Planning (UK) articles from March 2008

Planning (UK) archives from March 2008

Diary.(Planning Student Quiz 2008)
March 7, 2008... Teams from Cardiff and Bristol universities qualified last week as finalists for the Planning Student Quiz 2008, sponsored by RPS. Cardiff University's SSR received the pounds 300 star prize from sponsor RPS's Chris Simkins in the South...

Planning in the media.
March 7, 2008... The government's eco-town initiative is turning into the kind of bete noire that media commentators love to bait. Janet Street-Porter in The Independent claimed the policy threatens to create the ghettoes of the future: 'It would have been...

Appointment at WSP Development and Transportation.
March 7, 2008... Chris Bell has joined WSP Development and Transportation as an associate from Stirling Council, where he was transport and planning team leader

Appointment at Lennon Planning's Winnersh office.
March 7, 2008... Graeme Felstead has been appointed a senior planning consultant at Lennon Planning's Winnersh office. He joins from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Appointment at Luton Borough Council.
March 7, 2008... Chris Pagdin has joined Luton Borough Council as head of planning He was previously head of planning and development at Watford Borough Council.

Appointment at the Highways Agency.
March 7, 2008... Nirmal Kotecha has been appointed major projects director for the Highways Agency. He is currently alliance director and head of supply chain management at Anglian Water Services

Appointment at Carter Jonas.
March 7, 2008... Carter Jonas has promoted Jenny Page to head of planning at its Cambridge office

Appointment at DPP.
March 7, 2008... DPP has recruited Adam Key as a principal planner at its Leeds office. He joins from Carter Jonas in Oxford, where he was an associate director. Patrick O'Neill joins as a senior planner in Belfast while Pippa Nelson becomes a planner in...

Appointment at Living Streets.
March 7, 2008... Tony Armstrong has been confirmed as the chief executive of Living Streets. Until recently, he led the government's national obesity programme and has a background in neighbourhood renewal and health improvement policy

Appointment at Scott Wilson.
March 7, 2008... Scott Wilson has recruited Lesley Barlow as head of private sector business development in the planning and regeneration team. She was a previously a senior planner with Atkins. Anita Longworth joins the team as a principal consultant from...

Take your place in Scotland's Planning Summer Schools.
March 7, 2008... A packed school programme includes top speakers and practical masterclasses, reports Dave Sykes. This year's three Planning Summer Schools (PSS) at St Andrews University take place between 29 August and 10 September. They offer a chance to...

Northern Ireland branch picks first sustainable building winners.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The Orchard Building at Stranmillis University College in Belfast is the first winner of the Sustainable Planning award organised by the RTPI Northern Ireland branch and the RSPB. The design was commended for use of natural light, a biomass...

Annual lecture delivers robust message to planners.(Simon Jenkins )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins delivered a challenge to planners to defend communities against the potential pitfalls of the government's target-driven planning agenda at the RTPI Annual Lecture last month. Speaking to more than 100...

Notice of members' deaths.
March 7, 2008... We regret to announce the deaths of the following RTPI members - Basil Evans (Wales), John Holliday (South West) and George Miller (West Midlands). We offer their families and friends our condolences

Events.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... - Developments with development plans 19 March. RTPI Yorkshire. York. Local development frameworks (LDFs) are taking on board lessons from public inquiries. Meanwhile, the Yorkshire and Humber Plan is nearing final post-inquiry...

City comparisons point policy path.
March 7, 2008... Recent research has explored how different strategies have fared in helping cities respond to global challenges, writes Jenny Crawford. What can UK cities learn from other European city-regions? Sheffield partnered Barcelona, Dortmund,...

Spatial research centre aims to be centre of excellence.(Economic and Social Research Council)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The Economic and Social Research Council, the DBERR, the DCLG and the Welsh Assembly Government have agreed to jointly fund an independent centre for spatial economics research, based at the London School of Economics. Directed by Henry...

Report spells out climate change dangers to health.
March 7, 2008... The possible health impacts of climate change are set out in a new report jointly published by the Health Protection Agency and the Department of Health. Using the latest UK information and predictions, it sets out the possible...

Better co-ordination sought in sustainable development review.
March 7, 2008... The Higher Education Funding Council for England strategic review of sustainable development in higher education concludes that there is a substantial amount of work being carried out in UK institutions. However, the report adds that this...

Forum releases city health equality findings.
March 7, 2008... The outcome of a research forum on health inequalities and inclusive neighbourhoods has been published by the World Health Organisation's collaborating centre for healthy cities and urban policy. For more information, please visit...

Events.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... - Urban Planning, Regeneration and Climate Change Seminar 17-18 March. Sustainable Scotland Network. Dundee. Hosted by CIFAL-Findhorn and Dundee City Council, this event will look at pioneering solutions to planning for sustainable...

Convention aims to marry changing local and global planning agendas.(2008 RTPI Planning Convention)
March 7, 2008... This year's Planning Convention is set to be the biggest ever and aims to provide planners with the knowledge and tools they need to fulfil changing roles at local, national and international levels, explains Debbie Sorkin. The 2008 RTPI...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Club judged immune by passage of time.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice seeking to prevent the use of a ground-floor shop in south-east London as a private members' club after concluding that it was immune from action. Before 1992, the premises had been a grocer's...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Commercial use agreed for farm building.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... A proposal to extend a former agricultural building used for commercial purposes in Gloucestershire has been allowed after an inspector held that council concerns over intensification of an employment use in the countryside were misplaced. ...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Animal waste incinerator fears overruled.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... A chimney and animal waste incinerator have been approved at a food processing factory in County Durham despite local residents' concerns that they would give rise to unacceptable health risks. The appellants explained that the incinerator...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Safety concerns block needle exchange.
March 7, 2008... The north Wales police force has been refused planning permission to install a machine dispensing needles and syringes to drug addicts after an inspector ruled that it would lead to an unacceptable fear of crime in the immediate area. The...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Care home secures approval in green belt.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Following a call-in inquiry, the secretary of state has allowed an extra care community development in the Greater Manchester green belt after finding an overriding need for such accommodation. The site contained a large house used as a...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Scheme impact on traffic judged neutral.
March 7, 2008... Plans for a children's nursery, an elderly person's home and a primary care trust building on Teesside have been allowed after an inspector overruled council concerns over the scheme's impact on the highway network. The 0.7ha site lay...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Larger structures held to undermine belt.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The retention of three buildings in the grounds of a former house in the Merseyside green belt has been rejected following a ruling that they undermined the openness of the area. The appeal site was used for rehabilitating people who had...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Military homes claim deemed excessive.
March 7, 2008... In line with an inspector's advice, the secretary of state has rejected an appeal seeking outline planning permission for housing to serve United States Air Force (USAF) personnel based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk after finding no proven need....

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Housing ruled out in hazard buffer zone.
March 7, 2008... A proposal for 96 homes close to a hazardous installation in Kent has been denied planning permission on the grounds that residents would experience unacceptable levels of risk. The installation benefited from consent under the Planning...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Need for road tunnel for badgers denied.
March 7, 2008... An inspector has deleted conditions imposed on reserved matters approvals for 122 homes in Plymouth after judging that provision of a tunnel beneath the estate road to maintain a wildlife corridor for badgers was unnecessary. An active...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Cesspool tanker access found unsuitable.
March 7, 2008... A house proposed on part of an overgrown garden in north Wales has been rejected on the grounds that access arrangements for tankers emptying a cesspool would be unsatisfactory. The inspector calculated that the 22,000-litre tank would fill...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Town flats allowed without parking space.
March 7, 2008... A proposal to extend and convert a Glastonbury house to form four flats has been allowed after an inspector deemed that it would not result in a material increase in on-street parking congestion. The town centre was a short, level walk away...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Snooker room held incidental despite size.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate confirming that a large snooker room in the grounds of a house in Middlesex does not require planning permission. The council argued that the building was not permitted under class...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Parking fear stymies garage conversion.
March 7, 2008... An inspector has refused to grant retrospective planning permission for the conversion of a garage at a house on an Exeter estate into a study and computer room because it would adversely affect highway safety. In granting permission for...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Summerhouse turned down on flood plain.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The retention of a wooden summerhouse in the garden of a Leicestershire house has been rejected by an inspector on the grounds that it would add to potential flood risk. The site lay in the functional flood plain of the River Soar. The...

DC Casebook: Minerals development - Washing facilities ordered at landfill site.
March 7, 2008... An inspector has concluded that two conditions requiring the washing of lorry wheels at a quarry in the Lancashire green belt are reasonable and necessary to prevent mud accumulating on the public highway. The site comprised 20ha of land...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Rival scheme favoured on design grounds.
March 7, 2008... Almost 12 months after the end of a public inquiry into two major mixed-use schemes in Birmingham, the secretary of state has allowed a proposal by Crest Nicholson Developments Ltd anchored by an Asda food store but dismissed Tesco Stores Ltd's...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Inspector rules retail park conditions void.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... An inspector has issued a lawful development certificate confirming that shops on a retail park in north-west London can sell any goods in the A1 use class. The council had granted planning permission for the development in 1988 subject to...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Vending machine allowed at laundry site.
March 7, 2008... The installation of a DVD and games vending machine at a laundry and dry cleaner's in the West Midlands has been allowed after the council failed to persuade an inspector that it would undermine local residents' amenity. The appeal...

DC Casebook: Next week.
March 7, 2008... - Housing rejected due to woodland harm A proposal for six houses in the west of Scotland has been rejected after a reporter found that it would harm protected woodland and corrode the sense of place. DCS Number 100-053-120 -...

DC Casebook: In depth - Forecourt extension deemed no threat to established retail sites.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The extension of a filling station in Lancashire to increase retail floor space by 197m2 has been allowed following a ruling that it would not harm the vitality or viability of existing shopping areas. PPS6 indicates that shops may be...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Air quality condition set on takeaway.
March 7, 2008... Domino's Pizza has won permission to change the use of a shop in an air quality management area in a Kent town, subject to a condition aimed at mitigating the effects of air pollution. The appellants submitted an expert air quality...

DC Casebook: Housing new build - Rescue service caravan turned down.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The retention of a Kent marina owner's caravan has been rejected on the grounds that the benefits of on-site security and help to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) were insufficient to outweigh conflict with rural restraint and...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Restaurant held to support tourist role.
March 7, 2008... A restaurant has been allowed on the ground floor of a Bournemouth hotel after an inspector accepted that it would maintain the function of the town's core tourist area. The appellant's intention was to create a facility intended...

DC Casebook: Transport development - Road benefits judged to outweigh harm.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's advice to grant planning permission to complete a road link from the Port of Heysham to the M6 in Lancashire despite green belt harm. All parties agreed that the development constituted...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
March 7, 2008... New queries We submitted a planning application following pre-application discussions. As the eight-week period for making a decision progressed, we checked that no further information was required. The application then ran over with no...

How we did it ... Newspaper recycling bid pioneers urban art form.
March 7, 2008... Project: Design and construction of a public art installation made from newspapers. Background: A public art project in Gillett Square, east London, where a car park has been transformed into a newly designated public space - the first of...

The things I know.(Cutting Edge Planning and Design)(Interview)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Andrew Lainton, Director, Cutting Edge Planning and Design - What skills did you have when you graduated? A broad mix of social science skills but fewer relating to making places. At Edinburgh College of Art planning school, it was...

Under pressure.
March 7, 2008... Uncertainty over official safety advice is clouding handling of proposals for a gas terminal in Essex, reports Mark Smulian. It's not every day that evidence for a planning inquiry is concealed on the grounds of national security. But...

Air waves.
March 7, 2008... Last week's protests against expansion plans at Heathrow Airport highlight the growing public disquiet over consultation arrangements on major infrastructure, Huw Morris suggests. It was widely suspected to be an inside job. Despite some of...

The environment fixer.(renewal chief Bob West )(Occupation overview)
March 7, 2008... The pressure is unrelenting for Camden's urban design and renewal chief Bob West as the impetus of developments at King's Cross ripples into surrounding areas, reports Vicki Shiel. Bob West's career history bears little resemblance to that...

Can planning reform make up for Heathrow consultation failure?(Heathrow Airport)
March 7, 2008... For the country that gave the world planning, the past 30 years have not been the most distinguished for delivery of major infrastructure projects. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the government's motives for reform, there is a...

Fyson on ... Flint's eco-town opportunity.
March 7, 2008... Flint's eco-town opportunity to translate zero carbon commitment into quality developments. New planning and housing minister Caroline Flint began to build her public profile one month into her job by speaking at the Ecobuild conference...

Legal Report.(Case overview)
March 7, 2008... Service runs out of time in assessment approach. Last autumn, the High Court in Belfast gave its decision in a landmark case centring on the interpretation of European rules on strategic environmental assessment (SEA). The case,...

Shepley on ... lessons of the pleasure dome.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Alf was under pressure. Since the introduction of local member review bodies, Xanadu councillors had flipped. Freed from the restraint of the Persian Planning Inspectorate, they had started to make intolerable demands. He had a mortgage on...

Training to tackle terror.
March 7, 2008... Special courses are being offered to equip planners with the skills they need to incorporate creative counter-terrorist measures without compromising good design, explains Lord West. Imagine the scene. It's a public holiday, perhaps Easter,...

Aberdeen golf plan set for swift inquiry.
March 7, 2008... The public inquiry into Donald Trump's plans for a pounds 1 billion golf complex should restrict itself to points of contention, the Scottish Government has made clear. Announcing his decision last week to order an inquiry, finance and...

Local homes drive urged.
March 7, 2008... Planning authorities should establish their own local housing supply task forces to deliver the government's target for new homes, developers argued last week. Housing industry body Homes for Scotland planning director Allan Lundmark...

Aviemore document fails to quell dispute.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Ministers have reiterated that they did nothing wrong when probing a government agency on its opposition to renewal plans for Aviemore. Releasing correspondence last week under the Freedom of Information Act, environment minister Mike...

Online now ..
March 7, 2008... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for the lowdown on the top 100 regeneration projects in the UK Also online Interview with former police chief and Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor Brian Paddick Second opinion on Colne, east...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... pounds 150m - The amount that the government has promised to invest in new university campuses in up to 20 UK towns and cities. 928,000 - Rural households living below the official government poverty threshold of pounds 16,492 income a...

JMP to study Dundee links.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Transport consultancy JMP has been asked to carry out a feasibility study into car reduction measures on the approaches to the Tay Road Bridge in Scotland. Car-sharing schemes and high-occupancy lanes for visitors to Dundee from the south...

Mouchel adds archaeology.
March 7, 2008... Mouchel has established an archaeological services team in its planning and consultation division. The team will complement the company's heritage and historic built environment services, including the 2020 Liverpool joint venture with...

Planning ups Capita profit.(Capita Symonds)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Capita Symonds' planning business has reported strong growth in the past year, contributing to a 19 per cent rise in both turnover and profit for the whole group. Capita Group's 2007 results showed pounds 2 billion in turnover, giving a...

Firm reports green boost.
March 7, 2008... White Young Green (WYG)'s profits were up by more than a third in the second half of 2007 compared with the previous year, it revealed last week. While the growth in orders for its engineering services outpaced those for the rest of the...

Sustainable survey advances jobs case.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The creation of jobs through development proposals should be given as much weighting as whether buildings are carbon-neutral, Atisreal has warned. The consultancy's research found that an overemphasis on green targets could overshadow the...

GVA looks for employment use in Gloucester site masterplan.(GVA Grimley )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... GVA Grimley is to develop a masterplan for a rundown site in Gloucester bordered by three railway lines. The firm said its property market expertise will help it draw up proposals that are financially viable and contribute to necessary...

Cities pick up homes cash.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Government funding worth more than pounds 1 billion has been allocated to 12 housing market renewal pathfinders in the north and Midlands. Merseyside is the biggest beneficiary and will receive around pounds 152 million between now and...

ReBlackpool chief resigns.(Sir Peter Hall )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Professor Sir Peter Hall has resigned as chairman of ReBlackpool after four years at the helm. Hall helped develop Blackpool's casino bid and its post-casino regeneration strategy. He said: 'I think it is time to move on. As ReBlackpool...

Barratt wins housing role.
March 7, 2008... Barratt Homes has been appointed as the developer to bring forward a pounds 160 million regeneration plan for Dalston in east London. Barratt will build 500 homes, including social housing, 1,700m2 of shops and restaurants and a library....

Croydon site plan pushed.(East Croydon station)(London Borough of Croydon )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The London Borough of Croydon is facing a fresh challenge over its plans to renew a site adjacent to East Croydon station. An appeal has been lodged by developers Stanhope and Schroders to force Croydon to determine a planning application...

Bracknell inquiry ends without objections.
March 7, 2008... A two-week public inquiry into the pounds 750 million regeneration of Bracknell town centre has closed. The inquiry was called after 27 objections, but ended without a single objector appearing. Some 18 objections were withdrawn and the...

Campus drive aims to lead local revival.(English Partnerships )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... English Partnerships has welcomed government moves to regenerate up to 20 towns and cities by investing in new university campuses. Universities secretary John Denham announced the six-year, pounds 150 million plan to increase student...

Greater bill power urged.(Institute for Public Policy Research)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The Local Transport Bill is not strong enough to deliver the improvements to get northern towns and cities moving, a think-tank report claimed last week. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North argues that the bill should...

Fresh data prompt Stansted air query.
March 7, 2008... Airport operator BAA has admitted that it underestimated the background air quality data relating to its proposed expansion of Stansted Airport. The company acknowledged that assessments using new data from monitoring stations around the...

Sustainable travel study seeks investment in smarter choices.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The government has spent millions of pounds on the wrong solutions to climate change in the transport sector, green groups claimed this week. Research by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) reveals that options such as personalised...

Qualification move backed.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... A qualification that would give transport planners their own professional recognition for the first time was officially endorsed by the government this week. Launched by the Institution of Highway and Transportation (IHT) and the Transport...

Airport lobby group grows.
March 7, 2008... Two north London boroughs have joined the growing alliance protesting against plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The London Boroughs of Camden and Islington have joined the 2M group, taking to 14 the councils opposed to Heathrow...

Village green issue pushed.(Open Spaces Society)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Councils and local groups should register open spaces as village greens before they are threatened by development, the Open Spaces Society said this week. The society urged parish and community councils to set up task forces to identify...

London roofs access urged.(London Development Agency )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Green roofs can help enhance outdoor living space in London, a report published last week maintains. Technical guidance promoting living roofs and walls was launched by the London Development Agency and Design for London. It says outdoor...

DBERR scrutinised on coal plant emails.
March 7, 2008... An MP has asked for the DBERR to explain its correspondence with E.ON over plans for the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station. Bob Marshall-Andrews' call follows allegations of possible collusion between the government and the energy firm...

Eco-town bid work faulted.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The government is going about plans for eco-towns in the wrong way, former local government minister Nick Raynsford said last week. Speaking at the Ecobuild event, he said he is in favour of the idea in theory but is concerned about the...