Planning (UK) articles from September 2007

Planning (UK) archives from September 2007

Planning in the media.
September 7, 2007... The UK may be Europe's windiest nation and the government has given pounds 500 million to the wind turbine industry but all to no avail, according to BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth last week. It claimed that energy firms are cashing in on...

Appointment at Norton Rose LLP in London.
September 7, 2007... Nigel Hewitson has been appointed head of planning at Norton Rose LLP in London. He was previously head of planning at Howard Kennedy

Appointment at Steer Davies Gleave.(appointments)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Neil Marshall has been made principal consultant in the development planning team at Steer Davies Gleave. He was previously a project manager at RPS Transport. Juliet Edmondson has joined as a senior consultant from Transport for London,...

Appointment at Drivers Jonas.
September 7, 2007... Andrew Gale has been selected to join Drivers Jonas as a partner in the London office. Gareth Wilson has been appointed as an associate partner, while Lyndon Gill has joined as a senior planner and Amy Pyburn as a graduate planner. All...

Appointment at Tilfen Land.
September 7, 2007... David Crowley has moved to Tilfen Land as a development project director. He was previously director of asset management at Brixton PLC

Appointment at Two Castles Housing Association.
September 7, 2007... John Hughes has been made chairman of Two Castles Housing Association after ten years on the board. He joined the association after retiring as director of environmental services at Teesdale District Council. Jennifer Carver has become...

Appointment at Savills in Cambridge.
September 7, 2007... Magnus Gallie has been recruited as a graduate planner by Savills in Cambridge. He will soon complete an urban and regional planning MSc at Sheffield Hallam University

Diary.(Diary entry)
September 7, 2007... Are you a small architecture firm or manufacturer with an entrepreneurial streak? If so, the Royal Institute of British Architects and property developer Argent are inviting you to enter the Green Dragons' Den. Based on the television...

Institute looks for leadership candidates to come forward.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
September 7, 2007... Election to the general assembly or presidential team is your way to shape our future, insists James Taylor. Do you believe in planning and think that you could make a difference? What do you think the RTPI should be doing to change...

RTPI seeks views on homes supply.
September 7, 2007... The RTPI has boiled down the housing green paper to its essentials to help members formulate their responses to key issues, explains Kate Halle. The government has recently issued a green paper seeking views on proposals to increase...

RTPI Bulletin Board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)
September 7, 2007... Research aims to improve Sheffield flood management Sheffield was one of the areas hardest hit by this summer's flooding The announcement of a major grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to look at the...

Workshop examines how to deliver skills needed to make better places.
September 7, 2007... Recruiting and retaining planners and other skilled built environment professionals has become a significant issue for Leeds as a city and a recent workshop set out to find ways of resolving it, reports Chris Sheridan. One of the main...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Capacity increase rejected at water plant.
September 7, 2007... An inspector has refused to vary the terms of two conditions imposed on a spring water bottling plant near York after finding that it would be difficult to restrict the number of vehicles travelling to and from the site while still meeting the...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Caravan refused at dog training centre.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... An enforcement notice directed against the change of use of agricultural land and the retention of a caravan at a dog training and therapy business in East Yorkshire has been upheld after an inspector ruled that the caravan did not meet the...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Replica aircraft foiled by outlook concern.
September 7, 2007... A proposal by a building firm in Fife to erect a pole-mounted aircraft in its open yard has been refused after a reporter decided that it would harm the outlook from a residential property. The appellants proposed to erect a full-scale...

DC Casebook: Energy Development - Turbines survive local landscape scrutiny.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The erection of two wind turbines at a farm in Lanarkshire has won support from a reporter who decided that they would not unacceptably harm the local landscape. The turbines would be 15m high with rotors 10m in diameter. The appellant...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Noise assessment paves way for karaoke.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... A condition restricting the playing of amplified music at a pub in Dundee has been varied to require the appellant to submit a noise impact assessment to demonstrate that no harm would be caused to residential amenity. The condition...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Cottage demolition and rebuild approved.
September 7, 2007... The owner of a cottage in Lincolnshire has been allowed to demolish it and erect a replacement but a second appeal seeking confirmation that the works could be carried out under an extant permission has been dismissed. The council had...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Flats allowed at former employment site.
September 7, 2007... A proposal to develop 12 flats in Essex has been approved after an inspector agreed that the site had little prospect of being viably used for employment purposes. The irregularly shaped 0.13ha site contained an L-shaped building...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Roof extension foiled by impact on view.
September 7, 2007... A roof extension to create a flat at the ninth-floor level of a mansion block in central London has been rejected on the grounds of harm to a conservation area. The property fell within the Mayfair conservation area and faced Hyde Park,...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Five-year supply precludes housing plan.
September 7, 2007... A proposal to develop 66 dwellings in Kent has been refused after an inspector ruled that the council had demonstrated a five-year supply of housing land. The appellants claimed that the supply figures put forward by the council overstated...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Design falls short of required standard.
September 7, 2007... The redevelopment of a former rope works in Dundee as four bungalows and 11 flats has been rejected after a reporter found that the scheme was of insufficient calibre for the conservation area in which it was located. The appellants had...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Flat scheme dismissed as inappropriate.
September 7, 2007... A reporter has refused to sanction 150 flats in three blocks up to five storeys high in the Scottish Borders after ruling that their scale, height and massing are inappropriate. The application had been recommended for approval by a...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Policy conflict thwarts isolated dwelling.
September 7, 2007... A reporter has decided that a dwelling proposed in the Scottish Borders is unacceptable because it lay 500m from a group of existing buildings. The reporter remarked that a structure plan policy stated that rural housing should be built in...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Dwellinghouse claim rejected at garage.
September 7, 2007... An enforcement notice requiring a garage in Essex to cease being used as a dwellinghouse has been upheld after a planning inspector ruled that evidence given on behalf of the appellant contained major inaccuracies. The inspector noted that...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Noise scuppers conversion of listed hotel.
September 7, 2007... Planning permission and listed building consent have been denied for the conversion of a grade II listed former hotel in East Yorkshire after an inspector held that the noisy environment would require harmful changes to the building. The...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Moorings judged harmful to canal setting.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The secretary of state has dismissed an appeal involving a mooring basin for 150 canal boats for private use together with wet and dry docks, a service building and car parking on a canal in Warwickshire after concluding that it would have an...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Convenience store allowed at showroom.
September 7, 2007... An appeal involving the development of a small convenience store near Glasgow has been allowed after a reporter decided that the assessment of sites in Paisley town centre was inappropriate given the proposed scheme's catchment area. The...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Delivery hours extension refused at store.
September 7, 2007... Asda Stores Ltd has been unsuccessful in its bid to extend delivery times at one of its stores in Bedfordshire after an inspector declared that he was unconvinced that local residents would not complain about increased noise. Deliveries...

DC Casebook: Retail development - Ice cream sales allowed from restaurant.
September 7, 2007... The insertion of a sliding window at a fish and chip restaurant in North Yorkshire to enable the sale of ice cream has been approved after an inspector ruled that it would not undermine pedestrian safety on the adjoining footpath. The...

DC Casebook: Waste development - Green waste facility turned down at farm.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The use of agricultural land at a farm in the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty and Kent green belt as a green waste recycling facility has been refused after an inspector found that it would harm road safety and very special...

DC Casebook: Next week.(briefs)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Racecourse extension fails heritage test A floodlit all-weather track at a racecourse in East Lothian has been rejected because it would harm a conservation area and listed buildings' settings. DCS Number 100-049-871 - Telecoms...

DC Casebook: In depth - Harm to canal conservation area blocks residential development.
September 7, 2007... The residential redevelopment of a boat shed and garages next to a canal in a Hertfordshire conservation area has been rejected after an inspector decided that it would harm the area's character and appearance and the availability of local...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Job benefits secure veterinary centre.
September 7, 2007... The change of use of a vacant office and warehouse building in a Buckinghamshire village to a specialist veterinary referral practice has been allowed due to its employment benefits. The site was part of a wider area allocated for business...

DC Casebook: Community facilities - Halls allowed despite limited daylight.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... A scheme involving 577 student housing units in north London has been approved after the council agreed that the appellants had overcome sunlight and daylight concerns. The appeal site contained four 1970s blocks of up to three storeys in...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Use restricted to protect town centre.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... An enforcement notice directed against the change of use of a Caffe Nero shop in an Essex town centre to a mixed A1 and A3 use has been upheld because of potential harm to the centre's retail function, vitality and viability. The inspector...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Land reuse allowed at railway sidings.
September 7, 2007... The secretary of state has accepted an inspector's recommendation to approve an application by UK Coal for the retention and use of buildings, car parking and infrastructure at railway sidings in North Yorkshire because the proposal's benefits...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... NEW QUERIES Planning permission was granted for the change of use of a building in Scotland to a restaurant and takeaway. Part of the building was sold off to another operator but remains in this use class. Opinion is divided at my...

How we did it ... Alternative burials give hope to woodland areas.
September 7, 2007... Project: Wilton Woodland Burial Park. Background: Woodland burial is a sustainable alternative to conventional funerals. Burials and ash interments take place around key trees to restore and enhance the woodland's biodiversity. Who Is...

The things I know.
September 7, 2007... Laura Hughes, Information projects researcher, IDOX PLC - Where did you study planning? The sadly now closed department of environmental planning at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. - What skills did you have when you...

Talking housing.
September 7, 2007... The housing green paper presents authorities and developers with some big delivery challenges, suggests Duncan Melville. The housing green paper sets out the government's ideas for delivering its housing priorities. The numbers are big -...

A climate of protest.
September 7, 2007... The recent climate camp at Heathrow Airport may represent the start of a trend if reforms proposed in the planning white paper limit public say on key projects, warns Susanna Gillman. One sniff of a protest and the riot police are out in...

Valued policy adviser.(British Property Federation )
September 7, 2007... Michael Chambers joins the British Property Federation in an interim advisory capacity at just the right time to bring his wealth of property industry expertise to bear, says Susanna Gillman. For someone who has amassed considerable...

Reviews prove no substitute for action in struggling rural areas.(Editorial)
September 7, 2007... Last weekend the Halifax pinpointed homes in Carrick District Council as the least affordable in the country. Within 48 hours prime minister Gordon Brown, pledging to end partisan politics, appointed Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor,...

Fyson on ... Environment Agency's emphasis on how responsible planning can face up to climate changes.
September 7, 2007... The Environment Agency has had its disagreements with councils as it has tried to advise on development proposals. But opening the Planning Summer School at Swansea last week in front of a packed audience of councillors, agency chief...

Legal report.(Town and Country Planning Act 1990)
September 7, 2007... Councils need guidance in power to override rights. Councils have very wide powers to acquire land for development but few are as obscure and open in structure as section 237 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This permits land held...

Halman on ... the joys of the off-road route.
September 7, 2007... Summer holidays are a good time to reflect and they also present us with new experiences. This was the case recently when we spent an idyllic week on Tresco, one of the larger Isles of Scilly. Tresco is so delightful partly because it has...

Facilities deficit feared.
September 7, 2007... Recommendations from the panel reviewing the draft South East Plan are prompting concern from regional campaigners that the infrastructure gap will be widened, writes Catherine Early. The inspectors have spoken. House building in the South...

Isles council slates wind project inquiry.
September 7, 2007... Ministers are being urged to reverse their decision to call a public inquiry into plans for a community wind farm on a Scottish island. Last week Western Isles Council condemned the delay to the scheme, which it has approved. The project...

Homes focus made clearer.
September 7, 2007... Public bodies will be the first target of the Scottish Government's drive to increase affordable housing supply. Local authorities, the NHS and the Ministry of Defence have been identified by Holyrood's housing supply task force as...

Firms fear impact of Cairngorms pylons.
September 7, 2007... Businesses will be hit if a line of giant pylons is erected through the Cairngorms national park, a resumed public inquiry heard last week. A survey by the Cairngorms National Park Authority found that 12 of 19 firms questioned think that...

Planning stats.(Statistical data)
September 7, 2007... 22.4m - Tonnes of the UK's municipal waste that goes to landfill, giving the country one of the highest levels in Europe, according to DEFRA. 15m - Tonnes of carbon dioxide produced by London's commercial and public sector buildings a...

Online now ..
September 7, 2007... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today for Interview with One NorthEast chief executive Alan Clarke Labour MP Karen Buck on the catastrophic consequences of the 2001 census Review of Hereford's masterplan to reinvent the market town

Bidwells sets up in Ipswich.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Bidwells is expanding its planning team into Ipswich in anticipation of extensive development in the Haven Gateway growth point. The team will be headed by Helen Adcock, who moves from Bidwells' Norwich office. She explained that the firm...

Urban Vision seeks further expansion.
September 7, 2007... The joint venture company in charge of planning services in Salford is looking to expand its work with other authorities after a second year of growth. The Urban Vision partnership between Salford City Council, Capita Symonds and Morrison...

Town begins retail probe.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... A review of retail capacity in Milton Keynes is to be conducted in the light of a predicted population growth of 100,000 by 2026. Roger Tym & Partners will identify the scope for growth in the area and the retail capacity needed to...

Partners plot area's future.(Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners)(Report)
September 7, 2007... Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners has completed its study of economic growth potential and employment land requirements for West Oxfordshire up to 2026. Noting the area's limited accessibility, low labour supply and land shortage, the...

Asda picks Bircham Dyson Bell for public consultation advice.
September 7, 2007... The public affairs team of law firm Bircham Dyson Bell (BDB) has been appointed to manage Asda's planning communications strategy. The retail chain chose the team to help it engage with local stakeholders, including communities and...

JMP to study rail link case.
September 7, 2007... A business case for reopening the trans-Pennine rail line between Skipton and Colne for passengers and freight is to be prepared by JMP Consulting. The firm was chosen by the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership. The group has...

Study flags Gateway gap.
September 7, 2007... The Thames Gateway development plan is already falling short of targets and a realistic view is needed on land value, according to a study by Savills Research. While recognising the area's potential to provide homes on regenerated land,...

Laindon set for renewal.(Laindon town centre )(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... A public consultation looking at redeveloping Laindon town centre in Basildon will kick off next week. Proposals for the area include a wider range of shops, homes that overlook public spaces, a health centre and access improvements. ...

Business site secures cash.(The Ramsden Business Park)(Northwest Regional Development Agency )(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The Ramsden Business Park in Barrow-in-Furness has secured pounds 8 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). This will fund key infrastructure and site work for the West Lakes Renaissance (WLR) project, one of two...

Plans put forward for woolwich Triangle.
September 7, 2007... An application that could see 82 homes, leisure space and shops built at the Woolwich Triangle has been submitted to the London Borough of Greenwich. Wilson Bowden Developments' plans also include a 98-bedroom hotel next to the River...

Policy issue blamed for delay in housing.
September 7, 2007... Plans to bring forward homes in the Haven Gateway growth point are being stifled by conflicting planning policies, experts have said. Consultancy Bidwells has admitted that many of its schemes have been scrapped because dry means of escape...

Boat freight fears voiced.
September 7, 2007... The government must not weaken its policy of using water rather than roads for major freight, the Commercial Boat Operators Association (CBOA) said this week. The Highways Agency is consulting on clarifying the policy guidelines for loads...

School travel safety urged.
September 7, 2007... Children in Wales should have the right to a safe route to school, Sustrans has said. In a response to Welsh Assembly Government consultation on school travel, the charity called for a bolder approach on climate change and rising obesity...

Wrexham rail bid approved.(The Office of Rail Regulation )(Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company Ltd)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Plans for a direct rail service linking Wrexham in north-east Wales and London were approved by the rail regulator this week. The Office of Rail Regulation has given permission for Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company Ltd (SMRC) to run...

Tool to boost sharing cars.
September 7, 2007... Scottish commuters considering car-sharing are being offered an online tool to calculate their savings. The calculator, set up by the South East Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran), covers the cost of buying a car, insurance and...

Edinburgh trams to seek business cash.
September 7, 2007... Council bosses in Edinburgh are planning to ask developers to contribute to the city's tram system for ten more years, it emerged last week. Under the tram's current finance arrangements, property developers will not be asked to boost the...

Brighton launches bus service running on recycled cooking oil.
September 7, 2007... A bus service that runs on recycled cooking oil was launched in East Sussex this week. The service, known as the Big Lemon, will run between Falmer and Brighton stations every half-hour. Buses will be integrated with train timetables and...

Capital plans eco revamp.
September 7, 2007... Greater London Authority (GLA) plans to give 100 of its buildings a green makeover could be rolled out to the public sector across the capital. London mayor Ken Livingstone has asked energy firms to bid for the contract to help make GLA...

Waste effort nets funding.(North Yorkshire County Council)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The government has awarded pounds 65 million of private finance initiative funding to North Yorkshire's waste strategy. The strategy could include an energy from waste facility and a mechanical and biological treatment plant. But the final...

County holds flood summit.
September 7, 2007... Business, enterprise and regulatory reform secretary John Hutton attended a summit on Yorkshire's response to recent flooding this week. The event, hosted by Yorkshire Forward, gathered regional stakeholders, utility companies, firms...

Severn tidal power scheme progresses.
September 7, 2007... The government is aiming to progress plans for a Severn tidal barrage despite moves to protect the estuary. DEFRA has written to the European Commission to request the designation of the Severn, Dee and Humber Estuaries as special areas of...

Offshore wind consortium wins right to site substation in Kent.
September 7, 2007... The consortium behind a massive wind farm off the South East coast has won the right to site a controversial substation in a Kent village. London Array Ltd's plans for a land base to link cables with 341 turbines proposed offshore between...

Agenda.
September 7, 2007... 12 September: Mixed Communities Organiser: Regeneration and Renewal Venue: Manchester Fee: pounds 269-pounds 549 + VAT Details: (website) www.mixedcommunities.com 18 September: Light Rapid Transit Forum Organiser: Waterfront...

Councils condemn infrastructure gap.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Suburbs are suffering from a major lack of infrastructure funding even though they are key drivers for city-regional economies, council leaders complained this week. A report led by the London Borough of Barnet argues that money is being...

National Trust launches pilots to develop low-carbon villages.(National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Low-carbon villages are to be encouraged by the National Trust in a partnership with npower. Three villages will be piloted later this year and each will receive a pounds 200,000 annual grant from npower's community fund for green...

Expert slams supplement.
September 7, 2007... A planning gain supplement is unworkable and would make higher housing targets difficult to meet, a leading property developer warned this week. Osborne Group chairman Trevor Osborne told Planning Summer School that a roof tax should be...

Forth Ports lodges plan at Leith Docks.
September 7, 2007... Plans to reconnect Edinburgh city centre with its waterfront via a 30-year regeneration scheme featuring 16,000 homes and 12,000 jobs were submitted this week. Forth Ports' Leith Docks development will comprise nine urban villages with...

MEPs vote on flood actions.
September 7, 2007... A resolution in favour of stronger measures to prevent natural disasters was passed in the European parliament this week. The vote was led by Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne, who called for more financial help for flood defences and...

Tories urge fund for affordable housing.
September 7, 2007... A national fund dedicated to affordable housing should be set up, the Conservatives' public services improvement group advised this week. The policy group insisted that the proposal would help to provide homes in the areas that need them...

Planning applications granted.
September 7, 2007... More than 460,000 planning applications were granted in 2006-07, representing an approval rate of 82 per cent, according to latest DCLG statistics. Nearly 650,000 applications were received in total, with London experiencing the largest...

Ministers urged to deliver social homes.
September 7, 2007... Ministers are being urged to deliver 1,300 social homes a year in the North East after figures released this week showed that homes in the region cost eight times the average income. The National Housing Federation said regional house...