Planning (UK) articles from July 2005

Planning (UK) archives from July 2005

Agenda.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... DIARY TO 15 JULY 5 July: Introduction to Management. Organiser: Hawksmere. Venue: London. Fee: pounds 299 + VAT. Details: (tel) 0845 120 9602. 6 July: Negotiation Skills. Organiser: Hawksmere. Venue: London. Fee: pounds 299 + VAT....

Diary: Nappy disposal push steps up a gear.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Diary readers will no doubt be aware of the controversial nappy debate taking place in London next week (Planning, 17 June, p52). Last week, however, the issue was brought to a far wider audience. Councils across the country held a series...

Diary: Councillors get in touch with the kids.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Forget the bickering and inane behaviour that characterises Big Brother. October will witness a far more edifying competition when the Local Government Association runs 'I'm a councillor, get me out of here!' for the third consecutive...

Diary: Dome falcon chick returns to the fold.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... It is not often that Planning can offer a positive story on the much-maligned Millennium Dome, so it is with great pleasure that we can reveal that a missing peregrine falcon chick living at the site has been found safe and well. A pair of...

Appointment at Charles Green Regeneration Ltd.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Charles Green has set up regeneration consultancy Charles Green Regeneration Ltd. He has left Salford City Council, where he was director of strategy and regeneration and assistant chief executive. Green was also joint director of the...

Appointment at Accent North East.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Martine Jefferson has joined Middlesbrough-based community investment group Accent North East. Jefferson, who has more than 15 years' experience in housing, planning and regeneration, will lead affordable housing strategies.

Appointment at EDAW.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Alison Young has joined EDAW as a director in the consultancy's London office. She was previously head of strategic development at the London Borough of Barnet and head of renewal at the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Ashley Lynch has joined...

Appointment at Carter Jonas.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Jane Spence has joined Carter Jonas as senior minerals planner in the firm's minerals and waste management division. She previously worked for Flintshire County Council and Clwyd County Council.

Appointment at Atkins.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Stephen Cox and Jackie Copley have joined Atkins in Manchester as principal consultant and senior consultant. They both move from Roger Tym & Partners.

Appointment at District Surveyors Association.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Paul Everall has been appointed as chief executive of the District Surveyors Association and will also manage the group's commercial arm, Local Authority Building Control Services.

Appointment at Atkins.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Nasar Malik has rejoined the transport planning division at Atkins as a director following two years as transport planning director at Mouchel Parkman.

Appointment at Goadsby & Harding (Commercial) Ltd.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Mark Axford has joined the planning department of Goadsby & Harding (Commercial) Ltd as a senior planner.

Appointment at GoSkills.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Mal McGreevy has been appointed to the board of passenger transport sector skills council GoSkills as Northern Ireland director. McGreevy works for Translink, where he is general manager for rail services.

Appointment at St Albans City and District Council.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Peter Lerner has taken early retirement from St Albans City and District Council, where he was head of paid service. He is forming the Peter Lerner Consultancy.

Appointment at Drivers Jonas.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Barry Crichton, Jonathan Evans, Stephen Hing, Andrew Kubski and Mark Underwood have been promoted to partner by Drivers Jonas.

Appointment at Turley Associates.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Gareth Barton has joined Turley Associates in Bristol as a planner. He previously worked for Savills, Portsmouth City Council and Cardiff County Council.

Appointment at Wilbraham and Co.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... John Moritz has joined the Manchester office of Wilbraham and Co as a partner. He previously worked for WDL Solicitors and Greater Manchester Council.

Director of corporate planning and resources.
July 1, 2005... The RTPI can announce the appointment of Keith Mitchell to the post of director of corporate planning and resources. Keith will be joining the RTPI in early July. He is currently director of finance at the Honourable Society of the Middle...

PlanningResource.co.uk - benefits for members.
July 1, 2005... Since its launch at the beginning of last year, the PlanningResource website has steadily grown its user base, reports Colin Marrs. Planning magazine avoided the spectacular website losses made by many publishing companies during the heady...

Bulletin Board: Annual General Meeting.
July 1, 2005... Please note that the annual general meeting will be held at the National Union of Teachers Headquarters, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD on 13 July at 3pm. This is an amendment to the address printed in the Annual Report and...

How do you protect wildlife on a proposed development site?
July 1, 2005... There are many issues that must be considered when developing a site inhabited by protected species, says Libby Crew. English wildlife law and policy has important implications for the way in which developers can conduct their work on site....

Casebook: Development Control Casebook - Gypsies ordered off belt site despite acknowledged need.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The deputy prime minister has rejected an inspector's recommendation and refused to grant planning permission for the retention of a Gypsy caravan site in the Bedfordshire green belt despite accepting a proven need for sites in the area. ...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Agricultural Development - Immunity claim on single operation rejected.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a building and hardstanding at a farm in North Yorkshire has been found correct in its claim that the development was not substantially complete four years before it was served. The council...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Agricultural Development - Flexible deal supported on cottage occupancy.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An inspector has ruled that a legal agreement restricting the occupation of a farm cottage in Hampshire should be modified to allow it to be occupied by domestic staff as well as farm workers. The agreement, dating from 1993, allowed the...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commerical and Industrial - Bathhouse plan blocked by green belt restraint.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A proposal to construct a replica Roman bathhouse for experimental archaeology in the Hertfordshire green belt has been rejected after an inspector held that very special circumstances had not been demonstrated to support allowing the appeal....

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and Industrial - Tyre centre deemed harmful to listed hall setting.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A tyre repair and fitting workshop in south-east London has been refused permission after an inspector decided that it would harm the setting of an adjacent late Victorian grade II listed hall. The statutory list referred to the hall as...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commerical and Industrial - Studio building allowed in rural garden setting.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Permission has been secured to build a ballet studio in the substantial rear garden of a grade II listed cottage in Essex, with an inspector agreeing that it would not harm the countryside setting. The council was concerned that the studio,...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Community Facilities - Green belt cemetery columns cause concern.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A proposal for a memorial garden and cemetery in the Essex green belt has been turned down after an inspector voiced concerns over the inclusion of a 35m diameter 'columbarium circle'. The 5.2ha site was unused, although historically it had...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Community Facilities - Social club annexe banned on amenity grounds.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The use of a warehouse building in south-west London as a function room associated with an adjoining Portuguese social club has been blocked after an inspector agreed that it harmed the amenity of local residents. The inspector accepted...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Food and drink uses - Cafe rejected due to lack of servicing details.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The redevelopment of public conveniences on a busy traffic island in north London as a landmark internet cafe and florist has been dismissed because it was unclear how it could be serviced. The appeal proposal was for a long, narrow, partly...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Food and drink uses - Condition revised at hot food takeaway outlet.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An inspector has allowed an appeal and deleted a condition imposed on the use of premises in Essex as a hot food takeaway that restricted the nature and number of cooking appliances used in the building. In granting permission, the council...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New build - Homes approved on green belt research site.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The deputy prime minister has issued his decision in respect of a proposed development in the Middlesex green belt following earlier agreement on the amount of land that should be developed for housing. The 11ha site lay adjacent to a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: New build - Unconventional design held harmful to locality.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An appeal for the redevelopment of disused public conveniences in south-west London for five houses has been dismissed by an inspector who decided that the scheme would harm the character of the area. The toilets were largely subterranean...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Householder development - Emergency ladder at apartment secures support.
July 1, 2005... The installation of an escape ladder at a second-floor flat in north-west London has been approved despite concerns that it would be incongruous and harmful to the amenity of occupants of the flat below. A revised drawing repositioned the...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Mixed use development - Scheme approved despite effect on neighbours.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A mixed-use development in central London has been allowed after an inspector found that harm to the living conditions of neighbours due to loss of outlook, daylight and sunlight was outweighed by other considerations. The proposal...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Mixed use development - Moorings judged threat to riverside character.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Residential and commercial moorings at a boatyard in Surrey have been refused permission on the grounds that they would harm the character and appearance of the area and could damage nature conservation. The appeal proposal envisaged...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Retail Development - Tesco relocation endorsed outside town centre.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Following a call-in inquiry, the deputy prime minister has accepted that permission should be granted for Tesco to relocate its store in a Stoke-on-Trent town centre to an out-of-centre site. The site for the 10,299m2 replacement store,...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Waste Management - Tipping held to breach terms of permission.
July 1, 2005... An inspector has upheld an enforcement notice alleging that waste material has been deposited on land in Wiltshire after concluding that a permission granted in 2001 did not authorise the development. The council had granted permission for...

Casebook: Court cases - Scheme backed despite lack of assessment.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An objector to the Barbican mixed-use development in York has failed in a bid to persuade the High Court to quash a planning permission allowing the scheme to proceed. The objector claimed that the development, which involved refurbishing...

Casebook: Court cases - Green belt cemetery decision ruled unassailable.(Kemnal Manor Memorial Gardens Ltd )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Court of Appeal has rejected a challenge to an inspector's decision, subsequently upheld by the High Court (Planning, 3 December 2004, p24), to refuse permission to redevelop a sports field as a cemetery and crematorium in the green belt...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Householder Development - Dormer height reduction fallback claim fails.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An enforcement notice issued against a dormer window at a semi-detached house in Surrey has been upheld due to unacceptable harm to visual amenity and because the suggested fallback position was not seen as a reasonably likely outcome. It...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Listed Buildings - Cleaning and rendering held to harm building.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A listed building enforcement notice alleging unauthorised works to a listed building in a west London conservation area has been upheld after an inspector made various corrections to the notice. The work enforced against included cleaning...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Downloading decisions.(Brief Article)
July 1, 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 - Mixed Use Development - Canalside design seen as townscape threat.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A mixture of employment and residential uses on a site in east London next to the Grand Union and Hertford Union Canals has been blocked by an inspector who decided that it would have an adverse impact on the surrounding area and the setting of...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Caravan judged lawful despite relocation.
July 1, 2005... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate confirming that a holiday caravan can be sited next to a river in Northumberland after concluding that there had been no change in the planning unit. It was undisputed that a caravan...

Casebook: Court Cases - Bridge panels dispute set for court hearing.(Salmon Fisheries Ltd, First Secretary of State)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A salmon fishery on the River Test in Hampshire has won a full court hearing into an inspector's decision to refuse permission to retain fence panels across a bridge to protect anglers on the riverbank. The company had erected the panels...

Renewers back leisure role.
July 1, 2005... Leisure development can make a huge contribution to a community's vitality if it is handled correctly, argues Tom de Castella. For such an innocuous word, 'leisure' can be one of planning's thorniest issues. Covering everything from pubs,...

Shop location expert.(British Property Federation's planning technical committee chairman Sue Willcox)
July 1, 2005... Listening to customers' views on store location is as important to retail success as selling the right goods, Sainsbury's planning chief Sue Willcox tells David Dewar. Earlier this year, Sainsbury's head of town planning and transportation...

Professions seek to entice young talent.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Slashing spending on the built environment and infrastructure is not simply a false economy but an invitation to serious economic and social costs further down the line. The price of the contempt shown by successive governments has led to...

Fyson on ... assessing the community value of our buildings.(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)
July 1, 2005... The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has an admirable record of anchoring policy work in opinion surveys and publishing the findings even when they conflict with the organisation's own preferences. It is also...

Shepley on ... looking ahead to recollections of The Planning Act.(Chris Shepley)
July 1, 2005... Minute to: Minister for Planning - 13 May 2009 From: Planning Directorate, ODPM 1. It is five years since the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act gained Royal Assent. At that time it was argued by some of the less imaginative...

Day of reckoning looms for Olympic bidders.
July 1, 2005... Next week's Olympic ballot is crucial for regeneration plans in east London, says Susanna Gillman. The runners have reached the final lap. Paris is striding out ahead, but London is gaining ground. Who will push through? Will it be a photo...

Waterfront revival begins in Granton.(Waterfront Edinburgh)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A spectacular hotel on a man-made island is set to dominate Edinburgh's waterfront redevelopment, which began last week. The tear-shaped island will be linked by a causeway to the shore where canals, walkways and public squares feature in...

Lobby group warns of housing arrears.(Scottish Executive blamed for decline in housing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Ministers have seriously underestimated Scotland's housing needs, according to house builders' organisation Homes for Scotland (HfS). Last week the group accused the Scottish Executive of overseeing a period of decline and blamed the...

Glasgow edict clears way for cemetery site.(Glasgow City Council agrees for an Islamic cemetery near Castlemilk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Land in Glasgow's green belt could be developed as an Islamic cemetery after the city council agreed in principle to lease a 13ha site near Castlemilk. A formal planning application is expected to be submitted by a body representing the...

Lend Lease set to acquire Crosby Group.
July 1, 2005... Developer Lend Lease is set to acquire urban regeneration specialist Crosby Group for around pounds 261 million. Chief executive Greg Clarke said the acquisition will boost the firm's residential communities business and help target...

Civil and structural services on redevelopment will be provided by White Young Green.(Oak Holdings PLC)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Civil and structural services on the redevelopment of a former colliery as an indoor leisure complex will be provided by White Young Green. The company will work on the pounds 300 million YES! project in Rotherham for developer Oak...

Traffic implications to be assessed by Colin Buchanan.(Colin Buchanan and Partners)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The traffic implications of developing a major hub for Dublin's public transport system are to be assessed by Colin Buchanan. The company's public transport division has been engaged by Dublin Bus to carry out the work for the proposed Strand...

Plans for hotel being overseen by Terence O'Rourke for Columbus Hotels.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans for a hotel next to the Mercedes-Benz Heritage and Technology Centre at the former Brooklands motor racing circuit in Surrey are being overseen by Terence O'Rourke for Columbus Hotels. The consultancy has already acted as planning...

Future option for transport links to be studied by Peter Brett Associates.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Future options for transport links across the south-east Northumberland and North Tyneside Regeneration Initiative area are to be studied by transport consultancy Peter Brett Associates. An extension to the Tyne and Wear Metro and rail...

Options for a boundary to national park to be explored by Alison Farmer Associates.(Julie Martin Associates gets Mourne National Park contract)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Options for a boundary to Northern Ireland's first proposed national park are to be explored by Alison Farmer Associates and Julie Martin Associates. The firms will assess the possible boundary based on the Mourne Mountains area of...

Scott wilson moves offices.(Scott Wilson Terry and Partners moves to Liverpool)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Scott Wilson has moved to offices in the heart of Liverpool to accommodate a new team. Scott Wilson Terry and Partners, which provides mechanical and electrical engineering services, has joined the existing structures, civil engineering...

CSJ Planning celebrates ten years in business.(CSJ Planning Consultants Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... CSJ Planning is celebrating ten years in business. Established in Bristol in 1995, the company started with just two staff but now has six directors across offices in Bristol and Birmingham and a total of 17 planners and three support...

Mobile data system being used to improve highway maintenance.(Bridgend County Borough Council)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A mobile data system is being used to improve highway maintenance management by Bridgend County Borough Council. The Mayrise Systems technology links to the council's highway services management system. Screens guide highway inspectors from...

Ealing signs up to promote tram route.(London Borough of Ealing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The London Borough of Ealing agreed to back the West London Tram last week despite residents' reservations. The council is now obliged to be a Transport for London (TfL) witness during the scheme's public inquiry next year. In return, TfL...

Review advises cutback for Metrolink expansion.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Part of Manchester's Metrolink expansion could be abandoned to save up to pounds 40 million, it emerged last week. The route was planned to run from the city to Manchester Airport and back past Wythenshawe Hospital. But an affordability...

Committee attacks highways authority.(report finds Highways Agency inefficient to control traffic congestions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Highways Agency is failing to tackle congestion on the UK's roads, according to a damning report by the Commons public accounts committee. The committee examined the agency's approach to reducing and dealing with congestion and actions...

Regional cash triggers canal revival project.(Advantage West Midlands pledges money for restoration of Droitwich Barge and Junction Canals in Worcestershire)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An pounds 11 million canal restoration scheme is set to go ahead after waterways managers secured regional funding last week. British Waterways can begin reinstating the Droitwich Barge and Junction Canals in Worcestershire following a...

Firm ponders low-cost train travel options.(Stagecoach Group PLC takes hints from Megabus success story)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A no-frills rail service could attract more people from their cars, according to transport company Stagecoach Group. Last week the firm revealed that Megabus, its low-cost inter-city coach service, has been so successful that it is...

Medway approves riverside.(permission granted for creating a community at a regeneration site on the River Medway, Kent)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans to create a community of around 4,000 people at a key regeneration site on the River Medway in Kent have been given the green light. At 34ha, Rochester Riverside is one of the largest brownfield sites in the county. The scheme, which...

Blueprint unveiled for Glasgow canal.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... More than 400ha of derelict land along a Glasgow canal is to be transformed into homes and public space under proposals unveiled last week. Waterside regeneration firm ISIS and Glasgow City Council revealed plans for the first phase of a...

Agency floats Plymouth plan.(English Partnerships plans application to redevelop a former Ministry of Defence site in Devonport, Plymouth)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... English Partnerships has submitted an outline planning application to redevelop a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) site in Devonport, Plymouth. The quango wants to create a mixed-use community at the 7.3ha Stores Enclave at Plymouth's...

Plans to build 178 homes in Northumberland.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans to build 178 homes on a derelict hospital site in Northumberland will be scrutinised at a public inquiry next year. Bellway Homes and Rivergreen Developments also want to build offices, a community centre, a bistro and sports facilities...

Plans to relocate Cowes ferry terminal abandoned.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans to relocate the Cowes ferry terminal were abandoned last week after regional leaders published a revised masterplan for east Cowes. The South East England Development Agency, Isle of Wight Council and the Isle of Wight Economic...

Website launched to help with identification of contaminated soils.(www.catwastesoil.co.uk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A website to help brownfield site developers identify contaminated soils has been launched. Remediation specialist J McArdle and consultancy Atkins have created the online tool to ensure that developers and waste producers correctly...

English Partnerships to buy 1.7ha site in Pool.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... English Partnerships is to buy a 1.7ha site in Pool, Cornwall to create a mixed-use development. The agency agreed to acquire the former Camborne School of Mines site last week. The vacant plot will be developed into a business quarter...

Changes made to regeneration plans for Selby town centre.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Significant changes have been made to regeneration plans for Selby town centre following public consultation. Developer Dransfield Properties Ltd submitted revised plans to Selby District Council last week after talking to residents, local...

Plans to regenerate former flax mill unveiled.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans to regenerate a former flax mill in Leeds city centre were unveiled last week. The pounds 180 million Temple Works scheme by SJS Property Management aims to build on the Holbeck urban village concept developed by Leeds City Council and...

Masterplan connecting housing development opportunities submitted.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A masterplan that seeks to connect housing development opportunities in Burnley Wood, east Lancashire, has been submitted to English Partnerships and Burnley Borough Council. Regeneration and urban design consultancy Taylor Young plans to...

Report calls for review in growth areas.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The government should assess infrastructure needs in the growth areas, according to regeneration experts. In a report issued last week, the steering and development forum of the British Urban Regeneration Association said that providing...

Investors apply to build landmark capital tower.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Plans for one of the capital's tallest skyscrapers were submitted to the Corporation of London last week. German investment company DIFA submitted the application for the development at Bishopsgate and Crosby Square in the heart of the...

Coalition seeks affordable home boost.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Affordable house building in the South West must be doubled to help tackle homelessness and affordability issues, a coalition of housing groups demanded last week. The alliance was launching the South West housing initiative, which...

London pilots local tools for sustainability.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A pilot project to make London suburbs more sustainable was launched last week. The seven boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Havering, Haringey, Merton, Southwark and Bexley are taking part in the sustainable suburbs scheme to test a tool kit...

Deal struck on housing plans for Stevenage.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An agreement has been signed to deliver affordable homes in west Stevenage, it was announced last week. The West Stevenage Consortium agreed with North Hertfordshire District Council and Stevenage Borough Council to provide up to 1,375...