Planning (UK) articles from September 2006

Planning (UK) archives from September 2006

Agenda.
September 1, 2006... DIARY TO 15 SEPTEMBER 1-13 September: Planning Summer School. Organiser: Planning Summer School. Venue: Canterbury. Fee: pounds 215-pounds 699 + VAT. Details: (tel) 01722 339811. 12 September: Rainwater Harvesting. Organiser:...

Movie map aims to draw set-jetters.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Film buffs wishing to indulge in the growing trend of 'set-jetting' - visiting locations seen on the silver screen - might think they have to save up to fly to exotic locations. Not so. Apparently, some of film's most famous sets are in...

Interior design fad creeps into office.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... DIY culture has created office workers who place more importance on light and space than on practical considerations such as car parking, a survey has revealed. The research, conducted by YouGov for Land Securities, found that the most...

Bovine linguists find regional twang.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Here's an a-moo-sing tale. Cows have regional accents, according to language specialists. Cows of the same species have been found to have different moos around the country. It is thought that they pick up their farmers' accents. ...

Appointment at Mid Bedfordshire District Council.
September 1, 2006... Gary Alderson has been appointed director of environmental and planning services at Mid Bedfordshire District Council. He joined the council in 2002 as head of environmental services. Alderson previously worked for Gateshead Council.

Appointment at Denton Wilde Sapte.
September 1, 2006... Jeremy Swain has been recruited as a senior solicitor in the planning and public law group at Denton Wilde Sapte. He previously worked for the Government Legal Service.

Appointment at RPS Transport.
September 1, 2006... Greg Jones and Neil Marshall have been promoted to principal consultant at RPS Transport in London, where Kelly Aldridge has risen to consultant. Andrew Tranter has been promoted to senior consultant in Cardiff and Nektarios Triantafyllidis has...

Appointment at Edmund Kirby.
September 1, 2006... Chris Betteridge has joined Edmund Kirby as a planner. He was previously a planning and regeneration consultant at BE Group in Warrington.

Appointment at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Chris Jones has been appointed as development control manager by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Judith Jones and Sarah Feist have joined as team leaders, Carol Esposti as process manager and Steve Smith as urban designer. Christopher Clarke,...

Appointment at Hepher Dixon.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Nick Brindley and Mike Derbyshire have been promoted to divisional director at Hepher Dixon in London. Gerry Cassidy has been promoted to associate director, Nia Griffith, Lorna Henderson, Caroline Hummel, Jon Murch and Anna Snow to principal...

Appointment at GL Hearn.
September 1, 2006... Kirk MacDiarmid has joined GL Hearn as a surveyor in the firm's compulsory purchase team in London.

Appointment at Spawforth Associates.
September 1, 2006... Andrew Rose has joined Spawforth Associates in Leeds as a planner to work on the Yorkshire and Humber regional spatial strategy. He previously worked at Rugby Borough Council.

Appointment at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
September 1, 2006... John McCarthy has been made reader in urban studies at the school of the built environment at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. He was previously a senior lecturer at the University of Dundee's school of town and regional planning.

Appointment at Blandy & Blandy.
September 1, 2006... Karen Jones has been promoted to partner by law firm Blandy & Blandy. She previously practised as a parliamentary lawyer and has also worked for North Warwickshire Borough Council and Lichfield District Council.

Appointment at Terence O'Rourke.
September 1, 2006... Juliet Matthews has joined Terence O'Rourke as associate director in urban design. She was previously a senior urban designer at Gillespies, where she worked on regeneration in the Thames Gateway, the Black Country and Gloucester Docks.

Young planner accolade winner still reaps benefit.
September 1, 2006... Despite rather unusual circumstances it has been an amazing year for RTPI young planner of the year Helen Brookes-Martin. My experience as Young Planner of the Year has not been typical. When I won the award in February I was 20-weeks...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute )
September 1, 2006... RTPI ELECTIONS: WILL YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Three corporate members and the associations representative are due for election to the executive board for 2007-08. In the general assembly election there are 14 corporate members, an...

We all need to catch the winds of climate change.
September 1, 2006... Sustainable development should not be the main focus of planning, rather how the sector is defined, urges Kelvin MacDonald. I am writing this in the middle of a week of clearing the allotment. But this column is not about whether to grow...

RTPI invites ... Planning Officers Society.
September 1, 2006... The new planning system stands a good chance of transforming development control into management. Phil Kirby investigates. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 was by no means a 'tinkering around the edges' approach to reform. It...

RTPI News - Strategy is more than just an extra word to sustainable communities.
September 1, 2006... The latest strategies need to be spatially literate and collaborative if they are to succeed in the long term, maintains Marilyn Taylor. Some two years after the publication of the Egan review of skills for sustainable communities, the...

Casebook: Development Control Casebook Forum.
September 1, 2006... New queries A pair of semi-detached dwellings, one of which is listed, is prominently sited in a conservation area, next to two public roads. The unlisted house was rendered some time ago, presumably before its neighbour was listed. ...

Casebook: College replacement foiled by unproven need for store.
September 1, 2006... An Asda store and college building in West Sussex have been rejected after an inspector decided that the appellants had failed to demonstrate a quantitative or qualitative need for the retail element. The proposal involved a 6,915m2 food...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural development - Soil deposit was not permitted development.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... An appeal against the refusal of prior approval for agricultural operations under part 6 of the General Permitted Development Order 1995 has been rejected because they were not permitted development. The appellant wished to apply soil to a...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural development - Enforcement notices quashed at nursery site.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Various enforcement notices directed against alleged unauthorised development at a nursery in the Dorset green belt have been quashed after an inspector ruled that there had not been any breach of planning control. The inspector also granted...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Agricultural development - Green belt agricultural worker's dwelling approved.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The erection of a dwelling to serve a farm in the West Yorkshire green belt has been sanctioned after an inspector accepted that there was a proven need and it did not involve inappropriate development. The council agreed that the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Rail link condition ruled unnecessary at warehouse.
September 1, 2006... An inspector has deleted a condition imposed on a development in Warwickshire after concluding that the continued provision of a rail link as the primary means of receiving goods at the site was no longer necessary. The development...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Motor vehicle showrooms refused in landscape gap.
September 1, 2006... Three motor vehicle showrooms in a strategically important landscape gap in the Thames Gateway area of Kent have been refused despite the appellants' claims that there was a serious shortage of employment sites. The 1.5ha site was situated...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Commercial and industrial - Industrial building secured in green belt.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The replacement of two industrial buildings and a vacant agricultural barn in the Warwickshire green belt with a new building has been permitted because it would lead to a net increase in the area's openness. The site contained three...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community facilities - Alternative care home designs fail character tests.
September 1, 2006... Two designs for a 60-bedroom elderly persons' care home in Gloucestershire have been refused after an inspector decided that they both failed to respect the area's character. The first scheme was based on three linked blocks arranged in...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community facilities - Retirement village denied in listed hall's grounds.
September 1, 2006... A proposal for 69 sheltered housing dwellings in the curtilage of a grade II* listed hall in Essex has been rejected after an inspector expressed concerns about alterations to the hall to accommodate a resident manager and provide communal...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Density deficiency scuppers housing development.
September 1, 2006... An inspector has dismissed an appeal involving the demolition of a dwellinghouse to make way for four houses on a site in Berkshire despite ruling that the council had failed to justify its required level of financial contributions. The...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Wildlife protection measures deemed inadequate.
September 1, 2006... A scheme involving 63 housing units on a site in Devon has been rejected after an inspector decided that measures to mitigate its impact on cirl buntings, whose breeding territory included the appeal site, were inadequate. The inspector...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Insufficient renewable energy resources foil flats.
September 1, 2006... A proposal for 31 sheltered apartments, manager's accommodation and communal facilities has been rejected in a Surrey town because it failed to provide energy from renewable resources. The inspector noted that RPG9 aspired to generating 16...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Wildlife benefit fails to secure site redevelopment.
September 1, 2006... The demolition of factory buildings at a former Greater Manchester bleach works to make way for 14 dwellings has been denied despite its ability to fund improvements to adjacent reservoirs of wildlife importance. The Environment Agency had...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Housing, new build - Residential scheme overcomes criticism of height.
September 1, 2006... The secretary of state has allowed an appeal for 268 dwellings on a site in east London after overruling an inspector's concerns about the height of part of the development scheme. The inspector had concluded that part of the scheme, which...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Conditions on alterations considered unnecessary.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Two identical conditions on permissions for alterations to an outbuilding at a dwelling in the Hertfordshire green belt have been deleted because they were not necessary or relevant to the developments permitted. The conditions required...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Householder development - Replacement dwellings allowed after barn collapse.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Following the collapse and demolition of a barn in the Greater Manchester green belt, an inspector has allowed two new dwellings because there would be no materially greater harm arising than from two dwellings that had already been approved as...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Leisure and recreation - Health studio scheme overcomes parking concerns.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The conversion of an office and workshop building in Aberdeen to a health studio has been approved despite local planning authority concerns that it would lead to illegal on-street parking in the area. The site comprised a former motorcycle...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Listed buildings - Security cameras mostly accepted on listed flat.
September 1, 2006... A listed building enforcement notice directed against the installation of six security cameras on a grade B listed building in Glasgow has been amended by an inspector to require the removal of only one of the units. The cameras consisted...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Mixed use development - Amusement centre allowed in listed shop premises.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The change of use of a grade B listed shop in the centre of Aberdeen to an amusement centre has been deemed acceptable by a reporter as unlikely to have any adverse impact on the city's vitality and viability. The council claimed that the...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Retail development - Petrol station shop extension refused unreasonably.
September 1, 2006... A proposal to extend a petrol filling station shop in a Kent town has been allowed and costs awarded to the appellant after an inspector found that it would not result in a cramped form of development or harm highway safety or living...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Community facilities - Nursery school capacity increase wins approval.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... An inspector has varied the terms of a condition imposed on a permission that allowed a former coach house in Hampshire to be used as a day nursery, concluding that an increase in the number of children attending the facility would not...

Casebook: Appeal Case - Food and drink uses - Social club use claim dismissed at cafe site.
September 1, 2006... An inspector has quashed an enforcement notice which alleged that premises in north London were being used as a social club, concluding that there had been no material change from the site's lawful use as a cafe. The premises were used by...

Casebook: Downloading decisions.
September 1, 2006... 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 case - Food and drink uses - Green belt restaurant fails sequential test.
September 1, 2006... A scheme involving the demolition of farm buildings in the West Midlands green belt to make way for a pub and restaurant has been rejected because it would undermine the area's openness and failed to comply with the sequential approach. ...

Casebook: Appeal case - Mixed use development - Food store design revision secures acceptance.
September 1, 2006... Aldi Stores (Swindon) has persuaded an inspector to accept its revised design for a store in Bournemouth after its original scheme was deemed unacceptable. The previous inspector had concluded that the store's siting, scale and design was...

Sustainability drive hurts rural housing.
September 1, 2006... South West councils are up in arms over policies that restrict the supply of housing for rural people, reports Mark Smulian. A dispute over house building in Dorset has homed in on an obscure problem as regional planners strive to implement...

Gateway spearhead.
September 1, 2006... East London's keynote regeneration programme is just as much about quality and integration as it is about volume, planning chief John Allen tells Christina Papas. Managing regeneration projects across London boroughs is John Allen's forte,...

Casinos split opinion in popularity stakes.
September 1, 2006... Super casinos divide opinion as much as they unite it. They transcend party politics, with councillors from the same party often taking different sides on the arguments. Super casinos offer a device for triggering jobs, regeneration and inward...

Fyson on ... political debates that encompass planning terrain.
September 1, 2006... There are encouraging signs that planning issues are moving to the heart of the argument between the main political parties. Conservative leader David Cameron's attempt to shift hard core supporters towards the political middle ground may not...

Green links seek full credit.
September 1, 2006... One region is falling behind the pack on green infrastructure provision, reports Catherine Early. Although green infrastructure is a relatively new concept, it has already been taken on board in regional planning. But not every region, it...

Holiday parks plead for help.
September 1, 2006... The need for holiday caravan and lodge parks should not be ignored by planners, says Martin Taylor. It might not be every planning officer's cup of tea, but holiday parks are still popular with a large number of British tourists who prefer...

Paisley poised for town centre work.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... High-quality housing, more business space and an enhanced student community are key elements of a pounds 50 million plan to revitalise Paisley's rundown town centre. However, a consultants' report issued last week warns that out-of-town...

Online portal set to woo public opinion.
September 1, 2006... A pounds 12 million drive to increase public participation in the planning process and eliminate red tape was unveiled by the Scottish Executive last week. The money will be provided over the next two years to allow local authorities to...

North Uist and Harris braced for spinal link.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Western Isles Council is investigating the possibility of linking two Scottish islands with a 'green' causeway. The North Uist and Harris link would be flanked by offshore wind turbines and the structure would contain tidal generators. ...

DCLG appoints Entec to review regulations.(Department for Communities and Local Government )
September 1, 2006... The DCLG has appointed Entec to review the permitted development regulations on the domestic installation of microgeneration equipment. The review aims to remove regulatory barriers to the take-up of microgeneration technologies. It will...

Hyder Consulting to carry out SEA.
September 1, 2006... A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and sustainability appraisal for Flintshire County Council's unitary development plan (UDP) are to be carried out by Hyder Consulting. The assessment aims to fill in gaps in the UDP, which was...

Steer Davies Gleave to work on plans for St Albans.
September 1, 2006... Steer Davies Gleave is to work on urban transport plans for St Albans and London Colney in Hertfordshire. The plans are being drawn up for every major settlement in the county to help achieve transport objectives set out in the county...

Design guide for Exmoor national park.
September 1, 2006... A design guide for the Exmoor national park is to be produced by Colin Buchanan to ensure that high-quality buildings can be provided while preserving the park's character. The guide aims to provide clarity on the purpose and direction of...

Knight, Kavanagh & Page expands team.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Knight, Kavanagh & Page has expanded its team offering services related to planning guidance on open spaces. The PPG17 team, led by Claire Fallon, comprises six consultants and four field researchers supported by administrative staff and a...

Urban Initiatives to carry out study.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Urban Initiatives is to carry out a study of access and local surroundings at Poplar station near Canary Wharf in east London. The work for DLR Ltd will be used to make the station more user friendly for local residents. John McAslan and...

Plans for educational village in Gainsborough.(Lincolnshire County Council)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Plans to create an educational village in Gainsborough are to be advised on by White Young Green (WYG). The pounds 18 million project, led by Lincolnshire County Council, involves a 15,000m2 development, with two schools on one site replacing...

Berlin Water Authorities appoints Peter Brett Associates.
September 1, 2006... Peter Brett Associates has been appointed by the Berlin Water Authorities to assess all navigable waterways throughout the German city and state territory, including the River Spree and canals. The firm's office in Germany will manage...

Businesses oppose road charge plans.(Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... More than 70 per cent of West Midlands businesses are against the region being used as a test bed for road charges, a survey revealed last week. Last year seven local authorities in the region won Department for Transport funding to...

Study suggests London tram would boost travel.
September 1, 2006... A tram across the River Thames would encourage people on low incomes to travel further, according to latest research. Consultancy Colin Buchanan examined the transport barriers that residents experience along the proposed Cross River Tram...

Action demanded on Stonehenge road.(RAC Foundation )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The RAC Foundation has asked the prime minister to intervene to resolve 'departmental inertia' surrounding improvements to the roads around Stonehenge. The foundation has joined the calls for an urgent decision on the Department for...

Great Barford celebrates as bypass opens.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A bypass aimed at removing 3,000 lorries from villages in Bedfordshire opened last week. The A421 Great Barford bypass is expected to remove 90 per cent of traffic from Great Barford and Roxton. It is 7.7 km long and cost pounds 57...

Scarborough cash windfall wins approval.(Gillian Merron)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A pounds 30 million package of transport improvements in Scarborough has been endorsed. Transport minister Gillian Merron approved the town's integrated transport scheme last week. Plans include a new section on the A165 to the south of...

Brent pulls out of super casino bid.
September 1, 2006... The proposal to build a super casino near Wembley Stadium has been dropped just days before a public examination was due to take place. Last week London Borough of Brent councillors voted unanimously to withdraw the bid after detailed...

Southwark permits Canada Water plan.(British Land-Canada Quays)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A major redevelopment at Canada Water in south London was granted outline planning permission last week. The London Borough of Southwark approved the first phase of the scheme, which covers two largely vacant sites owned by the council. The...

Science park scheme wins endorsement.
September 1, 2006... Plans for Leicester's pounds 17 million science park development were unveiled last week. The 11,148m2 complex in the Abbey Meadows area will consist of 56 hi-tech business units and purpose-built research, development and production...

European funding awarded to support employment and skills needs.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Almost pounds 7 million of European funding has been awarded to support employment and skills needs in the built environment and sports sectors in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics. The Government Office for the South East has been...

Grants for organisations in Longtown, North Cumbria.
September 1, 2006... Grants for non-profit community based organisations in Longtown, north Cumbria, are to be made available through the area's market town initiative (MTI). The scheme forms part of a pounds 1 million regeneration programme for Longtown funded by...

Plans approved for Croydon brownfield site.(TP Bennett)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... A 700m2 development of office and showroom space and nine town houses has been approved on a brownfield site in Croydon. The scheme, designed by TP Bennett, aims to revive the Lamberts Place site, which backs onto a railway line that approaches...

Paradise Forum atrium to receive facelift.(Argent)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Birmingham's Paradise Forum atrium under the Central Library is to get a pounds 2 million facelift. Owner Argent has submitted a planning application for upgraded lighting and flooring with extra retail and exhibition space. The south side of...

Plans submitted for scheme in Chester.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Plans for an office-led scheme in Old Port, Chester, have been submitted by David McLean Developments. The firm hopes that the scheme, which features 5,861m2 of office space, will continue the area's regeneration. The first of the offices,...

Advantage West Midlands announces plans for north Staffordshire.(Advantage West Midlands)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Two regeneration projects for north Staffordshire have been announced by Advantage West Midlands. Up to 20 derelict landmark buildings are to be refurbished, providing 2,500m2 of floor space in the pounds 4 million Burslem townscape heritage...

Application submitted for Wolverhampton Business Park.
September 1, 2006... An application for the next phase of the Wolverhampton Business Park office complex has been submitted by developer Broadlands. Construction of the 4,645m2 Trinity Court has been brought forward owing to strong interest in earlier buildings....

Mardy Hospital site on the market.
September 1, 2006... The site of the former Mardy Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil has been put on the market. With space for 90 homes and access to the A470 and the Valley Line railway, it is expected to be bought for residential development. DTZ Residential claims that...

Commission aims to bridge ethnic gap.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The Commission on Integration and Cohesion will aim to create better communication between various ethnic groups, it was announced last week. The commission has been launched by communities secretary Ruth Kelly in an attempt to look at how...

Population rise adds to national housing crisis.
September 1, 2006... The UK's population has peaked at more than 60 million people, according to latest government figures, placing further pressure on housing numbers up and down the country. The number of people living in the UK has grown by 375,000 in the...

Developer targets Leeds site renewal.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Plans for two major mixed-use schemes in Leeds city centre were lodged with council planners last week. Reland, a division of the Gladedale Group, submitted an application to regenerate two derelict factories formerly occupied by Yorkshire...

Collection fee suggested to reduce waste.(Institute for Public Policy Research)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Local authorities should have powers to introduce a 'pay-as-you-[throw' fee for collecting unrecyclable rubbish, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is set to recommend. An IPPR report due to be published next month will argue...

Funds cleared for rebuilding after Katrina.
September 1, 2006... The Louisiana legislature has approved funding needed to rebuild the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina last year. Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery Authority requested the money to rebuild infrastructure and...