Planning (UK) articles from May 2004

Planning (UK) archives from May 2004

More freedom advocated for work in capital.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The Treasury should allow institutions greater freedom to develop large-scale regeneration and infrastructure projects, according to a London Assembly report. The assembly's economic and social development committee heard this week that...

Tories go back to green belt basics.(Conservative Party lauches campaign to preserve countryside)
May 7, 2004... The Conservative party is vowing to defend green belts and give local authorities more power in a campaign against the government's plans for urban growth. Launching a poster campaign on the issue last week, party leader Michael Howard...

Strong lead on design sought for key advice.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The government's draft policy statement on the planning system should make a stronger commitment to quality design, according to built environment groups. A group including the RTPI, the Commission for Architecture and the Built...

Fresh hope offered to buildings at risk.(BBC Restoration program continues)(21 historic buildings featured)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The UK's crumbling historic buildings will have a chance to be rescued by public vote as Restoration returns to the BBC tomorrow. The show will feature 21 buildings ranging from castles and manors to a gaol and a workhouse. Each week, three...

MPs to study impact of Barker review.(sustainable housing)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... MPs will scrutinise the Barker review recommendations and the ramifications that they could have on the environment, it was announced last week. The Commons environmental audit committee has decided to launch an investigation into...

RPS grows further with partnership acquisition.(Mason Richards Partnership)(RPS Planning, Transport and Environment)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The UK's largest planning consultancy cemented its dominant position in the sector with the acquisition of Mason Richards Partnership (MRP) last week. RPS has bought out the multidisciplinary firm for pounds 25.2 million. The deal follows...

Survey explores high-density support.(housing schemes)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... High-density housing schemes could receive more council support if greater efforts are made to overcome design and infrastructure problems, a survey of councillors reveals. The research into attitudes of 240 councillors on planning...

Chief gateway developer job won by Baldry.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Lorraine Baldry has been appointed chairwoman of the London Thames Gateway Urban Development Corporation. Baldry has been chairwoman of the Central London Partnership since 2001 and Inventa Partners Ltd since 2002. She is also a...

Cambridge to build colleges for university.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Three further colleges are being planned by Cambridge University to accommodate a growing number of students and staff. The 800-year-old university aims to increase student numbers from around 16,000 to more than 20,000 by 2025. Cambridge...

Report highlights waste deficiency.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A trade body has called on the government to take action to help deliver the facilities needed to ensure that waste is managed more sustainably in future. The Environmental Services Association (ESA), the body representing waste management...

Inspectorate rises in user estimation.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The number of customers who are satisfied with the performance of the Planning Inspectorate has increased, according to a customer survey. The poll, carried out by Faber Maunsell, found that the number of people who are either satisfied or...

Egan hits back after criticism of skills review.(skills for sustainable communities )(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Sir John Egan has insisted that he is undeterred by the criticism of his review of skills for sustainable communities from built environment experts. Defending the review to the Commons ODPM select committee last week, he dismissed...

In Brief: Final deadline for questionnaire.
May 7, 2004... Monday 10 May is the final deadline for Planning Law Survey questionnaire responses and returns on the capacity of individual planning law teams. If you would like to participate in the survey but have not received a questionnaire, please...

In Brief: The RTPI issues consultation paper.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The RTPI has issued a consultation paper on its forthcoming branch review outlining the context and options for future reorganisation. Among its findings are that many branches struggle to deliver satisfactory services and are kept going by the...

In Brief: Urban Design Week takes place in September.(Urban Design Alliance promotes creating sustainable communities)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... This year's Urban Design Week will take the theme of 'creating sustainable communities', it emerged last week. Organised by the Urban Design Alliance, the week will take place from 13 to 19 September and will incorporate events across the...

In Brief: Garden square in the heart of London will be showcased.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The first garden square to be built in the heart of London for more than 100 years will be showcased at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, it was announced last week. Located along the show's main avenue, the garden will replicate the main...

In Brief: A guide for delivering affordable housing.(report from Housing Corporation)("Meeting Affordable Housing Needs in Rural Communities")(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A guide for people involved in delivering affordable housing in rural areas has been produced. Published by rural housing expert Trevor Cherrett for the Housing Corporation, it offers advice on providing housing and a wider policy perspective...

In Brief: Local election campaigns kick off this week.(United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The Labour and Conservative parties kicked off their local election campaigns this week. The Tories argue that they have defended the green belt and that seven of the ten councils with the best recycling rates are Conservative. Labour points...

In Brief: University of York plans new campus.(York University development will meet sustainability objectives on greenbelt)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The University of York is planning a 116ha campus close to its current facility at Heslington. York, the sixth smallest university in the UK, is under increasing pressure to expand due to its high teaching and research rankings. The new campus...

In Brief: London mayor Ken Livingstone agrees to step in.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... London mayor Ken Livingstone has agreed to step into the controversy over proposals for a 63,000 sq m business park on Erith Marshes. London Assembly Green Party leader Darren Johnson has persuaded the mayor to hold talks to find an alternative...

Retailers called on to help shape policy.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Retailers should be more involved in trying to shape planning policy, according to a report on improving competitiveness in the sector last week. Policy-maker and industry stakeholder the Retail Strategy Group (RSG) argues that retailers...

Vision details future for developments in Leeds.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Plans to make Leeds an internationally competitive city and one of the best places in the country to live have been unveiled. The Leeds Initiative partnership has published its second vision for the city, which will set the scene for...

Landfill waste falls but crisis persists.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The amount of waste going to landfill has fallen, according to latest government figures. DEFRA's municipal waste management survey reveals that the amount of waste going to landfill dropped by 331,000 tonnes in 2002-03, the first fall in...

Development of 'microflats' approved by Leeds City Council.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A development of 'microflats' has been approved by Leeds City Council. The Citispace initiative comprises 72 flats measuring 4m by 6m each that will be prefabricated in a factory before assembly on top of the Regents Park House office building....

Guide aims to boost London access for all.(guide for planners on promoting access for the disabled)(launched by may Ken Livingstone)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Guidance for London planners on how to promote access to the built environment for disabled people was adopted last week. The guide, launched by London mayor Ken Livingstone, outlines principles and advice on promoting an inclusive and...

Committee to probe Gypsy site provision.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The ODPM select committee is to carry out an inquiry into the provision and management of Gypsy and traveller sites in England, it announced last week. The committee has taken the step in view of concern over the issue of whether these...

Regeneration News: Index offers more deprivation detail.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A revised set of indices for mapping deprivation across England will enable small pockets of deprivation to be identified for the first time, it emerged this week. The revised indices of deprivation for 2004 include a number of new...

Regeneration News: Project to provide jobs boost in Stoke.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A hi-tech business park and an urban forest are set to be created in the Potteries under a major regeneration project soon to be unveiled by policy chiefs. The pounds 20 million project, which will be launched by regional development...

Regeneration News: Deal struck to help schemes in Blackburn.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A partnership agreement aimed at taking forward the regeneration of Blackburn was signed by the local council last week. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has signed an agreement with Inpartnership/Bovis Lend Lease and the Royal Bank of...

Regeneration News Brief: The BURA calls for nominations.
May 7, 2004... The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) is calling for nominations for its 2004 awards for best practice in regeneration. The awards, sponsored by English Partnerships, are open to any regeneration project in the UK and celebrate...

Regeneration News Brief: Mixed-use neighbourhood scheme.(St Albans)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A mixed-use neighbourhood scheme in St Albans has been granted planning permission. Henry Davidson Developments' pounds 5.2 million project at Highfield Park includes housing, shops and health care facilities, combined with a community and...

Regeneration News Brief: Southampton City Council launches plan.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Southampton City Council has launched a prosperity plan for the city, aiming to create a place of opportunity for its residents. Plan targets include improving the skills of the workforce, strengthening the role of the knowledge and creative...

Regeneration News Brief: Jobs created or safeguarded in Cheshire.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... More than 90 jobs will be created or safeguarded under a pounds 1.6 million programme to regenerate the Cheshire market town of Frodsham. The Frodsham Forward scheme will aim to improve access to local services, attract extra investment into...

Regeneration News Brief: Argos submits application.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Argos has submitted an application for a distribution centre in Darlington that could create 700 jobs in the town. The 67,817 sq m centre at Faverdale East business park would be used for the firm's home delivery business, Argos Direct, and...

Regeneration News Brief: Preferred developer named.(Ask Property Developments)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The preferred developer for the regeneration of Urmston town centre has been named as Ask Property Developments. The company has been selected by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council to develop the precinct and shopping area in a pounds 40...

Regeneration News Brief: Document aims at improving design quality.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A document aimed at improving design quality in the South West has been launched by Creating:Excellence, the South West Regeneration Centre. It outlines an inclusive broad-based, multi-disciplinary approach to future development in the region....

Regeneration News Brief: Masterplan to revive St Mary's Bow Church.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A masterplan to revive historic St Mary's Bow Church in east London was unveiled this week. The refurbishment, led by Leaside Regeneration Ltd, includes floodlighting, landscaping and new facilities. The restoration of the church, which is the...

Transport News: Report refutes retailer's charge claim.(Transport for London )(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Transport for London (TfL) has rejected claims that the capital's congestion charge is to blame for a drop in sales at central London shops. In its second annual report on the toll, TfL claims that the charge has cut congestion in the zone...

Transport News: Local funding identified as key to infrastructure.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Local authorities must set transport and funding agendas if the biggest UK cities are to raise the billions of pounds needed to bring their infrastructure into line with international counterparts, according to transport experts. A study...

Transport News: Department points out achievements.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Bus use has increased, 20 major road schemes have been completed and the number of deaths on the road are continuing to fall, according to the Department for Transport's (DfT) annual report. The report, published last week, outlines the...

Transport News: UK's first tilting passenger train.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The UK's first tilting passenger train carried passengers from Reading to Manchester last week on Virgin Trains' Cross Country service. The class 221 Super Voyager, with a top speed of 125mph, used its tilt system between Oxford and Banbury....

Transport News: Votes sought for kids' worst road crossing.
May 7, 2004... Children are being asked to nominate their 'nightmare roads' in a campaign to highlight the lack of safe road crossings in the UK. Living Streets and Transport 2000 launched the initiative as a competition last week. The aim is for...

Transport News: Camera study rebuts motor lobby opinion.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Transport groups have refuted motoring lobby claims that the UK's most dangerous roads do not have speed cameras, after carrying out a study of the country's most high-risk highways. Research by the Slower Speeds Initiative and Transport...

Business Briefs: Arup appointed by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Arup has been appointed to develop a strategic framework for public transport by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly. The aim is to find better ways of developing bus and rail links, park-and-ride schemes, interchange facilities,...

Business Briefs: Developer Gazeley to purchase site near Swindon.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Developer Gazeley is to purchase a vacant 41ha site near Swindon to develop a large warehousing facility. The deal for the site, located on the A419 north-east of the town, is conditional on obtaining detailed planning permission. The developer...

Business Briefs: Hotel to be built on site overlooking St Austell Bay.(Voaden Sandbrook)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A 100-bedroom hotel is to be built on a site overlooking St Austell Bay for visitors to the Cornish town and the nearby Eden Project. Voaden Sandbrook has secured planning permission for the development, which includes function rooms,...

Business Briefs: Masterplan for Stoke-on-Trent's university quarter.(Locum Destination Consulting)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A masterplan for Stoke-on-Trent's university quarter is to be developed by Locum Destination Consulting. The vision for the area, identified by Staffordshire University and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, is for it to become a learning environment...

Business Briefs: Regeneration of the Honor Oak estate.(London Borough of Lewisham)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The regeneration of the Honor Oak estate in south-east London is being worked on by architect Sprunt with the London Borough of Lewisham. A pounds 20 million rolling programme involves refurbishing the 1930s and 1960s housing on the estate....

Business Briefs: Colin Buchanan and Partners to join panel.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Colin Buchanan and Partners is to join the London Development Agency's planning consultancy panel. The three-year contract will see the firm provide a range of urban planning and regeneration advice to the agency on all aspects of its policy,...

Business Briefs: Masterplan for Hemlington Grange.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A masterplan for Hemlington Grange, a 46ha greenfield site on the southern fringe of Middlesbrough, is to be produced by White Young Green Planning. The consultancy will report to Middlesbrough Council on alternative options for the site and...

Business Briefs: JMP Consulting commissioned.(by St Helens Council)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... JMP Consulting has been commissioned by St Helens Council and local strategic partnership Ravenhead Renaissance to assess rural issues, including transport, in the borough. The study will focus on access to essential services such as health...

Business Briefs: Dumfries and Galloway council appoints MVA.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Dumfries and Galloway Council has appointed MVA to examine the potential for improved access to south Dumfries. The area comprises the Crichton university campus and business park, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, Crichton Hospital and...

Business Briefs: Faber Maunsell carries out feasibility study.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Faber Maunsell has carried out a feasibility study for a car park and park-and-ride facility to serve Galton Bridge railway station in Smethwick. The consultancy, commissioned by Centro, considered various options of where to situate the car...

Scottish News: Strategy sets out future for capital.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A development strategy has been produced charting the way forward for Edinburgh city centre. Priorities include reducing pedestrian congestion, linking existing open spaces more closely to the centre and developing key sites such as...

Scottish News: Inquiry hears how toll would hit trade.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Road tolls in Edinburgh could cost retailers and restaurateurs pounds 70 million a year, according to a study of the economic impact of congestion charging plans. But the report by David Simmonds Consultancy also predicts that the public...

Scottish News: Scottish Coal reveals plans for wind farm.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Scottish Coal has become the latest company to announce plans to develop a wind farm. The firm wants to build 26 turbines at the restored Chalmerston opencast pit at Dalmellington, East Ayrshire. A second development at an as yet...

Analysis: Holiday village splits opinion.(west Wales)
May 7, 2004... Strong arguments have been made for and against a major holiday scheme in west Wales. David Dewar investigates. Over the course of its 68-year history, the Council for National Parks (CNP) has never taken an authority to court over a...

Consumers hold key to climate change victory.(energy consumption)
May 7, 2004... Successful efforts to fight climate change depend on reducing energy consumption, says Catherine Early. In the fight against climate change, the government is aiming to achieve a step-change in energy efficiency on a scale never achieved...

Salter on ... the dangerous path of bowing to public opinion.(EU constitution )
May 7, 2004... Does the EU constitution keep you awake at night? Or has the endless debate of the past three years more or less passed you by? According to a recent survey carried out by YouGov, just over three-quarters of the public know little or nothing...

Opinion: Fyson on ... the long road to agreement on the planning bill.
May 7, 2004... The government has staggered towards agreement with the House of Lords over proposed amendments to the planning bill. It apparently still cannot accept the importance of electoral accountability or the fundamental tension between speeding up...

Editorial: Darker side of green belt defence missed.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... This week's 25th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher coming to power has more than a touch of Alice in Wonderland about it. Much of the press coverage has focused on how the Labour Party has embraced Thatcherism. Yet there is an alternative...

Interview: Designs on buildings.(Interview)
May 7, 2004... George Ferguson is passionate about the built environment and the importance of quality design. He tells Marino Donati about his ideas to raise public awareness. For a man who spent most of his presidential lecture espousing the importance...

Planners called on to help fight crime.
May 7, 2004... Government guidance on crime prevention shows how planners can help to create safer communities, explains Ben Castell. A guidance document published last week shows how good planning can dramatically reduce crime. The advice, produced by...

Casebook: Port extension blocked as nature objection prevails.
May 7, 2004... The deputy prime minister, in conjunction with the secretary of state for transport, has rejected plans put forward by Associated British Ports (ABP) for a container terminal at Dibden Bay, near Southampton, concluding that the viability of the...

Casebook: Court cases - Gypsy status questioned in enforcement case.
May 7, 2004... The High Court has struck out an appeal inspector's decision to grant permission for occupation of a caravan site in Essex by a Gypsy family, after concluding that the issue as to whether the appellant retained Gypsy status had not been...

Casebook: Court cases - Court upholds rejection of country house proposal.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... The High Court has upheld an inspector's decision to reject a country house proposed in Shropshire on the basis that it did not meet stringent advice in PPG7 stressing that it would need to be of outstanding design to qualify for a relaxation...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Advertisements - Vinyl sign judged not incongruous in street scene.
May 7, 2004... A frosted vinyl logo window sign has been allowed at an Argos store in Birmingham city centre after it was judged to represent a simple design that would not stand out as unduly intrusive or incongruous in the street scene. The...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Dwelling escapes demolition despite nullity.
May 7, 2004... An inspector has determined that a planning permission granted for a new dwelling in Bedfordshire was a nullity and incapable of being implemented, but still decided to quash an enforcement notice requiring its demolition. The council had...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Stables judged harmful to quality of countryside.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... Enforcement action against stables being built in the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Gloucestershire has been upheld on the grounds that the building would harm the quality of the countryside. The plans showed two...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Occupancy condition deleted for emergency worker.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... In deleting two conditions imposed on the use of a barn associated with a farm in the Peak District national park, an inspector has placed significant weight on the medical skills of one of the appellants. The park authority had granted...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Dated photograph confirms building works status.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... An enforcement notice issued against a building and tower on a farm in south Wales has been upheld after an inspector placed weight on a dated photograph supplied by the council which showed that the building works had not been substantially...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Livestock enterprise justified new barn.
May 7, 2004... A new barn intended to support a livestock farm in Northamptonshire has been approved after an inspector ruled that it was needed to support the continued viability of the business. The appellant had obtained permission to convert two barns...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial - Dormer office windows supported in estoppel claim.
May 7, 2004... An inspector has approved the retention of six dormer windows in an office building in East Sussex, rejecting a claim that the council could not have refused permission due to the advice given by its planning officer. The appellants...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Food and drink uses - Takeaway supported by lack of proliferation policy.
May 7, 2004... The change of use of a shop in Staffordshire to a takeaway has won support from an inspector who ruled that it would not harm the vitality and viability of the area. The appeal site was located within a group of commercial premises, many...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Residential scheme refused on disused playing field.
May 7, 2004... A proposal for 24 flats on a former school playing field in south-east London has been turned down, with an inspector ruling that it was a locally important site of nature conservation value that could be restored to recreational use. The...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Apartments fail to pass conservation area test.
May 7, 2004... A proposal for 24 flats on a site in eastern Scotland has been rejected after a reporter judged that the design was uncompromisingly modern and did not relate well to the surrounding conservation area. The 0.31ha site contained a car...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Substantial differences lead to housing failure.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A reporter has rejected a scheme involving 17 houses and 28 apartments on the outskirts of Inverness, backing council claims that it was materially different from a scheme that had previously been allowed on appeal. Adopted and emerging...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder development - Enforcement notice against barge judged void.
May 7, 2004... An enforcement notice issued against the use of agricultural land as residential curtilage associated with an adjacent house and the siting of a canal barge for repair and storage at a site in the Cheshire green belt has been quashed as void...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder development - Resited garage accepted on contemporary estate.
May 7, 2004... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice requiring the demolition of a garage that had been incorrectly positioned on a housing estate in Hampshire, ruling that it improved the outlook from an adjoining house. He acknowledged...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and recreation - Development certificate refused for caravan site.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2004... A lawful development certificate (LDC) has been refused for the use of a 1.6ha site associated with a North East working men's institute as a caravan site, with an inspector having difficulty in separating the periods of use qualifying for...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use development - East London flats rejected as overdevelopment.
May 7, 2004... A proposal for 14 flats and a gymnasium in east London has been rejected on the grounds that it would represent an overdevelopment of the site leading to a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area. The inspector did not...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use development - Council pays costs for failing to produce evidence.
May 7, 2004... In approving a scheme for retail space with offices above in a shopping centre on Teesside, an inspector has ruled that the council failed to produce evidence to support its view that existing shopping provision was adequate. The site...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Telecommunications - Natural finish judged superior for cladding of mast.
May 7, 2004... A 15m telecommunications mast has been allowed in a Yorkshire area of outstanding natural beauty following a finding that it would not have a significant adverse environmental impact or a detrimental effect on the visual amenity or character of...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
May 7, 2004... 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 for...