Planning (UK) articles from May 2007

Planning (UK) archives from May 2007

Planning in the media.
May 4, 2007... So what exactly do you get up to during your three score years and ten on the planet - or 78.5 years to be exact? Channel 4 documentary The Human Footprint charted every aspect of our lives and delivered a mind-boggling array of statistics. On...

Diary.
May 4, 2007... No sniggering at the back please, but Birmingham City Council has unveiled plans to transform the city into a Midlands Riviera with a golden beach. Unfazed by the facts that the city is 150km from the sea and its average maximum August...

Appointment at Jones Lang LaSalle.
May 4, 2007... Cara Heekin has joined Jones Lang LaSalle's development and asset strategy team in Manchester as a senior consultant. She has three years' experience in planning and strategic consultancy, specialising in the retail and housing sectors. Adam...

Appointment at Denton Wilde Sapte.
May 4, 2007... Victoria Leam and Sally Carnachan have joined the planning and public law team at Denton Wilde Sapte as solicitors. They both previously worked for the planning and environment group at Dundas & Wilson

Appointment at Enfusion.
May 4, 2007... Ruth Thomas has joined Enfusion as sustainable development principal. She was previously head of sustainable development strategy and policy at Defence Estates, whe she led appraisal work

Appointment at Addleshaw Goddard.
May 4, 2007... Leona Ahmed has joined Addleshaw Goddard's real estate team as a partner from Lawrence Graham. Nathan Jansen has been promoted to partner in the firm's Manchester office

Appointment at Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners.
May 4, 2007... Michael Watts has been appointed as a director by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners in Manchester. He will work on residential, commercial and leisure proposals and will carry out environmental impact assessments

Appointment at Northwest Development Agency.
May 4, 2007... David Hunter has joined the Northwest Development Agency as head of rural affairs. He will manage major policy and development work to help drive forward growth in the rural economy. Hunter has 20 years' experience in environmental management...

Appointment at AWW.
May 4, 2007... David Perkin has been made a director at AWW. He was previously a team leader associate responsible for education, office and health care projects

Enjoy being a summer school delegate? Then volunteer.
May 4, 2007... Planning Summer School can be rewarding for both delegates and organisers, explains Jemma Boustead. After thoroughly enjoying my time as a delegate at the Planning Summer School (PSS), I decided to stand for the PSS elections in Edinburgh....

RTPI Bulletin Board.
May 4, 2007... Ruth Kelly to speak at this year's Planning Convention We are pleased to confirm that secretary of state for communities and local government Ruth Kelly will be giving the ministerial speech at this year's Planning Convention. The...

White paper sets old-time goals.(report on British urban planning design)
May 4, 2007... For once, the forthcoming white paper on English planning recognises that there is more to merry England than London, says Kelvin MacDonald. As I watched the end of the London marathon, I found some sheets of paper blowing in the breeze....

Planning Aid Bulletin.
May 4, 2007... - Spotlight on North West service North West Planning Aid (NWPA) features in Creating Sustainable Neighbourhoods, a new study highlighting the role of community and voluntary groups in Manchester in meeting the objectives of the...

Decision-making needs to find right balance of local and national voices.
May 4, 2007... Although it has proved controversial, the proposal for an independent planning commission has raised and can answer key questions about who has responsibility for taking planning decisions, maintains Kate Barker. Many planning decisions...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Stable ruled immune from enforcement.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A lawful development certificate has been issued for two stable and storage buildings at a farm in Bedfordshire after an inspector concluded that they were immune from enforcement action. The appellant had received planning permission for...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Caravan held to involve development.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... An enforcement notice alleging that a caravan in north Wales was being used as a residence has been upheld after an inspector agreed that it involved development requiring permission. The appellant claimed that the caravan was used as a...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Donkey barn ruled out of character.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... An inspector has agreed that the use of two fields in an East Riding of Yorkshire village as a donkey sanctuary is acceptable and would generally appear similar to a small-scale equestrian activity. However, he decided that a two-storey...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and Industrial - Green belt car sales action supported.
May 4, 2007... An inspector has upheld an enforcement notice requiring the cessation of car sales, vehicle washing and portable offices on land adjacent to a business park in the York green belt after finding that they were not permitted under the Use Classes...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Food and Drink Uses - Noise impact blocks longer bar hours.
May 4, 2007... An extension to opening hours at a bar and restaurant in Liverpool city centre has been rejected despite noise assessment results that suggested it would not harm local residents' amenity. The appellants, who sought to extend closing time...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Site search flawed by air quality factor.
May 4, 2007... A proposal for a bungalow in West Yorkshire to house the disabled daughter of the appellants has been rejected after an inspector voiced reservations concerning the area of search for suitable existing accommodation. The appeal site lay in...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Off-site affordable homes deal agreed.
May 4, 2007... A proposal for two four-bedroom houses in Berkshire has won approval on the basis that money raised by the development would be used by a registered social landlord to provide affordable homes elsewhere in the district. The site had...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - Mobile homes immunity claim backed.
May 4, 2007... An appeal against an enforcement notice directed against a structure in countryside near Bristol has been partially successful after an inspector agreed that it was immune from enforcement action. Two mobile homes had been brought onto the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New Build - High density ruled out at remote site.
May 4, 2007... An inspector has rejected detailed designs for a housing development in Worcestershire after concluding that a density of 77 dwellings per hectare (dpha) would conflict with sustainable planning objectives. The inspector recognised that...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: Conversion - Mill project falls foul of marketing bias.
May 4, 2007... The conversion of a former mill in Cheshire to residential use and the erection of 32 flats has been refused permission after an inspector expressed reservations about a marketing exercise carried out by the owners. The site was advertised...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Green belt dormer extension secured.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A dormer extension has been approved at a house in the West Midlands green belt after an inspector determined that it did not involve a disproportionate addition. The large detached two-storey house stood in fairly extensive grounds...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Further extensions judged out of scale.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Plans for an extension and a garage at a house in the Nottinghamshire green belt have been rejected after an inspector concluded that they amounted to inappropriate and harmful development. In granting permission for the appeal property to...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Uncertainty over ground level prevails.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a garden building at a house in Oxfordshire has been upheld after an inspector decided that it did not involve permitted development. In assessing whether the building was permitted under class...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder Development - Turbine agreed due to backdrop clutter.
May 4, 2007... A 15m high wind turbine has been allowed at a house on Anglesey after an inspector found that it would harm neither the character nor the appearance of the area. The appellant pointed to an array of pylons, telegraph poles and...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and Entertainment - Market town hotel design found wanting.
May 4, 2007... Plans for a hotel in a historic Wiltshire market town have been denied planning permission following a ruling that its design would be mundane and undistinguished. The proposed building was more than 17m high and 50m in length. The...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Retail Development - Retail upgrade judged to enhance centre.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Refurbishment of a West Yorkshire shopping mall has been allowed despite local authority concerns that it would be preferable to include a lightweight glazed roof to improve the shopping experience. The indoor centre dated from the 1970s...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Telecommunications - Tree mast overcomes visual concerns.
May 4, 2007... Vodafone Ltd has secured approval for a 22m high telecommunications mast disguised as a cypress tree in the corner of a playing field in Dundee after a reporter concluded that it would not undermine the amenity of local residents. Although...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Waste Management - Landscape harm blocks recycling plant.
May 4, 2007... The use of a former quarry in Devon for crushing and screening waste and minerals has been rejected on the grounds that it would have an unacceptable impact on the area's character and appearance. The appeal site lay at one end of a quarry...

Casebook: Court cases - Caravan limit condition judged lawful.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A group of residents has lost an attempt to overturn a decision to grant planning permission for up to six mobile homes in West Sussex after a High Court judge held that it was reasonable. The residents claimed that the inspector had...

Casebook: Court cases - Manor conversion decision upheld.
May 4, 2007... A challenge to South Cambridgeshire District Council's granting of planning permission and listed building consent to convert a Tudor manor into a hotel has been rejected after the High Court found that the merits had been fully considered. ...

Casebook: Next Week.(proposal for multi purpose building has been rejected)(retention of a workshop being supported)(permission for a golf course approved )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... - Mixed scheme thwarted by interchange A multi-use proposal in Hampshire has been rejected because it would comprise piecemeal development and prejudice implementation of a rapid transit link and transport interchange. DCS Number...

Casebook: Appeal cases - In depth - Affordable homes payment held to support sheltered flats plans.
May 4, 2007... An inspector has allowed 39 sheltered apartments on land in west London after finding that the proposal would make adequate provision for affordable housing by means of a planning obligation. He considered that the scheme would have an...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Agricultural development - Farm extension foiled by lack of need.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... An inspector has rejected proposals for two replacement sheds at a poultry unit in the Warwickshire green belt due to landscape harm and blocked a manager's dwelling on the basis of lack of need and inappropriateness. The site had been...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial - Distribution use allowed in green belt.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The change of use of a former agricultural building in the Buckinghamshire green belt to storage and distribution use has been allowed on the grounds that it would not constitute inappropriate development. The appeal site hosted a large...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build - Flats faulted on mass and visual harm.
May 4, 2007... A proposal to redevelop industrial land in Edinburgh with 123 flats in six blocks has been rejected due to concerns over their height, mass and effect on landmark views. The reporter accepted the principle of a strong urban edge to an...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Listed buildings - Signs held to affect listed character.
May 4, 2007... An inspector has upheld a listed building enforcement notice directed against signs and a burglar alarm box on a grade II listed shop in a Gloucestershire conservation area, finding that they impaired the building's character. The...

Casebook: DC Forum.
May 4, 2007... Email your queries or your replies to earlier queries to casebook@haymarket.com or post them to Development Control Casebook Forum, DCS Ltd, Casebook Suite 1, Fullers Court, 40 Lower Quay Street, Gloucester GL1 2LW. Comment and post at...

How we did it... Defending the Humber for the next generation.
May 4, 2007... Project: Alkborough Flats tidal defence scheme. Background: Alkborough Flats are at the western end of the Humber Estuary, at the confluence of the Rivers Trent and Ouse. The site comprises around 440ha of agricultural land, of which 375ha...

The Things I know - Ben Ford, Director, RPS Group.
May 4, 2007... Where did you study planning? The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London What skills did you have when you graduated? My real skill was the ability to meet people and get on with them no matter what their background....

Low carbon challenge.
May 4, 2007... Planners' skills and policies will be tested by the demands of the government's emerging framework for greener construction methods and energy supply, writes Rob Willis. In recent months, the government has taken steps to reduce the...

Councils take single track.
May 4, 2007... The prospect of unitary local government across a wide swathe of rural England has raised fears over progress on local development frameworks, service delivery and prospects for planners, reports Mark Smulian. There must have been 54...

High street reformer.(Andrew Cameron says city planners to contribute for transportation planning)
May 4, 2007... Transport planner Andrew Cameron wants to see specialists come out of their silos and work together to create streets that meet the needs of all in the community, says Catherine Early. The concept that streets exist purely for the movement...

Councillors must be prepared for more unnecessary tinkering.
May 4, 2007... As the local election results emerge, the elation of securing a seat will for many councillors be tempered by the knowledge that it could be kicked from under them in just two years' time. Once again, local government reform is casting a shadow...

Fyson on... positive signs for a flagship project that proposes open access to the UK's coastal corridor.
May 4, 2007... Celebrations were held last week to mark the 75th anniversary of the mass trespass on Kinder Scout in the Peak District, which pioneered the right of ordinary people to roam in open countryside. But in some contexts the principle of public...

Legal report - Assessing environmental impacts requires caution.
May 4, 2007... It is important to get environmental impact assessment (EIA) right for two reasons. First, courts still often grapple with the subject. Second, as the Barker review pointed out, EIA can be costly so it is better to get it right first time than...

Gummer on... the rise of the weekenders.(forecasting housing development)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Inevitably, most MPs are second homeowners. The week in London is followed by a long weekend in the constituency, doing the surgery and house calls. Although I love this, I am not unaware of the issue of second homes when there is such a...

Blaze raises safety fear.(oil terminal explosiion being investigated by Health and Safety Executive )
May 4, 2007... The aftermath of the Buncefield oil terminal explosion is likely to have a major bearing on the shape of future policy for the location of all hazardous installations, maintains Huw Morris. The first explosion happened just after 6am on a...

Key Edinburgh site gets science centre.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A prominent Edinburgh city centre site is finally to be developed after news emerged that work will soon start on a science centre. The pounds 5 million scheme on an empty yard in Market Street will also include a neighbouring warehouse and...

Capital lobby group set up.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Lobbyists fighting a number of proposed developments in the capital have united to form a new protest group. The Edinburgh At Risk Campaign includes opponents of the plan to replace Meadowbank Stadium, the proposed expansion of the city's...

Housing sector calls to double new builds.(Homes for Scotland)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Scotland's newly elected parliament is being urged to help double the number of new homes built over the next decade. The call comes from house building industry body Homes for Scotland, which plans to lobby the Scottish Executive on the...

Planning stats.(public expenditure on urban planning)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Pounds 68 billion The amount of money by which Crossrail could boost the economy of London, according to latest research by Colin Buchanan and Volterra Consulting. The previous estimate was pounds 30 billion - 38,000: The record number...

Online now..
May 4, 2007... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk for Review of masterplan for Ponteland near Newcastle Interview with Institute for Public Policy Research centre for cities director Dermot Finch Join the online debates for Do permitted development rights apply to...

JMP favours forest buses.
May 4, 2007... Transport planning firm JMP has recommended schemes to encourage people visiting the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire by car to switch to other modes. An 'experience bus' running on selected summer weekends from nearby towns is key to the...

London sets strategy aim.(Alan Baxter and Associates contracts with Transport for London )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Alan Baxter and Associates has been chosen by Design for London and Transport for London to draw up the city's public realm strategy. The firm will seek to build on initiatives to improve public spaces, supported by Demos, GVA Grimley, LDA...

Guide to help Huyton work.
May 4, 2007... A development guide for the North Huyton area has been adopted by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The document, developed by Building Design Partnership's Liverpool team, is the first to be produced under Knowsley's local...

Wind scheme picks adviser.
May 4, 2007... Terence O'Rourke is advising renewables company Novera Energy on plans for a pounds 26.5 million wind farm on a former RAF airfield near Lissett in Yorkshire. The planning practice provided a team of planners, environmental impact...

CSJ boosts team to meet major demand.
May 4, 2007... CSJ Planning has expanded its senior professional team to help its growing workload on a number of major West Country projects. The planning practice, which operates from Bristol and Birmingham, has recruited Chris Rose and Rebecca Winter...

Steer Davies Gleave to look at alternatives for road upgrade.
May 4, 2007... A council promoting a road upgrade and environmentalists fighting its plans have jointly commissioned Steer Davies Gleave to study public transport alternatives. Buckinghamshire County Council and South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth...

Plan updated for Bradford.(to revitalise the park and lake )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The final designs for a park and lake to revitalise the centre of Bradford have been revealed following a six-week consultation. The scheme, designed by Gillespies, features a 'mirror pool' with a causeway as a centrepiece, green spaces...

Olympic park faces battle.(Lily Smith and Mary and Julia Reilly )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A Gypsy and two travellers have argued in the High Court that they are being forced from their homes unnecessarily to make way for London's Olympic Park. Lily Smith has lived at the Clays Lane site for 22 years and Mary and Julia Reilly...

Brewery site rejuvenated.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The area of Edinburgh where Sir Sean Connery grew up is being rebranded as part of a major redevelopment. Grosvenor, AMA and the Royal Bank of Scotland's scheme for the former Scottish & Newcastle brewery site in Fountainbridge will be...

Stadium plaza project planned for derby.
May 4, 2007... Proposals for a pounds 20 million development around Pride Park have been unveiled by Derby County Football Club. The plaza scheme features a hotel, offices, bars and restaurants. Two squares and a road would be named after Rams legends Brian...

MP voices fear over Longbridge scheme.
May 4, 2007... The regeneration of the former Rover site at Longbridge in Birmingham is being jeopardised by a move to scale down a planned transport interchange, according to the local MP. Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, has accused...

Sussex road plan lodged.
May 4, 2007... A planning application for an pounds 89 million road linking Bexhill and Hastings was submitted last week. The 5.5km scheme is proposed by East Sussex County Council, which claims that the route will create easier access to jobs,...

London sees cycling boom.
May 4, 2007... Record investment in cycling has boosted the number of cyclists in London by 83 per cent since 2000, mayor Ken Livingstone said this week. He announced the figures to launch a television campaign urging more Londoners to use bikes this...

Rail network gets greener.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Plans to make the UK rail network greener were revealed by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) this week. Biofuels will be trialled on diesel trains and regenerative braking will be rolled out across electric fleets to...

Bolton toll claim denied.(Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... North West council leaders have hit back at claims that they want to push through congestion charging plans without giving full details. Opposition Liberal Democrat and Conservative members at Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council backed a...

Crossrail bill set for autumn completion.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The parliamentary process for the Crossrail bill should be complete by November this year, transport minister Tom Harris said last week. The select committee will have to consider any petitions submitted against plans for a station at...

Authorities issue warning over Heathrow growth consultation.
May 4, 2007... Local authorities near Heathrow have warned the government not to rush plans to expand the airport. A group of local authorities said government plans for a three-month consultation on an expanded Heathrow would be too much at once. The...

Wales asked to back wind.
May 4, 2007... The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) urged Welsh political candidates to recognise the economic value of renewable energy ahead of this week's local elections. The association claims that Welsh political leaders are neglecting the...

Energy tool goes online.(landlords can monitor energy use and carbon emission from their buildings through online service)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Property landlords will be able to monitor their buildings' energy use and carbon emissions through an online service launched this week. The landlord's energy statement aims to get landlords to review energy use and emissions from...

Ruling set to close quarry.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The Planning Inspectorate has upheld a Peak District National Park Authority stop notice on Backdale Quarry. Operator MMC Processing had permission to excavate fluorspar. But the inspector confirmed that the 91:1 ratio of limestone to...

Wave project wins funding.(tidal power plants)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Plans to build the world's largest wave farm off the coast of Cornwall moved a step closer this week. The South West of England Regional Development Agency approved pounds 21.5 million to fund the Wave Hub scheme, involving a 'socket' on...

Assembly calls for Gwynt y Mor inquiry.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Welsh assembly chiefs have pressed the UK government to hold an inquiry into plans for a large wind farm off the north Wales coast. Assembly leader Rhodri Morgan said a full public inquiry is needed into energy firm npower renewables'...

Local government body urges major effort to reduce landfill.
May 4, 2007... Bold moves are needed to cut waste and avoid running out of landfill space, the Local Government Association (LGA) warned this week. The LGA said that landfill space will run out within nine years unless recycling rates are boosted. Figures...

Agenda.
May 4, 2007... 9 May: Manual for Streets - Transforming Streets, Creating Communities. Organiser Institution of Highways and Transportation. Venue Newcastle. Fee pounds 225 + VAT. Details (email) conferences@iht.org 17 May: Getting the Most Out of Places...

Cardiff berated for house building cut.
May 4, 2007... Cardiff County Council has been attacked for proposing a cut in annual house building rates despite planning to provide the bulk of new jobs in south-east Wales. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) urged a rethink and called on the parties...

Reading plan faces attack.(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment warned Sackville Developments )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The company behind a mixed-use scheme in Reading has been attacked by the government's design watchdog for not taking its advice. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) said it has told Sackville Developments twice...

Talks set for Liverpool ground.(increasing capacity of Liverpool Football Club )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Council bosses were due to meet the new US owners of Liverpool Football Club this week to discuss ways in which the capacity of the club's proposed stadium could be increased. Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley told Planning that...

Birmingham sets up city climate team.
May 4, 2007... A sustainability and climate change team is being created at Birmingham City Council, after plans were approved this week. A team of seven, headed by former strategic regional adviser Sandy Taylor, will work across all areas of the council...