Planning (UK) articles from June 2009

Planning (UK) archives from June 2009

Planning in the media.(Diary entry)
June 5, 2009... Can rural communities survive the economic downturn? The runes do not look too good, according to BBC1's Countryfile. It visited the Wiltshire village of Whiteparish where 24-year-old Annabel Twiddy runs an equine business that swallows up most...

Diary.(Diary entry)
June 5, 2009... With environmental issues so high up the agenda at the moment, you would be forgiven for thinking that this story is a wind-up. But it is no joke for eco-friendly Oxfordshire homeowners Stephen and Sandra Munday, who were left in a spin...

Appointment at DTZ.
June 5, 2009... DTZ has appointed Heather McDonald a consultant in its North West development and planning team. She joins from King Sturge, where she was a regeneration consultant. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not...

Appointment at Pembrokeshire County Council.
June 5, 2009... Cath Ranson is moving on from the Snowdonia National Park Authority to become development plans and conservation manager at Pembrokeshire County Council. -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the...

Appointment at National Trust.(Tony Burton )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Tony Burton is leaving his role as director of strategy and external affairs at the National Trust to lead an initiative to strengthen and support the civic society movement following the decision to put the Civic Trust into administration. ...

Appointment at Colin Buchanan.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Colin Buchanan has appointed Jeremy Edge director of development planning. He will oversee its planning, regeneration and urban design teams as well as transport provision for developments in the UK and overseas. -------------------- ...

Assembly sets outlines for climate change action plan.
June 5, 2009... Planning's task is to set sustainable development in its wider environmental context, says Michael Napier. Climate change is now the overarching priority for the world, forcing the rules of sustainable development to change. One strong view...

Workshop set to frame counter-terrorism measures response.
June 5, 2009... The RTPI's urban design network is seeking its members' views and comments on two consultation documents. The first, Working Together to Protect Crowded Places, is designed to encourage better working relationships between local authorities,...

Network canvasses for evidence on shared street experiences.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The RTPI's transport planning network is seeking the help of members for its comments on shared surfaces for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. CABE has argued that streets that are designed to give all users more freedom of movement are...

Road safety consultation set to shape government strategy.
June 5, 2009... Transport planning network members are invited to respond to the DfT's Safer Way consultation on making the UK's roads the safest in the world. The document seeks views on the vision, targets and measures for improving road safety beyond 2010....

Member seeks help on Devon highway management protocol.
June 5, 2009... Transport planning network member Paul Tiplady is working on a project to produce a single protocol and good practice document for the management of the highway network in Devon's ten protected landscapes He would like to find examples of this...

Journal compares drivers of change.
June 5, 2009... Fresh perspectives on evaluating planning outcomes around the world offer lessons for practitioners, argues Jenny Crawford. Planning Theory and Practice senior editor and University of Sheffield professor Heather Campbell succinctly...

RTPI directive response backs drive to share spatial data.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The infrastructure for spatial information in Europe (INSPIRE) directive aims to improve the sharing of spatial information by public authorities at local, regional, national and European levels and to make such data more widely and...

Papers invited for journal's sustainability special issue.
June 5, 2009... The International Journal of Sustainable Society will be publishing a special issue on the theme of planning and sustainability, inspired by papers presented at the UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference at Newcastle University in April. The...

Survey skills programme offers opportunities for researchers.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The Survey Skills programme funded by the Economic and Social Research Council is an opportunity for social researchers to gain an insight into the survey process and improve their skills. The scheme is open to postgraduate students,...

Book provides comparisons of European rural research.
June 5, 2009... The new publication Comparing Rural Development looks at continuity and change in the countryside of western Europe. The book is edited by Jo Vergunst and Arnar Arnason of the University of Aberdeen and Mark Shucksmith of Newcastle University....

Strategy sets quality expectations in sustainable place-making vision.
June 5, 2009... In responding to the recession local authority planners are on the front line in taking forward government ambitions for well-designed developments that enhance local environments, maintains Andrew Matheson. The passion with which...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Milk supply operation held unacceptable.
June 5, 2009... An appellant's wish to live close to a milk distribution centre in Fife commenced without planning permission has been deemed insufficient to justify quashing an enforcement notice requiring the use to cease. The site lay at the end of a...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Industrial use agreed for farm grain store.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The change of use of a grain store at a farm in Berkshire to general industrial use has been allowed retrospectively in view of the need to maintain rural employment. The inspector decided that the number and type of associated vehicle...

DC Casebook: Community Facilities - Cultural centre fails amenity harm test.
June 5, 2009... The change of use of a language centre in east London into a Muslim cultural centre has been rejected on the grounds that disturbance to neighbours would be unacceptable and parking congestion would affect road safety. Permission for the...

DC Casebook: Energy Development - Wind farm benefits hailed as significant.
June 5, 2009... A scheme comprising two 100m-high wind turbines on land in south Wales has been approved after an inspector decided that it would deliver tangible benefits for the local community. Each turbine would have a capacity of 2MW and be capable of...

DC Casebook: Energy Development - Turbine seen as symbol of commitment.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... In granting consent for a 126m-high 2MW wind turbine in Lancashire, an inspector has agreed that such structures are not uncommon and over time can become an accepted part of the landscape. The turbine was proposed in a field behind two...

DC Casebook: Food and Drink Uses - Smoking canopies' impact judged harmful.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The retention of two smoking canopies at a sheesha smoking establishment in Bedfordshire has been ruled unsatisfactory because of the impact on adjoining residents. The canopies covered a considerable area of a rear courtyard. At the time...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Open space methodology found flawed.
June 5, 2009... In rejecting two appeals to redevelop a working men's club in Middlesex, an inspector has decided that the appellants had failed to demonstrate that the loss of the site would be acceptable. The 1.7ha site contained the club, car parking...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Modern flat design ruled out of character.
June 5, 2009... The demolition of a bungalow on the Essex coast to allow the development of seven flats has been ruled out by an inspector because of concerns over the proposed design. The site was on a clifftop road along the seafront in an area...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Special case made for mobile home siting.
June 5, 2009... An inspector has ruled that permission is required to site a mobile home on land in Somerset but agreed that the medical condition of the appellant's son justifies temporary permission. The twin-unit mobile home measured 16m by 6m and lay...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Age restriction removal agreed for flats.
June 5, 2009... A condition restricting the occupation of three buildings in Cambridgeshire to people aged 55 years and above has been deleted after an inspector concluded that it does not serve a useful planning purpose. The buildings lay in extensive...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Dwelling fails multiple occupancy test.
June 5, 2009... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice alleging that a dwelling in Berkshire is being occupied as three separate homes after ruling that the description of the control breach was incorrect. The single-storey property had been...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Outbuilding overcomes separate use fear.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate for an outbuilding at a house in north London after rejecting council fears that it could be used as a dwelling because it looks like one. There was no dispute that the building...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Garage conversion allowed with condition.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A reporter has decided that the conversion of a garage at a house in south-east Scotland into residential use is acceptable provided the accommodation remains tied to the main property. The building lay in its own curtilage and contained a...

DC Casebook: Listed Buildings - Window changes ruled harmful at school.
June 5, 2009... Alterations to a window at a listed 19th century school room attached to a Hampshire schoolhouse have been rejected on the grounds that they would not preserve the building's special interest. The inspector remarked that the windows had the...

DC Casebook: Mineral Development - Further time allowed for stone extraction.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A condition imposed on a quarrying permission in the West Yorkshire green belt has been extended to allow stone to be mined for a further ten years. The site contained a small stone quarry in an area rich with a particular form of...

DC Casebook: Telecommunications - Permitted rights secured on extra cabinet.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... An enforcement notice against a third generation telecommunications cabinet alongside existing second generation equipment in west London has been quashed on the grounds that it needs no prior approval because it uses different technology. ...

DC Casebook: Next Week.
June 5, 2009... - Weight given to crime prevention advice An inspector has allowed a residential development in south London despite council concerns about security after hearing police advice that the scheme could achieve a Secured by Design award. ...

DC Casebook: In depth - Doubts voiced over viability of golf course restoration scheme.
June 5, 2009... An appellant has been refused permission for continued crushing and screening of inert waste on a green belt site in the Wirral as part of a project to create a golf course. The council had granted permission in 2003 for the site to be used...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - School allowed to raise pupil intake.
June 5, 2009... An enforcement notice seeking to limit the number of pupils attending a school in north-east London has been struck down by an inspector who ruled that it harms neither highway safety nor residents' amenity. The senior school had been...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Council bid to save 1960s house fails.
June 5, 2009... An inspector has accepted the principle of redevelopment of a house in a Wirral conservation area with two new dwellings but dismissed an appeal due to plan inaccuracies. The council considered that the existing house, with its strong...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Plotland brick objection overruled.
June 5, 2009... An inspector has deleted a condition requiring a replacement dwelling next to the Thames in Surrey to be finished in painted render or timber cladding, finding that brick elevations had not harmed the area's plotland character. The...

DC Casebook: Householder development - Yacht repair cover deemed incongruous.
June 5, 2009... A temporary cover to facilitate the restoration of an historic yacht at a semi-detached house in the Dorset green belt has been rejected on the grounds that it would harm neighbours' outlook and local character. The boat cover was 5m wide,...

DC Casebook: Leisure and Entertainment - Golf course rejected on green belt land.
June 5, 2009... The change of use of land in the Essex green belt into a nine-hole golf course has been declared inappropriate on the grounds that it would undermine the area's openness. Under the scheme, a significant amount of inert waste would be...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
June 5, 2009... Email your queries or your replies to earlier queries to casebook@haymarket.com or post them to Development Control Casebook Forum, DCS Ltd, Casebook Suite 1, Fullers Court, 40 Lower Quay Street, Gloucester GL1 2LW. Comment and post at...

How we did it ... Wine warehouse builds taste for sustainability.
June 5, 2009... Project: A distribution warehouse for the Wine Society in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Background: The society needed to expand its existing distribution facility, making the most of available space while taking advantage of the latest...

The Things I Know - Cristina Howick, Partner, Roger Tym & Partners.(Interview)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... - Where did you study planning? The London School of Economics. An MSc in urban and regional planning studies taught me how to apply an economics degree to planning issues. - What skills did you have when you graduated? Some...

Community Connection.
June 5, 2009... Time and money used to help local residents put urban design issues into context during consultation are well spent if they enable understanding of access concerns, says David Tittle. It is five years since the requirement for statements of...

Streamlining the services.
June 5, 2009... The revamped regime for approving major infrastructure developments is gradually coming together but a number of planning lawyers still harbour serious concerns over its ability to deliver a faster decision-making process, Bryan Johnston...

People power promoter.(Planning Aid)(Occupation overview)
June 5, 2009... Planning Aid programme manager John Rider-Dobson brings a wealth of experience to the role and is set on raising the organisation's profile among professionals, Mark Wilding learns. John Rider-Dobson's appointment as Planning Aid programme...

Short-term rail planning stores problem for joined-up transport.
June 5, 2009... Some facts are so bewildering that they make you stop, blink and read again. The rail industry's paper setting out a vision for its future contains two such details. One is very human, the other very bureaucratic, yet both illustrate much of...

Fyson on... past experience of slow line development that diminishes high-speed delivery commitments.(High Speed 2)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Only eight days before he delivered a well-researched lecture on high-speed rail systems as an international transport revolution, transport minister Lord Andrew Adonis officially declared the upgraded West Coast Main Line open. Admittedly a...

Richards on ... advantages of shared ideas.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A recent visit to see the sites of ancient Greece brought home to me the message that there is little new in this world. In the home of democracy lie the answers to some of the current problems facing us in the UK. Politicians' second homes...

Legal Report - Greenhithe decision puts tariffs under microscope.
June 5, 2009... Generating contributions from a number of developers towards one or more strategic or major infrastructure projects is a key concern for local authorities. One hopes that the delayed community infrastructure levy will help, but until then...

Matter of convenience.(Public Health Act 1936 )
June 5, 2009... Public toilet provision is improving but the scarcity of resources, standards, local authority commitment or strategic planning is an obstacle to further progress, Ben Kochan discovers. By the end of this year, a new standard could be...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... 7 million - Tonnes of carbon dioxide that could be saved each year if every driver in the UK made one car journey less each week, according to green travel group Sustrans. On average, 763 car trips are made per driver per year. 35,200 -...

Crofting bill details limits on residency.(Crofting Reform Bill)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Sanctions to prevent the further spread of holiday homes across the Highlands and islands are being proposed in new legislation. The draft Crofting Reform Bill, which has just been issued for consultation, states that property built on land...

Council firms gain bail-out.
June 5, 2009... Two local authority-owned development companies will disappear under a rescue plan drawn up by Edinburgh City Council. Waterfront Edinburgh and EDI were both struggling in the face of falling land values. The council has now resolved to...

Housing chief seeks developments spur.(Stewart Milne Homes )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Changes to the planning system are still failing to make an impact on the ground, according to the new chairman of house building body Homes for Scotland. Stewart Milne Homes North managing director John Low said planners and politicians...

Online now..
June 5, 2009... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for all the latest from the Planning Blog Also online A visit to Warland, a hamlet that sits on the newly defined boundaries of the Leeds and Manchester city-regions John Lewis retail development head Jeremy...

Counties call for swift rail.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Transport officials in South and West Yorkshire are urging the government to include the region in any high-speed rail network The South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA) and West Yorkshire's transport commissioners Metro are...

Sector eyed to cut carbon.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The EU is to target transport in its next initiative to reduce the continent's carbon dioxide emissions. EU environment official Jos Delbeke said policy must focus on changing modes of transport to counteract rising emissions that have...

Network demands clarity of long-range framework.
June 5, 2009... A long-term planning framework must be introduced to tackle the challenges facing the UK's railway network over the next 30 years, a rail industry paper argues. Railway planning is based on a five-yearly review and competition for...

Bus station comes forward to catalyse Slough regeneration.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A new bus station in Slough will kick-start the long-awaited regeneration of the town as part of the pounds 400 million Heart of Slough project. Drivers Jonas's Birmingham planning team secured permission for the development on behalf of...

Carbon store test started.
June 5, 2009... ScottishPower has begun the UK's first test project to capture carbon emissions from a power station. The project at the coal-fired power plant at Longannet in Fife is the first step towards a full carbon capture and storage (CCS)...

York invites office views.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Two design proposals for York City Council's headquarters were unveiled to the public at an exhibition last week. The options being considered by the council are the redevelopment of West Offices on Station Rise by Tarras Park Properties...

Town backs heritage bid.
June 5, 2009... The River Medway has been added to the bid to secure world heritage site status for Chatham Dockyard. The application would help give the area a greater national and international profile for one of the finest surviving examples of royal...

Firm appeals works notice.
June 5, 2009... The owners of a controversial glass factory have lodged an appeal against the enforcement proceedings brought by Cheshire West and Chester Council. Construction of Quinn Glass Ltd's factory on the former power station site at Elton was...

Fife plan prescribes higher home target.(Fife Council )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Fife Council has welcomed the Scottish Government's approval of its structure plan despite it containing higher housing targets than originally proposed. Ministers approved the plan at the end of last month, three years after the draft was...

Transport to kick-start central growth for Armagh masterplan.
June 5, 2009... A blueprint for the pounds 200 million development of Armagh was launched by Northern Ireland social development minister Margaret Ritchie last week. The masterplan comprises nearly 100 initiatives to regenerate the city over the next...

Agenda.(Calendar)
June 5, 2009... 17-19 JUNE: The 2009 Planning Convention Organiser: RTPI Venue: London Fee: pounds 120-pounds 469 + VAT Details: www.theplanningconvention.co.uk or 0845 082 1171 18 JUNE: Property and Mortgage Law Update Organiser: Kings Chambers...

Park audit calls for decisions speed-up.
June 5, 2009... Welsh national park authorities still need to improve planning services to come up to other local authorities' standards, according to a review published last week. The report by the Wales Audit Office (WAO) finds that all three...

Multi-generation homes trend sparks add-on rule change call.
June 5, 2009... Planning laws should be relaxed to make it easier for families to add accommodation to their homes for elderly relatives, according to a social think-tank. The Relationships Foundation said the rising number of pensioners, falling...

Staff merge at Stafford.(Stafford Borough Council )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Planning and regeneration operations at Stafford Borough Council have been merged following an internal reorganisation. Former head of regeneration Ted Manders is to lead the joint division following the departure of head of planning Chris...

Selby agrees hospital deal.
June 5, 2009... Selby District Council's planning committee approved proposals for a community hospital and civic centre development last week. Offices will be constructed and the existing War Memorial Hospital rebuilt in a joint project by NHS North...

Challenges lined up for South East Plan.
June 5, 2009... At least three legal challenges are possible against aspects of the South East Plan, Planning has learnt. The regional spatial strategy was published by the government at the beginning of last month. But concerns over housing growth in some...

RTPI awards shortlist set.
June 5, 2009... Entries for the Planning Awards 2009 are down on last year but this reflects the state of the economy, the RTPI has said. This year's shortlist features 32 entries drawn from 94 submissions, compared with a figure of 111 last year. An RTPI...

Civic societies gain national champion.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A drive to breath new life into the civic society movement and give a national voice to its network of 1,000 organisations was unveiled this week. The move follows the demise of the Civic Trust, which went into administration in April...

Northampton Borough Council launches advice service.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Northampton Borough Council has launched a pre-application advice service to help applicants through the planning process. The service will be available to developers and homeowners and will cost up to ten per cent of their application fee....

BREEAM launches new initiative.(BRE Environmental Assessment Method)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... BREEAM has launched a scheme to help planners improve, manage and independently certify the sustainability of development proposals. The initiative has been piloted on projects including the athletes' village for the London 2012 Olympics...

CB Richard Ellis to advise investors.
June 5, 2009... CB Richard Ellis is to advise CBRE investors and PPG Industries UK on the redevelopment of the 51ha Hindley Business Park near Wigan. Initial proposals include light industrial use with some housing and leisure facilities. The site is close...

Halton Borough Council acquires brownfield site on River Mersey.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Halton Borough Council has completed the acquisition of a 16ha brownfield site on the River Mersey as part of the ongoing regeneration of Widnes. The authority is planning to use the site for a major commercial development aimed at...

Altman named as chief executive of the 2012 Olympics legacy delivery company.
June 5, 2009... Andrew Altman has been named chief executive of the 2012 Olympics legacy delivery company. Altman has worked on major regeneration programmes in the USA and was the first person to combine the roles of deputy mayor for planning and...

Plans unveiled for Golden Square in Birmingham.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Plans for the pounds 1.5 million Golden Square in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter were unveiled last week by Birmingham City Council. Capita Lovejoy's design, chosen by a panel from six competition entries, features separate plaza, orchard...

Brighton & Hove City Council requests government to clarify boundary.
June 5, 2009... Brighton & Hove City Council has asked the government to clarify part of the boundary of the South Downs national park. Cabinet member for environment Geoffrey Theobald has written to environment secretary Hilary Benn asking why Green Ridge...

Asda to submit plans for Middleton.
June 5, 2009... Asda is to submit plans for a 3,437m2 store in Middleton to Leeds City Council this summer after holding a public exhibition on its scheme. Up to 375 jobs could be created and the retailer aims to work with Jobcentre Plus to set up a...

Welsh seek faster system.(Conference news)
June 5, 2009... A comprehensive review of the application process in Wales was unveiled by environment minister Jane Davidson this week. Speaking at the RTPI Cymru annual conference in Cardiff, she said: 'The system must be efficient, delivering decisions...

Dundee plugs active travel.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... A city-wide scheme urging people to walk or cycle to improve their health has been launched in Dundee. JMP Consultants' project for Dundee City Council is aiming to inspire more than 30,000 residents to take up active forms of transport...