Planning (UK) articles from August 2005

Planning (UK) archives from August 2005

Agenda.
August 5, 2005... DIARY TO 19 AUGUST 5-6 August: Rights and Justice. Organiser: Friends of the Earth. Venue: Barnsley. Fee: pounds 50. Details: (tel) 0113 389 9954. FUTURE DIARY 12 September: How Transport Policy Can Save the World. Organiser:...

Diary: Submarine finds berth at airport site.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Liverpool's yellow submarine set sail for a new home last week. But Beatles fans need not despair. The model has not strayed outside the city where John, Paul, George and Ringo were born. Apprentices from the Cammell Laird shipyard built...

Diary: Olympic scratching starts for games.(National Lottery scratch card for Olympic games fund raising )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... London beat off tough competition to win the contest to host the 2012 Olympic Games. But with the bid team back home and the celebrations over, there is no time to lose in putting together funding to realise the host city's plans. The...

Diary: Edinburgh salutes gold medal victor.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Elsewhere on the Olympic front, an attempt to recognise a hero of an earlier games ran into choppy water when Edinburgh City Council unveiled a plaque to honour gold medallist Allan Wells. The tablet celebrates the 25th anniversary of the...

Appointment at AERC.(Applied Environmental Research Centre Ltd. appointed Graham Gunby)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Graham Gunby has joined AERC's planning and environmental impact assessment group as senior adviser. He will focus on minerals and waste planning. Gunby previously worked for Tarmac and Suffolk and Northamptonshire County Councils.

Appointments at GVA Grimley.(Lorraine Hughes)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Lorraine Hughes has joined GVA Grimley as a partner from ATIS REAL Weatheralls. Flo Churchill and Chris Hall have been appointed as associates, moving from Faulkners and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill respectively. John Fosbraey has been...

Appointment at John Gilbert Architects.(Matt Bridgestock)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Matt Bridgestock has joined John Gilbert Architects as designer and chartered planner after completing an urban design masters course at the University of Strathclyde.

Appointment at Knight Frank.(Jeremy Edge)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Jeremy Edge has joined Knight Frank as head of planning. He moves from ATIS REAL Weatheralls, where he has been since 1979. Edge has worked on large housing proposals and is also known for his research into policy formulation on affordable...

Appointment at Institution of Highways Transportations.(David Hutchinson)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... David Hutchinson has been appointed as president of the Institution of Highways Transportation. He has worked in transport planning for various local authorities and the Government Office for London and is now a consultant to Mouchel Parkman....

Appointment at Transport Planning International (TPI).(Kevin Pallett and Sandra Hornby)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Kevin Pallett has joined Transport Planning International (TPI) as a senior associate responsible for intelligent transport systems. Pallett was previously employed by Hyder Consulting and Centro. Sandra Hornby, who specialises in sustainable...

Appointment at Aedas.(Aedas AHR)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Peter Jackson has joined Aedas as an associate architect. He will concentrate on commercial and health care projects. Jackson moves from Atkins, where he worked for ten years and was a senior architect.

Appointment at Development Planning Partnership.(Roger Mascall)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Roger Mascall has joined the Development Planning Partnership as an associate partner. He will be responsible for heritage issues. Mascall previously worked for English Heritage and the London Borough of Harrow.

Appointment at Wakefield City Council.(Pauline Foster appointed)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Pauline Foster has joined Wakefield City Council as city and town centres manager. She has been Leeds city centre manager for the past six years. Foster previously worked for Wakefield in the 1990s as principal economic research officer and...

Appointment at Norfolk County Council.(Mike Jackson appointed)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Mike Jackson has been appointed director of planning and transportation by Norfolk County Council. He replaces Sam Ralph, who retires in September.

A tale of two conferences.
August 5, 2005... The Planning Convention held on 30 June and 1 July in central London was an undoubted success, reports Andrew Kliman. That the new planning and housing minister Yvette Cooper decided to make her first official speech on planning at the...

Achieving maximum environmental benefits.(city planners)
August 5, 2005... Assessing environmental effects of policy options is now being integrated into the plan-making process, maintains Darren Bell. Like many emerging or changing policy areas, many planners have a sense that they should be doing something but...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
August 5, 2005... WHOSE CITY IS IT? WHOSE ENVIRONMENT IS IT? In many urban and environmental conflicts, different ways of thinking about and valuing what is at stake clash. In the latest issue of Planning Theory and Practice (volume 6.2) there are...

Community involvement: why is it important and worthwhile?
August 5, 2005... Involving the community can be one of the most powerful ways of reducing uncertainty as well as risk, suggests Stephen Hill. Another target, another initiative, pressures that make planning slower, more complicated and riskier, giving...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
August 5, 2005... E-mail your queries, or your replies to earlier queries, to casebook@haynet.com. Alternatively, post them to Development Control Casebook Forum, Development Control Services Ltd, Suite 1, Fullers Court, 40 Lower Quay Street, Gloucester GL1...

Casebook: Appeal case - Gaming club held to comply with amenity requirements.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The change of use of a shop to a restaurant, bar and private members' club in east London has been allowed and an enforcement notice quashed after an inspector ruled that it would not harm local residents' amenity. The appellants explained...

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Septic tank refused as unnecessary facility.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The installation of an underground septic tank at a farm in the East Devon area of outstanding natural beauty has been refused because there was no overriding need for it. The appellant operated an 11.8ha agricultural holding. The septic...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Research centre expansion plans turned down.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The enlargement of a research centre in the Buckinghamshire green belt and Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) has been rejected after an inspector decided that it amounted to inappropriate development that was not justified by...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Dog training judged to harm peace and quiet.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... An enforcement notice alleging the change of use of part of a smallholding in West Sussex for keeping and training dogs has been upheld because of the harm caused to neighbouring residents' amenity. The appellant explained that he kept and...

Casebook: Appeal case - Community facilities - Youth facility secured despite local concerns.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice and granted permission for an educational centre for disenfranchised young people and a youth club in Surrey, concluding that the use did not harm local amenity. The site was partly used for...

Casebook: Appeal case - Community facilities - Writer's birthplace extension wins support.(T E Lawrence home)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The owners of the birthplace of T E Lawrence in a north Wales conservation area have been granted permission for an extension and conservatory after an inspector's assessment of the impact on the grade II listed building. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal case - Food and drink uses - Restaurant design ruled harmful to locality.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... An appeal seeking approval for the detailed design of a restaurant as part of a retail park development in Cambridgeshire has been dismissed after an inspector decided that it was poorly conceived. The building was designed with an open...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing: new build - Brownfield homes beat compatibility objection.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Bellway Homes North East Ltd has won permission for 89 homes on a vacant Tyneside employment site after an inspector held that they were a beneficial brownfield use and would not adversely affect industrial uses. The site was allocated for...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing: new build - Lack of compliance stops work on flats.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... An appeal seeking confirmation that it is lawful to continue building six flats at a site in Kent has been dismissed after an inspector considered legal arguments over the need to comply with various conditions. The appellant had started...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing: new build - Design accepted despite absence of innovation.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... A scheme promoted by McCarthy and Stone (Developments) Ltd for 38 sheltered apartments at a former magistrates' court site in Berkshire has secured permission following an inspector's consideration of its likely impact on the surrounding area....

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Single roof slope ruled outside permitted limits.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... An enforcement notice requiring a building in the garden of a house in Middlesex to be reduced to 3m high has been upheld after an inspector rejected the appellant's interpretation of permitted development rights. The appellant argued that...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Tennis court allowed after garden trade-off.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... Two enforcement notices requiring the removal of part of a tennis court built partly within the garden of a house in Staffordshire have been quashed after an inspector noted the appellants' willingness to return another portion of their garden...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - House judged unnecessary to curb club crime.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... Plans for a replacement clubhouse and manager's accommodation at a skeet and trap club in rural Somerset have been refused after the appellants failed to demonstrate sufficient justification for the development. The appellants claimed that...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Extra planting secures approval for golf course.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... A golf course has been allowed in the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty in East Sussex after an inspector decided that it would be a visual improvement. The appeal site comprised a golf practice ground with six small grassed...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Health centre wins noise condition variation.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... Two conditions imposed on a permission for a health club in Somerset have been varied after an inspector accepted that they were not necessary in their original form. One prohibited amplified music other than that played through a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Static caravans rejected on landscape grounds.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... A proposal for 160 static holiday caravans at a country park in Suffolk currently used seasonally by up to 215 touring caravans has been dismissed after an inspector decided that it would entail a totally different form of development. In...

Casebook: Appeal case - Mixed use development - Major scheme approved adjacent to wartime site.
August 5, 2005... A proposal for 289 dwellings, a 34-bed sheltered housing unit and the reuse of a building for employment purposes on land in Buckinghamshire has been granted permission by the deputy prime minister after a call-in inquiry. The appeal site...

Casebook: Appeal case - Mixed use development - Car parking spaces win enforcement immunity.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against parking spaces in the basement of a building used as flats, a showroom and offices in central London has been quashed after an inspector agreed that they had acquired immunity. The council had granted...

Casebook: Appeal case - Mixed use development - Pub considered harmful to countryside character.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... A proposal for a themed pub and restaurant on the A617 in Nottinghamshire has been ruled unacceptable by an inspector who questioned whether a need for the scheme had been proven. The appellant suggested that the restaurant might be...

Casebook: Appeal case - Waste management - Bulky building blocks waste site extension.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The change of use of part of a waste transfer station in the West Midlands and its extension onto adjoining land has been rejected after an inspector decided that it would have a harmful impact on the street scene. The appeal site lay...

Casebook: Court case - Agency wins leave to pursue flood risk claim.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The Environment Agency has secured High Court permission to mount a full challenge to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council's decision to approve a sheltered housing scheme proposed by McCarthy and Stone Ltd. The scheme involved excavating...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Building society held harmful to vitality.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The change of use of a shop occupied by a discount clothes store in a Worcestershire town centre to a building society has been ruled out after an inspector decided that it would lead to a predominance of non-retail uses. The appeal site...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Use of moorings restricted to residents.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The use of eight pontoons at an apartment scheme on the bank of the River Itchen in Hampshire by non-residents has been rejected by an inspector who decided that it would be harmful to amenity. The council had granted permission in 1984 for...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... Decision letters for all cases with a DCS reference number can be immediately downloaded from the DCS website for pounds 12 + VAT per case. Readers without a free entry code can apply through the site. The site may also be used to browse...

Casebook: Appeal case - Listed buildings - Solar heating tubes ruled out at listed house.(Public Notice)
August 5, 2005... The installation of solar water heating collectors at a grade II listed house in Cornwall has been denied listed building consent after an inspector determined that the works would materially affect its character. The two solar collectors...

Gunfight at urbanism corral.
August 5, 2005... The Canadian Institute of Planners recently hosted a high noon showdown between the good, the bad and the new urbanist, relates ornery Cliff Hague. Howdy, pardners. Welcome to the Calgary Stampede, the greatest outdoor show on earth. Today...

Lowering the obstacles to safety on site.
August 5, 2005... Co-operation between planners and designers on health and safety can reduce workloads, argues Gillian Birkby. The government is committed to deregulation, but when it comes to planning there is not much sign of it. The reformed regime will...

Ecological designer.(Ken Yeang is designing environmentally friendly building, joined a planning consultancy Llewelyn Davies )
August 5, 2005... Architect Ken Yeang is determined to pursue the cause of environmentally friendly building in his new role at a top UK planning consultancy, he tells Catherine Early. More than 30 years ago Ken Yeang decided to devote his life to designing...

Green belt milestone sparks timely review.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Fifty years ago this week, Circular 42/55 ushered in what has become the public's favourite planning tool, the green belt. The enduring enthusiasm for the concept is highlighted in a Campaign to Protect Rural England survey revealing that 84...

Opinion: Fyson on defects in the protection of our historic assets.
August 5, 2005... The astonishing saga of the protection and presentation of Stonehenge took a further farcical turn last month. Construction of the proposed bored tunnel, which had been approved after a public inquiry and would have buried the A303 traffic that...

Capital faces prospect of higher homes target.
August 5, 2005... London authorities could face pressure to increase house building rates, says Catherine Early. London mayor Ken Livingstone wants to squeeze 37 per cent more homes into the capital. But even he admits that this will be a major challenge....

Bell on: How sustainable communities can prevent terrorism.
August 5, 2005... Do planners have a role in the war against terror? My answer is yes, although not in the aftermath of an atrocity, unless of course we choose to don reflective waistcoats in our spare time. Planners have a different but equally vital role to...

Analysis: Growth report opens up rift.
August 5, 2005... Think-tank ideas to manage South East growth have upset the housing lobby, reports Chris Baker. Wading into the policy soup that is the South East growth area was never going to be easy. Labour's favourite think-tank threw its hat into the...

Trustees demand buffer for capital.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A buffer zone should be established around Edinburgh's world heritage site to protect it from inappropriate development, a watchdog argues. The suggestion was made last week by Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH), which polices the...

Ministers sanction hydroelectric plant.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Scotland's first major hydroelectric power station for 50 years has been approved by ministers. The development at Glendoe near Fort Augustus, in the hills above Loch Ness, will be capable of generating 100MW, enough to power 250,000...

Activists seek intervention in pylon scheme.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Campaigners are demanding a public inquiry into plans for a line of 600 electricity pylons up to 65m high through the Scottish Highlands. The pylons would support high-voltage cables carrying electricity generated by wind farms in the...

PPS Consulting wins contract.(survey homes damaged by flooding)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A contract to survey homes damaged by flooding in Carlisle at the beginning of this year has been won by PPS Consulting. The firm has been asked to conduct a housing condition survey of 2,500 homes in the city. More than 3,000 properties were...

Proposals to renew Liverpool's Sefton Park.(LDA Design)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Proposals to renew Liverpool's Sefton Park are to be developed by LDA Design for the city council. Originally designed by an Anglo-French team in 1867, the public space is influenced by the 19th century style of Parisian parks. But over the...

Drivers Jonas advises University College London.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Drivers Jonas is to advise University College London (UCL) on all its property matters. The firm has been selected to advise the university on its estate including acquisitions and disposals, building surveying, development, tenancy issues,...

An area action plan for central Finsbury Park.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... An area action plan for central Finsbury Park is to be prepared by Urban Practitioners for the London Borough of Islington. The plan will focus on an area around Finsbury Park station, including Station Place, Fonthill Road, Wells Terrace,...

Mouchel Parkman expands its transport planning capabilities.(markets)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Mouchel Parkman is to expand its transport planning capabilities by creating a business unit that will bring together its transport specialists from across the UK. While the firm will continue to provide transport planning services for existing...

Faber Maunsell helps the Highways Agency,.(management of road networks)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Faber Maunsell is to help the Highways Agency manage the strategic road network. The commission involves a national roll-out of traffic officers through regional control centres to help manage road incidents being investigated by the police

JMP Consulting develops scheme in Yorkshire and the Humber.(transportation schemes rankings)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A method of ranking major regional and sub-regional transport schemes in Yorkshire and the Humber is being developed by JMP Consulting. One of the main objectives of the work, commissioned by the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber,...

Carey Jones relocates their London office.(Carey Jones Architects)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Architects Carey Jones have relocated their London office to accommodate an expanded team and a growing portfolio of work. The team is now located at Victoria House in Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, and is headed by directors Tim Tolcher and Paul...

A development strategy for Ruabon town centre.(finance from Welsh Development Agency)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A development strategy for Ruabon town centre is to be prepared by Taylor Young and AGD. The work for Wrexham County Borough Council aims to provide a long-term vision for the town's physical development. It will tackle current problems and...

Opponents reject Heathrow mitigation.(plans to safegaurd the communities near Heathrow Airport that get effected due to runway)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Plans to protect communities living near Heathrow Airport while the government considers a third runway were unveiled this week. BAA published details of a scheme to protect homes in the area from property blight caused by runway plans. A...

Study uncovers failure to reduce car journeys.(transport travel survey)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Efforts to entice people out of their cars and make more journeys on foot appear to be failing, according to latest research. A Department for Transport travel survey published last week reveals that walking trips per person fell by a fifth...

Motorists lament West Midlands traffic.(reduce congestion and improve public transport)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Tackling traffic congestion in the West Midlands must be a priority for regional leaders, the area's drivers insisted last week. In a survey by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (PTE), local motorists highlighted transport as...

Bus link opens up access to Dearne Valley.(South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A bus route was launched this week to open up job opportunities in the deprived Dearne Valley area of South Yorkshire. The link is the result of research by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (PTE). It will connect...

Survey reveals rising volume of road freight.(goods transportation)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... UK heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are carrying more freight and are responsible for a larger share of all goods transportation, according to latest government figures. A Department for Transport review of road freight published last week...

Livingston greets big retail scheme.(town centres expansion plans)
August 5, 2005... Plans for a major expansion of Livingston town centre could create Scotland's largest shopping complex, it emerged last week. The pounds 90 million scheme would see the Almondvale shopping centre gain an extra 32,500m2 of retail space. With...

Views sought on Newcastle renewal plans.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Three options for regenerating Newcastle's Walker Riverside are to be put out for consultation to test public support. The proposals, categorised according to their level of impact, outline a range of housing, infrastructure and clearance...

Plans submitted for waterfront development in Hull.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Plans for an pounds 88 million waterfront development in Hull have been submitted to the city council. The Boom features more than 600 flats, shops, boutiques, cafes and a 120-bed hotel on the River Hull's east bank. Developer Pure Urban...

Grosvenor gets Crawley town centre redevelopment.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Grosvenor has beaten three other developers in a contest for the pounds 500 million Crawley town centre redevelopment. The company was chosen last week by Crawley Borough Council over Capital Shopping Centres, Land Securities and Westfield. The...

Plans to extend the port at Great Yarmouth set to go ahead.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Plans to extend the port at Great Yarmouth look set to go ahead after the Department for Transport agreed to make a harbour revision order. This grants permission to develop the Eastport project, which involves building an outer harbour for...

Residents of Southwick in Sunderland to have they say.(discussion on community development)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Residents of Southwick in Sunderland are being invited to have their say on the future development of their community. A six-week consultation on a masterplan by Sunderland Housing Group will begin next week. It proposes to demolish 223 homes...

Laing O'Rourke appointed main contractor for redevelopment.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Laing O'Rourke has been appointed as the main contractor for the pounds 350 million redevelopment of the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The company will begin construction on the first phases of the Quartermile project within the next few...

BURA to hold its European conference and study tour in Barcelona.(services of British Urban Regeneration Association)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) is to hold its first major European conference and study tour in Barcelona next May. The tour, announced at BURA's annual dinner last week, will provide an opportunity to understand how the city...

Funding has been secured to complete first phase of the East Kent access road.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Funding of pounds 18 million has been secured to complete the first phase of the East Kent access road. The money from the government will allow work to begin on the final section of the A256 upgrade between Sandwich and Ramsgate. Kent County...

Ambitions for Stevenage town centre.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... A document setting out ambitions for the large-scale regeneration of Stevenage town centre has been adopted by the borough council. The supplementary planning document (SPD) sets the agenda for a significant rise in the number of people living...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 5, 2005... Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has not granted planning permission for Shirley Advance's plans to redevelop Shirley town centre (Planning, 29 July, p5). The cabinet has agreed to allow the developer to submit a planning application...

Belfast masterplans set to be unveiled.(Belfast city is being transformed)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Two masterplans to transform the north-east and north-west sections of Belfast city centre were launched this week. The blueprints, unveiled by the Department of Social Development, will supplement the regeneration policy framework that was...

Salisbury knocks back Stonehenge visitor plan.(Salisbury District Council)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Proposals for a visitor centre near Stonehenge were refused last week after councillors took issue with a train link and access arrangements. Part-owner of the site English Heritage had applied to build a single-storey visitor centre in...

Whitehall modifies brownfield figures.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... The government has raised its estimate of the proportion of house building on brownfield land from 67 to 70 per cent. In updated estimates of land-use change in England up to 2004, issued last week, the ODPM reports that 70 per cent of new...

Developers selected for plans to build eco-homes.(Artisan)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2005... Developers have been selected for plans to build 80 eco-homes as part of the renewal of Rochdale's Dale Mill community. Barratt Homes and Artisan will work with the Oldham-Rochdale housing market renewal pathfinder to transform the former mill...