Planning (UK) articles from March 2006

Planning (UK) archives from March 2006

Assessing professional competence.(for planners)
March 3, 2006... Many of you could be affected by assessment of professional competence. Over the next four weeks Jacqui Ward explains why. More than 130 graduates have now registered as licentiate members of the RTPI to pursue corporate membership through...

Agenda.
March 3, 2006... Diary to 17 March 2 March: Controlling Water Pollution from Linear Construction Projects. Organiser: Construction Industry Environmental Forum. Venue: Edinburgh. Fee: pounds 70 + VAT. Details: (tel) 020 7549 3300. 2 March: Skills and...

City artwork really takes the biscuit.(Song Dong designs a city sculpture made of biscuits and sweets)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... A city made entirely of biscuits and sweets sounds like something out of Hansel and Gretel. But last week saw a 12m edible model city built at Selfridges in London. Beijing-based artist Song Dong took a week to make his city sculpture at...

Tree-dwellers fail in Tesco campaign.
March 3, 2006... The long-established trend for tree-based protesting is not abating, it would seem. This time the target of protesters' wrath is supermarket giant Tesco. Fifteen environmental campaigners have been camping out in a Scots pine in Shepton...

Centres benefit from teenage kicks.
March 3, 2006... Feargal Sharkey, best known as lead singer of punk band The Undertones and for cheesy 1980s tunes, is back on stage this month to explore how East Midlands towns can benefit from regeneration. Sharkey, now chairman of the Department for...

Appointment at the University of Westminster.
March 3, 2006... Tim Edmundson has been appointed head of the department of urban development and regeneration at the University of Westminster. He has been at the institution for more than ten years.

Appointment at GoSkills.
March 3, 2006... Andrew Chivers has joined the board of GoSkills. He is currently managing director of the National Express Group's rail operation and has around 30 years' experience of managing railway operations, fleet engineering and maintenance.

Appointment at the North West Regional Assembly.
March 3, 2006... Michael Gallagher has been promoted to director of planning, transport and housing at the North West Regional Assembly. He has been at the assembly since 1998 and was previously regional planning manager. Prior to that, he worked at Salford...

Appointment at Lambert Smith Hampton.
March 3, 2006... Damian Barry has joined Lambert Smith Hampton in Cardiff as associate director in the planning department. He joins from parent company Atkins.

Appointment at Jones Day.
March 3, 2006... Ian Ginbey has been made a partner at law firm Jones Day. He joined the firm's real estate practice in 2002 and now heads the practice's planning group.

Appointment at the New Forest Company.(Alan Leather and Sam Lattaway )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Alan Leather has been appointed partnerships and funding officer at the New Forest Company. He has worked in the area since 1995 in a variety of roles with BTCV and the Woodland Trust. Sam Lattaway has been made biodiversity and access officer....

Appointment at Transport 2000.
March 3, 2006... Christopher Naylor has been appointed to the board of Transport 2000. He is currently director of cultural regeneration at City University's department of cultural policy.

Appointment at Weston Homes PLC.
March 3, 2006... Richard Seamark has been appointed planning manager for Weston Homes PLC. He moves from Bidwells in Cambridge, where he was a principal planner.

Appointment at Turley Associates.
March 3, 2006... John Paton has joined Turley Associates as director in the Glasgow office. He comes from McInally Associates, where he was responsible for planning and development projects.

Appointment at Faber Maunsell.
March 3, 2006... Nigel Wilson has returned to Faber Maunsell as director of the transportation division. He will be based in Leeds and will focus on traffic engineering and intelligent transport systems.

Appointment at STATS Limited.
March 3, 2006... Julie Carter has joined STATS Limited as principal environmental consultant. She has ten years' experience in environmental consultancy.

Appointment at Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.
March 3, 2006... Helen France has been made executive director of regeneration partnerships at Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company. She is on secondment from the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Appointment at Atkins Heritage.
March 3, 2006... Rob Woodside has joined Atkins Heritage as an archaeologist working in the South West and Wales. He moves having spent ten years at the National Trust.

RTPI seeks your input for major Treasury review.(Royal Town Planning Institute to improve the planning policy)
March 3, 2006... If you respond to just one consultation this year, please make sure it is the one on planning policy, urges Kelvin MacDonald. Nobel prize-winner Andre Gide once said: 'Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to...

RTPI Bulletin Board.
March 3, 2006... INVITATION TO TENDER Effective Practice in Spatial Planning The RTPI, in collaboration with the ODPM, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and partners, wishes to commission a study to examine how spatial planning is being delivered by planners...

Bilbao looks to the future with its reinvention as a creative city.
March 3, 2006... Bilbao has undergone a major transformation that is fundamentally changing the structure of the city, explains Chris Gossop. How can older industrial cities reinvent themselves to become the creative cities of tomorrow? And how can land-use...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
March 3, 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: Hotel loss judged harmful to seaside town's tourism role.
March 3, 2006... The demolition of a former 22-bedroom hotel in Bournemouth and its redevelopment with a block of eleven flats has been rejected following a ruling that it would materially detract from the area's tourism role and function. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Advertisements - Poster panel held out of scale with tower block.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... The display of an externally illuminated poster panel on a tower block in north-west London has been rejected on amenity grounds, although the inspector did not accept that it would undermine highway safety. The panel was proposed between...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Advertisements - Trailer advertisement faulted on safety and amenity.
March 3, 2006... The provision of a trailer-mounted double-sided advertisement for Sky Television in a field next to the M5 in Somerset has been rejected on the grounds that it would undermine motorists' safety. The advertisement appeals inspector noted...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and Industrial - Storage of seized vehicles rejected in rural area.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... The use of a field in Staffordshire for storing vehicles seized by Customs and Excise has been rejected because it would damage the area's character and a full assessment of alternative sites had not been carried out. The appellants...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community Facilities - Warden's base fails tranquil landscape test.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... A proposal for two buildings and a compound to create a National Trust warden's base in an area of special landscape value in Hampshire has been turned down because it would involve substantial built development in a tranquil part of the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and drink uses - Replacement skittles alley secured at country pub.
March 3, 2006... Plans for a replacement skittles alley next to a pub in the Hampshire countryside have won approval from an inspector who agreed that the scheme would not undermine the area's character. The inspector noted that the appeal building would...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Gypsies and travellers - Showmen's site rejected due to landscape harm.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... The continued use of a site in the Leicestershire countryside for showmen's permanent quarters has been rejected due to its adverse impact on the landscape. The inspector accepted a demonstrable need for accommodation for travelling...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Building control letter fails to sway inspector.
March 3, 2006... In refusing to issue a lawful development certificate seeking confirmation that two bungalows in Lincolnshire could be completed under the terms of a planning permission granted in 1988, an inspector has placed no weight on an official letter...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Homes blocked by concern for protected habitat.
March 3, 2006... The redevelopment of a builder's yard in open countryside in Hampshire to provide three cottages has been rejected on the grounds that it would harm the Thames Basin Heaths special protection area (SPA). The inspector held that it was...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Camp site vandalism fails to justify dwelling.
March 3, 2006... A proposed dwelling to serve a Scout camp in the Essex green belt has been rejected because it involved an inappropriate form of development and no very special circumstances had been proven to justify permission. The camp was set in...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Reuse of rundown site blocked by flooding fears.
March 3, 2006... The Welsh Assembly Government has rejected a scheme to redevelop a former car dismantling yard in south Wales for housing because it would undermine the character of a green wedge and would be subject to unacceptable flood risk. The...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Horse keeping held to exceed residential rights.
March 3, 2006... An enforcement notice alleging that a domestic garden on Tyneside was being used for keeping horses has been upheld after an inspector agreed that the use was not incidental to the enjoyment of the appellant's home. The appellant had built...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and entertainment - Fishing pond ruled out of scale with landscape.
March 3, 2006... An appeal seeking retrospective permission to retain two fishing lakes and permission to construct a third at a farm in Kent has been dismissed after an inspector ruled that they would have an unacceptable visual impact. The appellant, who...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and entertainment - Floating jetties turned down in national park.
March 3, 2006... A proposal to replace timber jetties on Lake Windermere with floating pontoons has been rejected after an inspector ruled that they would increase the capacity for mooring vessels near the shore. The scheme involved two long jetties with...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Listed Buildings - Boiler flue position held to damage appearance.
March 3, 2006... Listed building consent has been denied for the retention of a combination boiler and flue at a grade II listed house in Gloucestershire on the grounds that it undermined its character and special qualities. The appellants had replaced a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Forest home and business use judged sustainable.
March 3, 2006... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a woodsman's dwelling and workshops in Devon has been quashed after an inspector decided that a personal permission should be granted. The appellant carried out charcoal burning and woodworking...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Village centre rejected due to design defects.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... A mixed-use development comprising a doctor's surgery, retail units, nine houses and 39 flats at a planned village in rural Essex has been rejected on design grounds. The inspector, referring to the objectives set out in By Design, found...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Greenfield development foiled by limited benefits.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... A mixed scheme proposed at a site in Liverpool has been judged unacceptable despite complying with the council's unitary development plan (UDP) after an inspector ruled that its regeneration benefits would be limited. The proposal involved...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - District shopping expansion fails sequential test.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Plans to expand a district centre in Aberdeen have been rejected after a reporter held that the scheme failed to comply with a structure plan policy seeking to concentrate retail development in the city centre and a designated retail park. ...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community facilities - Extension denied due to impact on churchyard.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Planning permission and conservation area consent for an extension to a grade I listed Essex church have been denied by the deputy prime minister who agreed with an inspector that the scheme would undermine the character of the churchyard. ...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community facilities - Sleep clinic overcomes impact concerns.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... The conversion of a house in West Sussex to a sleep studies clinic has been allowed following findings that it would not be detrimental to housing provision or harm the living conditions of neighbours through noise and disturbance. Two...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing: New build - Lack of detail foils former factory conversion.
March 3, 2006... A scheme to convert a former factory and bakery in a Leicestershire conservation area to residential use and build homes in the curtilage has been rejected after an inspector found that the conversion element was noticeably lacking in detail....

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
March 3, 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 - Telecommunications - Mosque radio mast overcomes enforcement.
March 3, 2006... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a telecommunications mast at a former Methodist church converted to a mosque in Shropshire has been quashed and temporary permission granted for three years. The unauthorised development...

Planning on another planet.(new planning policy)(Column)
March 3, 2006... Like the hero of the hit TV series Life on Mars, Cliff Hague is surprised to find himself back in 1973 and confronted by some pretty familiar planning issues. Flat on my back on icy cobbles. The bleak, cold sky of a winter morning shifts...

Powers offer more rewards.(Greater London Authority )
March 3, 2006... The capital stands to gain from extended planning powers being considered for the London mayor, argues Neale Coleman. The ODPM's review of the powers of the Greater London Authority (GLA) sets out options for further devolution focusing on...

Ombudsmen serve up quality controls.
March 3, 2006... Ombudsmen are playing a vital role in ensuring that planning decisions are arrived at properly, reports David Dewar. There may be better-known Scandinavian imports to the UK than the ombudsman, but for the smooth running of the planning...

Renewable advocate.
March 3, 2006... The government's lack of enthusiasm is the only thing holding planners back from a proactive renewable energy approach, campaigner Seb Berry tells Catherine Early. Having played a pivotal role in overcoming the ODPM's initial resistance to...

Tories indicate shift towards value gains.
March 3, 2006... There may not quite be a consensus between the UK's two main political parties over planning and development, but this week at least sees signs that they are beginning to converge on the same territory. The Policy Exchange, a right-wing...

Fyson on ... a survival game for the planning gain supplement.(taxation on urban planning)
March 3, 2006... Of three government consultations closing this week, the dreariest was bound to be the one about taxation. The draft PPS3 brings together housing market assessments and housing supply, subjects which the average homeowner will recognise as...

How timescale control can keep chaos at bay.(planning delivery agreements)(Column)
March 3, 2006... Control teams must think more carefully about timescales for major projects, says Peter Latham. In a whirl of Powerpoint presentations at a Planning Advisory Service workshop on planning delivery agreements (PDAs), the organisers put their...

Salter on ... the recipe for thriving people empowerment.(Column)
March 3, 2006... With a catch phrase that would rival a Ben and Jerry's advertising campaign, minister for communities David Miliband's commitment last week to 'double devolution' had even the Tories licking their lips in appreciation. Whatever this...

Cities reject mayoral notion.(mayors power of government spending)
March 3, 2006... City leaders have given short shrift to plans for elected mayors, reports Christina Papas. Directly elected mayors with spending powers for whole city-regions are the key to boosting urban economies, the latest blueprint from the Institute...

Capital proposes affordability push.
March 3, 2006... Measures to increase the availability of affordable housing are being proposed by Edinburgh City Council. Proposals put out for consultation last week would see new schemes required to include 25 per cent low-cost homes, regardless of...

Minister discloses renewable targets.(Ross Finnie )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Ministers are to set ambitious targets for the use of renewable heat from sources such as solar heating, ground source heat pumps, biomass and energy from waste. Enterprise minister Ross Finnie said last month that the move is a logical...

Shetlands set to lose marine appeal rights.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Shetlanders are poised to lose their unique community right of appeal over coastal and marine developments under the Scottish Executive's planning bill. The Zetland County Council Act 1974 granted islanders the right to object to marine...

Team of consultants to carry out study of student housing.
March 3, 2006... A team of consultants led by BBP Regeneration is to carry out a study of student housing requirements in London. The work has been commissioned by the London Development Agency (LDA) to assess the impact of a growing education sector on...

TerraQuest Solutions advises on plans at Stansted Airport.
March 3, 2006... TerraQuest Solutions is advising on plans to build a second runway at Stansted Airport. Airport operator BAA recently launched a three-month consultation on four possible locations for the proposal. TerraQuest will carry out a land search...

Regeneration specialist Artisan sets up construction arm.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... City centre regeneration specialist Artisan has set up a construction arm. The development and construction team will be headed up by Steve Todd, who has more than 35 years' experience in the industry and joins Artisan from Gold Group...

Assessment of range of growth options completed by TEP.
March 3, 2006... A sustainability assessment of a range of growth options for Denbighshire's forthcoming local development framework (LDF) has been completed by TEP. The firm assessed the sustainability and potential environmental effects of the options...

tp bennett becomes a limited liability partnership.
March 3, 2006... Design and planning practice tp bennett has become a limited liability partnership to enable it to widen the ownership of its business. The six partners became the initial members of the partnership in December and have since been joined by 21...

Agreement for production of cars at former MG Rover site.
March 3, 2006... An agreement for the production of cars at the former MG Rover site in Longbridge, Birmingham, was advised on by lawyers Herbert Smith. The company's real estate department acted for Nanjing Automobile, the Chinese firm that bought MG...

GVA Grimley and Operon appointed as advisers.(to Office of Government Commerce)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... GVA Grimley and facilities management provider Operon have been appointed advisers for the property and facilities management services framework agreement by the Office of Government Commerce. The firms will sit on a panel of advisors and will...

Halcrow gains internationally recognised standard.(for its commitment to the environment)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Halcrow has gained the internationally recognised ISO14001 standard in recognition of its commitment to the environment. The company aims to understand and manage the impact of its activities so it can improve environmental performance. This...

Project to promote affordable rural housing in County Cork.
March 3, 2006... A project to promote affordable rural housing in Clonakilty in County Cork will be taken forward by Colin Buchanan with Mackel and Doherty Architects, Epec, Buro Happold and John Cronin & Associates. The study will examine the feasibility of...

Minister quits on eve of announcement.(Karen Buck)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Aviation minister Karen Buck resigned this week saying that she wants to pursue other interests. Buck said her resignation is not due to disillusionment with government policy but that she finds the portfolio, which includes local...

Reporters given role in major works proposals.(transportation policy)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Proposals to reform the approval process for major transport schemes were published by the Scottish Executive last week. Launching a consultation on its plans for a transport and works bill, the executive said it wants to make legislation...

Government criticised for rural rail cuts.
March 3, 2006... The Department for Transport (DfT) was this week accused of embarking on the biggest cull of rural rail services since Dr Beeching closed down almost 13,000km of track in the 1960s. A draft timetable published by First Great Western shows...

Figures show Scots lead in use of buses.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Bus use in Scotland is higher than the rest of the UK, according to figures released by the Scottish Executive last week. Scots made 16 per cent more local bus journeys than the UK average in 2004-05. Almost three-quarters of passengers...

Estuary board set timetable for bridge link.
March 3, 2006... A motorway linking the Forth Road Bridge to the M9 and M8 will be built by 2008, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) promised last week. The FETA board has awarded the contract for the 4.5km road to construction firm Morrisons....

Ten areas receive renewal fund aid.(for economic growth through corporate growth)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Ten schemes are set to benefit from a pounds 126 million windfall under a government neighbourhood renewal fund launched last week to boost the economies of deprived areas. The money from the first round of the local enterprise growth...

Sheffield agrees to ski village scheme.
March 3, 2006... A major ski development is set to be built in Sheffield's Upper Don Valley as the first part of a pounds 300 million investment plan to revive the area. The pounds 80 million Snow Mountain project, approved by city councillors last week,...

Post package seeks to save rural network.(European Commission approves rural post office network )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... A pounds 300 million government package to support the rural post office network over the next two years has been approved by the European Commission. The agreement depended on the UK persuading Europe that the fund is not unfair state...

Proposals to regenerate Queenborough and Rushenden.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Proposals to regenerate Queenborough and Rushenden on the Isle of Sheppey are moving forward following the acquisition of a key site by the South East England Development Agency. The site, previously leased by Jewsons, will be made available...

Project to revive Dalston in east London.(for housing)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... An pounds 80 million project to revive Dalston in east London has been given the go-ahead for the next stage of the Big Lottery Living Landmarks grant programme. The application represents pounds 21 million of the total cost of the scheme....

Relocation of firm to make way for Olympic Park.
March 3, 2006... The relocation of a firm to make way for the Olympic Park development has been agreed. Recycling company Bywaters and the London Development Agency (LDA) have completed a land deal on three sites in the area. Bywaters will relocate to the...

Exhibition to encourage involvement in redevelopment of Newcastle.
March 3, 2006... An exhibition to encourage people to get involved in plans for the redevelopment of Newcastle city centre over the next ten to 15 years was held this week. The city centre action plan looks at transport, housing, leisure, retail and...

Plans to rejuvenate Portadown.(finance from Department for Social Development)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... Plans to rejuvenate Portadown in Northern Ireland have been given a pounds 600,000 boost by the Department for Social Development. The money will go to local regeneration company Portadown 2000 to implement the town's development framework....

Work on Ashton business park in Leicester has begun.
March 3, 2006... Work on the Ashton business park in Leicester began last week to enable the relocation of businesses from other areas of the city. Leicester Regeneration Company chairman Neil Morris and chief executive John Nicholls were joined by...

Scheme to redevelop Central Buildings in Crosby town centre.(approved by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2006... An pounds 8 million mixed-use regeneration scheme to redevelop Central Buildings in Crosby town centre has received planning permission from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. The plans feature 930m2 of ground-floor retail, luxury apartments...

Chatterley Valley regeneration project to start next month.
March 3, 2006... Phase one of the pounds 30 million Chatterley Valley regeneration project will start next month. The move comes after Staffordshire County Council approved a funding agreement with Advantage West Midlands (AWM). The 23ha site will be...

Industry doubts ability to meet targets.
March 3, 2006... Almost three-quarters of waste industry experts think that the UK will fail to meet its targets for finding alternative disposal methods to landfill, according to latest research. A survey of key industry stakeholders published this week by...