPI Venue: Durham Fee: pounds 99 Details: northeast@rtpi.org.uk 22 APRIL: Water Everywhere - Flood Risk Update Organiser: RTPI Venue: Durham Fee: pounds 99 Details: northeast@rtpi.org.uk ...

South Downs' park status celebrated.(Brief article)
April 3, 2009... Environmental groups have welcomed the government's green light for the South Downs to become England's ninth national park. The protected area will stretch from Beachy Head to the edge of Winchester in line with an independent inspector's...

Drivers Jonas predicts cuts.
April 3, 2009... Drivers Jonas has announced that 30 staff are being made redundant across its six professional groups, with some job cuts expected in its planning team. There will be 25 redundancies in London and five in its regional offices. A spokesman...

Stadium move plays up community space.
April 3, 2009... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has unveiled proposals for community event space as part of its stadium plans. The public square on Tottenham High Road, designed by landscape architects Martha Schwartz Partners as part of the Northumberland...

Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment criticises government's proposals.
April 3, 2009... The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment has criticised the government's proposals for environmental decisions to be made by the infrastructure planning commission (IPC). The organisation maintained that the recently...

Supermarket owners fail to block planning permission.
April 3, 2009... The owners of a Co-op supermarket in Worcestershire have failed to block planning permission for a nearby Tesco store that they fear may force them out of business and harm the town centre. Midcounties Co-operative Ltd challenged Wyre...