Planning (UK) articles from July 2006

Planning (UK) archives from July 2006

Agenda.
July 7, 2006... DIARY TO 21 JULY 12 July: Planning and Delivering Onsite Renwables. Organiser: Solarcentury. Venue: Bristol. Fee: pounds 50 + VAT. Details: (tel) 020 7803 0100. 13 July: Renewable Energy. Organiser: RTPI. Venue: London. Fee: pounds...

Parking manoeuvre raises eyebrows.(John Gilbert Architects)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... John Gilbert Architects decided to mark Architecture Week by turning a Glasgow city centre parking space into a park and waiting to see what the traffic wardens would do. Last month the team swooped on a St Vincent Street parking space and...

Agency strives to give fish a leg-up.(Fish ladders )(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... To paraphrase feminist icon Gloria Steinem, fish may not need bicycles but they do need ladders. The Highways Agency has recognised this and is on the case. Fish ladders allow spawning salmon to bypass obstacles and swim upstream and...

Blog disproves talk is cheap maxim.
July 7, 2006... Pity poor David Miliband. The former communities and local government minister has incurred the wrath of the internet community because his online musings appear to have cost rather a lot. A recent post on the Miliblog complains: 'Some...

Appointment at Heron Land Developments.
July 7, 2006... Paul Chester has joined Heron Land Developments as land and planning director. He previously worked for Redrow and David Wilson Homes. Chester replaces Keith Larkin, who retired earlier this year.

Appointment at West Waddy ADP.
July 7, 2006... Ian Fletcher has been promoted to associate at West Waddy ADP. He joined in 2004 and was previously principal policy officer at Wycombe District Council. Mark Sheppard has joined West Waddy ADP as a chartered architectural technologist.

Appointment at RPS Transport.
July 7, 2006... Shaun Edwards has joined RPS Transport as a senior consultant in Durham. He was previously a transport planner at White Young Green in Newcastle.

Appointment at David Wilson Homes.
July 7, 2006... Simon Artiss has been appointed planning manager for the North West by David Wilson Homes. Based in Warrington, he will identify and progress regeneration development sites for housing. Artiss was previously an associate at Dunlop Haywards...

Appointment at Spawforth Associates.
July 7, 2006... Gavin Winter and Jennifer Ray have been promoted to senior planner at Spawforth Associates and Claire Easton has risen to senior planning assistant. Avril Sanderson has joined the firm as a senior urbanist.

Appointment at Hyder Consulting.
July 7, 2006... Zsolt Cseh has joined Hyder Consulting in Cardiff as a principal urban designer and masterplanner. He previously worked for the Municipality of Budapest.

Appointment at Institution of Highways and Transportation.
July 7, 2006... Alistair Haydock has been inaugurated as president of the Institution of Highways and Transportation. Haydock, a director at Haydock Young Consultancy, AlderCross Training and Events and AlderCross Developments, takes over the presidency from...

Appointment at Transport Planning Practice.
July 7, 2006... Corey Russell has joined Transport Planning Practice as an associate director. He was previously an associate director at Capita Symonds.

Appointment at Knight Frank.
July 7, 2006... Paul Grover has been appointed as an associate planner by Knight Frank in Bristol, where he will develop the consultancy's planning department in the South West and Wales. Grover previously worked for Arup.

Appointment at Hammonds.
July 7, 2006... David Walker has been made a partner at Hammonds solicitors in Leeds, where he will specialise in planning and compulsory purchase work. Walker was previously planning and environment solicitor at North Yorkshire County Council.

Appointment at Olympic Delivery Authority.
July 7, 2006... Simon Wright has been appointed director of infrastructure and utilities by the Olympic Delivery Authority. He will be responsible for delivering environmental, geotechnical and civil engineering infrastructure. Wright previously worked for Ove...

Move for Ian Charie.
July 7, 2006... Ian Charie is moving to Boston, USA, to work as a freelance consultant in planning and urban regeneration. He previously worked for Atkins.

Key summer reading in the institute's library.
July 7, 2006... New-release publications cover everything from sustainable development to sport and regeneration, notes Melissa Wyatt. Last year we celebrated the news that London will host the Olympic Games in 2012, while this summer we are swept up in...

Advice service launch offers planner support.(RTPI Planners in the Workplace)
July 7, 2006... Changes in the profession demand that planners receive greater support, guidance and assistance, explains Chris Sheridan. The RTPI Planners in the Workplace (PIWP) service was launched on 29 June at the annual Planning Convention. Its aim...

The seventh national regeneration convention.
July 7, 2006... The latest regeneration convention offers a great opportunity for learning about approaches across the whole of the UK. Organised by the RTPI with a range of partners, the National Regeneration Convention has deservedly developed a...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
July 7, 2006... APC ASSESSORS WANTED Ahead of the first round of applications for corporate membership through the assessment of professional competence (APC), the RTPI is recruiting individuals to join our team of assessors. The role is vital in...

Tomorrow's Planners initiative promotes diversity and equality.
July 7, 2006... Positive outcomes can be seen from a training programme for black and minority ethnic planners, reports Jacqui Ward. The shortage of planners in the profession is well documented, as is the poor representation of planners from black and...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
July 7, 2006... New queries Several authorities have advised me that following changes to the development control regime in August 2005, the streamlined approach provided by the Town and Country Planning (Applications) Regulations 1988 for renewing an...

Casebook: Housing rejected on market renewal grounds at pub site.
July 7, 2006... A development of 30 homes in Liverpool has been turned down on the grounds that the site fell outside a housing market renewal area and a clear justification for the scheme had not been provided. The city council said that the government...

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Motorhome storage differentiated from parking.
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice directed against the storage of a motorhome on farmland in the Wirral has been upheld following a ruling that it constituted a material change of use that was not immune from enforcement action. It was established...

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Pony field and shelter ruled harmful to countryside.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice directed against a field shelter in Devon has been upheld after an inspector concluded that it would cause visual harm to the countryside. A pony and goat occupied the field and ponies had lived in it for some time....

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Equestrian centre dwelling falls short in need tests.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The provision of a temporary dwelling at an equestrian and exhibition centre in the East Riding of Yorkshire has been rejected after an inspector found that a need for the development had not been established. The appellants operated a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Agricultural development - Land restoration requirement held unreasonable.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a mobile home from a farm in West Sussex has been quashed due to uncertainty over its requirement, with an inspector concluding that it was a nullity. The notice required compliance with a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Concrete batching plant overcomes amenity fears.
July 7, 2006... The construction of a concrete batching plant at a railway goods yard in north London has been approved despite local residents' concerns about noise and traffic. The appellant proposed to build a modern plant to which aggregates would be...

Casebook: Appeal case - Commercial and industrial - Offices win temporary consent pending relocation.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The continued use of a building on Tyneside for offices associated with a health care trust has been allowed after an inspector accepted that additional parking spaces had been secured to meet staff needs. Temporary permission had been...

Casebook: Appeal case - Community facilities - Wildlife pond secured with costs to appellants.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice issued against a wildlife pond in a Devon flood plain has been quashed, with a partial award of costs being made in favour of the appellants. The council was concerned that the pond harmed the flood storage capacity...

Casebook: Appeal case - Gypsies and travellers - Ties to horse business lead to permanent consent.
July 7, 2006... An inspector has decided that it would be inappropriate to grant a further temporary permission for a Gypsy site in the Kent green belt, ruling that the appellant's strong personal circumstances justified a permanent permission. The...

Casebook: Appeal case - Gypsies and travellers - Travelling showpeople secure permanent site.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Scottish ministers have granted permission for the use of part of an industrial estate in Fife as permanent quarters for travelling showpeople following a call-in inquiry. The applicants had lived on the site since 1997. Enforcement action...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, new build - Landscaping failure renders dwellings unlawful.
July 7, 2006... An inspector has refused to issue a lawful development certificate (LDC) confirming that five homes in Suffolk can be completed in accordance with the terms of a planning permission issued in 1998. A condition required the approval of a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Housing, new build - Flood defence system design deemed inadequate.
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice directed against a revetment and earth bunds adjacent to housing in North Yorkshire has been upheld after an inspector ruled that their impact on flood levels had not been properly investigated. The site lay in a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Double extension survives enforcement attempt.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice issued against a single-storey rear extension at a north London dwelling after ruling that it was permitted development. The council had granted permission in 2004 for a two-storey rear...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Parental support helps secure annexe permission.
July 7, 2006... An inspector has granted retrospective permission for the retention of an annexe at a farm in Worcestershire, ruling that personal circumstances justified the scheme. Although the appeal sought permission for a building, the inspector...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Log cabin deemed incongruous on housing estate.
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a log cabin from the curtilage of a house in Staffordshire has been upheld after it failed permitted development tests. The inspector held that the unauthorised development involved a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Householder development - Parking place for flat held to require permission.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An enforcement notice alleging that a hard surface has been created in a garden associated with a flat in Surrey has been upheld after an inspector agreed that engineering works requiring planning permission were involved. The appellant...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Comedy club mural ruled harmful to listed building.
July 7, 2006... The retention of a painted mural depicting comic characters and scenes on the rear wall of an extension to a listed building in Edinburgh has been rejected as alien to the character of the building and its setting. The category A listed...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Fish farm shed held out of character with setting.
July 7, 2006... An inspector has upheld an enforcement notice requiring the demolition of a timber building at a farm in West Sussex after concluding that it was unjustified and harmed the area's character. The building stood in the grounds of the...

Casebook: Appeal case - Leisure and entertainment - Staff building held too large for green belt course.
July 7, 2006... A greenkeeper's building on the edge of a golf course in the metropolitan green belt in Kent has been rejected for involving an inappropriate form of development. The golf club argued that an existing building was inadequate to store...

Casebook: Appeal case - Telecommunications - Replica silo mast ruled inappropriate in green belt.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The installation of a 20m replica silo tank holding three antennae, two transmission dishes and ancillary equipment has been rejected at a site in the Nottingham green belt on grounds of inappropriateness and visual harm. The inspector...

Casebook: Court case - Unlisted farmhouse protection held unreasonable.(rules for housing development)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... An inspector's decision to refuse permission for a residential development in Berkshire has been struck down by the High Court after the secretary of state and appellants agreed that it could not stand. Millgate Developments Ltd had secured...

Casebook: Court case - Precedent claim overruled on farm redevelopment.(Breton v First Secretary of State Ref: CO/9719/2005)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The High Court has agreed to quash an inspector's decision to refuse planning permission for three homes at a mushroom farm and waste site in West Sussex in light of a procedural error. The council had already granted permission for a...

Casebook: Appeal case - Advertisements - Discontinuance notice quashed on visual merit.
July 7, 2006... A discontinuance notice directed against an advertisement on the side of a building in north-west London has been quashed after an inspector decided that it did not harm amenity. The premises comprised a ground floor cafe with three upper...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural development - Barn changes agricultural claim falters.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The retention of alterations to a barn in the Northumberland green belt has been ruled out after an inspector upheld an enforcement notice on the grounds that the changes were not necessary for agriculture. Permission had been granted for...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
July 7, 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...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Conservatory judged to respect listed building.
July 7, 2006... A two-storey conservatory has been allowed at a listed house in a south-west London square after an inspector held that it would preserve the building's character and a conservation area's appearance. The inspector found that while the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - Further sales space refused at garden centre.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... A proposal to retain and expand retail uses at a nursery in Kent has been rejected after an inspector decided that allowing the scheme would create an undesirable precedent. Permission had been granted in 1985 to allow the nursery to sell...

World Cup takes a back seat.
July 7, 2006... Contrary to popular belief, the premier international event of the summer was not a contest for a famous golden trophy in Germany, maintains Cliff Hague. The World Urban Forum (WUF) is like the World Cup. Every few years people from all...

Growth concept set back by panel blow.
July 7, 2006... The panel report on the East of England Plan has significant implications for growth area approaches, argues Andrew Lainton. Among the many recommendations in last month's independent panel report on the East of England Plan, one in...

Key strategy-maker.(Yorkshire and Humber planning chief Chris Martin)
July 7, 2006... Yorkshire and Humber planning chief Chris Martin says his regional blueprint ticks all of the right boxes on sustainability and participation, reports Christina Papas. In two months' time the draft plan for Yorkshire and Humber to 2021...

Review spin reveals government cracks.(Kate Barker's review of land-use )(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... In a classic case of spin, Treasury briefings on the interim findings of Kate Barker's review of land-use planning predicted wholesale reforms. Yet Barker's report makes no such case. It even reaffirms the system's key role in delivering...

Fyson on ... laudable global aims revealed at convention event.(RTPI Planning Convention)
July 7, 2006... It was a bold idea to select 'planning in one world' as the first theme of last week's RTPI Planning Convention. President Clive Harridge told delegates that planning has to be at the heart of the fight against global poverty, while...

Forum heralds key triumph.(World Planners Congress)
July 7, 2006... Planning is now firmly back on the agenda as a key response to global urbanisation, insists Kelvin MacDonald. 'I know that the planning profession has changed and continues to change. UN-Habitat fully endorses the evolution that you are...

People power earns respect.
July 7, 2006... Local involvement in planning should now be the rule rather than the exception, contends Hugh Ellis. The need for the planning process to better serve the interests of business has been in the news a lot in recent months. Chancellor...

Activists pull out of M74 challenge.
July 7, 2006... Campaigners withdrew their legal challenge to the M74 extension last week after being advised that the judgement could extend ministerial discretion. Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland backed out when its advisers concluded during opening...

Home builders face bus pass condition.
July 7, 2006... Developers in Edinburgh could be asked to provide new home owners with bus passes as a condition of planning consent, it emerged last week. Edinburgh City Council's draft transport strategy says developers should contribute 'fairly and...

Community to be developed at colliery site.(contracts)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Work on a new community at a former colliery site between Edinburgh and Glasgow is expected to begin next year. Last week developers announced that contracts have been exchanged for the Heartlands project, which could see up to 5,000 homes,...

Plans for new primary school in Benenden.
July 7, 2006... Talks to gauge public feelings about plans for a new primary school at Benenden in Kent are to be organised by Planning Mediation, appointed by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. The meetings will examine, evaluate and aim to resolve community...

Colin Buchanan launches team of experts.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... A dedicated team of traffic engineering and modal shift experts has been launched by Colin Buchanan to focus on local authorities' cycling services provision. The consultancy has worked on the London Cycle Network (LCN) and as European ByPAD...

MVA to advise on adult mental health unit.
July 7, 2006... Consultancy MVA is to advise the Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust on its proposal for an adult mental health unit at the Royal South Hants Hospital. MVA will examine all transport issues related to the development, provide a transport assessment...

Masterplan for Egremont town centre.(contracts)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... A ten-year masterplan for Egremont town centre in west Cumbria is to be developed by King Sturge. The masterplan will look at the viability and future direction of the town's retail sector, examining the potential for developing the farmers'...

WYG advises on redevelopment of Leeds store.
July 7, 2006... White Young Green (WYG) has advised Capital & Counties on its pounds 30 million redevelopment of the former Allders department store on the Headrow in Leeds. WYG's town planning division prepared an application that was approved by Leeds City...

Drivers Jonas sports team wins competition.(Drivers Jonas sports team has won a competition)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The Drivers Jonas sports team has won a competition to project manage a pounds 23 million regional sports centre in Aberdeen. One of six regional centres planned for Scotland, the facility is designed by architects Reiach & Hall and will be...

Body Shop announces plans.
July 7, 2006... The Body Shop has announced plans to open 20 stores in the UK, acting on advice from Savills. The cosmetics retailer, which currently has 340 stores, is in the process of securing more sites, with six already under offer.

Entec appointed to commission.
July 7, 2006... Entec has been appointed to the specialist term commission to provide technical support to the Aquatrine Partnering Management Organisation.

Aquatrine contracts.
July 7, 2006... Aquatrine comprises three private finance initiative contracts to supply water and waste water services to more than 4,000 Ministry of Defence sites across the UK for the next three years. Entec was also recently appointed sole provider of...

PMP chosen to update playing pitch strategy.(contracts)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... PMP has been chosen to review and update the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's playing pitch strategy and review its indoor sports facilities. An initial PMP study in 2000 prompted improvements to pitches and facilities via section 106...

Priority Sites begins work on units in Hebburn.(joint ventures)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Work on a pounds 9 million investment programme in Tyneside is set to begin. Priority Sites, the joint venture by the Royal Bank of Scotland and English Partnerships, has begun to deliver a mix of office and manufacturing space at the Monkton...

Assembly hails road charge successes.
July 7, 2006... Traffic levels in London's congestion charge zone were 22 per cent lower last year than before the charge was introduced, according to the London Assembly. A study published last week admits that last year's congestion level is only...

Bypass probe uncovers far faster traffic growth.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Traffic on recently built bypasses is growing much faster than forecast by the government, according to latest research. A study commissioned by the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Countryside Agency looked into three recent major...

Rail company seeks further cash handout.(finance for railroads)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Network Rail is set to ask the government for an extra pounds 7 billion of funding, it has emerged. The railway tracks and signals operating company wants the cash to fund infrastructure on busy commuter routes to cope with rising...

MPs lobby for investment in London orbital.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... A campaign to attract Whitehall funding for a London orbital railway was launched at the House of Commons this week. The all-party campaign is seeking government financing for the route, which will be formed when the second phase of the...

Scottish trains set to face quality audit.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Rail passengers in Scotland are being asked what they think are the most important elements in making a good journey as part of a study launched this week. The initiative has been set up by Transport Scotland to collect more information on...

Federation calls for legacy group.(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) should create a shadow body to focus on the Olympics' legacy, the British Property Federation (BPF) urged this week. The BPF argued that the move would be an ideal way to ensure that commitments to...

Marina project wins approval after updates.(Wilkinson Eyre Architects contracts)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Plans for a pounds 235 million development at Brighton Marina are set to go ahead subject to section 106 agreements. The Brunswick Developments Group scheme, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, includes 853 homes, a 2km walkway and a...

Scarborough BC appoints LDA Design.(Borough Council contracts with LDA Design )(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... LDA Design has been appointed by Scarborough Borough Council to draw up proposals to regenerate the Yorkshire town's harbour. The project forms part of a pounds 2.8 million scheme to transform the town's Sandside and Harbour area into 'one of...

Stoke-on-Trent City Council launches urban design contest.
July 7, 2006... An urban design contest is to be launched by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to regenerate the city centre's pedestrian areas. Entrants will be expected to design public squares, create open space for civic events and completely revamp pavements...

Funding agreed for Widnes waterfront.
July 7, 2006... Funding of pounds 5.6 million to transform the Widnes waterfront into a business area has been agreed by the Northwest Development Agency. The scheme will contribute towards Halton Borough Council's Widnes Waterfront economic development zone...

Appointment at TGLP.(Thames Gateway London Partnership)(Brief article)
July 7, 2006... Chris Roberts has been elected chairman of the Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP). Roberts, leader of the London Borough of Greenwich since May 2000, has headed the borough's social and economic regeneration efforts. He was elected to the...

Plans approved for Holbeck land.
July 7, 2006... A pounds 180 million regeneration project for land at Sweet Street and Marshall Street in Holbeck has received outline approval from Leeds City Council. The plans, by development company SJS Property Management, feature more than 14,000m2 of...

Plans approved for transforming Basildon town centre.
July 7, 2006... A development framework aimed at transforming Basildon town centre has been approved by the district council. It follows consultation on an initial draft in February led by regeneration partnership Basildon Renaissance. The plan proposes a...

Development proposals for Gateshead Quays.
July 7, 2006... Four development proposals for Gateshead Quays' second phase were submitted to Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council this week. St James Capital Group, St Modwen Properties, Kier Property and Land Regeneration UK handed over plans to transform...