Planning (UK) articles from December 2003

Planning (UK) archives from December 2003

Channel Four to film town's major revamp.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Designers shortlisted to develop ideas for a regeneration project to be televised on Channel Four were announced last week. Architects Parklife and Allen Tod Architecture have been selected to draw up outline designs for three community...

RTPI throws down positive gauntlet.
December 5, 2003... The RTPI went on the offensive this week by launching a campaign for positive planning against the twin threat from government-backed inquiries. The move responds to the inquiry into built environment skills, headed by Sir John Egan, which...

United Utilities awaits answer over Ullswater.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... United Utilities will learn in mid December whether its application to pump water from Ullswater and Windermere has been successful. A two-day public inquiry was held this week into the water, gas and electricity supplier's application to...

Cabinet group widens transport remit.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... MISC22, the cabinet committee set up by Tony Blair to address transport infrastructure funding and delivery of other key public services in the Thames Gateway, has widened its remit. Planning minister Keith Hill told Planning this week that...

Councillors' alleged misconduct probed.(Surrey Heath Borough Council )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Eight councillors at Surrey Heath Borough Council are being investigated by the Standards Board for England, following complaints of misconduct over planning decisions. The councillors, along with four former councillors, are alleged to...

Surveyors point to need for renewal skills group.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A new professional body representing urban regeneration is needed to train people with skills which cross historic professional boundaries, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). In its response to the key issues...

Labour floats local control on funding.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Proposals to allow councils to control local regeneration funds could form part of Labour's next manifesto if they receive public support during a party 'listening' exercise. The measures have been put forward as part of Labour's 'big...

Young Vic theatre set for makeover.(Young Vic theatre )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The Young Vic theatre on London's South Bank is set for a pounds 12.5 million makeover after the London Borough of Lambeth gave the go-ahead this week. The 33-year-old structure will get a bigger ticket and information desk and an expanded...

Bradford masterplan to boost economy.(New Economics Foundation)(Mainstreet Advisors )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A masterplan for Bradford's city centre promises to boost the local economy by pounds 160 million a year if the proposals are adopted, according to an economic assessment of the scheme. Think-tank the New Economics Foundation and Mainstreet...

Southgate set to spearhead planning team.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The Environment Agency has appointed Mark Southgate to be head of planning and local government, succeeding Roger Vallance who is retiring. Southgate will join the agency in mid-January to head up the newly-restructured planning team. He...

Boundary options outlined for north.
December 5, 2003... South Cumbrian districts could be merged with the city of Lancaster under proposals revealed this week by the Boundary Committee for England. The plans, outlined in a report on options for unitary local government across northern England,...

Bell calls for funds to support reforms.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Local authorities should maintain existing resources for planning departments if they are to make the forthcoming reforms work, according to a leading planning practitioner. Swindon Borough Council acting director of environment and...

Peterborough bids for urban renewal body.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Local officials in Peterborough are calling for an urban regeneration company (URC) to be set up to manage the proposed revamp of the city centre. A URC headed by an experienced management team would have greater access to public and...

IN BRIEF: London Borough of Bexley accolade.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The London Borough of Bexley took the accolade for the best public sector planning organisation for its work on the Slade Green regeneration project at the first ever London Planning Awards, presented this week.

IN BRIEF: Llewelyn Davies best private sector organisation.(Stockwell Partnership)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Consultancy Llewelyn Davies was named the best private sector organisation. The best-planned building project was the Hothouse in Hackney. Progressive Ilford took the award for best planning project contributing to London's future, while the...

IN BRIEF: Westminster City Council creates department.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Westminster City Council has created a new department of planning and city development to recognise the importance of planning decisions in meeting the council's objectives. The new department, which will be led by current head of development...

IN BRIEF: ODPM invites chairperson applications.(Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The ODPM is inviting applications for the role of chairperson of its advisory panel on standards for the Planning Inspectorate. The department is looking for senior professionals in planning, public administration, housing, construction, law or...

IN BRIEF: Lynam and Cook among supporters.(Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Television presenter Des Lynam and disc jockey Norman Cook, alias Fatboy Slim, were among fans of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club who delivered letters of support for the club's new stadium plans to 10 Downing Street this week. The...

IN BRIEF: Northumbria students to study scheme.(University of Northumbria )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Planning and property students at the University of Northumbria are to study the North East's largest urban development scheme under a sponsorship deal announced last week. Students will follow the development of the pounds 800 million...

IN BRIEF: Householders have legal right.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Many householders are allowing adjacent buildings and hedges to block out their natural light, unaware that they have a legal right to it, according a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) guide published this week. The document...

IN BRIEF: Lambeth refuses tower plans.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The London Borough of Lambeth has refused plans for a 50-storey, 180m tower at Vauxhall. The plans, submitted by developer St George, included a 40 per cent affordable housing element and were backed by London mayor Ken Livingstone and the...

IN BRIEF: Right-to-buy house sales restricted.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Right-to-buy sales of council homes in regeneration areas could be restricted under measures to be introduced in the housing bill by deputy prime minister John Prescott. The move is intended to stop tenants buying homes likely to be demolished,...

Whitehall fights job move to regions.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Government attempts to shift civil servants away from London are meeting fierce resistance from Whitehall mandarins. Chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown last summer commissioned former Birmingham City Council chief executive Sir...

Hill switches pub class to allay community worries.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Pubs and bars are to feature in a new use class in an attempt to stem concern over the spread of licensed premises. Under changes to the Use Classes Order, announced by planning minister Keith Hill last week, pubs and bars will form a new...

Minister pledges to bolster renewables.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Proposals aimed at increasing investor confidence in renewable energy projects were announced this week by the Department of Trade and Industry. Speaking at a meeting of industry representatives, energy minister Stephen Timms outlined...

Foster and Partners to spearhead development.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Architects Foster and Partners will spearhead an office, hotel and commercial development around a civic square in the centre of Hastings, East Sussex, as part of the town's regeneration. The site is next to the sea front and at the foot of...

Store strategy could threaten retail industry.(Accessible Retail)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Planning guidance on the development of shopping warehouses is too severe and threatens to damage the economy, according to a retail trade body. Accessible Retail, which represents owners of superstores and warehouses, says government...

Oxford aims to bring in online submissions.( Oxford City Council)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A pounds 21,000 service that allows planning applications to be submitted online is to be launched by Oxford City Council. Created for the council by i-documentsystems, the company behind the London Borough of Wandsworth's online planning...

REGENERATION NEWS: Blackpool clinches cash boost.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Blackpool is set to receive a pounds 2 million windfall to fund large-scale landscaping improvements and an interactive lighting scheme on the resort's south shore promenade. The project, funded by the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA),...

REGENERATION NEWS: Rural lobby blasts road 'myth' claim.(Campaign to Protect Rural England )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Government claims that new road projects will help economic regeneration are based on myths, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said this week. The environmental group said that economic impact reports should be required before...

REGENERATION NEWS: Pub holds key to canal vision.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... British Waterways is planning a public-private partnership to create a network of high-quality pubs alongside 3,220km of canals and rivers throughout the UK. It anticipates that the process of selecting a partner will be completed by next...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Darlington business park given go-ahead.(Darlington Borough Council)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A 35ha business park on the outskirts of Darlington has been given the go-ahead by Darlington Borough Council. Phase one, which is scheduled to start next April, will provide a 10.8ha site for 31,500m2 of industrial space which can accommodate...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Developers to lead Ilford scheme.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Developers Countryside Properties and Capital & Counties have been selected to lead a pounds 120 million regeneration scheme in Ilford, Essex. The 2.6ha town centre development will include 488 apartments, 11,000m2 of retail space, a new town...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Lichfield Council and AWM choose Redrow.(Lichfield District Council )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Lichfield District Council and Advantage West Midlands (AWM) have chosen developer Redrow to regenerate the partly derelict City Wharf site. It will develop more than 100 homes and 3,700m2 of offices. AWM's director for Staffordshire Marie...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Halcrow to masterplan docks redevelopment.(Hartlepool Borough Council)(One North East )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A design team led by consultant Halcrow is to masterplan a pounds 500 million redevelopment of Hartlepool docks. Around 80ha of port land is available adjacent to the town centre. Hartlepool Borough Council and regional development agency One...

REGENERATION BRIEF: BPF produces guide to BIDs.(British Property Federation )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The British Property Federation (BPF) has produced a guide to business improvement districts (BIDs), legislation for which takes effect next April. It says that getting involved in BIDs, where businesses pay an additional levy to the local...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Banks works on Bowesfield Park.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Developer Banks has started work on a pounds 50 million regeneration project at Bowesfield Park in Stockton-on-Tees. The mixed-use scheme is expected to take six years to complete and will provide an 11ha business park and 15ha nature...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Barrow Council displays proposals.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Barrow Borough Council has put proposals on display for the pounds 100 million regeneration of Barrow Port. It wants the 162ha site to attract investment to developments linking the town centre and its port. Among the more unusual possibilities...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Science park for Abbey Meadows.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A science park is being planned to form the centrepiece of a proposed pounds 300 million development at Abbey Meadows in Leicester, next to the city's Space Centre. More than 1,800 jobs and 1,500 homes could be provided, the city council said....

REGENERATION BRIEF: Keele Science proposals submitted early.(Hulme Upright Manning)(Keele Science and Business Park)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Proposals for phase three in the expansion of Keele Science and Business Park in North Staffordshire are expected to be submitted early next year after regional development agency Advantage West Midlands appointed David Lock Associates and...

TRANSPORT NEWS: Crossrail talks on options for route finishes.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The first stage of public consultation on the proposed routes for the east to west London Crossrail link ended this week. The results of the consultation with residents across London, Essex and Kent will be sent to the government in the new...

TRANSPORT NEWS: Public 'led astray' over airport plan.(Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group)
December 5, 2003... The public has been 'misled' over proposed options for a new airport in the South East, according to an aviation group made up of local authorities. The Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group (SASIG) says that the government's...

TRANSPORT NEWS: College intake raises hopes for profession.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The number of students enrolling in national masters transport planning accredited courses at universities has increased by 70 per cent in the past year, easing fears of a long-term skills crisis in the sector, it emerged last week. The...

TRANSPORT NEWS: Probe begins into Glasgow highway plan.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A public inquiry into the pounds 500 million extension of the M74 motorway through Glasgow started this week. Campaign groups are opposed to the proposed six-lane elevated motorway across south Glasgow because they claim it will increase...

TRANSPORT NEWS: Government poised to tackle road works.
December 5, 2003... Government plans to tackle a raft of transport problems over the next session of parliament have been met with a mixture of cheers and jeers. Under measures outlined in last week's Queen's Speech, the government intends to introduce...

BUSINESS BRIEF: ATIS Real Weatheralls lead team.(London Development Agency)(English Partnerships)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The London Development Agency and English Partnerships, as part of the wider London Riverside Action Group, have appointed a team led by consultants ATIS Real Weatheralls to prepare a framework plan for a 121ha Thames Gateway site next to...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Atkins Highways and Transportation chosen.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Atkins Highways and Transportation has been chosen by the Highways Agency to lead the A14 improvement scheme in Cambridgeshire through the public consultation process to the announcement of the preferred route. The scheme involves upgrading the...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Scott Brownrigg chosen.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Scott Brownrigg has been chosen by Countryside Properties to carry out urban design and masterplanning services for regeneration of the Gravesend Canal Basin area. The proposals aim to create an urban quarter on a 12.8ha site at the...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Enfusion appointed.(Enfusion)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Environmental consultancy Enfusion has been appointed by the Environment Agency to prepare good practice guidelines for strategic environmental assessment (SEA). The project will assemble and disseminate good practice approaches to SEA. The...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Halcrow appointed to assess.(Halcrow Group)(Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership)(Castle Point Borough Council)(East of England Development Agency)(Biggar Economics)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Halcrow Group has been appointed to assess development options in the South West Canvey Island regeneration zone. The Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, working with Castle Point Borough Council and the East of England Development Agency,...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Aberdeen University and Kevin Murray Associates chosen.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The University of Aberdeen and Kevin Murray Associates have been chosen to carry out a study of how well regeneration schemes have helped create sustainable communities. Consultancy Turner and Townsend is funding the research, which will...

BUSINESS BRIEF: GVA Grimley appointed.(English Partnerships)(East of England Development Agency)(Bedford Borough Council)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... GVA Grimley has been appointed to lead a team preparing a development framework for Bedford town centre by English Partnerships, the East of England Development Agency and Bedford Borough Council. The plan aims to provide a strategy for...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Pro Vision Planning and Design commissioned.(Fareham Borough Council)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Pro Vision Planning and Design has been commissioned by Fareham Borough Council to advise on the preparation of a pre-application self-assessment system. The system is intended to help applicants and their agents carry out consultation and...

BUSINESS BRIEF: CPM to advise Countryside Agency.(CPM Environmental Planning and Design)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... CPM Environmental Planning and Design has been appointed to advise the Countryside Agency on the proposed South Downs national park boundary. The consultancy will help prepare, present and manage evidence for the public inquiry into the...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Highlands to drop road services ban.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A unique planning condition that prohibits roadside services on a 128km stretch of the A9 between Perth and Inverness is set to be dropped by Highland Council. Planning committee members voted 14 to 12 to change the policy, which was...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Rogers design wins Clyde bridge award.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A crescent-shaped bridge designed by Lord Richard Rogers has won a competition for a new pounds 40 million link across the River Clyde in Glasgow. The design, called Neptune's Way, was the unanimous choice of judges and was also the...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Rail reopening sparks series of complaints.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Almost 120 objections have been lodged to a bill enabling the rail line between Edinburgh and the Borders to reopen. The 56km route is seen as key to regenerating the area around Galashiels and would be the UK's largest new rail project...

ANALYSIS: Tough talk for troubled times.
December 5, 2003... The RTPI is among the first to hit back at the negativity facing planners, says Huw Morris There could not be a better start to the week. The first sizeable instalment of a pounds 4 million grant has just landed on RTPI secretary-general...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Court verdict boost for market renewal policy.
December 5, 2003... A radical approach to housing market renewal has passed a crucial test, says Mark Smulian A High Court judge has left house builders licking their wounds in the first major test of the new system for drawing up regional planning guidance...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Salter On... Sanitised visions versus passion and real life.
December 5, 2003... Barclaycard is putting its money into the mouth of the football terraces. Or, to be more exact, the sponsors of the Premiership have decided to allocate pounds 10,000 for the appointment of a 'chants laureate'. This lucky individual, drawn from...

OPINION: Fyson on... how wind power can contribute to the UK's future.
December 5, 2003... It has been a sensational few months for the wind energy industry. In July an opinion poll found widespread support for the principle of developing wind power throughout the country. Critics who claimed that people take a different view...

EDITORIAL: Controversial review is missing its target.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 5, 2003... Suspicions that Sir John Egan is limbering up to do a hatchet job on the built environment professions have escalated over the past month. The rumours surrounding the review may turn out to be worse than the real thing. Yet as Planning...

INTERVIEW: Perception of a space man.
December 5, 2003... Youngsters in Germany learn about spatial planning in high school geography classes. Klaus Kunzmann tells David Dewar why he feels this is the way forward It is no secret that universities in the UK have struggled to fill places on...

Gateway to a more sustainable future.
December 5, 2003... Developers in the Kent section of the east Thames corridor are forging ahead in building sustainable communities. From the viewing platform of Lafarge's huge chalk quarry between Dartford and Gravesend in Kent, there is remarkably little to...

Thurrock set to regenerate corporations.
December 5, 2003... Urban development corporations are back with a wider remit. Will they be able to deliver? asks David Dewar After a ten-year break, urban development corporations (UDCs) are back. The first of the new generation was officially launched in...

Territorial rights in the east.
December 5, 2003... East London boroughs are seeking assurances over plans for an urban development corporation, reports Mark Smulian Planners in parts of east London may need to make some rapid calculations about the impact on their work and careers of a...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Planning in the public eye.
December 5, 2003... In the second of three articles describing the finalists in the RTPI Planning Awards, Anthony Fyson introduces six entries that show how planners can open up lines of communication with their local communities Rural communities in the North...

NOTEBOOK: Time to take action on skills.
December 5, 2003... As the Egan review of the skills required in building sustainable communities finishes its consultation, Cliff Hague pens an open letter to its chairman Dear Sir John, I see that your task group wants ideas about how to deliver...

CASEBOOK: Glass skyscraper allowed due to exceptional design.(Teighmore Ltd.)
December 5, 2003... Teighmore Ltd has secured planning permission for a glass tower more than 300m high in central London following the deputy prime minister's conclusion that the quality of the design justified granting permission. He overruled objections...

CASEBOOK: Court cases - Council accedes to quashing of mast decision.(Dover District Council )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Dover District Council has accepted that its decision to grant prior approval for a 12m telecommunications mast should be quashed following a successful High Court challenge by local residents. Mr Justice Sullivan recorded that the council...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Advertisements - Windsock advert held acceptable at historic quay.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Consent has been granted for the display of a pole-mounted windsock advertisement in the centre of Truro, with an advertisement appeals inspector rejecting the council's concerns over its visual impact on the city centre conservation area. ...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Advertisements - Light beam ruled inappropriate in night sky.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A car dealership in Gloucestershire has failed to obtain retrospective consent for the display of a light beam advertisement. The advertisement appeals inspector concluded that the beam's presence harmed the character of adjoining countryside...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Agricultural Development - Farm structures ruled to need permission.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... In upholding enforcement notices directed against three structures on land in North Yorkshire, an inspector has rejected arguments by the appellant that they were not buildings and did not require planning permission. The inspector,...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Time extension appeal held bizarre and pointless.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... An appeal requesting a further year to allow the submission of reserved matters relating to an office, industrial and warehouse development in Hampshire has been rejected following an inspector's conclusion that the proposal was bizarre and...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Betting offices allowed at motorway services.(Moto Hospitality Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Moto Hospitality Ltd has secured permission to develop betting offices at two motorway service areas (MSAs) in Berkshire, although a lawful development certificate (LDC) appeal claiming that an existing shop could be used as a betting office...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Reinstatement of fire-damaged buildings accepted.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... The reinstatement of a group of former agricultural buildings converted to industrial and storage purposes in the Essex countryside following damage in a fire has been judged by an inspector to be fair and equitable, because it would lead to...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Community Facilities - Older children permitted to stay in care home.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... A condition imposed on a planning permission for a residential care home in Cheshire restricting occupancy to children aged between four and 11 has been varied to allow older children to live on the premises. The condition had been imposed...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Community Facilities - Loss of building approved without replacement.(Oxford Brookes University)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Oxford Brookes University has been refused permission for a new lecture and teaching building at its Headington campus because of the adverse consequences on the living conditions of local residents. However, the university did secure...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Food and Drink Uses - Late-night opening at cafe judged not harmful.
December 5, 2003... A proposal to extend opening hours at Oxford's Chicago Rock Cafe from midnight to 1am on Friday and Saturday nights has been allowed following a finding that it would cause no material harm to residential amenities. The premises operated...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - House judged unlawful as permission had expired.
December 5, 2003... A lawful development certificate for the construction of a house in Dorset has been refused on the basis that the original permission for three houses and a barn conversion was no longer extant in its entirety. The original permission had...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Housing: Conversion - Loss of shop denied despite hardship to appellant.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Rejecting arguments by an appellant about the difficulties associated with operating a village shop in Wiltshire, an inspector has concluded that conversion of the premises to residential use would undermine community life. The appellant...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - New gates accepted in fight against drugs.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... Permission has been granted for iron entrance gates at an Edwardian block of flats in central London, with an inspector agreeing that they would improve security and reduce the level of illegal drug dealing. The building was not listed and...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Two-storey extension held to require permission.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2003... An inspector has rejected a lawful development certificate for a two-storey side extension to a house in Middlesex after finding that it required permission because it exceeded 4m in height and lay within 2m of the site boundary. In...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Leisure Development - Commercial use of fishing lakes judged not harmful.
December 5, 2003... A condition restricting the use of fishing ponds in North Yorkshire to private fishing has been deleted on the grounds that commercial use would not impair the peace, privacy or prospect of residents nor constitute inappropriate development in...