Planning (UK) articles from June 2005

Planning (UK) archives from June 2005

Agenda.(Calendar)
June 3, 2005... DIARY TO 17 JUNE 3 June: Agricultural Buildings. Organiser: RTPI North Wales Cell. Venue: St Asaph. Fee: Free. Details: (tel) 029 2036 4479. 7 June: Making Developments Happen. Organiser: Hawksmere. Venue: London. Fee: pounds 299 +...

Dome reincarnated as The O2 venue.(Millennium Dome)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Mention the Millennium Dome and a host of memories spring to mind. Tony Blair's assertion that it would be 'a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity' was probably his first prime ministerial...

Planning team based at crime scene.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The British love a murder mystery. Massive sales for fictional detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple and Inspector Morse attest to our fascination with a genre in which the exposure of a killer often takes place eerily close to the...

Appointment at Land Use Consultants.(appointed Sarah Sing as a senior environmental planner)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Sarah Sing has joined Land Use Consultants as a senior environmental planner. Sing, a specialist in strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisals, previously worked for the ODPM, where she helped draft guidance on these...

Appointment at King Sturge.(promoted David Lathwood to head)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... David Lathwood has been promoted to head King Sturge's specialist northern mixed-use team. Lathwood, a development partner, is head of the firm's Manchester office, where the team will be based. Stephen Hogg, Jane Thompson, Louise Emmott, Emma...

Appointment at Alliance Environment.(appointed Paul Ellingham as associate director)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Paul Ellingham has joined Alliance Environment and Planning as an associate director in Birmingham. He was previously head of planning at the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive. Ellingham will work on redevelopment projects in the...

Appointment at Enfusion.(appointed David King as a principal planner)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... David King has been appointed as a principal planner by consultancy Enfusion. He was previously employed as a senior planner by Kent County Council, where he worked in the environment unit.

Appointment at Stratford-on-Avon District Council.(apppointed Pat Reid as head of planning )(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Pat Reid has been appointed head of planning and building control at Stratford-on-Avon District Council. He is currently acting head of planning and leisure at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

Appointment at Urban Initiatives.(appointed Diarmaid Lawlor as associate director )(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Diarmaid Lawlor has been promoted to associate director by Urban Initiatives. He has recently been involved in a number of projects, including Liverpool's Lime Street gateway and the Belfast metropolitan area plan.

Appointment at Scott Wilson.(appointed Andrew James as a senior planner)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Andrew James has joined Scott Wilson in Birmingham as a senior planner. He will work on regeneration, economic development and employment projects. James previously worked for regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, where he was...

Appointment at John Martin and Associates.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Keith Clement and Debbie Irwin are to join consultancy John Martin and Associates as part of its expansion programme. Clement will be land manager and Irwin will be planning administrator.

Appointment at Cluttons.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Richard Dawtrey, Amelia Greene, Lynn Hilton, Tim Lawn and Einar Roberts have all been promoted to partners by chartered surveyor Cluttons. Phillip Brown, Abbie Cotton, Neil Duffy, Mike Grant, Beverly Hudson, Fin Hughes, Simon Jacobs, Teresa...

Appointment at Montagu Evans.(promotions)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Andrew Munnis and Raoul Veevers have been promoted to salaried partners by Montagu Evans. They work in the planning departments of the Scotland and London offices respectively.

Making neighbourhoods sustainable.
June 3, 2005... The sixth national regeneration convention will take place at Sheffield Hallam University from 18 to 20 July. With the full programme now in circulation, delegates are booking quickly for the National Regeneration Convention in Sheffield...

New development plan system: sharing learning.
June 3, 2005... A group of ten pathfinder authorities has recently considered the issue of sustainability appraisal, reports Andrew Wright. The local development framework (LDF) learning and dissemination project is an important initiative by the Planning...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
June 3, 2005... ENGLISH PARTNERSHIPS CONVENTION SUPPORT We are pleased to announce that English Partnerships has agreed to actively support and sponsor this year's Planning Convention and that a further workshop stream organised by the agency is being...

Proposed changes to the planning fees system are a little confusing.
June 3, 2005... It is not clear whether the second paper covering fees is an alternative or a supplement to earlier proposals, says the RTPI. Planning policy manager David Barraclough says that the RTPI finds the overlap between the two consultation papers...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
June 3, 2005... 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...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Harbour flats fail on design after car parking resolution.
June 3, 2005... A mixed-use redevelopment proposal for redundant workshop buildings on Portsmouth Harbour has been dismissed on the grounds that it would harm the character and appearance of a conservation area, although the inspector accepted that it would...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Agricultural development - House held too different from approved plans.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... An enforcement notice requiring the demolition of a house in Berkshire has been upheld after an inspector concluded that it was materially different from a planning permission granted in 1984 that had expired in any case. The council had...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and industrial - Council overruled on bus storage objection.
June 3, 2005... A storage area for buses and caravans on a farmyard in Gloucestershire has been allowed following findings that the uses were acceptable on sustainability grounds, there would be no harm to highway safety and the wider benefit outweighed any...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and industrial - Warehouse escapes contribution to open space.
June 3, 2005... The redevelopment of a car sales use in Berkshire as a small-scale storage and distribution warehouse has been allowed after an inspector ruled that there was no need for a contribution towards off-site provision of public open space. The...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and industrial - Fabric extension granted temporary consent.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against a steel-framed fabric-covered extension to an industrial unit in Surrey has been quashed after an inspector held that its retention was acceptable for a temporary period. The appellants claimed that...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and industrial - Exchange bureau approved in shopping parade.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Retrospective permission has been granted for the change of use of a travel agency in east London to an exchange bureau and money transfer facility after an inspector agreed that it would cause no harm to retail provision or the character and...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Commercial and industrial - Workspace held no bar to mixed aspirations.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Plans for a replacement factory, warehouse and office building on an employment site in Hampshire have been supported by an inspector who agreed that the scheme would not prejudice the council's ability to secure the redevelopment of adjoining...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Community facilities - Chimney retention ordered despite repair bill.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A proposal to demolish chimneys on council offices in west Wales has been dismissed after an inspector ruled that their removal would be harmful to the conservation area in which the building was located. The building was an imposing...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Community facilities - Burial ground held to undermine openness.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The development of a green burial ground in an open field in the Essex green belt has been judged objectionable because of the proposed erection of a chapel and equipment store. The inspector agreed that in principle a burial ground...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Benefit of alternative scheme judged irrelevant.
June 3, 2005... The redevelopment of a house site in Hampshire to create apartments and terraced homes has been allowed following a finding that it would not harm the character and appearance of the surrounding area or prejudice effective and efficient...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Assembly takes strict stance on flood risk advice.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The Welsh Assembly has rejected an inspector's advice to grant planning permission for two bungalows and a residential site in west Wales due to flood risk concerns but accepted his recommendation to grant permission for a residential road. ...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Shared ownership offer fails to secure apartments.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A proposal to replace five houses at a site in Southampton with 53 flats in five blocks has been rejected on the grounds that it would harm the character and appearance of the area, neighbours' living conditions and highway safety and would not...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Makeshift dwelling judged harmful to coastline.
June 3, 2005... A test case enforcement notice issued against a two-storey wooden-framed dwelling in the west of Scotland countryside has been upheld primarily because it harmed the landscape. The structure was positioned at the top of a wooded slope with...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Homes plan rejected on new town open land.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A housing development has been rejected on land formerly owned by the Commission for the New Towns in Essex after an inspector determined that the site still played an important role in the quality and character of the area. The would-be...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Council overruled on fire brigade access fears.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Plans to build two bungalows at a site in Kent have been sanctioned after an inspector agreed that adequate access for fire fighters' appliances could be provided through the building regulations. The local authority's sole concern related...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Householder development - Lamp post design precluded in conservation area.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The retention of a pair of 2.4m lamp posts in the front garden of a dwelling in Birmingham has been rejected after an inspector ruled that they were harmful to the conservation area in which they were located. The lamp posts sat close to a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Retail development - Security fears fail to justify roller shutter retention.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The retention of roller shutters at an art studio and coffee shop in a Birmingham shopping parade has been turned down after an inspector declared that they were harmful to the character and appearance of the area. The inspector supported...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Retail development - DVD rental machines held to clutter shop frontage.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The installation of DVD rental machines in the window of a shop in a Kent town has been blocked on the grounds that they would unacceptably harm the character and appearance of a conservation area. The proposal was to locate the machines in...

Casebook: Court cases - Temporary injunction retained on caravans.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The High Court has agreed to maintain a temporary injunction requested by Sevenoaks District Council preventing a landowner from moving caravans for a family of eight travellers onto a 5.3ha site. Following notification of the owner's...

Casebook: Court cases - Demolition postponed pending council ruling.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The High Court has suspended action against an unauthorised dwelling near Exeter pending the determination of a planning application seeking retrospective permission for its retention. Mr Justice Curtis confirmed an injunction requiring the...

Casebook: Ombudsman cases - Council faulted over stadium enforcement.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Darlington Borough Council has been reprimanded by the local government ombudsman for failing to ensure that the requirements of a permission and related section 106 agreement were met before it allowed Darlington Football Club's new stadium to...

Casebook: Ombudsman cases - Council criticised over slow reaction to breaches.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The local government ombudsman has asked Warrington Borough Council to pay a householder pounds 750 following complaints about breaches of planning control at a plant nursery next to his home. The council was criticised for failing to act...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Detailed design fears block apartment plan.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Plans to demolish warehouses, a factory and offices in a predominantly residential area of Gloucester to allow the construction of 21 self-contained flats have been rejected after an inspector cast doubts on the feasibility of producing a...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Inspector overruled on premature land release.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The deputy prime minister has rejected an inspector's recommendation that housing need was a consideration of sufficient weight to justify the premature release of land in North Yorkshire for residential development. The case involved...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.(Brief Article)
June 3, 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 for...

Casebook: Appeal Cases - Housing: new build - Flats held to preserve semaphore route setting.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The redevelopment of a reservoir in Surrey with 14 flats in two blocks has been allowed following a ruling that it would not harm the character and appearance of the area or harm the setting of a listed building. The inspector observed...

A different angle on Europe.(Lithuania)
June 3, 2005... Travels in Lithuania during an INTERREG visit revived some long-forgotten rural childhood memories, recollects self-confessed urban wimp Cliff Hague. Lithuanians have two independence days. One commemorates the Act of Independence signed...

Renewal bodies set for judgement day.(urban regeneration companies)
June 3, 2005... Regeneration companies can claim urban success despite limited resources before ODPM evaluation. Ben Kochan investigates. The 21 urban regeneration companies (URCs) set up over the past five years are one tangible result of Lord Rogers's...

Delivering on growth.
June 3, 2005... Experience of planning issues gained through retail property development prepared John Cox for the task of extending Domino's Pizza across the UK, says David Dewar. Domino's Pizza has become an increasingly familiar sight on the UK's...

Targets stand in way of civic pride revival.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... David Milliband's first move as communities and local government minister was to call on local authorities to spearhead a drive to restore civic pride in towns and cities. Taking his cue from the municipal dynamism that shaped the Victorian...

Fyson on the folly of trying to sidestep the public's wishes.
June 3, 2005... It is sometimes argued that people do not really answer the question asked in a referendum. But to claim, as some of president Jacques Chirac's supporters have, that the French rejection of the European constitution is an aberration of this...

Study lifts lid on small towns.(employment creation, a major factor of success for rural development)
June 3, 2005... Research suggests that job creation is a significant factor for small town success, says Stuart Farthing. Much debate surrounds the fate of small towns in rural areas throughout England and Wales. On the one hand, their economies are...

Green belt alarm marks landmark.
June 3, 2005... Half a century after green belt designations were first introduced, calls persist for the policy to be expanded, reports Chris Baker. Fifty years after it was introduced, green belt policy is still an area of intense debate. Should...

Blueprint unveiled for Falkirk project.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Detailed plans have been revealed for one of Scotland's largest mixed-use developments. The 120ha Falkirk Gateway, on the edge of the town, features 46,450m2 of business space, a 23,225m2 retail park, a hotel and a marina that would serve...

Funds secured for marine test centre.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Funding has been announced for an extension to the world's only marine energy test centre. Deputy first minister Jim Wallace confirmed last week that pounds 6 million is being made available to test tidal energy conversion devices at the...

Heritage body opposes wind farm proposal.(Scottish Natural Heritage)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A formal objection has been lodged by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in response to plans for a 36-turbine wind farm in the hills above Loch Ness. The agency believes that the development on the Dunmaglass Estate near Strathnairn would...

Traffic and pedestrian management was reviewed by Mott MacDonald ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Traffic and pedestrian management was reviewed by Mott MacDonald in the run-up to and wind down of last week's Chelsea Flower Show. The Royal Horticultural Society event attracts more than 150,000 visitors to the south-west London site each...

A second review of provision for built heritage protection ..
June 3, 2005... A second review of provision for built heritage protection in the London Borough of Bromley is to be conducted by GL Hearn. The project will focus on the eastern part of the borough with a view to including more properties in conservation areas...

Thurrock Thames Gateway's urban development corporation ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Thurrock Thames Gateway's urban development corporation (UDC) is set to move its headquarters in August. Located at Stonehouse Lane in Purfleet, the offices will allow the corporation to operate locally for the first time. The premises have...

EVATA Consulting has been commissioned to carry out ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... EVATA Consulting has been commissioned to carry out an initial fact-finding and appraisal study for an indoor arena and hotel development by Mansfield District Council. The study aims to inform future discussions about the feasibility of the...

A development strategy for three of the four radial transport routes ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A development strategy for three of the four radial transport routes that link Manchester city centre to the M60 motorway is to be prepared by Donaldson with urban designers Taylor Young and transport consultants JMP. The study for urban...

Opportunities for improving and developing Tonbridge ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Opportunities for improving and developing Tonbridge town centre are to be explored by David Lock Associates. The company will work with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and other agencies to bring forward ideas for retail, leisure,...

Dunlop Haywards buys ep2.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Property services company Dunlop Haywards has bought Manchester-based surveying practice ep2. The firm was created through a merger of Erinaceous Group's three previous consultancy operations (Planning, 27 May, p7). Executive chairman Bob Dyson...

Traffic calming measures for Worlds End Lane and Bincote Road ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Traffic calming measures for Worlds End Lane and Bincote Road in the London Borough of Enfield have been designed by JMP Consulting. The plans include a psychological measure to make drivers slow down by removing line markings to make the road...

Strategy appeases bypass protesters.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A public transport improvement strategy has been launched by Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire County Councils after bitter demonstrations from opponents of the Linslade bypass. Transport 2000 helped the local authorities to develop the...

Council issues warning on off-road park threat.(Council for National Parks)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The increasing popularity of off-road driving is threatening national parks, a watchdog warned this week. The Council for National Parks (CNP) claimed that authorities are powerless to protect land from four-wheel drive vehicles and...

Research shows drop in traffic speeds.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Traffic speeds in towns and cities have fallen in the past four years, according to the Department for Transport. Its survey of national traffic speeds found that in many urban areas peak and off-peak speeds were down on 1999-2000,...

Tram changes suggested for capital routes.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Changes to the proposed Edinburgh tram line have been submitted to the city's planners following consultation with the public and local businesses. Consultancy Tie carried out impact assessments and met with objectors to the original...

Londoners get more agitated about parking.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Dissatisfaction with parking enforcement in London has increased, with the number of official complaints rising significantly, it emerged this week. The London Assembly transport committee published a report into parking in the capital. It...

Lewisham project secures approval.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... News International was given permission to build 3,500 homes last week on the site of a former industrial dock in Lewisham, south London. The 16ha Convoy's Wharf scheme will seek to establish the south bank of the Thames at Deptford as a...

Cumbria hunts for European support.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Cumbria could be marked out as a special case to secure extra funds to revive the area's flagging economy, it emerged this week. A group of representatives from the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) travelled to Brussels last month to...

Public square work to begin in Nottingham.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Work to create a public square in Nottingham's historic Lace Market is due to start next month. The pounds 10 million development is planned for the centre of the Lace Market conservation area, which links the Bridlesmith Gate area with...

House builders and developers are being invited ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... House builders and developers are being invited to join service panels to bid for contracts to regenerate housing in North Staffordshire. The local housing market renewal pathfinder wants to create panels of developers, registered social...

Sir Brian Mawhinney becomes chairman of URC.(Peterborough's urban regeneration company)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Former Peterborough and north-west Cambridgeshire MP Sir Brian Mawhinney is to become chairman of Peterborough's urban regeneration company (URC). The body, approved in March, aims to drive the city's growth over the next 20 years. Mawhinney...

The London Development Agency is seeking a designer ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The London Development Agency is seeking a designer for a state-of-the-art indoor cycling centre as part of London's bid for the 2012 Olympic games. The Velopark will contain a velodrome and a BMX racing track at the Olympic Park site in east...

Plans for a luxury 13-screen cinema in Bristol.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Plans for a luxury 13-screen cinema have been unveiled as part of the Broadmead development in Bristol. The Cinema de Lux, proposed by National Amusements, will be larger than 9,300m2, with 3,000 seats and 13 state-of-the-art auditoria. It will...

Five bidders are still in the running ..(Elephant and Castle)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Five bidders are still in the running to build the first phase of housing under major renewal plans for Elephant and Castle, south London. The housing associations are competing to construct and manage the first 1,000 homes in the ten-year...

More than pounds 3 million is to be pumped into a redevelopment ..(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... More than pounds 3 million is to be pumped into a redevelopment of St Peter's buildings in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, to support the expansion of the town's media village. The investment from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward...

The British Urban Regeneration Association's 2005 awards.
June 3, 2005... The British Urban Regeneration Association's 2005 awards for best practice in regeneration and community regeneration are now open for entries. The winners will be announced on 6 December at the Tate Modern gallery in London. To mark the...

A grade II listed former rectory in Bath to be restored and converted.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A grade II listed former rectory in Bath is set to be restored and converted into homes. The historic Brompton House on St John's Road, Bathwick, will be transformed into eight flats. The plans for the three-storey Georgian building, which lies...

Birmingham reveals stadium proposal.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Plans to build a pounds 200 million 50,000-seat stadium for Birmingham City Football Club were unveiled last week. The club has proposed a multi-purpose arena suitable for football and cricket matches as well as pop concerts. The City of...

Framework sets scope for east London growth.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The potential for development and growth in east London boroughs has been spelled out in a sub-regional development framework published last week. The document offers guidance to east London boroughs on implementing London Plan policies....

Homes endorsed at historic battle site.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... City leaders approved plans to build 700 homes on a historic battlefield near York this week, despite residents' opposition to the development. York City Council accepted developer Persimmon Homes' proposal to build the homes on a 32.5ha...

Legal bid fails in Stevenage local plan row.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... A legal challenge against Stevenage Borough Council's decision to adopt its local plan was lost by a consortium of developers last week. The High Court ruled that the council was right to follow an inspector's recommendation that the west...

Coastal home rescue hit by poverty claim.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... Work needed to save 200 homes from falling into the sea cannot be afforded by a local authority, it emerged this week. Rother District Council lacks the resources to build a pounds 5 million sea wall to protect homes at Fairlight Cove near...

Statistics turn up density increase.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... The average density of new-build homes is now 39 dwellings per hectare (dph), up from 34dph two years ago, according to latest government research. ODPM statistics released last week show that the national increase in average housing...