Planning (UK) articles from June 2008

Planning (UK) archives from June 2008

Planning in the media.
June 6, 2008... Post office closures, eco-towns and now the Planning Bill - just three areas where the government has incurred the media's wrath. The Mail on Sunday featured Andrew Ross, the sub-postmaster at Pathhead in Kirkcaldy, Fife, who is on the...

Diary.(Diary entry)
June 6, 2008... The 4x4 is on its way out in favour of the wheelbarrow bike - or at least it is in Richmond-upon-Thames, where parents are seeking a greener way of getting their kids to school. The Dutch cargo bikes incorporate a box on the front with...

Appointment at Steer Davies Gleave.
June 6, 2008... Patrick Allcorn has joined Steer Davies Gleave as an associate. He was formerly travel plan manager at Transport for London

Appointment at Vincent and Gorbing.
June 6, 2008... Mark Wilson has joined Vincent and Gorbing as a principal planner from North Hertfordshire District Council, where he was a senior planner

Appointment at DPP.
June 6, 2008... DPP has recruited Colin Williams as an associate partner for its planning team in Manchester. He was previously an associate partner at Drivers Jonas

Appointment at Drivers Jonas.
June 6, 2008... John Cooper has been promoted to partner at Drivers Jonas in Manchester. Mathew Jones becomes a partner at the Birmingham office

Appointment at SF Planning.
June 6, 2008... Mark Godson has joined SF Planning as an associate. He moves from Cheltenham Borough Council, where he served as a senior planner

Appointment at JMP.
June 6, 2008... Bruce Allan has moved to JMP's Manchester office to become an associate director. He was previously a transport policy manager for Blackpool Council

Appointment at Brimble, Lea and Partners.
June 6, 2008... Diccon Carpendale has been promoted from planning consultant to partner at Brimble, Lea and Partners. Shelley Clark has joined the firm as a planning assistant

Appointment at the University of Ulster.
June 6, 2008... Greg Lloyd has been appointed head of the University of Ulster school of the built environment. Currently professor of planning at the University of Liverpool, he will take up his post at the start of the next academic year

Appointment at TNEI Services.
June 6, 2008... Energy consultancy TNEI Services has boosted its environmental and planning team with the appointment of Allan Herrera as a senior consultant in its Manchester office. In Newcastle, Amy Tharakan joins as a consultant and Sarah Bough as a...

Planning Aid North builds up Gateshead renewal dialogue.
June 6, 2008... A residents' group in the North East aims to influence regeneration plans for its town, explains Kevin Lillie. Planning Aid North (PAN) has been working with Gateshead Council over the past year through an independent partnership. This aims...

Institute presses case for planners in local authority executives.
June 6, 2008... The RTPI is urging local authorities to include planners in their executive teams. The call came as housing minister Caroline Flint told MPs on the Commons communities and local government select committee that the decision on whether to...

Blears to head Planning Convention's list of speakers.
June 6, 2008... Communities and local government secretary Hazel Blears is to give the keynote speech at the RTPI's Planning Convention, to be held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, from 9 to 11 July. Other speakers include Colombian ambassador to...

Events.
June 6, 2008... Greening the Gateway, Kent and Medway. 12 June. RTPI South East Shorne, Gravesend. Speakers at this one-day event will talk about the strategic context of the initiative, the Shorne Woods country park project and the Cobham Ashenbank...

Journal explores neighbourhoods.
June 6, 2008... Community engagement offers opportunities to build wider confidence in the planning process and sustainability goals, reports Jenny Crawford. The March edition of the journal Planning Theory and Practice provides the opportunity to...

European cities offer lessons for successful urban regeneration.
June 6, 2008... A report by Christopher Cadell and Nicholas Falk entitled Regeneration in European Cities - Making Connections, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, sets out case studies from a range of European cities and explores different approaches...

New book reviews progress of European spatial planning network.
June 6, 2008... The Lincoln Institute has published a comprehensive overview of the outputs of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network research programme up to 2006. European Spatial Research and Planning is edited by Andreas Faludi and includes...

Universities unite to create rural research centre of excellence.
June 6, 2008... A rural research institute has been set up that aims to bring together a wide range of expertise in rural social and policy research. The Countryside and Community Research Institute brings together the University of Gloucestershire, the...

Event.
June 6, 2008... The Frontiers of Participatory Mapping. 17 June. University College London (UCL) and the London 21 Network. UCL. This seminar on mapping for sustainable communities will explore the use of collaborative and participatory mapping to draw...

Unified heritage designation takes consent applications on new course.
June 6, 2008... Consultation on the draft heritage protection bill allows debate on the way that the simplified asset register will operate and how individual rights sit against the wider local development plan, maintains Rynd Smith. The heritage...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Home rejected due to cattle unit delay.
June 6, 2008... The provision of an agricultural worker's dwelling at a North Yorkshire farm has been denied planning permission because the appellant had yet to develop a bovine embryo transfer unit at the site. The appellant intended to develop an embryo...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Log cabin dismissed at green belt livery.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... A log cabin for an appellant running a livery in the Nottinghamshire green belt has been declared unnecessary after an inspector concluded that the functional need could be met by accommodation in the immediate area. The appellant's wife...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Dwelling ruled out by slurry pollution risk.
June 6, 2008... An inspector has dismissed an appeal for an agricultural worker's dwelling in Devon despite accepting that the risk to future residents from wind-blown spray would be acceptable. The dwelling was to be sited in a field surrounded by other...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Harm from sex workers' flat found limited.
June 6, 2008... An enforcement notice against the use of part of a central London property for prostitution has been quashed following a ruling that it has no serious impact on the character of the surrounding area. The four-storey property was located in...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Pub protection policy objection overruled.
June 6, 2008... Staff car parking and a display area for used vehicles on land in North Yorkshire have been approved after an inspector rejected council claims that the site should be reserved for community use. The appeal site comprised land next to a car...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Care home design considered too large.
June 6, 2008... A proposal for a four-storey care home in south London has been rejected following a ruling that the detailed design would not be of sufficiently high quality. The inspector accepted that the design sought to break up the bulk and length...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Coffee shop judged to undermine viability.
June 6, 2008... Costa Coffee has failed to secure permission for a mixed retail and coffee shop use in a North Yorkshire town centre, an inspector finding that the loss of a vacant shop unit would undermine its main retail function. A local plan policy...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Housing scheme layout deemed unsafe.
June 6, 2008... A development of more than 300 homes in south-east London has been firmly rejected by an inspector who determined that the layout would lead to an unsafe environment for residents. The developer proposed a series of housing blocks alongside...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Green features fail to fulfil exemption.(Planning Policy Statement )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... A proposed development in Hampshire relying on the exemption for new country houses in PPS7 has been dismissed on the grounds that it lacked exceptional qualities. The appellant contended that the dwelling would be of truly outstanding and...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Key worker assessment found wanting.
June 6, 2008... The secretary of state has decided to withhold permission for housing on part of a hospital site in north London after voicing doubts that the land is surplus to an NHS trust's medical requirements. The Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Council fails to substantiate parking need.
June 6, 2008... Three homes have been allowed in a Yorkshire town after an inspector found that their effect on the availability of on-street parking would not harm nearby residents' living conditions. The inspector agreed that the scheme would represent...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Park authority loses traditional design bid.
June 6, 2008... The redevelopment of a rundown garage in a large village on Dartmoor with two homes of modern design has been allowed despite the national park authority's preference for a traditional design. While recognising the concentration of...

DC Casebook: Householder development - Curtilage ruled outside conservation area.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice and allowed the retention of two buildings in a domestic curtilage after concluding that the site falls outside a conservation area. The case focused on detailed examination of the limitations...

DC Casebook: Householder development - Vehicular access justified by road safety.
June 6, 2008... The construction of a new access across a paddock associated with a house in the Cornwall area of outstanding natural beauty has been approved, with costs awarded to the appellant. The existing access met a main road at a steep angle and...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Chalets ruled out by urbanising impact.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... An inspector has allowed camping pitches on part of a Somerset farm but rejected proposals for 13 holiday chalets after deciding that they would have an urbanising effect on the local landscape. The appellant proposed to site the three and...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Indoor climbing fails employment test.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... An appellant who proposed to convert premises in Buckinghamshire into a climbing facility has failed to persuade an inspector that the creation of 30 jobs is in line with council employment policy. The premises had been vacant since being...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Access worries thwart bulky goods units.
June 6, 2008... Conversion of the ground floor of an office building in west London into five retail units has been rejected because of difficulties in resolving servicing and car parking arrangements. The 1,595m2 scheme was designed for occupation by home...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Public toilet loss accepted in retail mall.
June 6, 2008... The change of use of toilets in an east London shopping centre into retail space has been supported by an inspector despite council concerns that it would reduce the area's retail draw. The toilets had been closed for five months and the...

DC Casebook: Next week.
June 6, 2008... Nightclub impact deemed manageable The conversion of a Cheltenham cinema to restaurants and a nightclub has been found acceptable despite recognition of its negative noise, disturbance and antisocial behaviour impacts. DCS Number...

DC Casebook: In depth - Drug treatment centre approved despite concerns about amenity.
June 6, 2008... The use of premises in Weston-super-Mare as offices for drug counselling services has been allowed following a ruling that it would not harm the character and amenity of the area or neighbours' living conditions. The appellant firm had...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Church ruled no threat to site range.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The change of use of offices and a warehouse in a Salford employment area to a place of worship has been allowed following a ruling that it would not result in a shortfall in the range of available employment sites. The front of the...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Clinic use held no harm to neighbours.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Planning permission for the retrospective change of use of a house in a Nottinghamshire conservation area into a physiotherapy clinic has been ruled acceptable and unlikely to harm the character of the area. The inspector found that the...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Casino judged to enhance listed hotel.
June 6, 2008... The change of use of part of the Hyde Park Hotel in central London into a casino has been permitted despite council concerns over the loss of bed spaces and the impact on local residents. The council explained that one of its strategic...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Rallies halted by facilities' visual impact.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... An enforcement notice against the use of land next to a Norfolk caravan site for rallies has been upheld on the grounds that the infrastructure harms the character of the countryside. The appellants contended that planning control had not...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
June 6, 2008... NEW QUERIES I am looking at a planning appeal for a lawful development certificate (LDC) relating to a condition imposing two requirements on a permission One part relates to the construction of an access along a new route. This has been...

How we did it ... Bristol care home keeps community connection.
June 6, 2008... Project: An extra care facility for older people, designed to provide the best views and a comfortable environment for residents. Background: The scheme replaces a smaller care home for elderly people in the Bristol New Deal for Communities...

The things I know - Pat Thomas, Principal and sole practitioner, Pat Thomas Planning Law.
June 6, 2008... - What skills did you have when you graduated? I graduated from Oxford University in English with the ability to translate Anglo-Saxon. It educated me in the nuances of the language, which has stood me in good stead in crafting persuasive...

Quality Control.
June 6, 2008... Housing design quality, the community infrastructure levy and climate change were among topics raised at last week's HOW Planning and Kings Chambers briefing, says Huw Morris. The government's design watchdog has delivered a stinging...

Centres of attention.
June 6, 2008... Regional shopping centres have been catalysts for economic growth and regeneration and should become focal points for sustainable mixed-use communities, argue James Fennell and John Robertson. For many years, out-of-town regional shopping...

Strategist with stamina.
June 6, 2008... After three decades on the West Midlands planning scene John Pattinson is well qualified to defend regional strategy as debate on higher housing targets comes to a head, Ben Lee finds. On the way to meet John Pattinson, I find myself...

Commons reception confirms planning reform mismanagement.
June 6, 2008... It has taken a while, but MPs have finally woken up to the Planning Bill. Last year, when community and environmental groups complained about it, few showed much interest. More than 60 backbench Labour MPs have now signed early day motions...

Fyson on ... a place-attachment study.
June 6, 2008... A place-attachment study with lessons for planners on creating successful neighbourhoods. Designer Wayne Hemingway reminded a recent Royal Geographical Society symposium of the rapid 'churn' or population turnover in renewed parts of...

Legal Report.(Department of Community and Local Development)
June 6, 2008... Customer focus vanishes in streamlining at appeal. Last year's DCLG consultation paper on measures to improve the appeal process promised to make this part of the planning system 'proportionate, customer-focused, efficient and well...

Gummer on ... major projects confrontation.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... As I write this, the government is showing every sign of panic over the Planning Bill. Parliament is awaiting the vote on the crucial issue of arrangements for large infrastructure projects. This is a hugely controversial measure because...

Task force delivery test.
June 6, 2008... The credit crunch is making its impact felt on the Scottish housing market while land shortage and local opposition to development are also hindering progress, suggests Susanna Gillman. Scotland's ambitious house building agenda is looking...

Cities outline noise control zone effort.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Dozens of quiet zones would be identified in future local plans for Glasgow and Edinburgh under proposals outlined last week. The Scottish Government's consultation paper lists areas that could be protected from noisy developments if they...

Fort William brief devised.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Consultants are to be commissioned to prepare an urban design strategy to redevelop Fort William in the West Highlands. They will be asked to suggest ways of developing the town centre and better connecting it to the waterfront, where a 7ha...

Research calculates planning gain value.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Scottish councils with formula-based developer contribution policies secure pounds 2 million a year more on average than those with a case-by-case system, it has emerged. Latest research shows that despite securing contributions for a...

Online now ..
June 6, 2008... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for extra regeneration benefits on offer from major developments outside section 106 agreements Also online Interview with Leeds City Council deputy leader Andrew Carter Second Opinion on Brent Cross,...

Planning Stats.
June 6, 2008... pounds 9.6m - The amount of money that Planning Aid will receive from the government up to 2011. The cash injection, announced this week, follows the doubling of funding from pounds 1.7 million in 2007-08 to pounds 3.2 million this year....

Entec chases port planning.(Department for Transport)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Entec is hoping to pick up work advising major ports on how to develop masterplans in line with the DfT's current consultation. The department issued draft guidance last month for developments over the next 25 to 30 years (Planning, 9 May,...

JMP staff win branch leads.(JMP transport)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... JMP transport planners have been appointed to chair two of the Institution of Highways and Transportation's (IHT) 18 branches in the UK. The firm's board director in Scotland Gordon Baker has become chairman of the central and southern...

Firm scoops shop survey.(London Borough of Haringey)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners is continuing its run of retail advice commissions with a win from the London Borough of Haringey. The latest appointment to prepare a study of retail and town centre capacity follows awards by the London...

GVA to draft city strategy.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... GVA Grimley is to prepare a strategic regeneration framework (SRF) for a densely populated area of Nottingham. The framework will cover the north-west part of the city, where 100,000 people live. Most of the households fall in the most...

Capita Symonds set for Welsh road work.(south Wales councils contract with Capita Symonds )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Three south Wales councils have awarded a pounds 75 million contract to Capita Symonds to provide highways, transport and environmental services for up to 15 years. The venture will replace the Glamorgan Engineering Consultancy joint...

White Green Young study plots Cumbria wildlife site proposals.
June 6, 2008... Three key Cumbria wildlife sites are set to benefit from a White Young Green (WYG) study that plots how to balance the future needs of visitors and tourism. The multidisciplinary study for regeneration body West Lakes Renaissance and the...

Colleges sign campus deal.
June 6, 2008... Principals of four Glasgow colleges have struck a deal to establish a 'super campus' in the heart of the city. The New Campus Glasgow will be home to Central College, the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, Glasgow Metropolitan College and...

Station Hill plan called in.
June 6, 2008... John Madejski's planning application for the pounds 400 million Station Hill development next to Reading station has gone into extra time. The Reading Football Club chairman's application for the 130,000m2 mixed-use plan was called in last...

Guide offers funds advice.(British Property Federation)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The British Property Federation (BPF) has published a guide designed to help developers who are seeking regeneration funding. The BPF said millions of pounds of public funding streams for new homes and regeneration projects currently go...

Birmingham Eastside locks designs lodged.
June 6, 2008... Plans were lodged last week for the pounds 450 million Eastside Locks regeneration scheme in Birmingham. If permission is granted, the 5ha mixed-use scheme could create up to 5,000 jobs. International property group Goodman is in...

Evaluation presses for urban evolution.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... An official evaluation of urban regeneration companies (URCs) has encouraged them to evolve and adapt to influence the wider regeneration agenda. English Partnerships' mid-year evaluation urges URCs to diversify into economic and social...

South Wales invests in rail.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Welsh Assembly has unveiled details of pounds 52 million of improvements for the rail network in south Wales. Deputy first minister and economy and transport minister Ieuan Wyn Jones announced the package this week. It includes pounds...

Town set for road upgrade.
June 6, 2008... Improvements to north Middlesbrough's transport network got the final go-ahead this week with pounds 12 million of government funding. The North Middlesbrough Accessibility scheme comprises a link road with foot and cycle facilities...

Time granted to air opinion.
June 6, 2008... Uttlesford District Council has extended the consultation period on BAA's application to build a second runway at Stansted Airport. The council said it is pushing the deadline back to late September after requests from consultees including...

Super lorries plan refused.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Plans to introduce larger goods vehicles on UK roads have been rejected by transport secretary Ruth Kelly. The decision follows an independent report indicating that their use in the UK is impractical, either on a permanent or trial basis....

MPs raise threat of Heathrow rebellion.
June 6, 2008... Nearly half of Labour MPs in London are against the government's plans to expand Heathrow Airport, a survey by Greenpeace has revealed. The research shows that 18 Labour MPs oppose the mooted third runway and sixth terminal because they...

Cyclists' lobby demands better provision in Crossrail proposals.
June 6, 2008... National cyclists' body CTC has warned that it is naive not to plan for cyclists in the development of Crossrail, the proposed east-to-west rail link across London. The organisation petitioned the House of Lords to look at provision for...

Web energy tool lined up.(London Borough of Merton )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The London Borough of Merton is working on a web-based tool that will allow local authorities to monitor the amount of renewable energy produced in an area. The council is responsible for pioneering the Merton rule, which sets a quota of...

Welsh wind farm agreed.
June 6, 2008... Planning permission has been granted for a wind farm near Glynneath in south Wales, set to produce more than 30MW of electricity. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council has approved the 13-turbine scheme, which is subject to a legal...

South East sets out reservoir argument.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... A raft of reservoirs is being proposed in the South East by water companies seeking to ensure that they can provide for growing populations and a warmer climate. South East Water unveiled its plans for two reservoirs in Sussex and Kent in...

Guide steers floods policy.(Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has launched a guide to help planners in infrastructure and land-use policy. The online resource will cover all aspects of flood risk management including hydrology,...

Birmingham festival bids to put climate change at centre stage.
June 6, 2008... Birmingham city centre has been transformed by a 29m-high pylon as part of a nine-day climate change festival. The nickel-plated pylon has been installed by Birmingham City Council and the government's design champion CABE. The structure...

Landfill tree move backed.
June 6, 2008... Former landfill sites could be restored as woodland or parkland, research published by the DCLG has shown. A study concluded that it is possible to plant trees on such sites as long as the cap, usually clay, is robust enough to prevent...