Planning (UK) articles from July 2008

Planning (UK) archives from July 2008

Planning in the media.
July 4, 2008... It may have taken the media months to cotton on but the passage of the Planning Bill through the Commons and the introduction of an infrastructure planning commission (IPC) has finally provoked outrage. The Independent acknowledged that...

Diary.
July 4, 2008... A Victorian cricketing hero could hold up construction of a concert hall in Kent because planners aren't sure where he is buried. Fuller Pilch, who bamboozled opponents with a pioneering batting style that became known as the Pilch poke, is...

Appointment at Barton Willmore.
July 4, 2008... Barton Willmore has promoted senior planner Alyson Jones to director. Based in the Theale office, she will work alongside Robin Meakins on major regeneration schemes and continuing on the redevelopment of Epsom Downs racecourse

Appointment at CB Richard Ellis.
July 4, 2008... Gerry Cassidy has joined CB Richard Ellis's central London planning team as an associate director from Savills. May Lam has been appointed to the general planning team while Jasmine So and Jill McGregor join the retail and leisure planning team...

Appointment at Colliers CRE.
July 4, 2008... Colliers CRE has appointed Neil Gray associate director of its planning team. Joining from EDAW, he has more than ten years of expertise, in particular negotiating with local authorities and consultees to enable sensitive development...

Appointment at DPP.
July 4, 2008... Independent planning consultancy DPP has appointed Michelle Bath equity partner in its Leeds office. Marie Nagy and Mark Buxton have become salaried partners in London and Bedford respectively

Appointment at Helius Energy PLC.
July 4, 2008... Helius Energy PLC has a new planning director. Paul Brighton joins from Savills, bringing more than 20 years' experience of industrial planning processes. In his new role, he will oversee the consenting process for the company's development...

Appointment at London Borough of Southwark.
July 4, 2008... Dave Ware has moved to be assistant project director of the Elephant and Castle regeneration scheme at the London Borough of Southwark. He has 20 years' experience with the council and was previously Peckham Programme infrastructure manager,...

Gypsy report sets high note in Planning Aid's record year.
July 4, 2008... A South West pitch strategy for travellers shows the benefits of community work, reports Tino Hernandez. Communities and local government minister Iain Wright has singled out the work done by South West Planning Aid to give Gypsy and...

Consultant reprimanded over application conflict of interest.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The RTPI conduct and discipline panel recently found a consultant member in breach of the code of conduct by allowing a conflict of interest to arise in the course of their professional duties. While employed by one private practice, the...

Programme extras expand convention learning opportunities.
July 4, 2008... This year's RTPI Planning Convention promises the widest ever range of fringe events. The Planning Inspectorate is to give a special presentation on its fast-track householder appeal service, while the RTPI's planning education and...

Events.
July 4, 2008... Wind Energy and Planning Seminar 15 July. RTPI Yorkshire. Out Newton, Easington. This British Wind Energy Association afternoon seminar and visit to a wind farm provides relevant and up-to-date information on wind energy and planning....

Manchester joins in evidence quest.(Manchester independent economic review)
July 4, 2008... A city-based research programme aims to form the basis of economic strategy, writes Jenny Crawford. Manchester is engaging robustly with the challenge of regional competitiveness with the launch of a pounds 1.3 million evidence-building...

Report plots progress on community involvement in core strategy.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The final report of the Spatial Plans in Practice research programme charting the implementation of the new planning system in England has been published by the DCLG. The team of Baker Associates, Terence O'Rourke and the Universities of...

Website offers health and built environment study updates.
July 4, 2008... Sustrans has updated the evidence section of its website with papers on workplace active travel, obesogenic environments and walkability. The section focuses on built environment and physical activity, walking and cycling interventions,...

Data management survey investigates sharing in a digital age.
July 4, 2008... The Research Information Network report on publication and quality assurance of research data outputs investigates key issues for good practice in creating, sharing and disseminating data to anyone involved in interdisciplinary research. ...

Events.(Conference news)
July 4, 2008... Public Participation and Corporate Social Responsibility 27-29 August. International Association for Public Participation (IAP) University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Delegates from 25 countries will offer 70 presentations on topics...

DCLG chief planner to bring front-line experience to place-making policies.(Department of Communities and Local Government)
July 4, 2008... Enthusiasm and optimism from a career in local government will be targeted towards quality aspirations and ensuring that the profession has the skills and capacity to deliver them, Steve Quartermain pledges. As I contemplate leaving local...

DC Casebook: Agricultural Development - Shooting store rejected in top landscape.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Plans to build a secure store in the Nidderdale area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) have been dismissed on the grounds that they would harm the scenic quality of the locality. The appellants, who organised game shooting, stated that...

DC Casebook: Commercial and Industrial - Shipping container classroom use agreed.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... An inspector has granted temporary permission for a shipping container in a service yard behind a north London diving equipment shop to be used for training purposes, finding no material harm to the area's character and appearance. The...

DC Casebook: Commercial and Industrial - Fallback position secures car wash use.
July 4, 2008... The change of use of a warehouse in south Wales into a car wash and valeting facility has been allowed after an inspector held that it would be likely to entail less traffic and fewer highway problems. The local authority accepted that the...

DC Casebook: Community Facilities - Sports design agreed in conservation area.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... A sports hall serving a sixth-form college in north-west London can be built with a sedum roof and 'living walls' after an inspector decided that it would not adversely affect a conservation area. The college comprised a group of buildings...

DC Casebook: Community Facilities - Green outdoor play area secured at school.
July 4, 2008... The change of use of green space next to a south-east London primary school into a play area has been allowed after an inspector found that it would meet a need and have only a limited impact on the character of the locality. The inspector...

DC Casebook: Energy Development - Turbines agreed after bird impact check.
July 4, 2008... A proposal for five 1.3MW wind turbines on land in Cumbria has been approved despite its significant local impact, following a ruling that the benefits of securing renewable energy development carry significant weight. The site lay in an...

DC Casebook: Food and Drink uses - Drinking area held to impede pedestrians.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The provision of six tables and 14 chairs outside a pub on Merseyside has been denied permission on the grounds that it would undermine the safety of pedestrians using the pavement. Council guidelines on pavement cafes stipulated a minimum...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Costs awarded over flats scheme decision.
July 4, 2008... An inspector has allowed an appeal for ten flats at a site in south London and ordered the appellants' costs to be paid after ruling that the council had acted unreasonably in refusing permission. Shortly before proofs of evidence had to be...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Homes prematurity argument overruled.
July 4, 2008... A residential development has been allowed on land in south Wales despite council arguments that approval would jeopardise a proposed road improvement scheme. A council policy stated that development along the line of a proposed link road...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Homes ruled out by coastal erosion risk.
July 4, 2008... Plans to demolish four garages and build two semi-detached dwellings on the Hampshire coast have been rejected after an inspector found that future occupiers would be at risk from erosion. The council explained that the site lay in an area...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Personal case secures all-year occupation.
July 4, 2008... An inspector has agreed to vary a condition restricting the occupation of ten caravans in north Wales to allow permanent use of one of them on the basis of its resident's personal circumstances. The condition specified that the caravans...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Glazing held to show building function.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice requiring the owners of a small cottage in a Peak District conservation area to remove window glazing on the roadside elevation of an extension. Planning permission had been granted in 2002 for...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Mansard roof held to disrupt street scene.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... A mansard roof extension proposed in a west London conservation area has been dismissed as visually unacceptable by an inspector who ruled that it would materially detract from the clarity and balance of the three-storey host building. The...

DC Casebook: Leisure and Entertainment - Green belt harm outweighs sport benefits.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The removal of an air dome and construction of a permanent building to house four indoor tennis courts has been rejected at a club in Hertfordshire on the grounds that it would harm the green belt. The appellant acknowledged that the...

DC Casebook: Listed Buildings - Unauthorised conversion works endorsed.
July 4, 2008... A listed building enforcement notice requiring the reinstatement of a roof at a grade II listed barn in Monmouthshire has been struck down after an inspector accepted that the appellants had acted in the best interests of preservation. ...

DC Casebook: Listed Buildings - Lighting held to spoil historic character.
July 4, 2008... An inspector has ruled that two lighting columns proposed at a restaurant occupying a grade II listed building in a Suffolk conservation area fail to preserve its architectural and historic character. The lights would illuminate a hanging...

DC Casebook: Mixed use Development - Store plans passed on impact and design.
July 4, 2008... Supermarket chain Lidl has secured planning permission for a mixed retail and residential scheme in south London after an inspector found adequate capacity to support a food store and declared the design acceptable. The application...

DC Casebook: Mixed use Development - Tall building deemed excessive in context.
July 4, 2008... Plans for a ten-storey building at a site in Derbyshire have been rejected after an inspector concluded that it would not reflect the character and appearance of the area. The building was intended to accommodate a shop, offices and 14...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Front room retail use conversion refused.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The conversion of part of an end-of-terrace house in Greater Manchester into a shop selling clothes for Asian women has been rejected after an inspector decided that it would run counter to the retail strategy for the area. A unitary...

DC Casebook: Next Week.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... - Green belt river ride judged inappropriate An inspector has rejected a wild river rafting ride at the West Midlands Safari Park, finding insufficient evidence of employment benefits to outweigh green belt harm. DCS Number 100-055-965 ...

DC Casebook: In depth - Gypsy plot occupation ruled out due to fear of setting precedent.
July 4, 2008... Four appeals for Gypsy sites in the Somerset countryside have been dismissed by an inspector after a ministerial ruling in 2005 that they harmed the area's character and highway safety. The four plots formed part of a larger site containing...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Vineyard dwelling fails viability test.
July 4, 2008... An inspector has refused to sanction the retention of a timber dwelling on a vineyard in Cornwall after concluding that it harms the character of the countryside and is not justified by the holding's needs. The inspector considered that...

DC Casebook: Community Facilities - Green belt tennis court parking denied.
July 4, 2008... An enforcement notice against the use of disused tennis courts near a college in Hertfordshire as a parking area for students has been upheld because of the scheme's impact on the green belt. A car park on the playing fields provided space...

DC Casebook: Housing New Build - Homes approved despite tree loss.
July 4, 2008... A scheme involving the partial demolition of a house in the West Midlands and its replacement with five dwellings has been allowed even though it would lead to the loss of a group of mature trees. The inspector noted concerns about the...

DC Casebook: Mixed Use Development - Homes held too near employment site.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The secretary of state has rejected an inspector's recommendation to grant outline planning permission for the redevelopment of former glassworks and warehouses on Merseyside as a mixed-use scheme, finding that it would not deliver high-quality...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
July 4, 2008... New queries A planning appeal determined last January concerned a proposed replacement for a house that burnt down in 1939 (DCS Number 100-055-961). The site is in a low-density housing area in the Chilterns area of outstanding natural...

How we did it ... Lakeside housing keeps afloat in troubled times.
July 4, 2008... Project: Scheme comprising 160 timber and glass residential properties and a 100-bedroom hotel set in beautiful countryside around six clear water lakes that were originally man-made gravel pits. Background: The developers believe that...

The things I know.(dialogue with Emma Richardson of Improvement Service)(Interview)(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Emma Richardson, Planning development programme manager, Improvement Service, Scotland. - Where did you study planning? I took a degree in town and regional planning at the University of Dundee. - What skills did you have when you...

Counting the delay.
July 4, 2008... Continuing uncertainty over housing numbers and delivery is holding back progress in finalising the revised regional blueprint for the West Midlands, explains Bryan Johnston. Critics of the government's sub-national review denounce plans...

Leading Questions.
July 4, 2008... Revised guidance on local planning offers opportunities for councils to develop their leadership role and promote delivery of key infrastructure, Heather Cheesbrough and Charles Ledward conclude. By focusing on the key issues of spatial...

Sustainability deliverer.
July 4, 2008... Environmental activist Malcolm Shepherd is pressing ministers hard on carbon reduction and believes that the voluntary sector can play a key role in meeting targets, Vicki Shiel discovers. Turning environmental charities into well-oiled...

Planners must talk their way out of the hole they have fallen into.(Column)
July 4, 2008... Just over a year ago, this column bemoaned the fact that planners and other professionals were divided by a common language (Planning, 1 June 2007, p13). Then as now, spatial planning had barely made an impact despite offering a crucial...

Fyson on ... Vicissitudes in debate over eco-towns.
July 4, 2008... Vicissitudes in debate over eco-towns as challenge panel report provides misdirected advice. Discussion of eco-towns took some interesting turns last week. The Local Government Association made the case for council leadership in all such...

Legal report.
July 4, 2008... Pendulum swings back on free second applications. Following the property slump and this April's dramatic increases in planning application fee rates, applicants will be keen to take advantage of opportunities to minimise their costs...

Richards on ... an evolution in plan-making.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Employing technology to do useful things seems to be a bit of a theme at the moment. It is also helping us do things differently. The plan-making manual - the real meat of PPS12 - is breaking new ground as web-based and sector-led guidance...

Professional promotion.
July 4, 2008... Culture change in the planning sector has been in the air for years but now leading lights in the profession see a need for a concerted drive to pin it down properly, reports Susanna Gillman. It's never been seen as cool to be a planner....

Haymarket scheme wins city approval.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... A controversial 17-storey leaf-shaped hotel is to be built close to Edinburgh's Haymarket Station after councillors approved a pounds 200 million scheme last week. The development for the former Morrison Street Goods Yard also includes a...

Projects help hit wind goal.
July 4, 2008... Ministers last week approved two wind farms in South Ayrshire with a combined capacity of 164MW. Sixty turbines will be constructed at Arecleoch near Barrhill - the fourth largest development to be given the go-ahead in Scotland - and a...

Trump stance cited in golf veto decision.
July 4, 2008... Donald Trump was last week accused of 'demanding the surrender of the planning system' in his dealings with Aberdeenshire Council. Martin Ford, whose casting vote saw the council reject the Trump Organisation's plans for a golf complex on...

Online now ..
July 4, 2008... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for in-depth coverage of the regeneration impact of the London 2012 Olympic Games Also online Interview with Sherwood Energy Village managing director Stan Crawford Second Opinion on Acton town centre

Planning stats.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... 2.9 million: The number of passengers who have used Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield since it opened three years ago. 150: The number of polyclinics confirmed by the government as part of a ten-year reform package for the NHS. The...

Fife awards marina study.
July 4, 2008... Property consultancy Ryden is taking on a feasibility study with Environ to look at the potential for a major development in Anstruther Harbour in Fife. The success of the marina has led to increased demand for visitor facilities. Fife...

Specialist team to cover site disposal.
July 4, 2008... CB Richard Ellis is setting up a specialist division with a remit to focus on strategic projects relating to corporate and public sector land disposals outside London. The team will work in the property company's wider planning department...

Firms devise Derry guide.
July 4, 2008... Colin Buchanan and Mary Kerrigan Architects have been appointed by the Northern Ireland Planning Service to produce conservation area design guidance for Derry. The guidance will cover the historic city and the Clarendon and Magee areas,...

Deal boosts travel work.
July 4, 2008... Mouchel has signed a charter with the London Borough of Bexley to work more closely together on transport and traffic engineering services. The consultancy has supported the council since 2004 and recently signed a two-year extension,...

Capita Symonds culture group wins museum redevelopments.
July 4, 2008... Capita Symonds' sport, leisure and culture team has been chosen to work on three major culture projects, which the firm believes reflect the rapidly growing market. The team will advise on the Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery in mid Wales,...

Grimley nets shops report.(GVA Grimley)(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... GVA Grimley's retail planning team has been appointed to carry out a retail study in Southwark looking at the need for additional floorspace up to 2018. The study for the London Borough of Southwark will update the information from a 2003...

Work spaces win funding.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Two North Yorkshire regeneration projects are the first to benefit from pounds 400 million of European regional development funding. The pounds 6 million managed workspace schemes have been brought forward by Hambleton District Council. It...

Napier confirmed in homes agency role.
July 4, 2008... English Partnerships supremo Robert Napier is to help steer the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) into existence after being named chairman last week. Announcing details of how the government housing and regeneration agency will be...

City campus plan lodged.
July 4, 2008... The masterplan for the pounds 150 million redevelopment of Birmingham City University's city centre campus has been unveiled. The project will create up to 45,000m2 of accommodation on a brownfield site on Canal Street in the Eastside area....

Firms review sites' future.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Quintain Estates has put the brakes on its pounds 2.5 billion Wembley regeneration project while it decides which parts of the development will go ahead. Design work on the masterplan for the Northern Lands site around Wembley Stadium has...

Wandsworth secures mixed-use agreement.
July 4, 2008... Planning consent has been granted to a waterside mixed-use development in Wandsworth, south London. Frasers Property has agreed a section 106 deal that will provide 184 affordable homes. The scheme will include 211 apartments and...

High-speed link fostered.
July 4, 2008... The case for a high-speed rail network received a boost with the emergence of figures for passengers flying into Heathrow Airport from UK destinations last year. Statistics released following a parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat...

Doncaster ratifies airport station plan.
July 4, 2008... Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (RHADS) is set to benefit from a railway station following approval from Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. The station, which was given the go-ahead last week, will improve links between the...

Atkins lands funds study.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... Atkins has been appointed to review and develop improved programme management for transport schemes in the North East's regional funding allocation (RFA). The transport consultancy was commissioned by One NorthEast, the North East Assembly...

Group backs Stansted rail.
July 4, 2008... Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) is calling for major improvements in the rail service to and from Stansted Airport, regardless of BAA's plans for a second runway. SSE's support for rail investment comes in its response to DfT consultation on...

Passenger body chief presses case for tram-train investment.
July 4, 2008... The Passenger Transport Executive Group (PTEG) has called for more investment in light rail and faster progress on tram-train trials. Speaking at the all-party light rail group's parliamentary reception last week, PTEG director general on...

Backers see bridge hope.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The current proposal for a Thames Gateway Bridge has not yet been consigned to the dustbin, according to London Assembly Labour member John Biggs. Following a meeting with mayor Boris Johnson, who said in May that the TfL proposal for a...

Power plant views sought.
July 4, 2008... Staffordshire County Council has submitted plans for its energy from waste plant, which could provide electricity to 24,000 homes. The proposed facility at the Four Ashes industrial estate 8km north of Wolverhampton would process up to...

Green lobby pushes renewables agenda.
July 4, 2008... An environmental coalition has called on the government to set local and regional renewable energy targets and earmark areas across the UK for green development. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Stop Climate Chaos and WWF-UK are calling...

Hub to act on zero carbon.
July 4, 2008... National House Building Council (NHBC) general manager Neil Jefferson will lead an independent Zero Carbon Hub ahead of regulations coming into force. Jefferson is to be chief executive, while UK Green Building Council chief executive Paul...

Group bids to block homes.
July 4, 2008... An environmental campaign group must wait to hear whether its High Court bid to block a 300-home development in Herefordshire has been successful. The Dinedor Hill Action Association claims that Herefordshire County Council allocated the...

Concerted effort demanded to ensure eco-friendly Olympics.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The London Assembly has welcomed progress towards making the 2012 Olympic Games eco-friendly but criticised efforts to set ambitious environmental targets. A report by its environment committee voices fears on the lack of a finalised...

Legislation garners lukewarm reaction.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The government's concessions on the Planning Bill have failed to convince a range of industry players. Following the bill's third Commons reading, Labour MP John Grogan's bid to ensure that ministers take a final decision on major projects...

Government hesitates on local member review board proposal.
July 4, 2008... The government has signalled that it will not pursue the introduction of local member review boards (LMRBs) in the Planning Bill. Under the proposal, minor applications would be determined by planning officers. But their decisions could be...

Lait pledges end to panel.(Brief article)
July 4, 2008... The Conservatives will scrap the infrastructure planning commission (IPC) if they win the next general election, shadow planning minister Jacqui Lait has promised. The government agreed a concession at the bill's third reading in the...