Planning (UK) articles from September 2004

Planning (UK) archives from September 2004

Agenda.(Calendar)
September 3, 2004... DIARY TO 17 SEPTEMBER 13-14 September: Writing Proofs of Evidence and Giving Expert Evidence. Organiser: Professional Solutions. Venue: Birmingham. Fee: pounds 220-pounds 245 + VAT. Details: (tel) 0800 195 0951. 13-19 September: Urban...

Diary: Artist discovers nobility in new towns.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... New towns such as Milton Keynes are 'visionary and utopian', according to an exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery. The exhibition features aerial perspectives of artist Paul Noble's fictional city, Nobson Newtown. His work, which he...

Diary: Local knowledge shown to be patchy.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Would you mistake Covent Garden for Italy or Richmond for the Amazon? Research shows that when it comes to recognising hot spots in their own capital, the British are geographically challenged. Visit London commissioned a series of...

Diary: Charity to showcase capital's gems.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Many of London's finest buildings are opening their doors to the public on 18 and 19 September. Organised by charity London Open House (LOH), the event will turn the city into a 'living architectural exhibition'. Supported by the Planning...

Moves: Conservation Studio employs Buick.(Correction Notice)
September 3, 2004... Moves must have been suffering from the heat a couple of weeks ago when we mistakenly said that Neil Buick had joined the Conservative Studio as a senior associate (Planning, 20 August, p48). He has in fact joined the Conservation Studio....

Moves: Appointment at AERC Ltd.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Allan Shaw has been appointed as a senior adviser in the planning and environmental impact assessment group at AERC Ltd in Colchester. He moves from Mid Suffolk District Council, where he was an area planning officer, and has worked in planning...

Moves: Appointment at Rapleys.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Jonathan Vose has joined Rapleys as a town planner in the firm's Manchester office. He moves from Development Planning Partnership in Manchester, where he had worked since graduating in 2002. Nathalie Strood has joined as a graduate planner in...

Moves: Appointment at Peter Brett Associates.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Mike Rigby has joined Peter Brett Associates as an associate in the company's Taunton office. He has held a number of senior positions in the waste management industry, including a stint as a regional planning and property manager with SITA.

Moves: Consultancy launch - Planning Connections.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Keith Manning has launched a consultancy, Planning Connections. He moves from Susan Hughes Planning, which he joined from WS Atkins last year. Manning previously worked as a planning director for Lambert Smith Hampton.

Moves: Retirement - Suffolk County Council.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Don Ayre is to retire after 26 years with Suffolk County Council, initially as assistant county planning officer rising to assistant director of policy and regeneration. Ayre also worked for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire County Councils.

Moves: Appointment at Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Jane Rennie has been appointed as an associate by Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design. She previously worked for Rolfe Judd Planning. Claire Whitehead has been promoted to associate.

Moves: Appointment at King Sturge.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Andrew Penna has joined King Sturge as a partner in the firm's Bristol office. He has previously worked for Lennon Planning, Mason Richards and Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Moves: Appointment at Aedas.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Nick Fairham has joined Aedas's London office to lead its health care work in the South East. Fairham joins from Frederick Gibberd Partnership, where he was responsible for a number of health projects. Norman Barr has joined the company's...

Moves: Appointment at Freethcartwright LLP Solicitors.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Mark Flatman has joined the East Midlands planning team at Freethcartwright LLP Solicitors in Nottingham as principal planning manager. Flatman was formerly an associate with RPS and has also spent 15 years working for a number of national...

Moves: Appointment at FPD Savills.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Paul Brighton has joined FPD Savills in Cambridge as a planning director. He has more than 15 years' experience in promoting major development projects in previous senior posts at Barton Wilmore, Border Biofuels Ltd and Wilks Head & Eve. Mark...

RTPI News: Barker: the jury is out.(Royal Town Planning Institute )
September 3, 2004... The potential effects of the Barker review of affordable housing was examined at a seminar. Mick McLoughlin reports How the planning system's contribution to affordable housing might perform under the proposals floated by Kate Barker in her...

RTPI News: CPD Update.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(community planning and development)
September 3, 2004... CPD certificates and accreditation Each month enquiries from members and CPD providers demonstrate confusion over CPD accreditation and CPD certificates, says Christina Hirst Many CPD providers, including conference organisers, issue...

RTPI News: Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
September 3, 2004... URBAN DESIGN WEEK 2004 - Creating successful communities Urban Design Week will take place from 13 to 19 September, with the theme of creating successful communities. Organised by the Urban Design Alliance (UDAL), the week incorporates...

RTPI News: Letter from Bulgaria: the planning reforms achieved since the 1980s.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
September 3, 2004... The efforts to uphold the values of the planning profession can prevent repetition of mistakes, says Vesselina Troeva Bulgaria covers an area of around 110,000 sq km with a great variety of cultural and natural landscapes. Its recent...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
September 3, 2004... 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: Change of use ruling blocks coffee shop in listed building.
September 3, 2004... The Starbucks Coffee Company has failed to overturn an enforcement notice alleging that it was using premises in south-east London as a shop and hot food takeaway, with an inspector rejecting the company's argument that no material change of...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial. Change of use rejected due to employment failings.
September 3, 2004... The change of use of manufacturing and distribution premises in a Berkshire town to offices has been rejected after an inspector determined that it would fail to ensure an adequate supply of buildings to meet a range of employment uses. ...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial. Office scheme judged prejudicial to masterplan.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A proposal for offices alongside a canal in Greater Manchester has been ruled unacceptable after an inspector placed significant weight on emerging planning policies that sought a comprehensive approach to the redevelopment of the area. ...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Commercial and industrial. Showroom justified by very special circumstances.
September 3, 2004... A replacement boatyard showroom in the metropolitan green belt in Surrey has been backed by an inspector who decided that very special circumstances justified permission. However, he rejected a further appeal that sought permission for the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Community facilities. University expansion frustrated by design flaws.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Cardiff University has failed in an attempt to build an optometry and vision science department after an inspector agreed with the council that it would result in a large and mundane addition to the city. The site formed part of an...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Community Facilities. Car-free student housing expansion approved.
September 3, 2004... A scheme involving the provision of additional student accommodation at a hall of residence in Coventry has been approved with the loss of a significant proportion of car parking spaces. The proposal would increase the number of students...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Food and drink uses. Enforcement quashed after change of use ruling.
September 3, 2004... An enforcement notice alleging that premises in north London were being used as a banqueting hall, which the council claimed fell within class D2 of the Use Classes Order, has been quashed after an inspector decided that no material change of...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Gypsies and travellers. Gypsy site retention ruled harmful to local amenity.
September 3, 2004... The retention of a Gypsy caravan site in a small Bedfordshire hamlet has been rejected by an inspector who decided that it was harmful to the character of the area and the amenity of local residents. The site had been subject to previous...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Gypsies and travellers. Undisputed need agreed for greenfield quarters.
September 3, 2004... The use of a greenfield site in Cambridgeshire as travelling showpeople's quarters has been allowed after an inspector agreed that there was an undisputed need for such accommodation. In arriving at his conclusion, he noted that the appellant...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build. Access track judged to be permitted development.
September 3, 2004... Enforcement action taken against an access track serving a house in Cornwall has been quashed after an inspector ruled that it was permitted development. The site comprised a large area of open, steeply sloping land featuring a roughly...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build. Clay reserves considered not worth safeguarding.
September 3, 2004... The redevelopment of a disused brickworks in West Sussex with two dwellings has been rejected by an inspector who ruled that it would damage the character and appearance of the countryside. The inspector agreed that clay reserves on the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build. Apartment block schemes fail urban design test.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Two appeals involving the development of between 160 and 200 flats in blocks of between four and 11 storeys on a cleared site in north London have been judged to involve an excessive amount of building that would relate poorly to the local...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: New build. Traditional design approach deemed legitimate.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An appeal for retirement apartments in Southport has been allowed after an inspector agreed that the traditional design approach adopted was entirely legitimate. The site lay along one of the main routes into the town centre in an area...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: new build. Housing approved despite employment site loss.
September 3, 2004... A proposal to build housing and student accommodation in Birmingham has been granted permission after an inspector agreed with the appellants that the loss of an employment site would not materially affect the local economy. The site lay...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: Conversion. Multiple-occupancy dwelling passes crime test.
September 3, 2004... The change of use of an old people's home in Lincolnshire to a multiple-occupancy dwelling has been allowed because it would not harm highway safety or the living conditions of neighbours and would not give rise to crime or the fear of crime....

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: Conversion. Dwellinghouse status refused for basement caravan.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An appeal seeking confirmation that the use of a basement in the curtilage of a house in Hertfordshire as a separate dwellinghouse would be lawful has been rejected. The case centred on whether the occupation of a caravan in the basement...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Housing: Conversion. Council pays costs after enforcement notice failure.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An enforcement notice directed against the use of an extended garage in the garden of a house in Oxfordshire as a dwellinghouse has been quashed, with costs awarded to the appellant. The council had granted planning permission for a...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder development. Extension exceeds permitted development limits.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A certificate of lawfulness for an extension to a semi-detached dwelling in Dorset has been refused after an inspector ruled that it was not permitted development. The proposal entailed the demolition of an attached garage and store and...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder development. Garage secures lawful development certificate.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A lawful development certificate (LDC) has been issued to confirm that an extension to a dwellinghouse in Essex is permitted under class A, part 1, schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) 1995. The inspector rejected...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Householder development. Cottage extension denied despite family's needs.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An extension to a grade II listed medieval cottage in Cambridgeshire has been rejected on the grounds that it would be an unsympathetic addition to the building. The inspector noted that the 16th century building had remained largely...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Leisure and entertainment. Equipment storage container allowed at cadet base.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A steel storage container has been approved at an air cadet base in Hertfordshire after an inspector agreed that it was necessary for the squadron to store equipment for camping and training exercises. Its limited impact on the character of the...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use developments. Petrol station design praised despite appeal refusal.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The design of a proposed Texaco petrol filling station in north London that included homes above the forecourt shop has been praised by an inspector because of its positive townscape contribution. But she dismissed the appeal because it would...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use developments. Supermarket deemed appropriate in local centre.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Tesco Stores Ltd has secured permission for a 278 sq m supermarket and two dwellings in a 1,332 sq m West Midlands shopping centre after an inspector ruled that its size and scale were appropriate. The inspector agreed that the Tesco...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Mixed use developments. Flats and surgery extension allowed with costs.(Redrow Homes (Southern) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Redrow Homes (Southern) Ltd has secured permission to build 23 flats and an extension to a doctor's surgery on the site of a public house in Buckinghamshire, with an inspector awarding the company costs because of the council's failure to...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Retail development. Shop fascia rejected as dominant and intrusive.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An enforcement notice requiring the removal of a shopfront in Truro has been upheld after an inspector agreed that it adversely affected a conservation area and the setting of the city's grade I listed cathedral. The premises formed part...

Casebook: Appeal cases - Waste management. Waste transfer station preferred to scrapyard use.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The change of use of a scrapyard in the West Midlands to a waste transfer station has been allowed after its visual impact was deemed acceptable and no increase in the level of noise and dust generated was established. The proposal...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.(Decision letters)(Brief Article)
September 3, 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...

Notebook: Think big to secure success.
September 3, 2004... The UK could learn a good deal from the USA on how to pull off major projects and develop car-friendly urban areas. Cliff Hague reports from his latest trip We are here in the Mid West for our son's wedding and a bit of a holiday. Of...

Capital staff levels in crisis.
September 3, 2004... London is still suffering from severe problems in recruiting and retaining permanent planning staff. Huw Morris investigates So you think the planning delivery grant is solving the profession's recruitment and retention crisis? In London,...

Soft fruit creates quandary.
September 3, 2004... Residents and growers are at loggerheads over a type of development for which the planning regulations seem as clear as mud, writes Vicky Redman Ten years ago the British strawberry season started in June and was over by the end of July....

Interview: Country campaigner.
September 3, 2004... Catherine Chater's interest in market towns has put her in a position to co-ordinate the 45 renewal projects currently transforming Carterton, reports Catherine Early As a former councillor for five Oxfordshire villages, Catherine Chater...

Editorial: Brave new world still waiting for take-off.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 3, 2004... If anybody wanted evidence of the false economy of not investing in planning, then take a look at this week's research into the recruitment and retention crisis overwhelming London. There has been a lot of idle chatter in the past year about...

Opinion: Fyson on ... why sustainable transport policy needs more cash.
September 3, 2004... Provisional statistics for 2003 from the latest national travel survey show that on average UK residents travelled around 11,000km during the year, an increase of six per cent on the journeys of ten years earlier. The average length of a...

Floods raise spectre of greatest risk to planet.
September 3, 2004... Flash flooding in the UK has highlighted the urgent need to fight global warming, writes Huw Morris It started suddenly. Dramatic storms caused an overflow of London's sewers, vomiting five million tons of raw sewage into the Thames and...

Halman on ... sad neglect of a scarce transport success story.
September 3, 2004... Deputy prime minister John Prescott made a huge play of the announcement in 2000 that the government was pledging its support for a major extension of Manchester's Metrolink light rail system, with further lines planned to serve the city-region...

Analysis: Appeals fall victim to timing.
September 3, 2004... Planning in Northern Ireland is now under scrutiny after appeal rights were rejected. David Dewar reports The quest to introduce third party rights of appeal (TPRA) into the UK planning system suffered a body blow last week. The Northern...

Business brief: Study commissioned for Northampton.(Scott Wilson Business Consultancy)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An economic, social and cultural scoping study of the economic climate and competitive advantages of Northampton has been commissioned from Scott Wilson Business Consultancy by Future Northampton, the economic theme group of the local strategic...

Business brief: Marlow FC commissions JMP Consulting for relocation advice.(Marlow Football Club)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Marlow Football Club has commissioned JMP Consulting to advise on its possible relocation. The Southern League club has outgrown its facilities at the Alfred Davis Ground, north of the town centre, where it has been based for the past 80 years....

Business brief: Faber Maunsell to carry out project for AEA Technology.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Faber Maunsell has been commissioned to carry out a project for AEA Technology on behalf of the Department for Transport's transport energy best practice programme. The scheme involves researching and developing a good practice guide on the...

Business brief: Major study of Watford to be carried out by BDP London's Urbanism Group.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A major study of Watford town centre and its adjoining areas is to be carried out by BDP London's Urbanism Group together with consultancies MVA and CB Richard Ellis. The companies, appointed by Watford Borough Council, will help the local...

Business brief: Electric car club service to be established at St George Wharf.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An electric car club service for residents at St George Wharf in central London is being established by developer St George. The Electric Green service, to be operated by Parking Partners, will offer electric cars for hire on a daily or hourly...

Business brief: Owen Williams Consultants wins five-year contract from Bedfordshire Police.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Owen Williams Consultants has won a five-year contract from Bedfordshire Police to provide the authority with property design and maintenance services. The company provides professional property services to more than ten per cent of police...

Business brief: Action plan commissioned for Robinstown area of Mullingar.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An area action plan for the Robinstown area of Mullingar in the Republic of Ireland has been commissioned from Colin Buchanan and Partners by Westmeath County Council. Covering an area totalling 500ha, the action plan will aim to help define...

Scottish News: Highland turbines light strategy row.
September 3, 2004... Renewed calls have been made for a national strategy on wind farms after Highland Council backed plans for 17 turbines in a national scenic area (NSA). Recommending approval of the development at Beinn Tharsuinn near Alness in Easter Ross,...

Scottish News: Activists reunite to battle Forth bridge.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Campaign groups have joined together to fight proposals for a second road bridge across the Firth of Forth. The ForthRight Alliance was originally launched in 1992 by 22 green and heritage groups, including Friends of the Earth Scotland,...

Scottish News: Capital seeks design for Old Town revamp.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Redevelopment plans for part of Edinburgh's Old Town, which was devastated by fire two years ago, are expected to be submitted to the city council early next year. Developers have been invited to submit proposals for the site in...

Transport News: Councils urged to back port proposals.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Scottish authorities should do all they can to bring about proposed container port developments at Scapa Flow and Hunterston, according to latest research. An analysis of the capacity for growth in the container and trans-shipment market,...

Transport News: Lobby seeks cutbacks in countryside's clutter.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Highway authorities should be more sensitive to the character of the countryside and avoid unnecessary clutter, campaigners demanded this week. In a challenge to highway authorities, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) argues that...

Transport News: Activists pick faults in Norwich bypass.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A proposed pounds 120 million bypass north of Norwich is unlikely to provide any real long-term benefits for the region, the scheme's opponents have claimed. The Norwich and Norfolk Transport Action Group commissioned consultant Alan...

Transport News: Campaigners press for rise in bike targets.(United Kingdom CTC)(National cyclists organisation)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Ambitious cycling targets should be set by local authorities to prevent the national cycling strategy from stalling, campaigners demanded last week. National cyclists' organisation CTC said the government should provide guidance for local...

Transport News: Skills council invites board submissions.(GoSkills)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... GoSkills, the skills council for the passenger transport sector, is calling on relevant bodies in the sector to join its stakeholder board. The GoSkills stakeholder board will oversee day-to-day skills matters on behalf of industries in the...

Tory alliance sets urban repair goal.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An urban network aimed at reversing the neglect of suburban neighbourhoods was launched by the Conservative Party this week. Shadow cabinet member Theresa May, who will oversee the work of the Conservative Urban Alliance (CUA), told...

Waterloo heads for return to past glory.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Development at Waterloo has the potential to return the area to its past glory, according to a report on the London district. The first stage of a development framework for the area was launched last week by a group of consultants,...

Guide issued for Craigavon development.(Northern Ireland Department of the Environment)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A framework to guide development in the Craigavon district was published by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment last week. The Craigavon Area Plan 2010 aims to reinforce the role of the urban area comprising Craigavon,...

Regeneration News brief: Jon Ladd appointed to advisory panel of CBN.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Jon Ladd has been appointed to the advisory panel of the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN). The British Urban Regeneration Association claims that the appointment of its chief executive underscores the association's commitment to developing...

Regeneration News brief: State-of-the-art skatepark opens in central Manchester.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A state-of-the-art skatepark in central Manchester was opened last week. The park, on London Road beneath the Mancunian Way, includes a series of pipes and flat banks set in a replica street environment, although it is located away from...

Regeneration News brief: Development in St Mary's Gate given planning permission.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A prominent residential and office development in St Mary's Gate has been granted planning permission by Sheffield City Council. Permission was originally granted for the city centre scheme last year to provide flats in a 19-storey tower with a...

Regeneration News brief: Plans for Leeds Grand Theatre submitted to Leeds City Council.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Plans for a pounds 31.5 million transformation and refurbishment of the Leeds Grand Theatre and adjoining Assembly Room have been submitted for consideration to Leeds City Council. The application seeks to make a number of alterations to the...

Regeneration News brief: Open day for former RAF Locking site takes place.(Royal Air Force)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... An open day on redevelopment plans for the former RAF Locking site in Weston-super-Mare took place last week. Hundreds of residents and businesses were able to air their opinions on their preferred form of development at the 81ha site. South...

Regeneration News brief: Candidates sought.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Candidates for the most enterprising place in the South East are being sought by the South East England Development Agency. Contenders must be able to show their contribution to business, employment, regeneration, social inclusion and planning....

Regeneration News brief: Renew North Staffordshire appoints director.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Market renewal pathfinder Renew North Staffordshire has appointed Hardial Bhogal as its director. Bhogal was previously interim chief executive of Gateway, the Hull and East Riding pathfinder. His other most recent posts include interim chief...

Regeneration News brief: Persimmon Homes appointed preferred developer for Lightmoor Village.
September 3, 2004... Persimmon Homes has been appointed preferred developer to build the first 40 homes in Lightmoor Village, a mixed-use development in Telford planned by English Partnerships and the Bournville Village Trust. The first phase of development on the...

Surrey service secures two-star rating.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Surrey County Council's planning and countryside service has been awarded two stars by the Audit Commission. A Best Value inspection report published last week concludes that the service has 'excellent' prospects for improvement. The...

Regulations toughened to halt playing field loss.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... Rules on the sale of school playing fields in England are to be tightened to clamp down on local authority disposals, the government announced last week. The upgraded regulations will make the sale of a playing field an 'absolute last...