Planning (UK) articles from March 2003

Planning (UK) archives from March 2003

Councils unite to attack cuts to rail services.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A coalition of local authorities has written to transport secretary Alistair Darling this week expressing alarm at cuts in local and regional railway services. The letter, sent by the Local Government Association's public transport...

Inquiry opens on draft London Plan.
March 7, 2003... Disputes over population growth and the delivery of major transport projects dominated the opening sessions of the public examination into the draft London Plan this week. The first inquiry on a Greater London strategy for more than 20...

Nominees for awards issued by Civic Trust.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Cambridgeshire's March Library has been named as one of the shortlisted schemes for this year's Civic Trust awards. The library, designed by Bernard Stilwell Architects, will compete with Eynsham Market Square in Oxfordshire for the market...

Twin towers planned for Canary Wharf.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... London's Docklands could get its own twin towers under proposals set to be submitted to planners next week. Canary Wharf Group PLC has said that it will submit applications to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for two development sites....

Government responds to critics of bill.(Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The government has rebuffed criticism of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, insisting that it is committed to sustainable development in a reformed system. Junior planning minister Tony McNulty responded to concerns that clause 38,...

Brighton approves plan for seafront renovation.
March 7, 2003... Plans to redevelop part of Brighton's seafront, including the restoration of the West Pier, were approved by councillors last week. Under St Modwen Properties' pounds 30 million scheme, the grade I listed pier, damaged by fire almost 30...

Design expert urges clearer zone guidance.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A design expert has called on the government to be clearer about the purpose of business planning zones (BPZs). Jon Rouse, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's (CABE) chief executive, said the government is torn...

Holborn office scheme ends ten-year delay.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The regeneration of part of central London has received a major boost after the unveiling of a 1960s office refurbishment in Holborn last week. The Eye, by Bee Bee Developments, includes a combination of refurbished and new offices over...

Canterbury resorts to cash incentives.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A 'golden hello' to attract senior planning staff is being offered by Canterbury City Council in an attempt to solve its recruitment problems. The council has a vacancy for a local plan manager and is offering an upfront payment of pounds...

Think-tank blasts brownfield policy.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The target of building 60 per cent of housing on brownfield sites should be scrapped, an independent think-tank has said. In a report published this week, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) says that the government's call for high-density...

Kingston launches business exercise.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A consultation exercise was launched last week on plans to create the UK's first business improvement district (BID), in Kingston-upon-Thames, south-west London. Partnership body Kingston First is lobbying local businesses to support the...

Housing block overturned by appeal court.(housing project in Lancashire may proceed)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The Court of Appeal has dismissed the government's attempt to block a greenfield housing scheme in Lancashire. Last week's decision supports a High Court ruling (Planning, 27 September 2002, p2) that overturned deputy prime minister John...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Crossrail project agreed.(route to link east and west London)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The route of the Crossrail project to link east and west London with the capital has been agreed, London mayor Ken Livingstone announced as Planning went to press. Speaking at the MIPIM property convention in Cannes, Livingstone revealed that...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Not enough consideration.(to needs of rural communities)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Many government housing policies do not pay enough consideration to the needs of rural communities, the Local Government Association and the Countryside Agency claimed this week. The two organisations argue that indicators used to assess the...

NEWS IN BRIEF: ODPM publishes revised guidance.(for mineral working)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The ODPM published revised draft guidance on controlling and mitigating the environmental effects of mineral working this week. The draft MPS2 states the principles to be followed in considering the environmental effects of mineral working and...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Number of homes continues decline.(homes being built)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The number of new homes being built continues to decline despite record growth in house prices, according to property consultancy FPD Savills. Researchers at the firm said this week that housing output per head of the population in the UK is...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Council to decide applications.(Monmouthshire County Council gets additional powers)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Monmouthshire County Council has become the first planning authority in Wales to receive the right to decide most applications for grade II listed buildings without having to refer them to the Welsh Assembly Government, following an...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Selby plans approved.(Selby area of Yorkshire renewal plans)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Plans to regenerate the Selby area of Yorkshire after the closure of the local coalfield next year were approved by the government this week. The Department of Trade and Industry said that it is backing the recommendations of the Selby...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Everton not moving into stadium.(Everton Football Club)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Everton Football Club will not be moving into a new stadium at King's Waterfront after Liverpool Vision's patience over funding snapped last week. The urban regeneration company says that the chances of Everton raising the pounds 65 million...

NEWS IN BRIEF: ODPM unit to help deprived areas.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The ODPM's social exclusion unit announced this week that it will examine what can be done to help people in England's most deprived areas move into jobs. It will also look at the barriers to opportunity faced by adults with mental health...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Government fails to halt redevelopment.(in Oxford)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The government has failed to halt the pounds 230 million redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford. Oxford City Council and the Westgate Partnership took the case to the High Court after deputy prime minister John Prescott refused...

Ryedale record attacked by inspectors.(Ryedale District Council's development control team criticized)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A Best Value inspection report has criticised the record of Ryedale District Council's development control team, despite admitting that most customers are satisfied with the service. The report, published last week, awards the service no...

Swansea plan seeks to reverse migration trend.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Planners have outlined proposals to retain younger age groups in the Swansea area to reverse population decline in the city. The consultation draft of the Swansea unitary development plan, published last week, seeks to increase the...

Coal industry boosted by aid package deal.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Energy minister Brian Wilson announced a pounds 60 million aid package for the UK coal industry this week. Speaking at the annual lunch of the Coal Industry Society, Wilson said that the money, part of the investment aid scheme, would...

UK's first eruv boundary set up in London.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The UK's first Jewish 'eruv' boundary came into operation in north-west London last week. The boundary marks a 10km2 zone where orthodox Jews can carry out tasks normally banned in public spaces on the Sabbath, such as carrying keys,...

London Borough of Hillingdon grants permission.(for Sainsbury store remodeling)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The London Borough of Hillingdon granted planning permission for an extension and refurbishment of a Sainsbury's store on the Uxbridge Road in Hayes last week. The scheme will feature outlets for Homebase, Mothercare and JJB Sports. Sainsbury's...

Wildlife group wins approval for centre.(Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has been granted planning permission for an environmental centre to provide improved access to a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in Essex. The consent, granted by Thurrock...

REGENERATION NEWS: Report highlights agencies' failures.
March 7, 2003... Regional development agencies (RDAs) are falling short in their primary task of delivering physical regeneration in England, according to latest research. A study carried out for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the...

REGENERATION NEWS: Extra transfer powers given to land agent.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Powers allowing English Partnerships to transfer non-strategic land to local authorities were announced by planning minister Tony McNulty last week. The move follows confirmation in the government's communities plan that the agency will...

REGENERATION NEWS: Link to run between Campbell Park.(canal planned)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The proposed link between the Grand Union Canal and the Great Ouse will run between Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, cross the M1 motorway and reach the Ouse at Kempston, British Waterways announced last week. It is predicted that the project,...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Councils rewarded with funds.(if they encourage business growth)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Councils encouraging business growth will be rewarded with more funds to spend on services, the government has announced. Local government minister Nick Raynsford said last week that the Local Government Bill would be amended to include...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Hull Council grants permission.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Hull City Council's planning committee has granted permission for the first phase of development on Island Wharf, a major office scheme being promoted by Hull Citybuild, the city's urban regeneration company. The aim of the scheme is to provide...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Compulsory purchase guidance published.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Guidance for councils on the best use of compulsory purchase orders was published by the ODPM last week. The guide aims to help local authorities to use their powers to best effect and, by advising on the application of the correct procedures,...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Urban Splash names shortlist.(developer seeking architect for project)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Developer Urban Splash named a final shortlist of five architects for the Walsall Waterfront project last week. The shortlist for the strategic framework plan for the 6.8ha site includes Alsop Architects and Lab Architecture Studio. The five...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Excellence plans unveiled.(regional centre of excellence for information and communication technology sector planned for Liverpool)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Plans for a regional centre of excellence for the information and communication technology sector in Liverpool have been unveiled by the Northwest Development Agency. To be known as Liverpool Digital, the centre will use buildings and...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Southwark borough endorses phase.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The London Borough of Southwark has endorsed the first phase of development and investment plans for the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle area in south London. The plans will enable the residents of the Heygate estate to be rehoused in...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Mott MacDonald joins forum.(British Urban Regeneration Association's steering and development forum)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Engineering and development consultancy Mott MacDonald has joined the British Urban Regeneration Association's steering and development forum. The firm joins 15 other organisations on the cross-sectoral regeneration think-tank.

REGENERATION BRIEF: Thanet Council approves arts centre.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Thanet District Council's planning committee has approved proposals for an arts centre in Margate, a scheme that the council estimates could bring 200,000 additional visitors to the town each year. The gallery, which will exhibit the works of...

REGENERATION BRIEF: RTPI registers 100th member.(RTPI Regeneration Network; urban renewal planners)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The newly-formed RTPI Regeneration Network has registered its 100th member. The group was set up by the institute's regeneration panel to share expertise among planners in regeneration. Its activities for this year include a website, a skills...

REGENERATION BRIEF: Work starts on mixed-use scheme.(in Kendal)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Work has started on a pounds 20 million mixed-use scheme in Kendal's Stricklandgate, one of the town's last undeveloped major sites. The scheme will feature new shopping facilities, flats, offices for the Westmorland Gazette and a new public...

Study praises bus, tram and train services.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Doom and gloom perceptions about the state of public transport in the UK are often far from the truth, according to a report published last week. The Transport 2000 guide to public transport good practice, funded by the Strategic Rail...

Runway plan may triple airport size.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Gatwick Airport could be almost tripled in size under plans issued for consultation by the Department for Transport last week. The revised consultation considers options for building one or two new runways. A new single runway could open...

Roche heralds campaign to fight poverty.(Social exclusion minister Barbara Roche announces new transport programs for low-income people)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A transport strategy to help people on low incomes travel to jobs, schools and hospitals was launched by the government's social exclusion unit last week. The strategy sets out a range of measures to improve opportunities for people on low...

Vauxhall Cross interchange continues.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Progress on a new transport interchange at Vauxhall Cross continues with the start of landscape works. Traffic islands and pedestrian walkways will be transformed using 43 semi-mature trees, more than 2,600 ornamental shrubs and 3,500 ground...

Councillors support tube line extension.(London Underground's East London Line)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Plans to extend the London Underground's East London Line cleared another hurdle last week when councillors voted to back the recommendations of planning officers. Councillors at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets voted to take no...

BUSINESS BRIEF: RPS announces profit increase.(RPS Group)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The RPS Group has announced a 28 per cent increase in pre-tax profits for the year ended 31 December 2002, rising from pounds 13.9 million in 2001 to pounds 17.8 last year. Chairman Brook Land said: 'Despite economic uncertainty, the prominent...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Colliers CRE reaches agreement.(to buy surveying firms Gooch Webster and Fisher Wilson)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Colliers CRE has reached an agreement for buying out the surveying practices Gooch Webster and Fisher Wilson (Scotland). Both transactions are expected to be completed this week, with the company trading as Colliers CRE incorporating Gooch...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Glendale to expand.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Environmental consultancy Glendale has announced plans to expand into Scotland. The company wants to forge relationships with local authorities, hospital trusts, health authorities, education trusts and housing associations as well as potential...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Parkman chosen to lead preparation.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Parkman has been chosen by Liverpool City Council to lead the preparation of a plan to regenerate the southern part of Liverpool city centre. Parkman will be supported by GVA Grimley, Urban Initiatives and Davis Langdon & Everest. The team will...

BUSINESS BRIEF: BDP opens office in Liverpool.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... BDP has opened a new office in Liverpool following an increase in commissions on Merseyside, including masterplanning the city's Paradise Street development area. The office, in the heart of the Rope Walks regeneration area, also houses an art...

BUSINESS BRIEF: LDA appoints East and Sergison Bates.(London Development Agency )(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The London Development Agency (LDA) has appointed architects East and Sergison Bates to develop plans for the regeneration of Woolwich. The LDA, in partnership with the London Borough of Greenwich, the Mayor of London's architecture and...

BUSINESS BRIEF: Atkins named preferred bidder.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Atkins has been named by Somerset County Council as the preferred bidder for two contracts, together worth pounds 172 million, to deliver highways engineering services in the county for the next five years. Under the new arrangement, the...

BUSINESS BRIEF: TfL appoints Wilson.(Transport for London appoints Scott Wilson to Thames Gateway Bridge project)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Scott Wilson has been appointed by Transport for London (TfL) to provide environmental expertise on the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge. The bridge is one of several Thames crossings identified in the draft London Plan to support economic and...

SCOTTISH NEWS: New edict relaxes rural housing rule.
March 7, 2003... Ministers have signalled that rules restricting new housing in rural Scotland need 'adjustment' to stimulate economic and social regeneration. Scottish Planning Policy 3 (SPP3) published last week recognises that major changes have taken...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Aim to reduce landfill heads waste agenda.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A sevenfold increase in recycling and a 66 per cent reduction in the use of landfill sites are at the heart of the Scottish Executive's national waste plan. Launching the plan and 11 area waste strategies last week, environment minister...

SCOTTISH NEWS: Hospice in national park wins approval.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Ministers have approved the controversial proposal to build a children's hospice in Scotland's first national park. The executive last week endorsed the decision taken in December (Planning, 13 December 2002, p3) by the Loch Lomond and the...

ANALYSIS: Warming to global changes.(green energy projects need quicker approval)
March 7, 2003... Quicker decisions on green energy projects are part of a strategy to cut global warming, says Rosie Niven Amid growing recognition of the threat of climate change and the UK's increasing dependence on imported oil and gas, last week's...

A modern approach to building tall structures.
March 7, 2003... New guidance on tall buildings aims for a positive role in civic design, says Peter Stewart Finalised guidance on tall building was issued by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and English Heritage this week....

GUMMER ON... Watering down the big ideas in the planning bill.(Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill)(Column)
March 7, 2003... What is now the point of the government's Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill? The prime minister told us that this was the biggest change in the planning regime since 1947. Under Lord Falconer's guidance there was some appetite for radical...

OPINION: Fyson on... The implications of renewable energy aims.(Column)
March 7, 2003... Prime minister Tony Blair's big speech last week, launching the government's third annual report on sustainable development and the new energy white paper outlining a low-carbon future, set them both in the context of an increasingly polarised...

EDITORIAL: London Plan signals problems for mayor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 7, 2003... As his advisers are keen to tell anybody who will listen, London mayor Ken Livingstone is euphoric at the moment, displaying a new bounce in his stride after the successful launch of his congestion charge. With the start of the...

INTERVIEW: A profitable outlook.(for planning consultancies)
March 7, 2003... Getting involved in making things happen and taking control of your destiny are key aspects of a satisfying professional career, Graeme Tulley tells David Dewar The planning consultancy market is booming, says Graeme Tulley, partner at...

Government view on reform.(debate over new planning law)
March 7, 2003... Debate over the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill has created some myths that need debunking, according to Tony McNulty Planning is undergoing significant and important reform. The last few months have been about translating our strong...

NOTEBOOK: Speed dating for planners.(Column)
March 7, 2003... For the uninitiated, speed dating is a three-minute chat with a potential partner to establish compatibility. Cliff Hague imagines how it might work for a planner 'Hi, my name's Ben. I like cycling, hill walking and travel.' 'Hi, Ben....

CASEBOOK: Mayor faces bill for costs over university buildings.
March 7, 2003... A proposal for a student accommodation building together with other ground floor uses on a site in Wembley in north-west London has been refused, with a full award of costs being made in favour of the local planning authority against the mayor...

CASEBOOK: Showmen fail with plan for permanent quarters.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposal for 46 pitches to be occupied by travelling showmen, their families and equipment on 12ha of agricultural land in Surrey has been rejected by the secretary of state on grounds of lack of local need and impact on the nearby Surrey...

CASEBOOK: Court cases - Lords uphold development on greenfield site.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The House of Lords has upheld a Court of Appeal ruling supporting a major housing development, business park and bypass at Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, in rejecting a challenge brought by a local resident against the project. South...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Advertisements - Gasholder displays ruled harmful to city image.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Two floodlit banners proposed to be displayed on the side of gasholder columns have been refused permission on the grounds that they would undermine the image and environmental quality of an area in Greater Manchester. The two banners were...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Agricultural Development - Condition retained due to inadequate marketing.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposal to remove an agricultural occupancy condition from a Somerset farmhouse has been rejected after an inspector calculated that the property should have been offered at a 30 per cent discount and marketed for nine months. In...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Metal shutter at offices ruled unsympathetic.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Retrospective permission for the retention of roller shutter garage doors at an office building in the Birdcage Walk conservation area in central London has been denied because of the unsympathetic 'industrial' nature of the design. The...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Lorry parking held unlawful at railway yard.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... An enforcement notice directed against the parking of lorries and trailers on former railway land near Norwich has been upheld, with the appellant failing to establish that the use had been continuous for long enough to become immune. The...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Community Facilities - School pavilions held inappropriate to green belt.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A scheme involving the construction of two pavilions associated with the Merchants Taylors School in Middlesex has been held to represent inappropriate development in the green belt due to the extent of the facilities provided. The overall...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Gypsies and Travellers - Personal circumstances rejected in green belt.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... An appeal seeking a three-year temporary permission for the stationing of two mobile homes and three touring caravans in the Essex green belt for occupation by a Gypsy family has been rejected by the secretary of state because their personal...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Urban extension ruled necessary to meet supply.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Proposals for a major residential development and a country park on a greenfield site on the edge of Bedford have been allowed after the secretary of state concluded that the scheme was necessary to meet strategic housing needs. Bedfordia...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Homes judged no threat to viability of pub.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposal for ten cottages on land within the curtilage of a public house in Dorset has been found acceptable, with an inspector overruling council claims that the scheme would undermine the viability of the business. The land consisted...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - New country house fails outstanding design test.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposal for a five-bedroomed detached country house in Kent has been rejected after it was judged that the scheme, an imitation of the Queen Anne style, lacked originality and was not of truly outstanding design. The appellants claimed...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Garden bedroom not permitted development.
March 7, 2003... An enforcement notice directed against a building in the rear garden of a house in Wembley, north-west London, has been upheld after it was deemed not to be permitted development. The 25 sq m brick building contained two windows of domestic...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Miniature railway still liable to enforcement.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Various enforcement notices directed against an unauthorised miniature railway station and track in the grounds of Bolebroke Castle in Sussex have been upheld on the grounds that the development harmed the character of the countryside and had...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Balcony allowed as conservation area improvement.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The reintroduction of a balcony on a flat in a listed building has been allowed on the grounds that it enhances the character of a south coast conservation area by creating a more ordered appearance. The inspector agreed that the rear...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Wendy house rejected in conservation area.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A proposal to retain a Wendy house in the garden of a house in a Nottinghamshire conservation area has been rejected after it was judged intrusive, incongruous and not in keeping with the character of the area, although a tool store was allowed...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Leisure Development - Condition on caravan occupation ruled valid.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... A condition limiting the occupation of 20 caravans on a holiday park in the Kent green belt has been held to be relevant and precise following local planning authority claims that permanent residential units rather than holiday lets had been...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Leisure Development - Monkey sanctuary held not unduly noisy.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The use of farmland on the Isle of Wight as a monkey sanctuary has been held acceptable in terms of noise effects provided that Siamang gibbons are excluded from the list of species kept at the property. The 2.2ha holding had formerly been...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Leisure Development - Hotel judged to support historic inn function.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The construction of a 25-bedroom hotel ancillary to an historic former coaching inn in a London conservation area has been judged acceptable because it assisted in perpetuating the provision of accommodation for travellers. The 18th...

CASEBOOK: Appeal cases - Retail Development - Council supported in shopfront change action.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Enforcement action directed against alterations to a shopfront at a former church in Lancashire has been upheld despite a claim that the council was barred from taking action due to advice given by a planning officer. The appellant claimed...