Planning (UK) articles from February 2006

Planning (UK) archives from February 2006

Agenda.
February 3, 2006... DIARY TO 17 FEBRUARY 1 February: Policy to Practice. Organiser: Solarcentury. Venue: Manchester. pounds 50 + VAT. Details: (tel) 020 7803 0122. 2 February: Heritage and Conservation Planning. Organiser: IDOX. Venue: Edinburgh. Fee:...

Rescuers saved from parking penalty.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Volunteers battling to save the Thames whale last month found themselves on the wrong side of traffic wardens and were handed pounds 300 worth of parking fines. The British Divers Marine Rescue Group had police permission to park near...

Authority objects to Beatle's lodge.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Sir Paul McCartney may have to demolish a wooden lodge built on his Sussex country estate last year after it was refused retrospective planning permission. The lodge is in woodland on the edge of a conservation pond created by the former...

Commons question triggered by pie.(John Prescott grants permission to sports facilities and his opinions)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Deputy prime minister John Prescott was questioned in the Commons last week about eating a pie. Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes Norman Baker asked Prescott if he had sought advice from officials before accepting hospitality at Brighton and Hove...

Appointment at Terence O'Rourke.
February 3, 2006... Chris Odgers has been appointed as an associate director by Terence O'Rourke. His work in urban design will cover major regeneration schemes and large-scale masterplans. Odgers previously worked for Turley Associates and Halcrow in Birmingham.

Appointment at Sharpe Pritchard.
February 3, 2006... Denise Stephenson has joined Sharpe Pritchard as an assistant solicitor in the planning and parliamentary section. She was previously planning solicitor at the London Borough of Camden.

Appointment at Hyder Consulting.
February 3, 2006... Martin Bramall has been recruited as a landscape architect by Hyder Consulting in Cardiff. Helen Godden, Victoria Bond and Ben Pizii have joined the firm's environmental solutions team.

Appointment at TEP.
February 3, 2006... Tina Shilleto has joined environmental consultancy TEP to lead its environmental regeneration team. Landscape architects Tracey Pursell and Chu Zhang have joined the company's masterplanning and design team.

Promotions at RPS.
February 3, 2006... Ben Ford and Holly Hanbury have both been promoted to planning directors by RPS. They work in the consultancy's London office, where they specialise in retail, residential and mixed-use development.

Appointment at West Lakes Renaissance.(Peter Thompson and Nick Hardy)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Peter Thompson has joined Furness and west Cumbria regeneration company West Lakes Renaissance (WLR) as development manager. He has managed projects along the west coast of Cumbria as well as schemes in London, Holland and Saudi Arabia. Nick...

Appointment at English Heritage.
February 3, 2006... Tim Johnston has been made regional director for the West Midlands by English Heritage. He was previously the agency's head of estates for the west.

Appointment at King Sturge.
February 3, 2006... Joanne Hooper has joined King Sturge in Birmingham as an assistant planner after completing an MSc in spatial planning at Oxford Brookes University.

Appointment at DTZ.
February 3, 2006... John Brooks has joined DTZ to head the firm's Yorkshire planning team in Leeds. Hamish Robertshaw has joined as senior planning consultant, relocating from the firm's London office, and Lora Hughes has joined from Harmers Planning in Cardiff.

Appointment at JMP Consulting.
February 3, 2006... Stacey Silverman has joined JMP Consulting as a senior transport planner in Manchester. She was previously a travel plan co-ordinator for Manchester City Council. Silverman has also worked for Eli Lilley and Co as a travel associate.

Appointment at Andrew Martin Associates.
February 3, 2006... Nigel Cowlin has joined Andrew Martin Associates as a principal landscape planner. He moves from Smart Planning Ltd and was previously a landscape officer at Maldon District Council.

Appointment at Donaldsons.
February 3, 2006... Matthew Faith has joined Donaldsons in Manchester as a regeneration consultant. Justin Anderson has joined the team as senior surveyor. He moves from the firm's Leeds office.

Assembly takes global view of planning issues.
February 3, 2006... The RTPI general assembly examined global planning issues and welcomed the new president in January, reports Charles Veal. The RTPI general assembly met on 25 January to discuss the organisation's role in international affairs. Guest...

RTPI regions assume control from branches.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Column)
February 3, 2006... RTPI regions are beginning to play a crucial role in planning practice and policy around the country, says Richard Summers. On 1 January the RTPI branches in England became known as RTPI regions, as the branches review finally came to...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
February 3, 2006... INVITATION TO TENDER Planning for Housing an Ageing Population The RTPI, in collaboration with the Department of Health, wishes to commission the development of good practice guidance to support the delivery of key housing targets for...

RTPI News - National association for planning enforcement staff gets approval.
February 3, 2006... A representative group for planning enforcement staff is being launched 18 months after the initial idea, writes Tony Russell. In 2004, seven planning enforcement officers formed a steering group and worked with the RTPI to develop an idea...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Removal of render approved at listed abbey.
February 3, 2006... The deputy prime minister has accepted an inspector's recommendation to grant retrospective listed building consent for the removal of render at a grade I listed abbey in Essex. A kitchen extension had been built onto the abbey in 1912. The...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Retail Development - Store extension ruled out by loss of sunlight.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... An extension to an Aldi food store in Kent has been refused after an inspector held that it would seriously harm living conditions for adjacent residents. The extension was intended to provide increased retail and storage space and improve...

Development Control Casebook Forum.
February 3, 2006... 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: Visual harm to conservation area foils penthouse project.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Alternative proposals for the construction of three penthouse flats in the Kensington Palace conservation area in west London have been rejected after an inspector ruled that both schemes were visually unacceptable and harmful to the area's...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural Development - Restrictions on oyster farm building size upheld.
February 3, 2006... A reporter has refused to vary the terms of two conditions imposed on a permission for a storage shed serving an oyster farm on a remote bay in north-west Scotland, concluding that the council had been right to limit its size and siting. ...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial - Storage use of garden building ruled unacceptable.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... An enforcement notice directed against a building used for business storage in the garden of a house in Suffolk has been upheld due to its significant adverse impact on the surrounding countryside's character and appearance. The building...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Energy Development - Wind farm rejected on visual amenity grounds.
February 3, 2006... Plans for ten wind turbines in Lincolnshire have been refused permission after an inspector judged their visual impact unacceptable, particularly in a nearby village. The site comprised an arable field bordered by coniferous woodland. The...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Replacement house restrictions held unreasonable.
February 3, 2006... Two conditions have been deleted from a permission for a replacement house in a Devon village after an inspector ruled that they did not meet the tests of Circular 11/95. The inspector found that a condition requiring the retention of...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Contribution ruled out but homes design rejected.
February 3, 2006... In rejecting alternative outline schemes to redevelop two houses in a Hampshire town, an inspector has conceded that a developer contribution towards the council's transport strategy is unnecessary. The proposal was to create seven...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Scheme deemed harmful to historic rectory setting.
February 3, 2006... Two proposals for residential development in the grounds of a grade II* listed house in a Hampshire village have been rejected after an inspector ruled that they would damage the building's setting. The inspector considered that the 15th...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Sheltered housing design criticisms overruled.
February 3, 2006... McCarthy and Stone (Developments) Ltd has secured permission for 42 sheltered apartments at a site in Oxfordshire after an inspector agreed that a commuted sum towards off-site affordable housing was acceptable. The site comprised a large...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Airport caravan site fails green belt policy test.
February 3, 2006... The retention of a caravan park used by Heathrow Terminal 5 construction workers has been refused because it harmed the openness of the metropolitan green belt. The appellant company argued that there was a pressing need to retain the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Agency forced to bow to access ransom demand.
February 3, 2006... An inspector has refused to delete a condition on a permission for a local needs development of six homes in mid Wales after concluding that it was not beyond the local authority's powers to impose it. The condition required the Welsh...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and entertainment - Safari park secures approval for tiger compound.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The retention of a drive-through tiger compound at the West Midlands Safari Park in Worcestershire has been approved despite noise and congestion concerns. The park owners had built a viewing area that allowed visitors to drive on a loop...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use development - Medical centre held to comply with local policy.
February 3, 2006... Plans for a primary care centre, a chemist's shop and a dental clinic have been agreed on the edge of a built-up area in Lancashire after an inspector concluded that the scheme would not lead to the loss of industrial land. The scheme was...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use development - Worship use held compatible in employment area.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The use of a building on a south-east London industrial estate as a place of worship and for storage and distribution purposes has been agreed by an inspector who rejected council fears that it would fetter the development of nearby sites for...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use development - Synagogue capacity judged to undermine safety.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... An inspector has refused plans for a building in north-west London comprising a car park and synagogue in the basement and retail and financial services on the ground floor, expressing concerns about traffic generation. The appellants...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Telecommunications - Costs awarded over mast health risk objection.
February 3, 2006... An appeal by Hutchison 3G (UK) Ltd against a Sussex planning authority's decision to refuse permission for a 13.2m telecommunications mast has been allowed with a full award of costs against the council. The council accepted that the mast...

Casebook: Court cases - Mobile operators secure right to install equipment.
February 3, 2006... Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd and Hutchison 3G (UK) Ltd have secured a court ruling requiring them to modify telecommunications equipment at a site in north London rather than remove it entirely. The London Borough of...

Casebook: Court cases - Decision upheld in village boundary dispute.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Ashford Borough Council has failed in a bid to overturn an inspector's decision to replace farm buildings with two bungalows after the High Court determined that there had been no error in law. In refusing permission, the council had...

Casebook: Court cases - Showpeople given final timescale for eviction.
February 3, 2006... The High Court has extended the time allowed for a group of travelling showpeople to vacate land in Gloucestershire after three of the occupiers claimed that they were unaware of the deadline set by a previous ruling. The site had been...

Casebook: Court cases - Use condition held no substitute for demolition.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A west Wales farmer has lost a High Court challenge against an inspector's determination that an unauthorised building had not been constructed for agricultural purposes. The owner argued that the inspector had been wrong to conclude that...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New Build - Lack of innovation held no bar to acceptability.
February 3, 2006... The redevelopment of a house, a builders' yard and a former village hall in a Hampshire village to create 26 homes has been allowed after its design was pronounced acceptable, although an alternative scheme was rejected because of design...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Leisure and entertainment - Turkish bath amenity and retail fears rejected.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The conversion of a ground floor and basement in north London to a Turkish bath and sauna has been allowed despite council concerns over its adverse impact on amenity and the loss of a local shop. The basement was laid out as a bar, the...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
February 3, 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...

Making membership a must.
February 3, 2006... A culture change should herald some significant advances in ensuring that the MRTPI qualification is a must-have for planners, maintains Cliff Hague. 'When people in the office got their membership to the Royal Institution of Chartered...

Inclusivity rises up planners' agenda.(urban planning should be in such a way that it suits everybody)
February 3, 2006... More thought is now going into making buildings accessible to all but there is still some way to go, Susanna Gillman finds. It seems blindingly obvious that buildings should be planned and designed so that everyone can use them. But making...

Deregulated buses fail to increase use.
February 3, 2006... Operators and councils have conflicting views on how to boost levels of bus travel outside the capital, Mark Smulian reveals. The time-honoured complaint about waiting ages for a bus only for three to arrive at once nowadays wears rather...

Waste sector arbiter.
February 3, 2006... Leading waste management professional Steve Lee is determined to find solutions for a problem that causes controversy among communities, Huw Morris discovers. Everybody creates it, but few spare a thought for dealing with it. Yet as...

Review boosts bid to beat climate change.
February 3, 2006... It was not quite a bombshell but neither was it the safe speech that many had anticipated. Baroness Andrew's contribution to the Town and County Planning Association climate change conference last week raised expectations as much as...

Fyson on ... Why unit targets forsake quality in family homes.
February 3, 2006... A study of how to attract and retain families in inner urban mixed-income new communities such as New Gorbals in Glasgow and the Greenwich Millennium Village in London has come to some predictable conclusions. Commissioned by the Joseph...

Economist let loose on land-use examination.
February 3, 2006... Kate Barker's latest review of planning is causing anxiety over its reform potential, David Dewar reports. It is second time around for Kate Barker. The Bank of England monetary policy committee member has once again been tasked with...

Tanner on ... Market analysis contributing to social exclusion.(Column)
February 3, 2006... When I was studying sociology at university, class was the big issue. The UK had a tiny upper class, a large working class and a rapidly increasing middle class that some writers alleged would include practically everybody by the year...

Review fuels energy worries.
February 3, 2006... The energy review raises doubts but the need for action is paramount, says Susanna Gillman. The government's energy review, launched last week, is intended to hammer out the best way of meeting future energy needs while reducing carbon...

Ministers hold fire on bridge verdict.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Ministers are refusing to be rushed into a decision on building another road bridge across the Firth of Forth despite Scottish secretary Alistair Darling publicly supporting the project. First minister Jack McConnell insisted last week that...

Retail plan allowed despite traffic fear.(expansion of Bon Accord shopping centre approved)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A major expansion of Aberdeen's Bon Accord shopping centre has been approved despite planning officials warning that it could breach the area's structure plan. The development, the first part of the Bon Accord Quarter masterplan, will...

Development imperils world heritage label.
February 3, 2006... Edinburgh has been warned that it could be stripped of world heritage site status after concerns were raised about the Quartermile development. World heritage site status is estimated to be worth millions of pounds in prestige and tourism...

Hyder Consulting to prepare action plan for River Tawe corridor.
February 3, 2006... A development framework and action plan for the River Tawe corridor from Swansea city centre to the Liberty Stadium at Morfa is to be prepared by Hyder Consulting. The area contains industrial premises, derelict sites and important industrial...

Consortium appointed by Greater London Authority for assessment.
February 3, 2006... A consortium of consultants including Tetlow King Planning, HATC Ltd and Levitt Bernstein Architects will assess the costs and benefits of establishing minimum housing space standards. The firms have been appointed by the Greater London...

Cheltenham retail and leisure provision to be studied by DPDS Consulting.
February 3, 2006... Retail and leisure provision in Cheltenham is to be studied by DPDS Consulting to help the borough council assess future requirements and development opportunities. The project aims to define the town's role as a key sub-regional shopping and...

Colin Buchanan to study East Lothian transport problems.
February 3, 2006... Solutions to East Lothian's transport problems are to be explored by Colin Buchanan. The study, for East Lothian Council, will involve a two-stage consultation process and a micro-simulation model to test and evaluate options. It will be run in...

JMP Consulting to develop proposals for Enfield car parks.
February 3, 2006... Proposals for a variable message signage system for car parks in Enfield are to be developed by JMP Consulting. The work for the London Borough of Enfield is part of plans to have the system up and running in time for the October opening of a...

Middlesbrough parking policies to be reviewed by Faber Maunsell.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Middlesbrough's parking policies are set to be reviewed by Faber Maunsell as part of council plans to improve resident and business parking in the town centre. The existing parking scheme will be evaluated and a public consultation held with...

Drivers Jonas to manage port project.(Cromarty Firth Port Authority to buy offshore oil platform construction facility )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The due diligence process on Cromarty Firth Port Authority's bid to buy an offshore oil platform construction facility at Nigg in Scotland is to be project managed by Drivers Jonas. Nigg Yard, owned by Kellogg Brown and Root, has built North...

RPS Group sees good performance.
February 3, 2006... RPS Group is predicting trading results at the upper end of market expectations after seeing a good performance in the second half of the financial year. Preliminary results for the financial year will be announced on 14 March.

White Young Green launches sustainability bureau.
February 3, 2006... White Young Green has launched a sustainability bureau to provide co-ordinated support for clients. The bureau brings together the firm's expertise in financial, environmental and social issues to help organisations identify viable...

London-based team launched by Scott Wilson.
February 3, 2006... A London-based planning, environment and design team has been launched by Scott Wilson. The team, located at the firm's Greencoat Place office, has been created to offer a range of services including planning, environmental impact assessment,...

Protesters lament regional road funds.
February 3, 2006... A protest was staged by transport and environmental campaigners last week outside a meeting to decide transport funding priorities in the East of England. The regional partnership group met in Ipswich to give its endorsement to a list of...

Lobby launches call for high-speed rail network.
February 3, 2006... A high-speed rail link to boost the UK economy while bridging the north-south divide could be running as early as 2020, according to a new pressure group. Greengauge21, launched last week, will campaign for a network connecting major...

Talks yield closure protocol guidance.(closing of rail routes according to Railways Act 2005 )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The social impacts of closing rail lines should be considered alongside the economic impact, a consultation by the Department for Transport (DfT) suggests. The DfT is consulting on how legislation for closing rail routes in the Railways...

Transport hub opens in Manchester city centre.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A pounds 28 million transport hub opened in Manchester city centre this week. Shudehill Interchange comprises a bus station, a Metrolink tram stop and a 777-space car park. The interchange is close to Victoria railway station and the Arndale...

MPs to review department's carbon stand.
February 3, 2006... A cross-party group of MPs is set to investigate the government's attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport. The Commons environmental audit committee will focus on the road, rail and maritime sectors. It will look at...

Schemes gain approval from regional body.(South West Regional Assembly )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A list of funding priorities for transport schemes was approved by the South West Regional Assembly (SWRA) last week. The list of road and public transport schemes has now been submitted to the government in a bid for pounds 865 million of...

Olympic redesign saves businesses.(urban planning for Olympics have been changed)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Plans for London's 2012 Olympic Park have been redesigned saving almost 100 businesses from relocation and safeguarded up to 1,200 jobs. The changes, revealed by the interim Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) this week, aim to further...

Leeds consults on estate revival plan.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A public consultation into an pounds 85 million scheme to transform the Little London estate in Leeds began this week. The proposals span 30 years and would see at least pounds 35,000 spent on each council house. An additional 125 council...

Agency seeks contractor for family homes.
February 3, 2006... Developers are being sought to build up to 750 homes on the site of an east London hospital that is set to close. The London Development Agency and the Housing Corporation are hoping to transform the 3ha St Andrews Hospital site near...

Major initiative to revive Scotswood and Benwell to be launched.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A major initiative to revive Scotswood and Benwell in west Newcastle after a decade of clearance is to be launched next month. Four different scenarios ranging from no change to building 2,000 homes and shops will be discussed with local people...

Vision to develop Hemel Hempstead launched.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A vision for the development of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire was launched this week, nearly 60 years on from its first new town masterplan. The Hemel 2020 document, developed by Dacorum Borough Council with residents, the business community...

DTI launches competition.(Department of Trade and IndustrY launches a competion for cities and towns that best resembles enterprise spirit)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... A competition to find a UK city, town, place or area that best exemplifies the enterprise spirit was launched by the DTI this week. The Enterprising Britain 2006 contest is part of a government drive to encourage entrepreneurship and identify...

Renaissance consortium to transform site in east Manchester.
February 3, 2006... A 107ha site in east Manchester is set to be transformed by the Renaissance consortium. Manchester City Council chose the group as its preferred partner for the Miles Platting scheme, which involves refurbishing 1,600 council properties and...

English Partnerships seeks developer.
February 3, 2006... English Partnerships is looking for a developer to regenerate a redundant hospital site in Oxfordshire as a new community. The 40ha Fair Mile site in Cholsey, near Wallingford, is part of the agency's programme to bring 96 former hospital sites...

Study released by FA and Northwest Development Agency.
February 3, 2006... Practical guidance on the role of sports clubs in community regeneration has been released by the Football Association and the Northwest Development Agency. The study, carried out by David Taylor Partnerships, maps the activity of 38 clubs...

Canterbury technology park plans move forward.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Plans for a technology park in Canterbury are moving forward after the South East England Development Agency agreed terms to acquire land for an innovation centre. The facility will be the first phase of development at the University of Kent's...

Swindon praised for service progress.(Swindon Borough Council, Audit Commission )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Audit Commission inspectors have praised Swindon Borough Council's planning service for its vision to help achieve balanced economic and housing growth. A Best Value inspection report published last week ranks the authority's planning...