Planning (UK) articles from January 2007

Planning (UK) archives from January 2007

Diary.
January 5, 2007... SARDINE STANDS UP FOR SEATING RIGHTS Something fishy has been going on in Leeds. 'Sardine Man' has been hanging around at the station as part of a Transport 2000 campaign calling for government investment in rail infrastructure. The...

Appointment at Colin Buchanan.
January 5, 2007... Hugh Chaplain has joined Colin Buchanan as director of public transport. He was previously head of north London railway infrastructure and franchise management at Transport for London.

Appointment at Entec.
January 5, 2007... Ian Douglass has rejoined Entec as an associate director. He previously spent two years working for Bidwells in Norwich.

Appointment at DP9.
January 5, 2007... Sam Hine and Chris Beard have been promoted to partners and Richard Ward to associate at DP9. Louise Steele has joined the firm as an associate.

Appointment at Hyder Consulting.
January 5, 2007... Andrew Saunders has been made director of environmental services at Hyder Consulting. He was previously technical director for environment in Warrington.

Appointment at Denton Wilde Sapte.
January 5, 2007... Kate Watchorn, a solicitor, has joined Denton Wilde Sapte's planning and public law team. She previously worked for Eversheds LLP, where she completed her training contract and worked on regeneration projects in Gateshead.

Appointment at Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council.
January 5, 2007... Paul Ancell has been made chief executive at Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council. He was previously executive director for environment and development and borough planning officer. Ancell succeeds Alan Wenham, who retired in September.

Appointment at CSJ Planning Consultants.
January 5, 2007... Rebecca Winter has joined CSJ Planning Consultants in Bristol as a senior planner. She previously worked for Bristol City Council. Senior planners Lyn Jones and Julie-Marie Laming have been promoted to associate directors.

Retirment announced at South Staffordshire District Council.
January 5, 2007... Bill Meredith has retired after 33 years' service at South Staffordshire District Council. He was head of development and building control services for the past 24 years. Meredith was previously a planning officer at the local authority.

Appointment at SLR Consulting.
January 5, 2007... Daniel Eustance and Colin Pill have joined SLR Consulting as principal landscape architects in the landscape team. Eustance previously worked for Aedas and Pill previously worked for Landmark.

Appointment at Charles Planning Associates.
January 5, 2007... Amanda Sutton has been appointed managing director designate by Charles Planning Associates. Practice founder Tony Charles has become chairman. Helen Roberts has been promoted to senior project manager and Peter Kneen to project manager. James...

Appointment at EDAW.
January 5, 2007... Sarah Elliott has been promoted to director at EDAW in London, where she has worked since 2005.

Appointment at CALA Homes (East) Ltd.
January 5, 2007... Alasdair Laurenson has joined CALA Homes (East) Ltd as a strategic planner. He previously worked for DPP.

Appointment at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
January 5, 2007... Dave Beighton has been made a principal planner by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council in the major projects team.

Agenda.
January 5, 2007... DIARY TO 19 JANUARY 11 January: Climate Change Policies and Development in Oxfordshire. Organiser: West Waddy ADP. Venue: Oxford. Fee: pounds 25. Details: (tel) 01235 523139. 17 January: Interchanges '07. Organiser: British Urban...

Associations give us the chance to meet major demands on planning.
January 5, 2007... Some of the urgent issues that planning will face this year are in the remit of the ROOMatRTPI associations, reports Trish Cookson. The three ROOMatRTPI associations would welcome your participation throughout 2007 and beyond. As an RTPI...

Facing up to the realities of modern environment.(sustainable development)
January 5, 2007... We can all learn from bold thinking on issues ranging from good design practice to green belt boundaries, maintains Clive Harridge. The presentations at the last RTPI briefing conference that I chaired in December showed the 'best of the...

Good communication is good sense for planners.
January 5, 2007... Planners can and should take charge of the way that public perceptions of their actions are shaped, explains Linda Taylor. Too often planning and planners are in the news because of a negative response to their decisions. Inevitably,...

Development planners must make voice heard.
January 5, 2007... It is a challenging but also exciting time in the field of development with much to do, write Chris Sheridan and Rhian Brimble. Over the past few weeks there has been considerable focus on the development planning system, with the passage...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
January 5, 2007... Website revamp The new year brings with it a revamp for the RTPI website and different ways to keep in touch. The RTPI is always looking to improve the routes it uses to communicate with members and ensuring that they are informed about...

Casebook: Hotel demolition blocked to preserve community facility.
January 5, 2007... The demolition of a former hotel on the south Wales coast and its redevelopment with 24 flats has been rejected on the grounds that it would result in the unacceptable loss of an important community and tourism facility. A unitary...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural Development - Home enforcement action criticised as premature.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... In quashing an enforcement notice directed against the occupation of a house in Lincolnshire without complying with the terms of an agricultural occupancy condition, an inspector has criticised the local planning authority for acting in an...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural Development - Farm expansion supported without mobile home.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... An inspector has authorised two free-range egg production units, a general purpose building and a bulk fertiliser and machinery store at a farm in Essex but refused permission for a mobile home for an agricultural worker. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Concrete batching held harmful to national park.
January 5, 2007... A proposal for a concrete batching plant in the Exmoor national park has been rejected due to its failure to maintain or enhance the environment, its unsustainable location, harm to road safety and its impact on neighbours. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Energy Development - Wind turbines rejected on airport safety grounds.
January 5, 2007... Plans for 15 wind turbines at a site in Lincolnshire have been denied planning permission following a ruling that they would adversely affect the safe operation of Humberside Airport. The council and the appellants accepted that the wind...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and Drink Uses - Flue judged to constitute material alteration.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... An inspector has upheld an enforcement notice directed against an extraction flue at a Chinese restaurant in Lincolnshire after deciding that its installation was a breach of planning control. The appellant claimed that planning permission...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New Build - Inspector finds river breach concerns unjustified.
January 5, 2007... After deciding that a Yorkshire authority's fears of potential flood risk were unjustified, an inspector has allowed two appeals for ten and 14 dwellings on a site within the flood plains of the Rivers Ouse and Derwent. The council...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New Build - Inspector requires bus shelter and lower age limit.
January 5, 2007... In deciding an appeal by McCarthy and Stone (Developments) Ltd involving an apartment scheme in Gloucestershire, an inspector has accepted that the council's desire to seek provision of a new bus shelter was reasonable. Two conditions were...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New Build - Homes secured on trading site despite over-supply.
January 5, 2007... The secretary of state has allowed an appeal for up to 260 dwellings on a trading estate in Berkshire despite acknowledging that it would increase an over-supply of housing land in the area. The site fell within a recognised business area...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder Development - House extensions ruled excessive in green belt.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Proposals for extensions to a house in the Buckinghamshire green belt have been blocked after an inspector decided that they would represent disproportionate additions. A local plan policy permitted a 60 per cent cumulative increase in the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder Development - Gates fail design test but cohesion point allowed.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A proposal for entry gates on the approach to two houses in a Surrey suburb has been rejected on the grounds that they would harm the area's character and appearance. The area comprised a mix of largely semi-detached and detached houses...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and Entertainment - Racetrack enforcement notice upheld on amenity.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... An enforcement notice directed against a BMX and cycle track in Oxfordshire has been upheld after an inspector decided that the development contravened local planning policies designed to protect the appearance and residential amenity of rural...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and Entertainment - Contemporary design held to enhance hotel setting.
January 5, 2007... An inspector has allowed two appeals within the curtilage of a grade II listed hotel in Cornwall after concluding that its setting would be enhanced through the removal of unsightly buildings. The first scheme involved 28 self-catering...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed Use Development - Office block and homes secure provisional support.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The secretary of state is minded to grant planning permission for a mixed housing and employment development on a brownfield site in Lancashire subject to a more precise definition of the proportion of affordable housing being agreed. The...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed Use Development - Golf course proposal thwarted by policy conflicts.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Rejecting an inspector's recommendation, the Welsh Assembly Government has refused planning permission for a major mixed-use scheme in south Wales after concluding that its housing element conflicted with development plan policies. The...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail Development - Design of national park shop judged unsatisfactory.
January 5, 2007... A retail extension at a coffee shop in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park has been rejected on design grounds following a finding that it would harm a conservation area's character and appearance and the setting of a listed...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Telecommunications - Exact siting proves crucial in assessing mast merits.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... An enforcement notice directed against a 10m telecommunications mast in Ayrshire has been upheld because of its visual impact. The mast had been erected 4m nearer to a railway line than had been approved under an earlier planning...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Telecommunications - Antennae allowed due to lack of alternative sites.
January 5, 2007... The installation of six telecommunications antennae at a north London fire station has been allowed on the basis that no suitable alternative site was available and shared use of an existing site accorded with government advice. The fire...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Training facility fails sequential preference test.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The conversion of a vacant workshop in the West Midlands into a training facility has been ruled out on the grounds that it would undermine the supply of employment land and would prove unsustainable. The appellant proposed to establish a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Taxi booking office raises highway safety fears.
January 5, 2007... The change of use of a Derbyshire village shop to a taxi booking office has been granted temporary approval despite local planning authority concerns about highway safety and living conditions. The appeal premises were located close to a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community Facilities - Centre allowed despite employment fears.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The change of use of office premises in Berkshire to an Islamic education and community facility including a prayer room has been found acceptable in amenity terms and unlikely to adversely affect employment land supply. A review of the...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
January 5, 2007... 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 for...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and Drink Uses - Loss of retail space sanctioned in busy locality.
January 5, 2007... The change of use of the basement and ground floor of a property in central London to a restaurant and cafe has been accepted by an inspector who decided that it would not undermine the retail character of the area. Planning permission had...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New Build - Urban extension secured on greenfield land.
January 5, 2007... The secretary of state has approved two called-in applications for major housing development in West Sussex after concluding that they would deliver a number of benefits in a sustainable manner. The applications involved some 1,350...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder Development - Temple garage judged harmful to listed house.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A detached garage designed in the style of a Greek temple has been refused planning permission at a grade II* listed manor house in Hampshire even though an inspector agreed that the architectural attributes of the scheme could not be...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
January 5, 2007... 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...

Kent aims to reuse housing.
January 5, 2007... Planners in east Kent are employing various means of tackling the problems posed by vacant housing, reports Mark Smulian. Empty homes are usually seen as a housing issue rather than a planning one. But what if the scale of the problem...

Lewes highlights challenge.(public spending on flood defences)
January 5, 2007... Trying to tackle the threat of floods and fulfil needs for development is posing dilemmas for planners in Sussex, writes Lee Baker. Public spending on flood defences has almost doubled since Labour came to power. But the list of vulnerable...

Policy will simplify flood risk process.
January 5, 2007... The latest policy approach to development and flood risk aims to create a more strategic way of thinking, maintains Lester Hicks. The recently published PPS25 aims to set out core policies on development and flooding in a way that is...

Communication buff.
January 5, 2007... Lancaster planning chief Andrew Dobson talks to as many parties as possible to champion community aspirations and deliver investment, Susanna Gillman finds. Andrew Dobson, head of planning at Lancaster City Council, is not shy about...

Reform clouds hope for improved system.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The onset of any new year is usually an occasion for looking forward rather than backwards. Like marriage, this is entered into more out of hope than experience. But change is on the horizon for the built environment professions - some of it...

Fyson on ... environmental credentials of leader in waiting.
January 5, 2007... Most commentators and politicians seem to agree that this is the year when chancellor Gordon Brown will replace Tony Blair as prime minister. But there is uncertainty about the difference this might or might not make for planning and the...

Sector doubts key findings.(planners managing development plan documents)
January 5, 2007... Plan-makers are far from convinced by proposals to speed up the procedures, writes Vivien Wilson. Kate Barker's review of land-use planning proposes to slash the time taken to adopt development plan documents (DPDs) to between 18 and 24...

Statement puts climate at heart.
January 5, 2007... Ministerial backing for a tough stand on climate change has been welcomed for its encouragement of action, notes Catherine Early. A year ago, the government denied the need for a separate planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change....

McNulty ponders overload solution.
January 5, 2007... Up to 40 per cent of applications could be removed from the planning process, according to research commissioned by the Scottish Executive. A study by the school of the built environment at Heriot-Watt University recommends that an extra...

Minister backs call for another bridge.(Tavish Scott )(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Transport minister Tavish Scott has indicated that he is ready to back the case for a new crossing over the Firth of Forth. The surprise move came after the Scottish Executive received the preliminary results of a study into the state of...

Paisley centre renewal plans gain approval.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Plans to renew Scotland's largest town centre have been approved by Renfrewshire Council. The pounds 7 million scheme would see key sites in Paisley purchased and efforts made to attract up to pounds 50 million of private investment....

Review to be carried out by Tribal Consulting.
January 5, 2007... A review of best practice in the early stages of setting up urban regeneration companies (URCs) in Scotland is to be carried out by Tribal Consulting. Directors Liz Shiel and David Smith-Milne have been commissioned by the Scottish Executive....

Advice on RAF Bentley Priory development to be supplied by Development Planning Partnership.
January 5, 2007... Planning and heritage advice on the RAF Bentley Priory development in Harrow is to be supplied by Development Planning Partnership. The firm has been appointed by the London Borough of Harrow to produce a supplementary planning document (SPD)...

GVA Grimley appointed fund manager.(Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund )(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... GVA Grimley has been appointed as fund manager for the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund (GMPVF), replacing Dunlop Haywards. GMPVF has an allocation of pounds 100 million. Its key aims are to develop commercial schemes and create jobs,...

MVA Consultancy projects.
January 5, 2007... Good practice in the provision of school transport is to be identified by MVA Consultancy in a project for the Scottish Executive. The study will investigate schemes and initiatives to improve the quality of services, enhance pupil safety and...

Alternative designs for the renovation of Sloane Square to be drawn up by Atkins.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Alternative designs for the renovation of Sloane Square in Chelsea are to be drawn up by Atkins. The firm will work with the Sloane Square Improvement Group (SSIG) to develop alternative proposals to the Royal Borough of Kensington and...

DBK Back appointed as cost consultant on Millennium View project.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... DBK Back has been appointed as cost consultant on Richardson Cordwell's Millennium View project in Coventry city centre. The mixed-use scheme will comprise 55 flats, car parking, shops and cafe bars on a site next to the city's landmark square,...

Steer Davies Gleave opens Scottish office.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave has opened another Scottish office in Glasgow, in addition to its base in Edinburgh. The company said that its expansion comes as confidence in the Scottish market is high, particularly with the...

Officials back Edinburgh tram network.
January 5, 2007... Edinburgh's proposed tram project has received a major boost after councillors voted 56 to one in favour of the draft final business case. The decision, confirmed at a meeting just before Christmas, means that the project will be submitted...

Revisions fail to curtail Weymouth road protest.
January 5, 2007... Plans for a bypass north of Weymouth have suffered a blow after Natural England sustained its objection to the scheme. Dorset County Council submitted a revised planning application for the Weymouth relief road last November in a bid to...

Operator alters Aberdeen Airport vision.
January 5, 2007... A revised masterplan for Aberdeen Airport's expansion was unveiled by operator BAA Scotland just before Christmas. The pounds 10 million two-year plan came only two days after Aberdeen City Council agreed to a 300m runway extension...

Praise heaped on authorities for local plans.
January 5, 2007... Twenty-one authorities across the country have 'excellent' local transport plans, the Department for Transport (DfT) has judged. Among those winning the rating were Buckinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council, Shropshire County...

Schemes put on list for rail freight funds.
January 5, 2007... Four rail freight schemes were shortlisted for consideration for transport innovation funding by transport secretary Douglas Alexander last month. The reinstatement of the Olive Mount Chord rail link in Liverpool, capacity enhancement at...

Growth fears rise in East of England.
January 5, 2007... The growth towns allocated as part of the proposed changes to the East of England Plan are at risk of being overdeveloped, planning experts have warned. The proposals, which were published by the government before Christmas and are now out...

Honours bestowed on notable figures.
January 5, 2007... Several key figures in the planning industry were recognised in the Queen's New Year's Honours list last week. David Lock, chairman of the Town and Country Planning Association and principal of David Lock Associates, has been awarded a CBE...

Mayor rejects scheme after low-rent cuts.
January 5, 2007... The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's plans to cut the number of low-rent homes in a housing development by more than a third have been blocked by mayor Ken Livingstone. Genesis Housing Group's original application included 148...

Malcolm Chisholm resigns.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Scottish communities minister Malcolm Chisholm, who had overall responsibility for planning, housing, regeneration and building standards, resigned just before Christmas over the UK government's decision to replace Trident nuclear submarines....

Campaign to extend homeownership launched by Conservative Party.
January 5, 2007... A campaign to extend homeownership through community land trusts was launched by the Conservative Party this week. Shadow housing minister Michael Gove is to set up a task force to investigate the model of building homes on land owned by a...

Two major offshore wind farms to be built in Thames Estuary.
January 5, 2007... Two major offshore wind farms are to be built in the Thames Estuary after government approval last month. The London Array will be the world's biggest wind farm, with 341 turbines across 232km2 off the coast between Margate and Clacton. The...

Site vacated for development for 2012 Olympis to be handed over by London Development Agency.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A site vacated for development for the 2012 Olympics is to be handed over by the London Development Agency (LDA) after its compulsory purchase order (CPO) was confirmed just before Christmas. The CPO, one of the largest and most complex of its...

Upgrading and expandion of St Enoch Centre approved.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A major upgrading and expansion of the St Enoch Centre has been approved by Glasgow City Council. The pounds 100 million project will include extensive refurbishment of the mall area and the redevelopment of St Enoch Square, creating 1,500...

Revised policies confirmed.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Revised policies for housing and waste management as part of the London Plan were confirmed before Christmas. Mayor Ken Livingstone announced that the government has approved an increase in the capital's annual housing provision target from...

Planning permission granted for new town to east of Exeter.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... Planning permission has been granted for a new town to the east of Exeter. East Devon District Council approved plans for Cranbrook, which is expected to accommodate between 5,000 and 6,000 homes. Targets from the government's revised code for...

High Court judge rules the polytunnels must be subject to planning permission.(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A High Court judge has ruled that polytunnels used for crops such as strawberries and raspberries must be subject to planning permission. Last month Mr Justice Sullivan backed a planning inspector's decision that a farm near Godalming should...

Joint venture to redevelop Merry Hill shopping centre.(joint venture of Queensland Investment Corp. and Westfield Group)(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The Westfield Group and Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) have announced that they will partner a joint venture to redevelop Merry Hill shopping centre near Birmingham. Westfield has sold a 50 per cent interest in the centre to QIC for...

Hackney blasted on enforcement issue.(London Borough of Hackney )(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... The London Borough of Hackney has been heavily criticised by the local government ombudsman for failing to take enforcement action on planning breaches. The ombudsman issued three reports on complaints made by residents about unauthorised...

Councillor shamed over failure to admit interest.(Margaret Atkinson)(Brief article)
January 5, 2007... A Harrogate councillor who voted to give a colleague planning permission in breach of six material planning policies has been named and shamed by the local government ombudsman. The ombudsman reported that area planning committee chairman...

Cuts made to Wear Valley mine project.
January 5, 2007... Plans for an opencast mine on a 126ha site near Tow Law in the Wear Valley have been submitted to Durham County Council. UK Coal's Park Wall North project is a scaled-down version of the White Lea scheme rejected in the late 1990s. The...