Planning (UK) articles from May 2005

Planning (UK) archives from May 2005

Agenda - Diary to 20 May.
May 6, 2005... 10 May: Building Near Trees. Organiser: National House Building Council. Venue: Chelmsford. Fee: pounds 260 + VAT. Details: (tel) 0870 241 4323. 10 May: Politics of Planning. Organiser: Bellwether Forums. Venue: Manchester. Fee: pounds 195...

Liverpool suggests chewing gum tax.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Used chewing gum sticks to surfaces and refuses to decompose, leaving a mess on the nation's pavements and roads. Now Liverpool councillors are to vote on whether to officially call for a gum tax. Liverpool City Council was meeting as...

Creativity shoots up suburb agenda.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Suburbs are fighting back against their image as places where mowing the lawn on a Sunday in front of a semi-detached mock Tudor home is about as stimulating as life gets. Television comedies such as The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...

Sell-off prompts bus drivers' protest.(Yellow Buses)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Drivers of Bournemouth's Yellow Buses, which have operated in the south coast resort for the past 100 years, staged a demonstration this week to protest at the firm's proposed sell-off. Yellow Buses is run by Bournemouth Transport Group, a...

Appointment at Llewelyn Davies.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Aideen McCabe has joined Llewelyn Davies in Belfast as a planner. She moves from the Department of the Environment planning service, where she has worked in the Downpatrick divisional planning office.

Appointment at Development, Land and Planning Consultants Ltd.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... David Walker has been appointed as an associate planner at the Cardiff office of Development, Land and Planning Consultants Ltd. He formerly worked as a principal planning officer at Torfaen County Borough Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council and...

Appointment at the Heritage Lottery Fund.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Nathan Blanchard has been appointed senior programme co-ordinator at the Heritage Lottery Fund. He will be responsible for the townscape heritage initiative and places of worship scheme. Blanchard was previously employed by Denbighshire County...

Appointment at Entec.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Ross McLaughlin has joined Entec in Gosforth as an assistant consultant. He previously worked for Mono Consultants.

Appointment at GMW.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... John Jackson has been promoted to the post of partner at GMW architects. He has more than 20 years' experience, particularly in design management, procurement and construction.

Appointment at GoSkills.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Gordon Griffiths has joined the board of GoSkills, the sector skills council for passenger transport. He is head of airside delivery for BAA at Heathrow Airport. Griffiths has also worked at airports in Luton, Liverpool, Manchester and the...

Appointment at SLR.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Chris Herbert has joined environmental consultancy SLR as a planner in Bradford-on-Avon, where he will be responsible for preparing and submitting planning applications and environmental statements. Herbert joins from Jacobs Babtie, where he...

Appointment at Hepher Dixon.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Geraint John has joined Hepher Dixon as divisional director in Cardiff. He was previously head of the planning team at GVA Grimley in Wales.

Appointment at Terence O'Rourke.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Adrian French and Jan Molyneux have been promoted to town planning directors by Terence O'Rourke. French, a chartered waste manager and Institute of Quarrying member, joined the practice in 1996. Molyneux, a co-founder of the annual Bristol...

Appointment at the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Phil Castiaux has joined the Coalfields Regeneration Trust as North East regional co-ordinator for the Game On project. He spent 28 years at Blyth Valley Borough Council.

Appointment at Savills.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Mark Mann has been appointed as a senior planner in the Savills planning team in Cambridge. He was previously development control and enforcement officer at Peterborough City Council.

Appointment at Mayer Brown.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Xu Zhang has been appointed head of modelling and data services by transport planner Mayer Brown. He specialises in modelling and data analysis, database and geographical information systems.

Ken Cox - a tribute.(Obituary)
May 6, 2005... Ken Cox, the first RTPI South West Branch member to be awarded the institute's outstanding service award, has died. As the RTPI South West Branch reaches its 60th anniversary in May, a key link with its early history was broken in December...

Essex Environmental Impact Assessment Guide.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An updated edition of the guide prepared by the Essex Planning Officers Association has just been published. It reflects the changes brought about by the introduction of the environmental impact assessment regulations and is endorsed by the...

Housing: the value of community involvement.
May 6, 2005... The need for an improved integration of housing and planning strategies has been under the spotlight, reports Philip Barnes. Learning lessons from best practice in the USA was the theme chosen by Prince's Foundation chief executive Hank...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
May 6, 2005... MIKE HAYES AWARDED HONORARY FELLOWSHIP Immediate past president Mike Hayes was presented with an honorary fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on 21 April. The fellowships reward contributions that people have made...

An element of 'too little too late' about sustainability consultation.
May 6, 2005... The ODPM should be clearer in requiring local authorities to develop expertise in sustainability appraisals, says the RTPI. The Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks consultation has...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
May 6, 2005... 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: Appeal Cases - Tower design quality backed despite heritage area worry.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has decided to allow an appeal for a large mixed-use development on the banks of the Thames in central London after rejecting an inspector's recommendation that permission should be denied. The proposed...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Cab hire office banned over disturbance threat.
May 6, 2005... The use of premises in west London by a radio-controlled private hire operator has been rejected on the grounds that it would have a harmful effect on highway safety and neighbours' living conditions. The premises had been in use as a...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Garage held compatible with local amenity.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Plans for a motor service and repair workshop and MOT station at a site in Surrey have been approved after an inspector agreed that the development would not undermine the amenity of local residents. The building was to be within 10m of...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Community Facilities - Asylum seeker screening unit secures support.
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has endorsed an inspector's recommendation that approval should be granted for the Home Office to establish a screening unit in a building at a port near Bristol despite local authority opposition. The Home...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Food and Drink Uses - Conflict with policy outweighed by surveys.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A reporter has quashed an enforcement notice requiring the closure of a coffee shop in the primary shopping frontage of an Edinburgh shopping centre, concluding that material considerations justified granting permission even though the use...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Greenfield scheme supported on need grounds.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A housing development on a greenfield site used partly for allotments in a Wiltshire town has won support from an inspector who decided that it would make a useful contribution to meeting housing targets. The council argued that there was...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Additional dormers judged to upset balance.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal involving additional dormer windows and roof lights at a block of 30 flats in a Surrey town has been rejected on the grounds that it would cause substantial harm to the character and appearance of the building and the street scene....

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Woodland home benefits given little weight.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal seeking outline permission for a house in a Suffolk woodland protected by a tree preservation order has been rejected by the deputy prime minister on the grounds that the benefits of improving the quality of the remaining woodland did...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Lack of objection secures design amendment.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal to amend an approved scheme for a 15-storey residential building in south London has been approved after no evidence was submitted by the mayor of London to support an objection to a duplicate proposal. The scheme, granted on...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Security plea fails to excuse airfield dwelling.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A proposal for a bungalow at an airfield in the Staffordshire green belt has been rejected despite the appellants' assertion that it was necessary to provide on-site security for microlight aircraft and equipment. The appeal site consisted...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Special notice blocks residential boat mooring.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has upheld a special enforcement notice issued against the mooring of a boat for residential purposes on Crown land in Suffolk, concluding that a breach of planning control had occurred and permission was required. ...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Beauty treatment centre refused in green belt.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has decided that a three-storey lodge and beauty treatment centre in the Nottinghamshire green belt are inappropriate developments lacking very special circumstances to justify permission. The application site...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Golf driving range judged harmful to countryside.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has refused permission for a golf driving range and cafe at a Devon equestrian centre following a call-in inquiry, concluding that the scheme would undermine the character of the countryside. The centre abutted a...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Green belt sports complex wins permission.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An application by Arnold Town Football Club for a clubhouse and pitches at a site in the Nottinghamshire green belt has been approved after the deputy prime minister held that very special circumstances had been proved. The club had been...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Ramp judged visually harmful next to cottage.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The retention of a partly completed BMX ramp next to a cottage in Somerset has been refused permission after an inspector ruled that it undermined the character and appearance of the landscape. The structure lay between the appellant's home...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Company ordered to reinstate telephone kiosk.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal by BT seeking retrospective listed building consent to remove a telephone kiosk in a Brighton conservation area has failed after an inspector determined that its loss harmed the character of the locality. The kiosk, based on the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Embassy protocol weighs in favour of flagpoles.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The deputy prime minister has granted listed building and advertisement consent for four flagpoles at the Belgian embassy in a central London conservation area, concluding that they did not harm the special character of the grade II listed...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Telecommunications - Interference claim on amateur mast rejected.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An inspector has granted permission for a 10m amateur radio antenna at a house in South Yorkshire after ruling that the council and local residents had failed to prove that it caused interference to electrical equipment. The council...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Telecommunications - Mast approved after sharing options ruled out.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An enforcement notice directed against a 15m telecommunications mast in an area of great landscape value and adjacent to an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Cornwall has been quashed following a ruling that the public benefits...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Transport Development - Boat and pontoon mooring rejection confirmed.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal seeking confirmation that the mooring of pontoons and vessels at an island in the River Thames in Oxfordshire is lawful has failed after an inspector took the same line as a colleague who refused a similar application in 2002. ...

Casebook: Court cases - Gypsies escape jail but ordered to move on.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The High Court has refused to commit six Gypsies living in the Surrey green belt to jail for contempt of court after Mr Justice Ouseley ruled that they should be given a further two months to comply. Surrey Heath Borough Council launched...

Casebook: Court cases - Arboretum decision wins full hearing in court.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The High Court has agreed that the landowners of a car park and access serving an arboretum in the Cotswolds can challenge a district council decision to grant permission for a restaurant, shop and three staff flats. The access and car...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Homes rejected despite local plan compliance.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Beazer Homes has failed to secure planning permission for 198 dwellings in Lancashire after the deputy prime minister, following recovery of the company's appeal, decided that guidance in PPG3 and a draft structure plan should be given greater...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed Buildings - Sign and security measures ruled harmful.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... In line with an inspector's recommendation, the deputy prime minister has dismissed a retrospective listed building consent application for alterations to a grade II* listed shop in a conservation area in a Warwickshire town. The...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
May 6, 2005... 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 cases - Retail Development - Store rejected on design and amenity grounds.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Proposals for a B&Q Warehouse on employment land in Perth have been refused planning permission after a reporter concluded that the scheme would have an adverse impact on the surrounding area. The 2ha site contained a warehouse, an office...

The perils of gobbledygook.
May 6, 2005... The business of delivering sustainable communities could require linguists to translate a vast amount of incomprehensible jargon, Cliff Hague suggests. 'Welcome to the Academy for Sustainable Communities. We raise aspirations and build the...

Supply solution still sought.
May 6, 2005... Planning gain provides for a higher level of affordable homes but overall supply problems persist, say Tony Crook and Steven Rowley. The planning system is becoming an increasingly important way of meeting the needs of lower-income...

Viable example set on climate change.
May 6, 2005... An international project is showing how planning can adapt to climate change, report Chitra Nadarajah and Jill Rankin. The early arrival of swallows has been interpreted by some as a warning that our climate is changing. More robust...

Development backer.
May 6, 2005... High demands for developer contributions and unrealistic targets are key concerns for businesses, London First planning chief Judith Salomon tells Catherine Early. After more than a decade at London First, Judith Salomon has built up a...

Crucial issue fails to show on voter radar.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... It's been a curious month. Our politicians have traded insults, claims, counter-claims, lies, damn lies and statistics. But are we really any clearer about what the next five years hold? The biggest issue of all, climate change, made no impact...

Fyson on ... responsibilities to be tackled by the government.
May 6, 2005... The combative character of the environment movement, exposed as it has been recently by internecine warfare over the Lake District wind farm proposals, allows politicians of all shades to sidestep the issues. Anti-development posturing,...

Community ownership offers big advantages.
May 6, 2005... A policy introduced almost 30 years ago could still deliver key benefits even today, argues John Acton. Under orders to clear out my study, I found a long-forgotten document on the top shelf. Dating from January 1977, it is strangely...

Tanner on ... balancing quality of life with more economic growth.
May 6, 2005... It has been said that if the rest of the world had the standard of living and lifestyle currently enjoyed by the UK, it would require the resources of three planet Earths to sustain it. Already the continued growth of the Chinese economy is...

Sector awaits policy update.
May 6, 2005... Future priorities for planning policy will need a little time to take shape, predicts Bryan Johnston. The nation wakes up to a new government this morning. But it could be weeks or months before future directions for the planning system...

Ministers respond to turbine anxiety.
May 6, 2005... Ministers will indicate in June whether they are likely to bow to pressure and introduce more strategic guidance on the location of wind farms. The Scottish Executive told Planning last week that it is preparing a response to concerns...

Retail rivals query Ravenscraig ruling.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An appeal is being lodged in the House of Lords against a ruling that gave the green light for a new town at the former Ravenscraig steelworks. Standard Life and Land Securities Group are contesting the Court of Session's March decision to...

Glasgow road hailed as key improvement.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Scotland's largest road project was opened last week, reducing journey times between Glasgow and Ayrshire. The M77 has been extended 15km south to Fenwick and now links with the Glasgow southern orbital in the north. Unveiling the pounds...

Retail and leisure needs to be assessed by GL Hearn.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Retail and leisure needs in the district of St Albans, Hertfordshire, are to be assessed by GL Hearn for the district council. The study will inform the district's forthcoming development plan documents and will include a health check of St...

Regeneration plans for Bradford move forward.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Regeneration plans for Bradford are moving forward with the appointment of Insite Environments to conduct a public realm and maintenance feasibility study. The landscape and urban design consultancy will work with Davis Langdon to investigate...

RPS wins special award for restoration.(RPS Group PLC, restoration of Mall city park )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... RPS has won a special award for its restoration of the Mall city park in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The accolade from the Civic Trust praises the renewal of the park, which was created in 1773 by Church of Ireland Archbishop Robinson. It fell...

Design and implementation of pumping station in Norfolk.(Atkins to carry out design works)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... The design and implementation of the replacement St German's pumping station in Norfolk is to be carried out by Atkins for the Middle Level Commissioners (MLC). The appointment follows Atkins Water's completion of feasibility and option studies...

Bidwells Carpenter Planning to provide planning support.(project to provide police investigation facilities)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Bidwells Carpenter Planning is to provide planning support to Mott MacDonald and the Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk police forces on a project to provide police investigation facilities throughout the region. Outline planning permission...

Emergency services centre opens in Sandwell.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... An pounds 18 million emergency services centre in Sandwell opened last month. The 382m2 two-storey centre at Sandwell Hospital was designed by Aedas and replaces a single-storey accident and emergency department that was destroyed by an arson...

Masterplan and design proposals for Waterlooville town centre.(Broadway Malyan to work for Havant Borough Council)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A masterplan and design proposals for Waterlooville town centre in Hampshire are to be drawn up by Broadway Malyan for Havant Borough Council. The company will work with artists and lighting designers Art2Architecture on the project, which is...

Highway works for combined secondary school site in Swindon.(road construction to begin)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Highway works for a combined secondary school site in Swindon are due to start later this year or early 2006. The access road and junction are designed by JMP Consulting, which has been working on the project for Laing O'Rourke. The scheme...

Traffic Transport & Highways Consultancy moves premises.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Traffic Transport & Highways Consultancy has moved from its Deansgate offices in Manchester to larger premises in the St James's Building to cater for future expansion.

First flight takes off from Robin Hood.(Robin Hood Airport)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Robin Hood Airport's first commercial flight took off last week. The pounds 85 million project consists of a terminal built at the disused RAF Finningley airbase near Doncaster. The airport, officially called Robin Hood Doncaster...

Research shows falling levels of healthy travel.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A fifth of children aged five to 16 have not taken a 20-minute walk in the past year, according to latest Department for Transport (DfT) research. The statistic was revealed in a DfT travel document update published this week. In urban...

Motoring group demands wider roads.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... All main motorways and key trunk roads should be widened, the RAC Foundation insisted last week. The call was made in the motoring looby group's agenda for action. The economy and the community will be damaged if transport is not given a...

Airports set to land windfall from operator.(BAA PLC invests to manage traffic at airports )(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... BAA will invest pounds 6.8 billion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports over the next decade, it emerged last week. In its annual ten-year traffic forecasts, BAA said traffic grew at the airports by 6.2 per cent from 2004 to 2005. It...

Charity seeks to encourage staff leg work.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Employers should encourage 'active commuting' among staff to combat absenteeism, sustainable transport charity Sustrans advised last week. Sickness absence costs the UK more than pounds 11 billion a year, according to the CBI. Sustrans has...

Developer chosen for Newport plans.(Modus Corovest to perform shopping centre revamp works)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Plans to revamp Newport shopping centre in south Wales progressed last week with the selection of Modus Corovest as the preferred developer. The firm was chosen from a shortlist of five. Each was assessed on the quality of its design,...

Store set to act as Leeds site anchor.(John Lewis PLC to open a store in a planned city center in Leeds, England)(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A major redevelopment in Leeds city centre moved forward last week with the news that retailer John Lewis will open a department store to anchor the project. The company will open a 24,000m2 store at the proposed Eastgate and Harewood...

Start made on river strategy consultation.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A consultation on a strategy for the eastern stretch of the Thames has begun in a bid to put the river at the heart of regeneration efforts in the Thames Gateway. The blueprint, produced by LDA Design for the Thames Estuary Partnership...

Plans to revamp Middlesbrough's housing stock.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Plans to revamp Middlesbrough's housing stock were put forward in a council strategy last week. The blueprint, which includes demolition in some areas, is designed to reverse housing market failure. The council will focus redevelopment in...

Construction starts on arts and media training centre.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Construction started on a pounds 3.5 million arts and media training centre in Elephant and Castle last week. The centre, on Southwark Bridge Road, will offer local people training for the media professions and creative industries. It will be...

Project launched by the National park authorities.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A project designed to improve links between national park authorities and black and Asian communities was launched last week. The Mosaic Partnership, run by the Council for National Parks, will train members of local groups who are keen to...

Legal agreement paves way for scheme next to Snow Hill station.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A legal agreement paving the way for a mixed-use scheme next to Snow Hill station in Birmingham was signed last week. The deal, together with highways layout modifications, were approved by Birmingham City Council, allowing developer Ballymore...

Major development in the forecourt of Victoria station.(mixed-use building proposal approved by Westminster City Council )
May 6, 2005... A major development in the forecourt of London's Victoria station was granted planning permission by Westminster City Council last week. The mixed-use scheme, by the Co-operative Insurance Society, will replace two buildings between Vauxhall...

Businesses in Bristol city centre given chance to vote.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... Businesses in Bristol city centre are to be given the chance to vote on whether a business improvement district (BID) should be established in the area. The BID is proposed in Broadmead, the city's main shopping area. The vote will take place...

Strategy seeking to harness tourism potential.(Brief Article)
May 6, 2005... A strategy seeking to harness the tourism potential of north London was launched last week. The strategy, drawn up by the London Development Agency and marketing body North London Ltd, includes Alexandra Palace, the RAF Museum in Hendon, the...