Planning (UK) articles from August 2006

Planning (UK) archives from August 2006

Agenda.
August 4, 2006... FORWARD DIARY 1-13 September: Planning Summer School. Organiser: Planning Summer School. Venue: Canterbury. Fee: pounds 215-pounds 699 + VAT. Details: (tel) 01722 339811. 5 September: Planning - The Essentials. Organiser: Henry...

Underwear adverts cost firm a grand.
August 4, 2006... Lingerie firm Agent Provocateur has been hit with a pounds 1,000 fine after being caught out by latest local authority powers to tackle fly-posting. The company was prosecuted by Birmingham City Council after promotional posters...

Greens treated to impromptu sauna.(room temperature issues at London School of Economics building)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Staying cool in the recent heatwave has not been easy. But while the majority are turning up the air conditioning to 11, some are prepared to sweat it out for the sake of the environment. At the launch of a Sustainable Development...

Beverage settles sustainable debate.
August 4, 2006... The ticklish question of what constitutes sustainable development has finally been solved. It has a rich aroma and it picks you up in the morning. Planning's mole at the Home Builders Federation recently noticed Sustainable Development...

Appointment at NA Fuller Peiser.
August 4, 2006... Nicola Forster has been promoted to associate and Jonathan Stoddart has risen to senior planner in the London planning and environment service at NAI Fuller Peiser. Sam Chisholm and Tom Lenham have both been recruited as junior planners as part...

Appointment at Indigo Planning.
August 4, 2006... Kevin Watson has been appointed as a senior planner by Indigo Planning in London. He previously worked for Planning Potential. Indigo has also appointed Ben Haynes and Leanne Croft as senior planners in its London office.

Appointment at DPP.(Development Planning Partnership)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Carrie McDonagh has joined Development Planning Partnership (DPP) in Belfast as a senior planner. She previously worked for the Department of the Environment in Belfast. Sonia Gallagher has joined DPP as a planner in Bedford from Toowoomba City...

Appointment at WSP Development and Transportation.
August 4, 2006... Stefano Mainero has been appointed principal engineer by WSP Development and Transportation in Bristol. He will manage a number of UK and European projects for the company.

Appointment at Wragge & Co LLP.
August 4, 2006... Karen Howard has been recruited as a director by Wragge & Co LLP in London. Howard, previously head of planning and regeneration at Olswang, has also worked at property law firms Berwin Leighton Paisner and Ashurst as well as two local...

Appointment at Galliford Try.
August 4, 2006... Richard Chalmers, David Wright and John Harmer have been appointed as project managers by Galliford Try. Chalmers was previously a project manager at Furlong Homes, Wright previously worked for Rooff Ltd and Harmer was employed by Kajima...

Appointment at Alliance Environment and Planning.
August 4, 2006... Helen Hudson has been made principal planning consultant at Alliance Environment and Planning, where she will be responsible for major development projects dealing with minerals and waste. Hudson previously worked for Surrey County Council.

Appointment at Colin Buchanan.
August 4, 2006... Chad Nwanosike has joined Colin Buchanan as an associate. He was previously at Capita Symonds and has worked on high-profile projects including the 2012 Olympic Games bid.

Appointment at Chester-le-Street District Council.
August 4, 2006... Martin Walker has been recruited as head of regeneration by Chester-le-Street District Council. He was previously head of programme management at Bridging NewcastleGateshead.

Appointment at WSP Environmental.
August 4, 2006... Alan Heatley has joined WSP Environmental as an associate director and team leader for environmental impact assessment (EIA) work. Vanessa Thorpe has joined WSP's EIA team in Basingstoke as a senior consultant.

Local efforts produce nationwide benefits.(interview of Royal Town Planning Institute member)(Interview)
August 4, 2006... The institute is striving to provide quality services to members through regional and national activities, explains Charles Veal. How long have you been working for the RTPI and what was your previous role? I have been working for the...

Our future is safe with planners like these.(Positive Action Training Highway)
August 4, 2006... The hard work of talented trainees is now earning more recognition from outside the RTPI. Louise Compagnone investigates. Judith Montford, winner of the Positive Action Training Highway (PATH) national best trainee planner award, was...

Listening to opinions of young people pays off.(Planning Aid North)
August 4, 2006... Planning Aid's pioneering approach to community planning has resulted in a nomination for an award, reports Tino Hernandez. Planning Aid North (PAN) staff and volunteers are crossing their fingers following their nomination by the RTPI for...

RTPI Bulletin board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(elected members list)
August 4, 2006... MEMBERSHIP ELECTIONS At the meeting of the membership panel on 14 July, 98 candidates were elected to corporate membership, together with applicants for other classes of membership. Those successfully elected to membership were: Tanya...

RTPI News - Scotland takes strides to advance programme for planning reforms.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill)(Legislation)
August 4, 2006... Progress has been made since the Scottish bill but further amendments are needed if real reform is to occur, says Graham U'ren. The Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill was introduced into the Scottish parliament at the very end of 2005, and by...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.(converting garages to holiday home)
August 4, 2006... New queries My client owns a large house in a substantial plot on the edge of attractive countryside and a tourist area. A detached garage with a playroom above has been converted into a bedroom with toilet and shower that has been let for...

Casebook: Flats denied due to failure to respect locality's character.(pubs not permitted in the flats)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The redevelopment of a pub on a south-east London housing estate with a block of 20 flats has been rejected on the grounds that it would undermine the area's character and appearance, nearby residents' living conditions, adjoining open space...

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Alpaca shelter held harmful to special landscape.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The retention of a wooden shelter for alpacas in the Cheshire green belt has been refused planning permission because it appeared as a prominent, isolated and incongruous feature. The inspector dismissed an appeal for its retention, finding...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Training centre fails noise and landscape tests.
August 4, 2006... A management training centre proposed in open countryside in County Durham has been rejected on the grounds that it would cause noise and disturbance, harm the landscape and diminish road safety. The development involved the change of use...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Dog rescue centre fails on green belt grounds.
August 4, 2006... A boarding kennels and dog rehabilitation centre has been rejected on a disused airfield in Lancashire following an inspector's ruling that it would be inappropriate in the green belt. The inspector considered that the single-storey...

Casebook: Appeal case - Community facilities - Education centre benefits outweigh amenity loss.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The continued use of two retail units in Surrey for educational training has been secured after an inspector accepted the facility's importance to the local community. The centre's training programmes catered for students who had been...

Casebook: Appeal case - Community facilities - Student housing supported in residential area.
August 4, 2006... The use of three houses in Blackpool as student accommodation has won approval from an inspector who concluded that the housing would not undermine local residents' amenity. The council maintained that the use would create a more intensive...

Casebook: Appeal case - Food and drink uses - Raised ground levels held to damage countryside.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Retrospective planning permission has been refused for the retention of raised ground levels at the rear of a pub in Warwickshire on the grounds that the works were visually damaging and incongruous. The land was bounded by the Oxford Canal...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, New build - Off-site affordable provision judged acceptable.
August 4, 2006... A proposal for 24 sheltered apartments at a site in Hampshire has been approved after an inspector agreed that it would be impractical to make provision for affordable housing within the development. The appellants argued that it would be...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, New build - Homes approved despite prematurity argument.
August 4, 2006... The secretary of state has overruled an inspector's advice and is minded to grant permission for 200 homes on greenfield land in Devon in light of a significant need for affordable housing. Although the site was identified for housing...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, New build - Personal circumstances fail to secure dwelling.
August 4, 2006... An appellant's personal circumstances have failed to secure permission for a bungalow in the Herefordshire countryside after an inspector expressed concern that it would remain long after any special case ceased to apply. The appellant had...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, New build - Evidence on energy efficiency deemed inadequate.
August 4, 2006... An inspector has dismissed an appeal for nine flats on a site in Oxfordshire after concluding that insufficient evidence had been submitted on the scheme's ability to optimise energy efficiency. A local plan policy required an assessment of...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Steel storage container held to be use of land.
August 4, 2006... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice requiring the removal of a storage container at a home in south Wales after deciding that it involved a use of land rather than operational development. The council claimed that the steel box...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Garage judged lawful despite council misgivings.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A lawful development certificate has been issued confirming that a small building in Devon would be lawful after an inspector decided that it would fall within permitted development rights. The appellant proposed to build a pre-cast...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - River ladders judged not to harm green belt.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... An enforcement notice directed against six ladders installed along a stretch of river in Dorset has been quashed following a ruling that they were not harmful to the green belt's character and appearance. The inspector felt that the river...

Casebook: Appeal case - Retail development - Replacement store secures provisional support.
August 4, 2006... The secretary of state is minded to accept an inspector's recommendation to allow the replacement of an out-of-centre Tesco store in Hastings, concluding that the benefits outweigh concerns about the adequacy of the applicant's sequential...

Casebook: Appeal case - Retail development - Cash dispenser escapes need for permission.(Automated teller machines)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a free-standing cash dispenser at a filling station in Northamptonshire has been quashed after an inspector decided that it did not involve development. The unit comprised a conventional...

Casebook: Appeal case - Telecommunications - Mobile phone mast overcomes impact concerns.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... An inspector has allowed an appeal by O2 (UK) Ltd for a 12.5m high telecommunications mast in south Wales after concluding that the council had acted unreasonably in refusing the proposal. The local authority accepted that the proposed...

Casebook: Appeal case - Waste management - Waste management centre ruled unacceptable.
August 4, 2006... An integrated recycling and composting centre proposed on Humberside has been ruled out on the grounds that it would adversely affect the quality of an area of high landscape value. The inspector agreed that the 8,856m2 facility would help...

Casebook: Court case - Gypsy caravan site decision reversed again.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court verdict overruling the deputy prime minister's decision to refuse planning permission for four Gypsies families to remain on a site in Bedfordshire. The families, who had occupied the site...

Casebook: Court case - Council fails in bid to remove eyesore garage.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Cardiff County Council has lost an attempt to force the owner of a partially built garage to remove it after the High Court decided that it can remain. The council had granted planning permission for the development in 1993 and the owner...

Casebook: Court case - Builders win challenge on policy consideration.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The High Court has quashed an inspector's decision to reject plans for four detached properties in West Sussex after concluding that a structure plan policy had not been properly considered. The developers argued that the inspector should...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Condensers foiled by impact on listed office.
August 4, 2006... Listed building consent has been denied for the retention of four condenser units attached to an external wall of a grade II listed office building in Sheffield following a ruling that they adversely affected its character. The building...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Restrictions on taxi booking office approved.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Temporary planning permission has been granted for the retention of a taxi booking office in Greater Manchester after an inspector agreed that it was feasible to impose a condition preventing taxis from waiting in specific streets around the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Housing prevented on major employment site.
August 4, 2006... Residential development on part of a larger area of land identified in a study as required for future employment use in Northampton has been rejected because the appellants had failed to demonstrate that it should be released for housing. ...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
August 4, 2006... 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 - Housing, new build - Risk to bus operations thwarts flats proposal.
August 4, 2006... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's advice to dismiss two appeals involving between 166 and 183 apartments on a site in Warwickshire after concluding that they could hamper a bus operator's ability to provide services without...

Condition adds to workload.(planninmg application standards)
August 4, 2006... Applicants face having to produce greater amounts of paperwork under rules taking effect next week. Chris Baker investigates. From next Thursday, it becomes mandatory for the majority of planning applications to be accompanied by design and...

Liverpool's renewal targets reputation.(European Boxing Championships and World Firefighter Games in 2008)
August 4, 2006... Project failures have not deterred Liverpool from pursuing an ambitious regeneration programme, reports Catherine Early. Liverpool has had its fair share of knocks over the years. Several failed high-profile projects have whipped up bad...

Top legal pacesetter.(next phase of expansion)
August 4, 2006... Christopher Katkowski QC looks forward to leading the next phase of expansion at his chambers while juggling his own wide range of casework, says Bryan Johnston. Nathalie Lieven and Tim Mould's inclusion in last month's list of 175 new QCs...

Radioactive mess is swept under carpet.
August 4, 2006... One of the fundamental principles violated by the government's rushed energy review is that you should clean up a mess before making another one. The drive for a new generation of nuclear plants is the perfect example. This week the...

Fyson on ... weighing up the pros and cons of bypass schemes.
August 4, 2006... Last month's report describing the inadequacy of procedures for evaluating the effects of new roads makes dismal reading for anyone who still believes that we can build our way out of congestion. But Beyond Transport Infrastructure, jointly...

Capital sets the pace in zero-carbon campaign.
August 4, 2006... London's mayor is leading the drive to cut developments' carbon emissions, reports Huw Morris. Solarcentury chief executive Jeremy Leggett admits to absolute frustration when asked about the role of energy efficiency in the battle to cut...

Shepley on ... how economics can get in the way of planning.(Xanadunian economy at the gravest risk)
August 4, 2006... In Xanadu, Alf was preparing to go on holiday. Although Samarkand was crowded at this time of the year, he and Mrs Alf needed to get away. Kubla Brown had been behaving strangely recently. He seemed to have decided that the planners were...

Grant revision causes alarm.
August 4, 2006... Delivery incentives are leaning towards a change in focus to housing totals, says Susanna Gillman. Planners have been wondering for a while what will happen when the planning delivery grant (PDG), a key boost to resource-starved planning...

Capital considers store tunnel idea.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A tunnel has been proposed beneath Edinburgh's Princes Street to serve delivery vehicles. The scheme, being studied by Edinburgh City Centre Management (ECCM), would enable businesses to accept deliveries throughout the day and improve the...

Falkirk agrees plan for waterfront area.
August 4, 2006... A waterfront redevelopment seen as key to the wider regeneration of Bo'ness has won the backing of Falkirk Council. Detailed permission has been secured for phase one, comprising a marina, homes, a hotel, restaurants, shops and an access...

Land released in rural homes delivery drive.(national forest land scheme)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Forest land at Fort Augustus in the Highlands has been made available for affordable housing as part of a national agreement between Communities Scotland and the Forestry Commission. Communities minister Malcolm Chisholm cut the first sod...

Drivers Jonas teams up with Mott MacDonald.
August 4, 2006... Drivers Jonas's Scotland division has teamed up with Mott MacDonald to provide environmental design guidance for Scottish schools. The Scottish Executive project aims to improve environmental performance in all new and refurbished schools to...

Steer Davies Gleave and Buckinghamshire CC launch partnership.
August 4, 2006... A transport management consultancy partnership has been launched between Steer Davies Gleave and Buckinghamshire County Council. The Pharos initiative, which has been piloted with three clients, is designed to offer management consultancy...

Study in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill.(Consultancy Donaldsons has been instructed to produce the study)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A study of retail, leisure and offices in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill is to be prepared for St Edmundsbury Borough Council's local development framework. Consultancy Donaldsons has been instructed to produce the study, which will assess the...

Impact of proposed extension to DLR.(Transport and Works Act application)(Docklands Light Railway )(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The socio-economic impact of a proposed extension to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) between Gallions Reach and Dagenham Dock is to be assessed by Llewelyn Davies Yeang working with Innovacion. The project will look at the impact that three...

Hepher Dixon appointed to submit planning application.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Hepher Dixon's Milton Keynes office has been appointed to prepare and submit a planning application for the development of a European headquarters for Avon Cosmetics. The building, proposed for part of the company's site in Northampton, is...

Feasibility study for an underpass to Canning Town station.
August 4, 2006... A feasibility study into a possible pedestrian underpass to London's Canning Town station is being carried out by JMP Consulting. The 100m long underpass would link the redevelopment of Canning Town centre with the station, which serves...

Masterplan for Cambridge Botanic Garden.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A masterplan to redevelop part of the Cambridge Botanic Garden is to be designed by architect Stanton Williams. The work for the University of Cambridge aims to provide modern facilities for the garden and allow the university to carry out...

Preliminary results for Scott Wilson.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Scott Wilson first preliminary results as a listed company revealed a 15 per cent rise in the group's revenues to pounds 197.8 million. The firm, which floated successfully on the London Stock Exchange in March, reported that profits have...

Medical study exposes child death rate.
August 4, 2006... Child pedestrians are 30 times more likely to be killed and child cyclists 50 times more likely to be killed than child car passengers, a medical study concluded last week. The study, reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of...

MPs rebuke agency for overruns on road costs.
August 4, 2006... Cost overruns on major road schemes could end up in excess of pounds 1 billion, according to a cross-party group of MPs. Publishing a report into the role of the Highways Agency last week, the Commons transport select committee said that...

Assembly publishes sustainable guide.
August 4, 2006... Guidance on boosting sustainable transport in Wales was published by the Welsh Assembly Government this week. Draft Technical Advice Note (TAN) 18 outlines how local authorities should use the planning system to reduce the impact of...

Highway fund secures huge cash bonanza.
August 4, 2006... Road schemes in Northern Ireland received a pounds 400 million funding boost from the Department for Regional Development (DRD) this week. Unveiling the package, roads minister David Cairns said the improvements are essential to encourage...

Capital travel plans backed by Livingstone.
August 4, 2006... Proposals for improving transport in Westminster were approved by London mayor Ken Livingstone last week. Westminster City Council's local implementation plan (LIP) contains proposals for implementing the mayor's transport strategy between...

Refusal ushers in Dartford dialogue.
August 4, 2006... Dartford Borough Council has called on local people to work with it to develop fresh town centre plans after the government refused a controversial pounds 94 million development. The St James Investments plan has been fiercely opposed by...

Library moved to make room for university.
August 4, 2006... The Birmingham Eastside site previously earmarked for a pounds 170 million civic library is set to become part of the University of Central England (UCE). This week Birmingham City Council's cabinet agreed to open negotiations to sell part...

Gloucester agrees ten-year strategy.(urban regeneration company services)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A framework outlining plans for pounds 1 billion of private investment in Gloucester was approved by the city's urban regeneration company (URC) this week. Gloucester Heritage endorsed a ten-year strategy drawn up by Terence O'Rourke to...

Investment in workspace in Cornwall.
August 4, 2006... A pounds 12.7 million investment to create high-quality workspace across three sites in Cornwall is set to generate or retain 775 jobs in the region.

Priority Sites earmark locations in Cornwall.(planning of real estate development )(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Priority Sites has earmarked three locations at Falmouth, Camborne and Bodmin for 13,470m2 of offices, hybrid units and factories. It will work with the South West of England Regional Development Agency and local partners such as North Cornwall...

Population increase for Swindon.
August 4, 2006... Swindon can accommodate a population increase of between 180,000 and 250,000 by 2026, latest economic development plans suggest. A vision document published by local stakeholders last week argues that the Wiltshire town needs to respond to...

Hammerson takes control of Aberdeen scheme.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Hammerson has taken full control of a 50,000m2 scheme to revamp Union Square in Aberdeen. The firm paid pounds 20.1 million to Multiplex and Aldersgate Investments to gain the remaining 50 per cent of the development. The pounds 190 million...

Developers sought for Milton Keynes project.
August 4, 2006... Developers are being sought for a project to transform the centre of Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes Partnership is seeking bids for the first phase of the West End scheme on a 3ha site between Milton Keynes Central station and the main shopping...

Test scheme to attract private sector investment.(Bradford, Lewisham, Oldham and Waltham Forest to be developed)(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... Four areas have been chosen to test a scheme aiming to attract private sector investment to some of England's most deprived areas, the government announced last week. Bradford, Lewisham, Oldham and Waltham Forest will pilot the Under-Served...

Regeneration of East Cowes town centre and waterfront.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... The regeneration of East Cowes town centre and waterfront is set to go ahead after Isle of Wight Council approved outline plans. Submitted by the South East England Development Agency and English Partnerships, the proposals will transform a key...

Blackpool buildings set to be restored.
August 4, 2006... Blackpool's historic buildings are set to be restored under a pounds 2,250,000 programme of heritage-led regeneration. Grants will be available for schemes that preserve and enhance the town centre conservation area including Talbot Square,...

Scheme to create jobs in Caernarfon.
August 4, 2006... A pounds 27.3 million scheme that will create more than 300 jobs in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, began last week. WJ Developments will invest pounds 23 million in redeveloping a 2.1ha site at Victoria Dock with pounds 4.3 million from the Welsh...

Key workers hit by rising house prices.
August 4, 2006... The average house is now beyond the pockets of key workers in more than 60 per cent of UK towns, according to latest analysis by the Halifax. Figures unveiled by the bank this week reveal that the figure has grown from 24 per cent in 2001....

Team sought to deliver East of England growth.(Brief article)
August 4, 2006... A pan-regional team should be set up in the East of England to deal with planning and regeneration issues in major urban areas, stakeholders said this week. A business plan published by Regional Cities East (RCE), a partnership...