Planning (UK) articles from June 2006

Planning (UK) archives from June 2006

Agenda.(calendar)(Calendar)
June 2, 2006... Diary to 16 June 6 June: Designed With Care. Organiser: Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Venue: Birmingham. Fee: Free. Details: (tel) 020 7070 6764. 6-7 June: Rail Freight 2006. Organisers: Rail Freight Group and...

Mayor refrains from pulling the chain.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... London mayor Ken Livingstone continued his crusade against lavish loo flushing last week when he took the stand at the public inquiry into plans for a desalination plant in Beckton. Livingstone, who is opposing the proposal out of concern...

Advisers blinded by media glamour.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... It is not often that Planning gets mixed up with glossy celebrity magazine Hello! but it certainly helps to liven up a Commons trade and industry select committee meeting, as Diary discovered last week. After the committee's hour-long...

Minister red-faced after jam incident.
June 2, 2006... And finally, transport minister Stephen Ladyman was late for a conference on congestion busting last week - after being held up in a traffic jam. Apologising for the late start to his keynote speech on the government's transport innovation...

Appointment at SLR Consulting.
June 2, 2006... Patrick Lanaway has joined SLR Consulting as an associate in the firm's highways and transportation team in Bradford-on-Avon. He was previously a senior traffic engineer at John Allen Consulting and has also worked for Cambridgeshire County...

Appointment at EDAW in London.
June 2, 2006... Michael Cheesbrough and Robert Smith have been promoted to directors by EDAW in London. Andy Sprachlen has also risen to director level in the consultancy's Manchester office. David Roach and Helen Sargant have both been promoted to associate...

Appointment at RPS Planning, Transport and Environment.
June 2, 2006... Kevin McGovern has joined RPS Planning, Transport and Environment as director of regeneration in Manchester. He was previously a partner at GVA Grimley.

Appointment at Montagu Evans in London.
June 2, 2006... Katie Gullett has been promoted to associate in the planning department at Montagu Evans in London. She has been with the firm for six years and specialises in mixed-use town centre schemes.

Appointment at Carter Jonas in Oxford.
June 2, 2006... James Bainbridge, head of the southern planning and development division at Carter Jonas in Oxford, has been promoted to equity partner. Ian Gillespie, also in Oxford, has risen to fixed share partner. Kathryn Jukes has been promoted to...

Appointment at Development Planning Partnership.
June 2, 2006... Saura Shey, Daniel Massie and Tom Mullaney have joined Development Planning Partnership in Leeds as graduate planners. Aimee Cannon and Laurence Holmes have also joined the consultancy as a graduate planners in Bedford and Manchester...

Appointment at Denton Wilde Sapte.(Deborah Brennan has been appointed as a lawyer)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... David Cox and Emma White have been promoted to partners by Denton Wilde Sapte in the firm's planning and public law group. Deborah Brennan has been appointed as a lawyer. She previously worked for Australian firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Anita...

Appointment at Walker Morris.
June 2, 2006... Chris Woodthorpe has been appointed as a partner in the property group of law firm Walker Morris. He joined the company in 1999. The company, which now has a total of 46 partners, has also promoted 19 people to associate level.

Appointment at Hyder Consulting.
June 2, 2006... Owen Davies has joined Hyder Consulting as a principal planner in the environment, planning and transport department based in Cardiff. Raoul Tufnell has been appointed as planner, while Victoria Forster and Laura Cooper have joined as...

Appointment at tp bennett LLP.
June 2, 2006... Scott Hudson has joined tp bennett LLP as an associate. He was previously a senior planner at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Appointment at Muir Smith Evans.
June 2, 2006... Michael Halliday has been appointed as an associate by Muir Smith Evans in Edinburgh. He was previously a consultant at DTZ Pieda and has also worked as a senior planner for Ryden.

Enforcement system to unveil national body.
June 2, 2006... The imminent launch of an enforcement association for planning will enhance the profession's standing, maintains Michael Hyde. Unless they are submitting a planning application themselves, the first contact with the planning process for...

Network name change secures RTPI approval.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Column)
June 2, 2006... Network members can now look forward to a more representative and useful working group, says Catherine Middleton. I recently wrote a column about proposals for the RTPI's sole practitioners network to change its name to the independent...

Winners selected from record level of entries.
June 2, 2006... Award winners prepare to set off around the globe to investigate the public realm and innovation in sustainable development. The biennial George Pepler international Award is for anyone younger than 30 who wishes to visit the UK or for UK...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute )
June 2, 2006... SIR PATRICK GEDDES COMMEMORATIVE LECTURE Planning and the Public Interest in the Modern World. 9 June at 4.45pm. The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street. Sir Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) is widely regarded as the founder of...

Research offers opportunities to shape and encourage debate.
June 2, 2006... In the first in a series of articles on the research agenda, Jenny Crawford discusses the benefits of a co-ordinated approach. Five years ago the RTPI set spatiality, sustainability, inclusion and integration at the heart of its New Vision...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
June 2, 2006... 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...

Casebook: Concern over drugs activity stops betting office change.
June 2, 2006... The change of use of premises in west London's Portobello Road to a licensed betting office operated by William Hill Ltd has been refused permission after an inspector heard evidence about its likely impact on drug dealing and antisocial...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Need for amenity space rules out office scheme.
June 2, 2006... An inspector has dismissed three appeals for an office development in Suffolk after concluding that it was important to retain the site as a landscaped amenity space. The council had granted permission for three houses and four flats on an...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Mobile home turned down at kennels and cattery.
June 2, 2006... An inspector has refused permission to convert a stables in Bedfordshire to a kennels and cattery and site a mobile home for three years after determining that the business had not been planned on a sound financial basis. The appellant...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Pavement kiosk judged obtrusive and obstructive.
June 2, 2006... The installation of a replacement phone kiosk and automatic telling machine in a north London conservation area has been refused permission following a ruling that it would be visually intrusive and impede pedestrians. The scheme involved...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community Facilities - Student residences ruled out despite urgent need.
June 2, 2006... The redevelopment of a 36-bedroom University of Newcastle hall of residence with a 280-bedroom hall has been rejected on the grounds that it had not been properly thought through, despite a ruling that it would be acceptable in principle. ...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community Facilities - Mosque wins trial period despite amenity fears.
June 2, 2006... A proposal to convert a betting shop in Hertfordshire to a mosque has been granted temporary permission for one year to allow the impact of the use on local residents to be assessed. The inspector agreed that the scheme, which was intended...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and drink uses - Pub wins approval in expanding residential area.
June 2, 2006... A proposal for a pub with two ancillary staff flats has been allowed in a local centre serving a housing development in Wiltshire after a ruling that it would not compromise highway safety or have adverse trading implications. The centre...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and drink uses - Garden centre cafe rejected on traffic grounds.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A scheme to develop a cafe at a garden centre in Devon has been rejected after an inspector found that it would have an adverse impact on the local road network. The inspector agreed that the cafe would not adversely affect the vitality...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Tree loss considered acceptable in quality design.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... An assisted living home for frail elderly people in Surrey has been allowed on the basis that neither the building nor the likely extent of tree loss would harm the area's character and appearance. The proposal entailed the demolition of...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Sheltered flats conflict with crime reduction aims.(McCarthy and Stone PLC)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... McCarthy and Stone (Developments) Ltd has been denied permission for 54 sheltered apartments in Berkshire because it was unwilling to make a financial contribution towards improving a security system and refused to meet the council's affordable...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Apartment block design deemed visually intrusive.
June 2, 2006... A proposal for 130 flats in a single block between four and nine storeys high in East Sussex has been rejected on the grounds that it would adversely affect a conservation area's character and appearance. The appeal site occupied a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Affordable homes agreed despite tenure concern.
June 2, 2006... A proposal for 16 affordable dwellings outside a settlement boundary in Lancashire has been allowed after an inspector accepted that a need had been demonstrated. The appellants submitted a legal agreement limiting the properties to...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Backfilled quarry deemed suitable for housing use.
June 2, 2006... An inspector has allowed an appeal for residential development in a partly backfilled former quarry in West Yorkshire after concluding that contamination and land stability factors would not prevent an acceptable scheme. The site had a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Modern building held appropriate to city setting.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... An inspector has granted conservation area consent and planning permission for a residential redevelopment at a site in Portsmouth, concluding that the design would preserve the area's character and appearance. The inspector opined that...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder Development - Green belt garage extension judged part of home.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... An inspector has allowed a first-floor extension to a detached garage in the Buckinghamshire green belt, reasoning that for PPG2 purposes it would not be inappropriate or result in a loss of openness. The garage lay about 4m from the main...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and entertainment - Reduction in holiday flats deemed immaterial.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate (LDC) for internal works to convert a block of nine holiday flats in Cornwall to six three-storey holiday flats after ruling that the alterations did not involve development. ...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and entertainment - Training pitch allowed despite noise grievance.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... The construction of a floodlit all-weather training pitch and additional car parking have been allowed at a sports facility in Greater Manchester following a ruling that they would not harm neighbouring residents' amenity. The complex...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Mixed scheme fends off overshadowing claim.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... The redevelopment of a depot and office building in central London has been approved after an inspector overruled concerns voiced by the local planning authority and residents that it would adversely affect the enjoyment and setting of an...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Detailed design accepted despite noise concerns.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... An inspector has allowed an appeal seeking detailed approval for the external appearance, siting and design of a two-storey building in Somerset comprising shop units, a food and drink outlet and four self-contained flats. The council...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Transport development - Operator wins renewal of services permission.
June 2, 2006... A reporter has agreed to renew an outline planning permission for a roadside services development on the A78 south-east of Glasgow after finding no material change in circumstances since the original permission was issued. Outline...

Casebook: Court Case - Racecourse compensation claim struck down.(Brief article)(Case overview)
June 2, 2006... The Lands Tribunal has rejected a racecourse developer's claim that Essex County Council should pay a significantly higher price for acquiring part of the land needed for the A131 Great Leighs bypass between Chelmsford and Braintree. The...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Catering scheme fails residential amenity test.(Brief article)(Case overview)
June 2, 2006... Various enforcement notices directed against the use of a garage at a cafe and delicatessen in north Wales as a food preparation, distribution and storage area have been upheld after an inspector decided that it involved a material change of...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Settlement policy breach foils car dealership.(Brief article)(Case overview)
June 2, 2006... Plans for a car dealership on the edge of a Lincolnshire settlement have been rejected because it would urbanise the countryside and be contrary to the principles of sustainable development. The appellants accepted that the site fell...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Monolithic design rejected at railway works.(Brief article)(Case overview)
June 2, 2006... A proposal for 59 apartments and one commercial unit in a Swindon conservation area has been rejected after an inspector complained that it would produce a plain, austere and monolithic building that would be inappropriate to the area. The...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.(Website overview)(Brief article)
June 2, 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 - Mixed use development - Racecourse upgrade gains provisional support.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Scottish ministers are minded to accept an inspector's advice to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of Ayr Racecourse after concluding that the proposals would improve the quality of facilities and enhance tourism in the area. ...

When missions turn messy.
June 2, 2006... An assignment to prepare strategies and decipher place identity in remote border towns around the Baltic Sea soon became an ordeal for Cliff Hague. Splat! Splat! Splat! The shots punched red blotches on my shirt. Staggering back, I...

Remote work to renew city.
June 2, 2006... A UK consultancy is tackling unusual problems from a long distance after taking up a singular challenge to reshape the holiest city in Iraq, reports David Dewar. One of the many tragic aspects of Iraq's recent war-plagued history has been...

Rising tide of student mix elicits action.
June 2, 2006... Councils are taking action on student housing clusters to create balanced communities, reports Ben Kochan. The creation of sustainable communities has become an overused slogan for the government. But when a neighbourhood gets seriously out...

Waterways renewer.
June 2, 2006... British Waterways is keen to work with local authorities in making the best use of the nation's canal networks, planning chief Heather Clarke tells Christina Papas. Few parts of the national heritage have so many stakeholders. The UK's...

Policy failure drives emissions upwards.
June 2, 2006... There is something quite revealing about transport minister Stephen Ladyman's view that future road pricing schemes will have little to do with cutting carbon emissions. Although he probably does not realise it, the minister is showing the...

Fyson on ... airport thinking that must extend beyond Heathrow.
June 2, 2006... Tony Hall and Peter Hall's modest proposal to retire Heathrow Airport, far from being a madcap idea, would involve a logical relocation of the kind that has been the post-war norm for major airports worldwide. Larger sites, beyond densely...

Rival super casino bids set for final showdown.
June 2, 2006... Councils bidding to host a super casino will undergo a public examination, reports Catherine Early. The scramble to host the UK's first Las Vegas-style casino has got tighter still, with the initial 27 bids whittled down to eight. ...

Gummer on ... how a fall from grace will affect planning issues.
June 2, 2006... John Prescott's slow demise fills the tabloids. Yet the serious issue of its implications for planning have so far been missed. The deputy prime minister has been a major force in this government and his influence must not be...

Cash flow harms credibility.
June 2, 2006... Flaws in section 106 are driving the case for a planning gain supplement, reports Susanna Gillman. Cynics might think that ministers are simply using latest research on section 106 agreements to further the case for a planning gain...

Old Town waits on 'vibrant' proposal.(devastated town to be reconstructed)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Plans to redevelop an area of Edinburgh's Old Town devastated by fire four years ago were unveiled last week, promising a vibrant city district. The 12,500m2 SoCo site, bounded by South Bridge and Cowgate, could include a hotel,...

Housing plans seek to boost poorest wards.
June 2, 2006... More than 600 homes are set to be built under plans to regenerate rundown areas in Stranraer and Dumfries. The pounds 63 million scheme, unveiled earlier this month, will be jointly funded by Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership,...

Industry examines park's homes limit.(Homes for Scotland on the sale of homes at national park )(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... The legality of proposals to limit the sale of new homes in the Cairngorms national park is being investigated by housing industry body Homes for Scotland (HfS). The park authority is consulting on plans to only allow people who have lived...

Transport assessment for Celtic Football Club's training academy.(transport assessment for training academy)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A transport assessment for Celtic Football Club's plans for a multi-million pound training academy has been produced by JMP Consulting. The assessment covers travel patterns for day-to-day operations at the facility, which will be...

Highways Agency contract awarded to Carillion/Halcrow.
June 2, 2006... A Highways Agency contract for major improvement works at the M25's junction 28 Brook Street interchange has been awarded to Carillion/Halcrow. The pounds 9,320,000 scheme will begin next spring. Efforts to reduce congestion will involve...

A probe of town centres across West Norfolk to be carried out.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A probe of town centres across West Norfolk is to be carried out by GVA Grimley. The study will aim to assess retail and leisure needs across the area, focusing specifically on the town centres of King's Lynn, Hunstanton and Downham...

Gillespies to lead team preparing development area in Salisbury.(urban planning contracts)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Design consultancy Gillespies is to lead a team preparing an area development framework for Salisbury's historic city centre. The study will allow Salisbury District Council to look at future challenges and opportunities and consider the...

Masterplan for new marina in King's Lynn.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A masterplan for a new marina in King's Lynn is to be prepared by a team led by Llewelyn Davies Yeang. The proposal would create a major economic driver for the town, providing a visitor destination and creating a market for housing,...

Study of retail and leisure capacity of Pendle to be carried out.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A study of the retail and leisure capacity of Pendle is to be carried out by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners. The study will assess the borough's capacity and demand for new shops, leisure facilities and other town centre uses. It will...

Architects Chapman Taylor appointed.(development team for the part of Waterside regeneration scheme)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Architects Chapman Taylor have been appointed to the development team for a pounds 100 million retail proposal forming part of the Waterside regeneration scheme in Aylesbury town centre. The firm will work with Warner Estate Holdings and...

Drivers Jonas launches construction consultancy arm.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Drivers Jonas has launched a construction consultancy arm in response to market demand. The team is an amalgamation of three core strands - building surveying, project management and neighbourly matters - and is based in the company's...

Executive group backs bus regulation.(transportation policy)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Local authorities and passenger transport executives should be given powers to regulate bus services, a group of MPs demanded last week. The Commons public accounts committee has been studying measures to increase bus passenger numbers...

Lobby group condemns emissions aims retreat.
June 2, 2006... Any national road pricing scheme would not focus on cutting emissions, transport minister Stephen Ladyman said last week. Speaking at a transport innovation fund (TIF) conference, Ladyman said the main aim of Department for Transport (DfT)...

M6 toll chiefs invest in local road network.
June 2, 2006... Up to pounds 112 million will be invested in the West Midlands road network, the operator of the M6 toll road revealed last week. Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) promised to pay for the construction of the M54 link road and...

Study revives possibility of canal freight.
June 2, 2006... Freight could soon be transported between Inverness and Fort William by canal, the Scottish Executive announced last week. A feasibility study commissioned by the executive found that a 1,000-tonne vessel could successfully navigate the...

Secret trials pave way for rubber roads.(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Redundant rail lines could be reopened and used by cars and buses as well as trains or trams under plans to lay the tracks with recycled tyres. The scheme was unveiled this week at a secret location near Corby, where trials have been...

Coventry waits on city links scheme.(Cannon Kirk appoints Farrells to develop)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Plans to improve Coventry railway station's connection to the city centre are being worked up under proposals for a mixed-use scheme on an 8ha gateway site. Coventry City Council and developer Cannon Kirk have appointed Farrells to develop...

Manchester set for urban family living.(EDAW team appointed by Cibitas Investments)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A 15-year plan to transform an inner city area of east Manchester into a family-friendly neighbourhood is to be developed by a team lead by EDAW. The team, appointed by Cibitas Investments, urban regeneration company (URC) New East...

Ilford looks to advance town centre revamp.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... The London Borough of Redbridge is seeking a developer to help bring forward a pounds 100 million scheme to revamp Ilford town centre. The Unity Square project aims to provide around 500 homes, a town square and leisure, retail and...

Plans to regenerate Pennywell area of Sunderland.
June 2, 2006... The first phase of plans to regenerate the Pennywell area of Sunderland has been submitted for approval. Sunderland Housing Group's proposal aims to be the the first designated home zone in the city, incorporating a child-friendly...

Further work on the regeneration of Castleford began this week.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Further work on the regeneration of Castleford, which is being filmed as a television programme for Channel 4, began this week. A pounds 1.1million scheme designed by Hudson Architects is the eighth in the Castleford Project to get under...

Revamp of Edinburgh's historic Castle Street.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A pounds 2 million revamp of Edinburgh's historic Castle Street was officially launched last week. Urban designer Gillespies used a simple and uncluttered design that aims to respect the original street geometry and views to the castle. As...

Castlemore Securities to develop city centre site in Leeds.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Castlemore Securities is to develop a major city centre site in Leeds after being appointed by the city council and Leeds Metropolitan University. The Brunswick Place scheme will comprise 55,833m2 of office space and 6,410m2 of shops....

Work to restore site in centre of Newcastle will begin in September.(Old Eldon Square)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Work to restore a historic site in the centre of Newcastle will begin in September. The renovation of Old Eldon Square, originally built in the 1820s, will connect the north and south areas of the shopping centre and a proposed bus station...

First building in Edinburgh's Quartermile project was topped out last week.(Gladedale group)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... The first building in Edinburgh's pounds 350 million Quartermile project was topped out last week, giving uninterrupted views across the Scottish capital. The 12-storey High Meadows flats are a major milestone in the redevelopment of the...

Brewery site in Stockwell to be redeveloped.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... A 19th century brewery site in Stockwell is to be redeveloped after getting the go-ahead from the London Borough of Lambeth. The Bottle Store scheme, designed by Hawkins\Brown for City and Provincial Properties, will regenerate the Watney...

Plans for housing development in world heritage site.
June 2, 2006... Plans for a housing development in the Derwent Valley Mills world heritage site have been unveiled by architects Lathams. The scheme involves building 88 flats and town houses at Milford Mills near Belper. The properties, developed by...

Brownfield home level continues rising.
June 2, 2006... The proportion of homes built on brownfield land last year increased by only one per cent on the 2004 total, according to latest government data. The land use change figures show that 73 per cent of homes were built on brownfield land in...