Planning (UK) articles from February 2005

Planning (UK) archives from February 2005

Agenda.(Calendar)
February 4, 2005... DIARY TO 18 FEBRUARY 7 February: Inquiry Masterclass. Organisers: RTPI West Midlands and No 5 Chambers. Venue: Birmingham. Fee: pounds 85-pounds 120 + VAT. Details: Sue Griffith-Jones (tel) 0121 705 0136. 8 February: Urban Design...

Council plays hardball with Beckham.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Planners at East Hertfordshire District Council are waiting for the final drawings for a wooden play castle built in David and Victoria Beckham's Hertfordshire estate. The celebrity couple has been warned twice to submit plans for the...

Curtain twitchers upgrade to internet.(to help buyers)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Nosy residents can now look up how much their neighbours paid for their homes via the internet. Snoopers can even find out how much celebrities forked out for plush penthouses. The Nethouseprices website lists the value of every registered...

MP questions Prescott's plant costs.(member of parliament)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Diary hopes that the decor at this week's sustainable communities summit met delegates' expectations following the news that host John Prescott's office has spent almost pounds 50,000 hiring and maintaining indoor plants since 2002. The...

Appointment at Enfusion.(Tom Jones)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Tom Jones has joined consultancy Enfusion as a principal planner. He was previously senior environmental assessment officer at Surrey County Council and has also worked at Buckinghamshire County Council and Milton Keynes Council.

Appointment at Integrated Transport Planning Ltd.(Nick Ayland)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Nick Ayland has been appointed as director at Integrated Transport Planning Ltd in Nottingham. He moves from Transport and Travel Research Ltd, where he was managing director.

Appointment at the Landscape Partnership.(Louise Jones)(Jo Parmenter)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Louise Jones and Jo Parmenter have been promoted to associates at the Landscape Partnership in Woodbridge. Jessica Fleming has joined as an environmental co-ordinator. Graham Farrier has been appointed senior landscape architect at the firm's...

Appointment at Carter Jonas LLP.(Paul Clarke )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Paul Clarke has joined the minerals and waste management team at Carter Jonas LLP in Shrewsbury. He previously worked for Hanson.

Appointment at Liverpool Land Development Company.(Murray Carr)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Murray Carr has joined Liverpool Land Development Company as senior development manager. He previously worked for Warrington Borough Council and Salford City Council. Debra Mercer has also joined the firm as communications manager. She moves...

Appointment at Hyder Consulting.(Adam Read )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Adam Read has joined Hyder Consulting as principal consultant in municipal waste management. He was also recently appointed as a visiting professor at University College Northampton.

Appointment at Smith Stuart Reynolds.(Geoff Bolton)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Geoff Bolton has been appointed as a principal planner by Smith Stuart Reynolds and will be based in Northampton. He previously worked for South Northamptonshire District Council, where he was a team leader in the development control section.

Appointment at Roger Tym & Partners.(Stephen Walker)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Stephen Walker has joined Roger Tym & Partners as senior associate. He moves from Oxford Brookes University. Walker previously led multidisciplinary teams on projects sponsored by the EU, Foreign Office and British Council across the world.

Appointment at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council.(Samuel Stafford)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Samuel Stafford has joined Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council as a planning officer. He has previously worked for Ben Bailey Homes and the Robert Doughty Consultancy.

Appointment at the London School of Economics.(Richard Burdett)
February 4, 2005... Richard Burdett has been appointed London School of Economics (LSE) centennial professor in architecture and urbanism. Robert Tavernor will take up Burdett's previous role as director of the LSE cities programme.

Appointment at the board of Environmental Resources Management.(Laurel Powers-Freeling )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Laurel Powers-Freeling has joined the board of Environmental Resources Management as a non-executive member. She was previously chief executive of Marks & Spencer Financial Services.

General assembly sees Tate take over the reins.(handover from Mike Hayes to Ron Tate)
February 4, 2005... The institute's general assembly witnessed the presidential handover from Mike Hayes to Ron Tate on 26 January. The general assembly is always a special event as it provides RTPI members with a chance to meet face-to-face over sandwiches...

Development planning has a bright future.
February 4, 2005... Planners are now being encouraged to participate in the roll-out scheme run by the ODPM and regional offices, says Ros Ward. Authorities' planning strategies need to be less like a hedgehog and more like a heron, according to Milton Keynes...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
February 4, 2005... POSH SPICE AND E-PLANNING In several recent articles, the London's Evening Standard and BBC News online reported that 'Posh Spice' Victoria Beckham and her husband David had been told to 'apply for planning permission for a wooden play...

Niger Delta development strategy: meeting the challenge.(Niger Delta Development Commission)
February 4, 2005... Why is the potential for developing agriculture, fishing and tourist attractions under utilised? asks Dalia Lichfield. The Niger delta with its 30 million inhabitants has one of the world's worst records of poverty, child mortality, social...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
February 4, 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 2LW...

Casebook: Street activity loss prevents pub relocation underground.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A scheme to relocate a pub from the ground floor to the basement of a property in south London and convert the remaining floors to flats has been rejected by an inspector who decided that it would reduce the importance of a community facility....

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Advertisements - Council billed for failure to explain regime.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An advertisement appeals inspector has refused consent for an advertisement hoarding in Cheshire but awarded the appellant costs because of the council's failure to properly consider the statutory requirements imposed by the site's location in...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Agricultural Development - Plant shelter held appropriate in green belt.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A structure to house plants at a nursery in the South Yorkshire green belt has been allowed after an inspector judged that it would not reduce the openness of the area or injure the visual amenities of the locality. The inspector agreed...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and Industrial - Warehousing design let down by functional design.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A warehouse and 16 storage units on a former dairy depot in south-east London have been rejected after an inspector decided that their functional design would harm the character and appearance of the locality. Although the site was partly...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Community Facilities - Nursing home accepted as townscape bonus.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A 55-bedroom nursing care and rest home has been approved in Wiltshire after an inspector decided that it would make an attractive addition to the townscape. The site originally contained two substantial detached houses that had been...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Food and Drink Uses - Tea room rejection deemed unreasonable.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An inspector has allowed an appeal for the change of use of a sandwich shop and hairdresser's on Teesside to a tea room and made a full award of costs in favour of the appellant. The appeal premises were an end-of-terrace property in a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Food and Drink Uses - Snack van supported with partial costs award.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An inspector has ruled that the siting of a van for the sale of takeaway hot food and drinks at a car park near a Cornish beach is acceptable and that the council failed to substantiate its reasons for refusal. The site had been used to...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Homes allowed without benefits package.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A residential scheme has been approved on an industrial site in Staffordshire after an inspector ruled that it would be a sustainable form of development and that local authority demands for community benefits were excessive. The 3.5ha...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Depot site safeguarded for alternative uses.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A proposal to redevelop a former oil storage depot in Kent for 11 flats has been rejected after an inspector agreed with the local authority that the site had considerable potential to be used for employment or tourist-related development. ...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Mill redevelopment fails employment policy.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Following recovery of an appeal for the partial redevelopment of mill buildings in Greater Manchester for 300 homes and live-work units, the deputy prime minister has ruled that the scheme would harm the supply of employment opportunities in...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Homes rejected due to archaeological concern.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A proposal for eight homes in a Norfolk village conservation area has been rejected on the grounds that it would harm the setting of a castle and could damage important archaeological remains. The appellants had not conducted a field...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Council faces costs over obstructive attitude.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... In granting a lawful development certificate (LDC) for a boat mooring and use of a mobile home in the Berkshire green belt, an inspector has ruled that the council acted unreasonably in failing to properly consider evidence. The appellant...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: Conversion - Annexe allowed with costs to appellants.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The conversion of an outbuilding in the grounds of a house in a Berkshire conservation area to residential use has been approved, with costs awarded to the appellants due to the council's failure to provide adequate evidence. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Householder Development - Extension height discrepancy deemed excessive.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against a single-storey flat-roofed extension at a house in Middlesex has been quashed despite an inspector's finding that it had not been built in accordance with the approved plans. The appellants argued...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Householder Development - Private status of driveway undermines notice.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against an outbuilding and boundary wall at a house in north London has been quashed after an inspector ruled that both structures constitute permitted development. Both the outbuilding and wall abutted a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Amusement centre decision leads to costs.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A proposal to change the use of a shop in a Hertfordshire town centre to an amusement centre has been allowed, with a full award of costs in favour of the appellant. The council claimed that the conversion would result in an...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Mixed Use Development - Access and flood risk concerns overruled.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The deputy prime minister has accepted that a mixed residential and employment scheme in a West Yorkshire town represents a sustainable form of development and complies with national housing advice. The site comprised a relatively flat area...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Telecommunications - Antennas judged incongruous at exchange.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Three pole-mounted antennas at a south Wales telephone exchange have been rejected after an inspector decided that they were harmful to the character and appearance of the building and surrounding area. The inspector agreed that the...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Telecommunications - Flagpole masts supported at golf course hotel.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... MMO2 has secured planning permission to erect two flagpole antennas at a golf course hotel on Scotland's east coast after a reporter concluded that no alternative sites were available. The scheme involved replacing an existing flagpole on a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Transport Development - City tram clears historic character objection.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The deputy prime minister has granted conservation area and listed building consents to enable the construction of three tramway links in Liverpool after concluding that they were justified by transport policy. Merseytravel sought the...

Casebook: Court cases - Gypsy site refusal decision survives challenge.(Gypsy caravan)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The High Court has upheld an inspector's decision to refuse permission for the retention of a Gypsy caravan in the green belt around Wigan, ruling that due consideration had been given to the availability of alternative sites. The...

Casebook: Court Cases - Delegated decision on home proposal upheld.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A challenge to a decision by the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames to allow the demolition and rebuilding of a house on Eel Pie Island in the River Thames has been rejected by the High Court. A neighbour argued that the council...

Casebook: Court Cases - Court supports tree felling for road scheme.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The High Court has supported Stoke-on-Trent City Council's proposals to fell trees and remove hedgerows in order to enable the construction of a new bypass connecting the A527 and A500. A local campaigner argued that a temporary injunction...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and Industrial - Conditions held no solution to light impact.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against 19 lighting columns at a civil engineering depot in the metropolitan green belt in Kent has been upheld on the grounds that they harmed residential amenity. The site had a long history of industrial...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New build - Dockland pub held unworthy of retention.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Plans to demolish a pub in Cardiff's dockland area to make way for 31 apartments and townhouses have been accepted by an inspector who considered that the building was not worthy of retention. The appellants pointed out that Cadw had...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
February 4, 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 Cases - Listed Buildings - Reinstatement of listed shopfront ordered.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against a replacement shopfront and roller shutters at a grade II listed shop in north Wales has been upheld on the grounds that the works had damaged its architectural features and character. The building...

Park ruling sets precedent.(Council for National Parks)
February 4, 2005... The Bluestone judgement represents a threat to the integrity of local plans as well as national parks, argues Mark Harnett. Shortly before Christmas the High Court upheld the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's controversial...

Honing the urban-rural mix.(European Spatial Planning Observation Network)
February 4, 2005... Attitudes towards town and country relations are changing in the UK and Europe. A summit aims to consolidate conclusions, reports Cliff Hague. Come to Belfast on 22 and 23 February and you can catch up on how spatial planning - a key focus...

Co-operation holds the key.
February 4, 2005... Joint working between the public and private sectors offers a sure-fire recipe for successful regeneration projects, says Matt Smith. Any process that is governed by multiple organisations, all operating according to their own agendas, will...

Car schemes reap benefits across board.
February 4, 2005... Car sharing has shown its potential to cut parking and congestion problems in urban areas, says Jon Parker. Car clubs and car-sharing schemes have flourished in mainland Europe and North America in recent years, and the trend looks set to...

Missionary minister.(Biography)
February 4, 2005... Keith Hill has seen through massive changes since he became planning minister in 2003. The continuity has helped him to spread the gospel, says Susanna Gillman. As the planning system goes through some of the biggest reforms to date, it...

Summit serves up a sustainable warning.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The week in Manchester played out as expected. A flurry of announcements, more strategies and wise words about communities and building local leadership. But after the party comes the hangover. No-one would dispute the government's...

Fyson on ... the government push for greater homeownership.
February 4, 2005... Even before the sustainable communities summit got under way, it was apparent that last week's flurry of housing announcements marked a turning point in the government's evolving attitude to residential development. Ever since the South...

Twin cities must act to rejuvenate urban living.
February 4, 2005... German and English cities have suffered similar setbacks but are seeking recovery, explains Peter Hall. Leipzig and Manchester are very different cities. From 1945 to 1990 Leipzig laboured under a Communist regime that ran down its...

Gummer on ... how delivery has failed the revised planning system.
February 4, 2005... The revised planning regime is in real trouble. Even the government's staunchest admirers must accept that the system is in some disarray. We are faced with a serious housing shortage, yet all round the country people are stopping building...

Developers fear for viability.
February 4, 2005... The latest attempt to boost the supply of affordable housing has worried builders, says Catherine Early. Different types of housing tenure for people of different ages and incomes are a key element of social inclusion. To achieve this major...

Ministers rethink airport boundary.
February 4, 2005... Scottish ministers have approved an alteration to the Glasgow and Clyde Valley structure plan to safeguard the future expansion of Glasgow Airport. Around 200ha of land is being set aside for the airport's development, including an...

Reporter approves terrace in Dalkeith.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A terrace of riverside homes designed by award-winning architect Malcolm Fraser has been given the go-ahead on appeal. The development beside the River Esk in Dalkeith was rejected last year by Midlothian Council on the grounds that it...

Funds agreed for Edinburgh station study.(Haymarket station)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Ministers have announced funding for a feasibility study into whether Haymarket station in Edinburgh could become an important transport hub. Haymarket is Scotland's third most used station and is expected to play a key role in the city's...

Proposed West London Tram route.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... An environmental impact assessment for the proposed West London Tram route is to be carried out by Hyder Consulting for Transport for London. The tram route proposed between Shepherds Bush and Uxbridge is central to London mayor Ken...

Study to test feasibility of park.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A study to test the feasibility of a park including a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Aspen Way dual carriageway in east London will be carried out by Broadway Malyan. The park will create public green space on either side of the...

White Young Green to draw up plan.(contracts with West Lakes Renaissance)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... White Young Green is to draw up an implementation plan for a number of renewal projects in Whitehaven, Cumbria, for urban regeneration company West Lakes Renaissance. The programme aims to attract millions of pounds worth of investment in...

Study to identify improvements needed at Leyton station.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A study to identify improvements needed at Leyton station in north-east London will be carried out by Atkins Transport Planning. The project, funded by the London Development Agency in partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest,...

DTZ Pieda Consulting to research employment land and premises.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... DTZ Pieda Consulting is to research employment land and premises across Stevenage for English Partnerships and Stevenage Borough Council. The project aims to inform the local authority's emerging planning policy and to identify ways to...

Llewelyn Davies opens office in Belfast.(City planners)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Llewelyn Davies has opened an office in Belfast after working in Northern Ireland for the past six years. The company said that it has established an office in the city to capitalise on planning and regeneration opportunities in the...

Wood & Wood Environmental Design relaunches consultancy service.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Wood & Wood Environmental Design relaunched its consultancy service as Wood and Wood Design this week. The move aims to offer a more comprehensive service to planning and landscape clients. The London-based company will advise on signage,...

Office of Drivers Jonas Scotland temporarily moved.(Drivers Jonas)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The Edinburgh office of Drivers Jonas Scotland has temporarily moved to the MWB Business Exchange in Edinburgh. The team will remain there until further notice.

Great Yarmouth port secures support.(Remodeling and renovation of port)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The regeneration of Great Yarmouth earned a boost last week when transport secretary Alistair Darling announced his support for plans to build an outer harbour. Great Yarmouth Port Authority wants to create a deep-water port north of the...

Trust appeals for end to Stonehenge tunnel wait.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The National Trust has written to the government appealing for an end to the delay over the decision on the Stonehenge road scheme. The public inquiry into the proposal to build a tunnel to divert traffic away from the world heritage site...

Consent dispute triggers flights inquiry.(Coventry Airport )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A public inquiry into the operation of cheap flights from Coventry Airport began this week. Thomsonfly has been running a cheap flight service from a small cargo airfield at Baginton in Warwickshire since last April. Opponents claim that...

Report details North East rail improvements.(Rail freight service)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Plans to improve rail and freight services were revealed by the North East Regional Assembly last week. The strategy follows a study by JMP Consulting to reassess regional rail priorities and to update the regional rail strategy as part of...

Stanley hub to develop solar power source.(Solar energy industry)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Plans for a solar-powered transport centre and bus station in Stanley, County Durham, were unveiled this week. The station will produce 13,656 kilowatt-hours of electricity from photovoltaic cells, leading to an estimated carbon dioxide...

Committee slams right to buy plans.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A committee of MPs has turned on government proposals to extend the right to buy, warning that it will fuel homelessness. The ODPM Commons select committee last week called on the government to build more social housing for the 100,000...

Ski slope refreshes Don Valley renewal.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A major ski development will spur renewal in Sheffield's Upper Don Valley, according to developers. Plans for the pounds 80 million Snow Mountain project were submitted to Sheffield City Council last week. Parkwood Springs Developments...

Regeneration contest offers big cash prize.(Derby, England)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The Housing Corporation has awarded pounds 2 million for a competition to design an affordable housing scheme as part of the regeneration of Derby. Housing associations will be able to enter the contest, organised by urban regeneration...

Families need to be tempted back to city centres.(Midlands)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Families need to be tempted back to city centres in the Midlands if the region's regeneration is to succeed, English Partnerships regional director Paul Spooner claimed last week. Speaking at the annual dinner of the Royal Institution of...

Affordable homes to be built in Newham.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A total of 300 affordable homes will be built in Newham under plans unveiled by the London Development Agency this week. The homes will be built on a 1.3ha site at Gallions Approach in the Royal Docks area and will form part of a 2,500-home...

Glasgow City Council appoints director of development and regeneration.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Glasgow City Council has appointed Steve Inch as director of development and regeneration. Inch was formerly depute director of development and regeneration at the local authority and has been appointed following the death of former...

Growth plans for Wakefield launched.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... A strategy to put Wakefield at the heart of growth plans in northern England has been launched by Wakefield City Council. The Wakefield Way aims to contribute to The Northern Way framework by outlining the area's role at the centre of the...

Plans for regeneration unveiled by Westminster City Council.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Plans to regenerate London's Soho, Chinatown, Covent Garden and Edgware Road areas have been unveiled by Westminster City Council. The proposals include pounds 1.6 million of traffic and environmental improvements in Chinatown and the...

Cumbria Vision appoint chief executive of regeneration.(Urban regeneration companies)(Appointment of Chris Collier)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Chris Collier has been appointed chief executive of regeneration company Cumbria Vision. Collier spent eight years as chief executive of the Cumbria Tourist Board. She has previously worked for the Audit Commission and in local government....

Work begins on scheme in Edinburgh's Castle Street.(Street design and construction)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Work has begun on a pounds 2 million scheme to partly pedestrianise Edinburgh's Castle Street in an attempt to make it more attractive to visitors and residents. Project contractor R J McLeod has started implementing plans drafted by urban...

Demolition of redundant buildings in Southampton.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The demolition of redundant buildings at Southampton's Woolston Riverside site is nearing completion, with the clearance of the former Vosper Thornycroft shipyard due to finish next month. The South East England Development Agency...