Planning (UK) articles from May 2008

Planning (UK) archives from May 2008

Planning in the media.
May 2, 2008... It was only a matter of time before the credit crunch and the start of a nasty economic downturn would impact on the planning sector. According to The Guardian, the number of mortgage approvals during March was 46 per cent lower than a year...

Diary.(Diary entry)
May 2, 2008... A colourful squad of 1980s throwback fitness instructors graced the streets of London last week to encourage people to walk all or at least part of their journey to work. The team, organised by charity Living Streets to celebrate Walk to...

Appointment at Baker Associates.
May 2, 2008... Mark Russell has been appointed an associate at Baker Associates in Bristol. He joins from West Wiltshire District Council, where he was planning policy and conservation manager

Appointment at Delft University of Technology.
May 2, 2008... Vincent Nadin has been appointed professor of spatial planning and strategy at Delft University of Technology. He was previously professor of town and country planning at the University of the West of England

Appointment at CB Richard Ellis.
May 2, 2008... CB Richard Ellis has taken on Jamie Fox as a director. He joins from Atisreal, where he spent eight years with the development consulting department. Pippa Aitken has been promoted to executive director, Ian Anderson to senior director and...

Appointment at Bennett Urban Planning.
May 2, 2008... Peter Davis has joined Bennett Urban Planning as an associate director from Kent County Council, where he was regeneration and projects manager

Appointment at Maze Planning.
May 2, 2008... Chris Watts has set up his own planning consultancy, Maze Planning He formerly worked at Renaissance Bedford, the local delivery vehicle for the Bedford and Marston Vale growth area.

Appointment at Crest Nicholson.
May 2, 2008... Chartered town planner Tim Beale has been promoted from development director to managing director at the Midlands division of house builder Crest Nicholson

Appointment at Steer Davies Gleave.
May 2, 2008... John Hocking has joined Steer Davies Gleave's London office as a senior consultant. Clare Neal has also been made senior consultant and the Leeds office has taken on Vicky Spencer as an assistant consultant

Appointment at Osborne Clarke.
May 2, 2008... Lawyer Ashley Heath has left West Berkshire Council for the Bristol office of Osborne Clarke's national planning team

Preparing the evidence for job evaluation challenges.
May 2, 2008... Where members believe that the process has been misapplied they should appeal, says Chris Sheridan. The current spate of job evaluations in the public sector is pushing down some planners' salaries. Evidence suggests that cuts range from...

Northern Ireland branch calls for immediate planning service changes.
May 2, 2008... Interim measures are needed to deal with current problems before the planning function is transferred wholly or in part to local authorities, according to the RTPI Ireland Northern Section in response to the announcement of a government review...

Events.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... - Planning for Administrators - 15 May. RTPI South East Oxford. This administrative staff training day is intended to give a grounding in the planning system with a round-up of its structure, policy planning and development control and...

Marrying local and national strategy.(Wales Spatial Plan)
May 2, 2008... Consultation on the Wales Spatial Plan update has revealed a dearth of figures that could make local delivery difficult, argues Roisin Willmott. The Wales Spatial Plan (WSP) People, Places, Futures aspires to be a document that is...

Forum focuses on regenerative retail roles.(Viewpoint essay)
May 2, 2008... Tracking changes in the shopping experience is vital if planners are to build an understanding of future needs, George Nicholson maintains. As chairman of the Greater London Council planning committee in the mid 1980s, I toured most of the...

Networks join to celebrate planners' contribution to better communities.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Network Awards )
May 2, 2008... The winning projects in the first ever Network Awards were chosen by the national steering group for their outstanding planning achievements in improving the environment for local people, reports Nicola Gough. A scheme that harnesses...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Weekend use accepted at firearms centre.
May 2, 2008... The North Wales Police Authority has won permission to use a Denbighshire firearms training centre on weekends and public holidays after a ruling that it would not disturb residential amenity. The police authority did not itself intend to...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Motorcycle testing judged amenity threat.
May 2, 2008... The change of use of a showroom for MoT testing of motorbikes in Berkshire has been declared unjustified because of the likely impact on the amenity of local residents. The property's ground floor was used as a motorbike showroom and sales...

DC Casebook: Boarding kennels rejected in green belt.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... A proposal for dog and cat accommodation in the West Yorkshire green belt has been refused on the grounds that it would involve inappropriate development and undermine the area's openness. The scheme involved expansion of a well-established...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Flats held no threat to supply policies.
May 2, 2008... McCarthy & Stone has won approval for 45 sheltered apartments in Greater Manchester after an inspector agreed that there was a local need and the scheme would not jeopardise council policies to control housing supply. The 0.26ha site...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Parish overruled on design preference.
May 2, 2008... An inspector has allowed a home next to a Herefordshire village hall after finding that it would not conflict with the area's character or appearance, neighbours' living conditions or principles of community involvement. The site was part...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Replacement home allowed to proceed.
May 2, 2008... Permission has been granted for a significantly larger replacement dwelling in rural north Wales, following a ruling that the site's planning history constituted an important material consideration. The council granted permission for...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Obligation flaws stymie flats for elderly.
May 2, 2008... McCarthy & Stone has been refused planning permission for 44 apartments for the elderly in Swindon after an inspector ruled that planning obligations were defective. Two obligations had been submitted. The first required financial...

DC Casebook: Housing: New Build - Flood risk outweighed by housing need.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Following a call-in inquiry, the secretary of state has agreed that a 74-flat affordable housing project in Berkshire should be approved because it passed the sequential and exception tests in PPS25. Around one-third of the site fell in...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Order to remove bathroom fittings upheld.
May 2, 2008... In upholding an enforcement notice requiring the owner of office units in east London to stop renting them out as flats, an inspector has concluded that a requirement to remove all of the fixtures and fittings associated with the unauthorised...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Affordable homes viability claim agreed.
May 2, 2008... Planning permission and conservation area consent have been given for the redevelopment of an operational police station and vacant magistrates' court because it would help retain an historically important part of a Surrey town. The main...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Conservatory ruled out in tenement area.
May 2, 2008... A proposal for a conservatory at the rear of a tenement building in an Edinburgh conservation area has been turned down following a reporter's ruling that it would adversely affect the historic character of the locality. The proposal...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Private access avoids highway definition.
May 2, 2008... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of 1.8m-high gates at the entrance to a Surrey housing estate has been quashed after an inspector held that no breach of planning control had occurred. The appellants argued that the gates were...

DC Casebook: Leisure and Entertainment - Manager's home refused at holiday site.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Plans to station a large caravan at a camping and caravan park in the Lake District for an on-site manager have been rejected on the grounds that adequate accommodation is already available. The site contained 82 chalet-style...

DC Casebook: Leisure and Entertainment - Private polo pitch accepted in green belt.
May 2, 2008... The construction of a polo pitch on agricultural land in the Berkshire green belt has been approved after an inspector concluded that it would not undermine the openness of the area. The scheme involved using the land for private polo...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Minimum size specified for warehouse.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... An inspector has granted permission for retail warehouse units in Lincolnshire after concluding that the proposal raised no conflict with relevant planning policies. Permission had previously been granted for a 1,600m2 retail warehouse on...

DC Casebook: Next week.
May 2, 2008... - University contribution held significant The secretary of state has allowed 238 dwellings in High Wycombe after finding their contribution to affordable housing and the growth of Buckinghamshire New University important benefits. DCS...

DC Casebook: In depth - Council intransigence on office design results in award of costs.
May 2, 2008... An inspector has granted conservation area consent and planning permission for the redevelopment of a former cinema in a Hertfordshire town with a three-storey office building, finding that it would enhance the area, and awarded costs against...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Polytunnels refused on landscape harm.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... The secretary of state has backed an inspector's recommendation to refuse permission to retain 35ha of polytunnels in Herefordshire and uphold an enforcement notice against equipment used to grow soft fruit after ruling that landscape harm...

DC Casebook: Community Facilities - Alcohol sales halted by nuisance fears.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... In rejecting an appeal for permission for sale of alcoholic drinks at a north London social club, an inspector has placed considerable weight on its likely impact on crime and disorder. The council had granted permission for the club in...

DC Casebook: Housing new build - Country house deemed local asset.
May 2, 2008... A small country house has been allowed in a remote part of the Sussex Downs area of outstanding natural beauty following a ruling that it would not harm the character and appearance of the surrounding landscape. The inspector noted that...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Caravans held out of character by lake.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... An enforcement notice requiring the cessation of the use of land associated with a recreational fishing lake in Suffolk as a camping and caravan site has been upheld because of its adverse effect on the area's character. The site featured...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Extra racing noise judged unacceptable.
May 2, 2008... An inspector has refused to allow the intensification of use of a kart racing circuit in Huntingdonshire, ruling that it would result in unacceptable noise and disturbance for neighbours and harm highway safety. Use of the track dated from...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
May 2, 2008... NEW QUERIES In my authority we have received conflicting appeal decisions on the application of thresholds above which affordable housing should be required. When the current PPS3 came in we sought government office advice, which was that...

How we did it ... Moving back to drawing board ensures home win.
May 2, 2008... Project: To secure a landmark planning permission for Bovis Homes on the redevelopment of North Field in Filton, South Gloucestershire. Background: Barton Willmore was responsible for redrafting the design and access statement after the...

The things I know.(Interview)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Rose Mcarthur, Associate, Colin Buchanan - What skills did you have when you graduated? My degree in human geography got me fascinated in how humans interact with their surroundings and what impact our behaviour has on shaping our...

Keeping the faith.
May 2, 2008... Places of worship can help build a community spirit in new settlements but a co-ordinated approach is essential to ensure that the needs of all groups are met, says Ben Kochan. In the traditional village, the church provides a physical and...

Ghetto's green goddess.(Olympic torch relay)
May 2, 2008... Standing up against injustice comes naturally to Majora Carter in her quest to empower a New York City community that has been sidelined for far too long, Huw Morris discovers. A fortnight ago, Majora Carter joined the Olympic torch relay...

House building slowdown points to flawed government idealism.
May 2, 2008... Maybe, just maybe, the past fortnight saw the chickens at last come home to roost for Gordon Brown's premiership. This is a politician who has done more than most to break the planning system so it is with a degree of Schadenfreude that...

Fyson on ... the refusal of the Western Isles wind farm.
May 2, 2008... The refusal of the Western Isles wind farm and the optimisation of renewable sources of energy. The Scottish Government's decision to reject the proposed wind farm on the Isle of Lewis leaves renewable energy policy still floundering in...

Legal Report.
May 2, 2008... Ministers take strong line in lifetime home initiative. Tackling the challenges presented by an ageing population and in particular the need to ensure that elderly people have access to good-quality flexible housing is now high on the...

Gummer on ... going green in name of profit.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Some planners are falling behind the market in the demands that they are making of developers. These days, when demand for commercial space has fallen so dramatically, the buyer is king. They can therefore be more demanding about...

Energy blown off target.
May 2, 2008... Future prospects for renewable energy development are back in the melting pot following rejection of plans for a massive farm in the Outer Hebrides, reports Domenic Donatantonio. The Scottish Government is being warned that it faces a race...

Lewis wave energy scheme submitted.
May 2, 2008... A planning application was lodged last week for a wave power plant that may be the first to operate under the Scottish Government's marine supply obligation (MSO). The project, in Siadar Bay on Lewis, would generate up to 4MW of...

Applications target reset.
May 2, 2008... Historic Scotland has been set a new target of dealing with 70 per cent of planning applications within 14 days this year, rising to 90 per cent in 2009-10. The agency currently exceeds the target of clearing 97 per cent of all listed...

Waterfront revamp puts focus on tower.
May 2, 2008... Designs have been unveiled for a waterfront development in Inverness that could feature the tallest building in the Highlands. The proposals for a 1.6ha brownfield site in South Kessock, one of the most deprived communities in Scotland,...

Online now.
May 2, 2008... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for how websites can be used to reach different interest groups such as investors and the public Also online Interview with Liverpool Community Justice Centre acting manager Joan Porter Second Opinion on...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... pounds 150m - The cost of Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich's proposed eight-bedroom home in Knightsbridge, London. 29,077 - Number of planning application decisions made in Northern Ireland in 2006-07, according to statistics...

Firms assess old rig works.
May 2, 2008... Consultancies Halcrow and Mackay are preparing a development masterplan for the disused Nigg oil rig fabrication yard near Inverness. The blueprint, being produced for Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), will look...

Plans lodged in Maidstone.(White Young Green)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... White Young Green (WYG) has lodged an application for a large mixed-use development in Maidstone town centre, including a 100 per cent affordable housing element. Landowner Kilmerlin Danesmount Maidstone Ltd intends to build a five-storey...

QinetiQ wins coast appeal.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... GVA Grimley has helped QinetiQ secure approval on appeal for a mixed-use project on the Weymouth coast. A public inquiry followed Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's refusal to approve the 15,000m2 development on the former Bincleaves...

Skyscraper review has economic remit.
May 2, 2008... Colin Buchanan has been appointed to conduct research into tall buildings' economic and environmental impacts. The consultancy was commissioned by the British Property Federation (BPF), British Land and Land Securities to carry out the...

Lawyers selected to advise on key Croydon renewal initiative.
May 2, 2008... Law firm Dickinson Dees has been appointed by the London Borough of Croydon to advise on the pounds 70 million urban regeneration of New Addington town centre. The council will draw on the firm's procurement, legal, social housing,...

Quay scheme nets backing.
May 2, 2008... Planners in Dorset have given the green light for a pounds 30 million tourism and leisure development scheme. Regeneration company Sutton Harbour Group plans to start work on the 3ha site at Osprey Quay in Portland this summer and complete...

Flintshire bid gets consent.(Ffordd Llanarth Neighbourhood Centre )(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... A pounds 13 million project that is designed to regenerate a rundown site in Flintshire has received outline planning consent. The scheme developed by St Modwen is for the demolition and rebuilding of Ffordd Llanarth Neighbourhood Centre in...

Awards seek best practice.
May 2, 2008... The British Urban Regeneration Association is inviting firms to submit entries for this year's awards for best practice in regeneration. The awards seek projects that make a positive economic contribution to their areas in terms of jobs,...

City permits mixed plans.
May 2, 2008... Birmingham City Council has granted permission for a pounds 45 million mixed-use scheme in the heart of the city's Chinatown. The development will include 191 residential apartments, a 210-bedroom hotel, a restaurant and 2,300m2 of...

Belfast's north side framework set out.(Northern Ireland's Department for Social Development)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... A regeneration framework for a key area of Belfast has been launched by Northern Ireland's Department for Social Development (DSD). The department hopes that the north side framework will create 800 homes, 20 per cent of which will be...

Danish firm wins sheffield library approval.
May 2, 2008... Danish architects have secured planning permission for a Scandinavian-style library earmarked to kick-start north Sheffield's regeneration. Schmidt hammer lassen designed the two-and-a-half storey Library Learning Centre as part of the...

Emission cut target at risk.(Yorkshire and Humber )(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Yorkshire and Humber is set to miss its target for reducing carbon emissions from transport by 2021 unless it introduces radical measures, research by JMP has shown. A study for the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly reveals that...

Manchester evades toll bid withdrawal.(transport innovation fund)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... A motion from Tory councillors in Bolton to withdraw support for a road pricing scheme in Greater Manchester has been defeated. The Conservative members opposed the pounds 3 billion bid to the transport innovation fund (TIF) by the...

City settles terminal row.
May 2, 2008... Expansion plans for Carlisle Airport have been approved after Carlisle City Council and the airport owner resolved their differences. Stobart Air, which owns the airport and proposes to build a freight terminal, new runway and air traffic...

Foot and bike cash pushed.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... A coalition of planning, transport and health bodies has called on candidates in local elections to invest one-tenth of transport budgets in walking and cycling initiatives. Sustainable transport charity Sustrans has joined 69 other...

High Court rejects New Forest's challenge on airport procedure.
May 2, 2008... The High Court has rejected a bid by the New Forest National Park Authority to challenge the handling of the application to redevelop Bournemouth Airport. Following approval from both Christchurch Borough Council and the Government Office...

Flight carbon audit sought.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Council leaders have urged an audit of government aviation emission forecasts after US estimates suggested a doubling over 20 years. The DfT recently downgraded its estimate for the UK to 60.3 million tonnes by 2050. But figures obtained by...

Sewerage upgrade set to stall renewal.
May 2, 2008... A pounds 200 million waterfront regeneration scheme in Llanelli could face big delays after it emerged that the town's sewerage network needs a major upgrade. The Environment Agency Wales is recommending that new developments in the 40ha...

Water plans go to public.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Water companies in England and Wales will be seeking comments on proposals for ensuring that water supplies are sustainable over the next 25 years. The firms have produced water resource plans for nearly ten years but this is the first...

Air pollutant fall observed.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Levels of some air pollutants have fallen over the past 15 years, latest government figures have revealed. DEFRA statistics show that the amount of airborne particulates in urban areas was lower last year than in 1993, at 22 micrograms per...

Hart asks court to quash home scheme near protected habitat.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Hart District Council has urged the High Court to overturn government approval for 170 homes near a special protection area (SPA). The case, which went before Mr Justice Sullivan last week, arose from a row over development near the Thames...

Paving limits under attack.(British Property Federation )(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... The British Property Federation (BPF) has criticised a call to restrict householders and business owners from paving over surfaces in areas of high flood risk. The body has written to Sir Michael Pitt, who is conducting a review into last...

Exemplar town approved.
May 2, 2008... South Hams District Council has given the green light for a major urban extension to Plymouth that is being held up as a prime example of urban design. The council last week approved developer Red Tree's plans for Sherford, which will...

West Cornwall hit by major rise in temporarily housed families.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Parts of west Cornwall have experienced a huge increase in the number of families living in temporary accommodation, it has emerged. In the area covered by Penwith District Council, the total rose from eight in 1997 to 245 last year,...

Advice given for heritage.(English Heritage )(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... English Heritage has set out key principles for managing change in the historic environment in the 21st century. Its approach centres on six high-level principles. These include enabling everyone to participate in sustaining heritage and...

Agenda.
May 2, 2008... 14 May: Miscellany of Planning Law Organiser: RTPI North East Venue: Newcastle Fee: pounds 99 Details: northeast@rtpi.org.uk 14 May: Development Control Organiser: RTPI Yorkshire Venue: York Fee: pounds 15-pounds 95 + VAT...

House builders flag planning slowdown.
May 2, 2008... House builders are withdrawing planning applications for developments in the wake of the recent housing market squeeze, according to a housing consultant. House Builders Association policy adviser Roger Humber told Planning that six firms...

City reviews opera option.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... Communities secretary Hazel Blears is backing talks between Manchester City Council and the Royal Opera House over a pounds 250 million venue to help regeneration. A council spokeswoman confirmed that it is in discussions that would 'open...

Hackney chief quits in service shake-up.(London Borough of Hackney)(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... The London Borough of Hackney's acting head of planning Chris Berry has left the council amid an overhaul of the department. Although the service is being restructured, no-one at the council was able to expand on what changes this will...

On-site renewable energy given a boost.
May 2, 2008... On-site renewable energy would be given a boost under an amendment to the Energy Bill that would allow residents to be paid for excess electricity they generate. The amendment, on which MPs were due to vote as Planning went to press this...

Commons select committee launches inquiry.(Brief article)
May 2, 2008... The Commons environment, food and rural affairs select committee has launched an inquiry into whether the government should legislate to provide continuous access to England's coastline. The MPs have called for evidence on the draft marine...