Planning (UK) articles from September 2008

Planning (UK) archives from September 2008

Planning in the media.
September 5, 2008... The last time that food security was a national issue, German U-boats were causing havoc with our maritime supplies. Even today the UK is just 60 per cent self-sufficient in food and we import pounds 24 billion of supplies each year. But...

Diary.(Survey)
September 5, 2008... Supermodel Kate Moss is caught up in a row over two Native American-style tepees that have appeared in the back garden of her pounds 2 million country home in Oxfordshire. Local residents have complained to West Oxfordshire District...

Appointment at Network Rail.
September 5, 2008... Helen Milner has been recruited by Network Rail as a town planner in its Manchester office to advise on operational and commercial projects. She previously worked in development control at Manchester City Council

Appointment at Savills.
September 5, 2008... Catherine Connell has joined Savills' London planning team as an associate. She was previously a senior planner at GVA Grimley. Flora Macleod joins as a planning assistant from the graduate management programme at Laing O'Rourke

Appointment at Entec.
September 5, 2008... Entec has appointed Dominic Moore a principal planning consultant He joins from Birmingham City Council's city centre development team to focus on increasing the firm's West Midlands regeneration portfolio.

Appointment at Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners.
September 5, 2008... Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners has recruited Thomas Duncan, Suzanne Eves, Sacha Gilbert, Troy Hayes, Grant Lock, Clare Rapley and Ben Rodgers as planners at its London office. Sarah Watson joins as a planner at the Cardiff office

Appointment at Signet Planning.
September 5, 2008... Paul Stone has moved to Signet Planning as regional director at its East Midlands office in Strelley. He leaves Ashfield District Council

Appointment at Steer Davies Gleave.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Steer Davies Gleave has strengthened its modelling, road toll, travel behaviour and design teams with the recruitment of nine consultants in London. Serbjeet Kohli joins as a principal consultant from Mott MacDonald in Birmingham, where he...

Awards to seek out capital's best-planned developments.(Greater London Authority)
September 5, 2008... Entries are invited across seven categories for this year's London Planning Awards, writes Debbie Sorkin. The 2008 London Planning Awards are to be launched this month. Jointly run by the RTPI, London First and the Greater London Authority...

Piecing together a common vision.
September 5, 2008... A clear vision of how a project should be shaped helps build stakeholder consensus, contends Paul Evans. Vision generally refers to visual perception, but in terms of place-making it is the key statement that defines the broad parameters...

Planning Awards aim to reward achievement across the board.(Royal Town Planning Institute)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The RTPI wishes to recognise the diversity of planning achievement alongside its annual project awards, rewarding other facets of the planning profession through the Planning Consultancy of the Year Award, Young Planner of the Year Award and a...

Events.
September 5, 2008... Tourism - Can an Attraction Really Achieve Economic Renaissance 19 September. RTPI North East. Millennium Place, Durham. The government sees the planning system as playing a crucial role in developing tourism as part of the economic,...

Words and actions sit hand in hand in developing planning achievements.
September 5, 2008... Whether formulating institute policy or working in the community to spread the empowerment message, it is members' own efforts that have the greatest impact on how the profession evolves, reports Janet O'Neill. The Planning Summer School...

DC Casebook: Agricultural development - Stables construction conditions upheld.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... An inspector has refused to delete two conditions imposed on a permission for construction of stables and a lungeing ring in Worcestershire, finding them necessary to protect the area's character. The first condition required the removal...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Dog training facility fails viability test.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Permission to construct a greyhound training track, kennels and a five-bedroom detached bungalow in Oxfordshire has been refused on the grounds that the appellant had failed to prove that the enterprise was financially viable. The...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Countryside coach depot need overruled.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The change of use of part of a house in the Somerset countryside into a coach depot has been refused, an inspector upholding an enforcement notice requiring the breach of control to cease. The site contained a vehicle workshop and a parking...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Vehicle storage denied on landscape harm.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... An inspector has refused to sanction the continued storage of up to 50 cars at a site in Herefordshire adjacent to an A road on the grounds that it was harmful to the landscape. The inspector observed that the use would be visible to...

DC Casebook: Commercial and industrial - Science park overcomes traffic concerns.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Four units at a science park near a Bedfordshire village have been allowed, an inspector finding no objection on highway safety grounds nor any harm to the character and amenity of the area. The core of the park was a grade II* listed...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Local occupancy restriction overturned.
September 5, 2008... The change of use of a former guest house near the Lake District into a single dwelling has been allowed with no condition that it be occupied by people from or associated with the area. The property comprised an eight-bedroom grade II...

DC Casebook: Housing: Conversion - Bedsit backed despite amenity argument.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The conversion of a florist's shop in south Wales into a bedsit has been secured despite council concerns about the disturbance to occupiers from noise at a nearby bakery. The appeal site comprised a corner property at the end of a parade...

DC Casebook: Housing: New build - Hotel demolition approved to allow flats.
September 5, 2008... A reporter has permitted the demolition of a 19th century hotel in a conservation area in the Scottish Borders, thereby enabling four flats to be constructed in its place. The appellants offered information from structural engineers on the...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Window reopening favoured in listed flat.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Reopening of two blocked-up windows in a grade II listed flat in a Devon conservation area has been backed by an inspector who rejected the council's contention that the blanked apertures were part of the property's historic importance. ...

DC Casebook: Householder Development - Garage and store ruled out due to impact.
September 5, 2008... A detached garage and store in the curtilage of a grade II listed house in a Dorset conservation area has been refused on the grounds that it would adversely affect a historic sunken lane. The inspector decided that the new building's...

DC Casebook: Leisure and entertainment - Evening use permitted at sports facility.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... A condition that restricted the use of a multi-sport facility at a Warwickshire secondary school has been varied to allow its use in the evenings by the school and local community. The condition stated that the sports facility, comprising a...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Riverside scheme design found wanting.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... A mixed project in an East Sussex conservation area has been dismissed despite recognition that it would lead to significant improvements in flood defences and the public realm. The scheme comprised 66 apartments and three commercial units...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Telescopic mast approved at school pitch.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The construction of an all-weather floodlit sports pitch at a school in Oxfordshire together with the use of telescopic masts that can be retracted when not in use has been approved. Initially, the appellants proposed that each of the eight...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Superstore permitted to offer mail order.
September 5, 2008... Two appeals from Tesco Stores Ltd have been allowed, enabling the company to extend the range of goods that it can sell at one of its superstores in Nottinghamshire. Permission had been granted in 2005 for a superstore of 8,037m2 and it...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Rural location deemed safe for gun store.
September 5, 2008... An inspector has decided that the retention of a small shop selling equipment for country pursuits in South Yorkshire is acceptable despite the rural location of the site. The council had issued an enforcement notice requiring the...

DC Casebook: Retail Development - Forecourt shop backed over impact fears.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The redevelopment of a petrol filling station in Greater Manchester to include a forecourt shop operated by a national food retailer has been approved, an inspector ruling that as the site fell in the boundary of a district centre there was no...

DC Casebook: Waste management - Extra waste disposal found unnecessary.
September 5, 2008... Permission to tip additional construction waste at a former landfill site in Durham has been dismissed, an inspector finding no evidence to demonstrate that the scheme was necessary to improve the quality of the land. The site comprised a...

DC Casebook: Next Week.(briefs)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... - Advertising shroud allowed during repair An image of the building and an advertisement on a screen wrap at a former London theatre has been allowed because it would not be incompatible with the conservation status of the area. DCS...

DC Casebook: In depth - Parking bay rejected on grounds of impact on conservation area.
September 5, 2008... The creation of a parking area at the front of a house in an Essex conservation area has been refused, an inspector finding that it would simply exacerbate the considerable visual harm already caused by other frontage development. The...

DC Casebook: Commercial and Industrial - Building society found to harm vitality.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The change of use of retail premises into a building society in the designated primary shopping quarter of Leeds has been turned down on the grounds that it would harm the town centre's vitality and viability. The inspector observed that...

DC Casebook: Food and drink uses - Slates held harmful to pub character.
September 5, 2008... An enforcement notice directed against the replacement of natural stone slates on a pub in a Derbyshire conservation area has been upheld on the basis that it would adversely affect the building's character and environs. The council...

DC Casebook: Mixed use development - Market plans refused on heritage loss.
September 5, 2008... The secretary of state has rejected a scheme for the redevelopment of London's Smithfield Market for office, retail and restaurant uses, finding that the extent of demolition would harm the historic environment. She agreed with the...

DC Casebook: Tourism development - Hotel allowed to retain function room.
September 5, 2008... An inspector has permitted the retention of a function room at a hotel in Cornwall, finding that amendments to its design would overcome deficiencies. The inspector observed that the landscape was characteristic of the rugged coastal...

DC Casebook: DC Forum.
September 5, 2008... NEW QUERIES My authority has granted permission for a number of dwellings as enabling development to secure repairs to a listed mansion. The site lies in the green belt where new dwellings represent inappropriate development. The developer...

How we did it ... World listing sets Welsh town on tourism drive.
September 5, 2008... Project: A pounds 2.8 million visitor centre providing exhibitions and guided walks around the Blaenavon world heritage site as part of the regeneration of the town, following its rapid decline in the 20th century. Background: Located...

The things I know.(dialogue with Jamie Birtles of Faber Maunsell)(Interview)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Jamie Birtles, Transport planning consultant, Faber Maunsell, Manchester - Where did you study planning? The University of Manchester. - What skills did you have when you graduated? A basic understanding of the planning system...

Joined-up greening.
September 5, 2008... The eco-town concept needs to adopt a much more rigorous approach at the site selection stage if it is to demonstrate its environmental credentials, argues Alistair Billington. For a government that can apparently do no right at the moment,...

Eco-island fights back.
September 5, 2008... Isle of Wight Council has widespread popular backing for its ambitious targets to reduce its carbon footprint but plans for rapid growth in renewable energy capacity could be its Achilles heel, Ben Willis discovers. It is famed as a Mecca...

Bath heritage defender.(Tony Crouch)
September 5, 2008... With UNESCO set to check that developments in Bath are in line with the city's world heritage status Tony Crouch insists that the secret is in respecting their context, finds Katie Daubney. The sight of tower cranes above the Georgian...

Sexist attitudes fail profession and community interests alike.
September 5, 2008... Editors love receiving correspondence from readers. It highlights passions and prejudices on key issues and puts a finger on the sector's pulse. The downside is that it occasionally reveals a minuscule element in the readership who just...

Fyson on ... research that should remind the sector ..
September 5, 2008... Research that should remind the sector of the importance of considering happiness in planning. Planners strive to provide for public well-being but are not always sure whether their activities achieve that objective. So when a list of...

Legal Report - Court takes tough line on viability and soundness.
September 5, 2008... The Court of Appeal decision in Persimmon Homes, Barratt Homes and Millhouse Developments v Blyth Valley Borough Council [2008] provides welcome reading for the development industry at a time when project viability is being closely reassessed....

Halman on ... a reversal of levy fortunes.(community infrastructure levy )(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Timing, as they say, is everything. Proposals can seem eminently sensible in one set of circumstances and inappropriate or at best unhelpful in another. Charging local rates on empty property, as introduced in April, is one such example....

Bringing legacy to life.
September 5, 2008... Although there are plenty of ideas in the offing the powers behind the preparations for the 2012 Olympics in London are still on the hunt for a definitive legacy vision, Vicki Shiel discovers. With the Beijing Olympics done and dusted, all...

Edinburgh repeats Caltongate assent.
September 5, 2008... Councillors have approved Edinburgh's controversial Caltongate scheme for a second time as pressure grows on ministers to order a public inquiry. Edinburgh City Council's planning committee had to reconsider proposals for a hotel, offices...

Ayr stadium deal dropped.
September 5, 2008... Plans for a football stadium and business complex in the Heathfield area of Ayr have collapsed after house builder Barratt pulled out. The project would also have seen the company build homes on Ayr United Football Club's current ground at...

Vehicle surge spurs sustainability push.
September 5, 2008... Ministers have admitted that they face a major challenge persuading people out of their cars after a report revealed a record number of vehicles on Scotland's roads. The Scottish Government study shows that the number of registered...

Online now ..
September 5, 2008... Visit PlanningResource.co.uk today to read the final instalment of Dan Taylor's travel diaries as he takes the trans-Siberian railway to Russian capital Moscow and finds a city moving forwards economically and socially, building big to reflect...

Planning stats.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... pounds 400m - Cash the government is to bring forward from existing budgets to deliver 5,500 more social homes over the next 18 months and ease the downturn in the market. 649,000 - Total planning applications received by district-level...

Atisreal sets out mine bid.(Rotherham Metropolitan borough council)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Planners at Atisreal have concluded their work on a masterplan for South Yorkshire's biggest brownfield development, which is set to create a 4,000-home community. In an outline application submitted to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough...

Area advised on retail role.(East Herts Council)(Chase & Partners)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... East Herts Council has been advised to considerably expand Bishop's Stortford's retail offer by consultancy Chase & Partners. The firm carried out a retail and town centre study to inform the council's local development framework, focusing...

Office starts buoy Glasgow prospects.
September 5, 2008... Research by property consultancy Drivers Jonas has found that office development in Glasgow has risen 17 per cent despite the economic downturn. But it also reveals a 57 per cent plunge in the volume of residential property under...

Designer outlines proposal for historic Bristol rail station site.
September 5, 2008... Urban designer Gillespies has completed a study looking at development potential for a historic area of Bristol city centre. The Bristol Temple Meads development feasibility study, supported by Associated Architects and design and...

Study feeds regional plan.(regional spatial strategy)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Planning consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners has completed its work on the regional spatial strategy (RSS) for the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly. Associate director Michael Hepburn said the study identifies potential problems...

JMP to lead travel review.
September 5, 2008... Transport consultancy JMP has teamed up with the Universities of Bath, Exeter and Surrey to look at travel behaviour change. The work will investigate travel patterns for public sector bodies and transport operators. It will look in...

Docks homes plan granted.
September 5, 2008... The biggest application ever submitted to Edinburgh City Council, for the 15,000-home regeneration of Leith Docks, has been approved by its planning committee. Developer Forth Ports' design features nine urban villages across 58ha of...

Councils warned on gender duty failure.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Local authority planners are failing to consider women's needs in regeneration projects, according to a University of Cambridge study. Women are disadvantaged because layouts do not take account of the way they use public space in contrast...

Leicester retail area extension to open.
September 5, 2008... Leicester's pounds 350 million High Cross regeneration scheme is due to open this week. The joint Hammerson and Hermes project sees a 30,000m2 extension incorporating five major stores and 40 shops added to the retail-led redevelopment....

Town centre deal signed.(Aylesbury Vale District Council signed a deal with Warner Estate Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Warner Estate and Aylesbury Vale District Council have signed a development agreement for the pounds 100 million regeneration of Aylesbury's town centre. The 33,445m2 Waterside scheme will provide around 30 shops, 160 homes, 750 car...

Mine housing bids sought.
September 5, 2008... English Partnerships is seeking a partner to develop a site near Bath freed up after completion of a project to stabilise a stone mine. The Ralph Allen Yard site in Combe Down was being used as a storage yard while health and safety work...

DfT points to shift to cars.(United Kingdom. Department for Transport)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The UK's dependence on the car is increasing, according to travel statistics published by the DfT last week. The figures show that the number of households without cars fell from 30 per cent in 1995-97 to 25 per cent last year. But the...

Delays cause terminal slip.
September 5, 2008... Heathrow Airport's flagship terminal, hailed as the gateway to the 2012 London Olympics, will not be ready for the event, it has emerged. Airport operator BAA admitted that at best only part of Heathrow East - which will replace Terminals...

Traffic study backs noise policy review.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The government's reluctance to reduce speed limits as a low-cost measure to cut the number of road noise hot spots is nonsensical, a transport expert has insisted. The comment follows a report commissioned by the Noise Association issued...

Port developer makes funding case for rail service upgrades.
September 5, 2008... Rail and infrastructure improvements to serve northern ports are a matter of national significance and should be funded accordingly, PD Ports has insisted. The company is seeking improved rail access from Teesport to the East Coast Main...

Report slams Scots access.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... More than 40 per cent of disabled people in Scotland have had to turn down a job because of a lack of accessible public transport, according to a charity this week. A report by Leonard Cheshire Disability finds that around two-thirds of...

Welsh speed limits urged.
September 5, 2008... All Welsh urban areas should introduce 20mph zones to tackle the growing obesity epidemic, Sustrans Cymru has insisted. In its response to a Welsh Assembly consultation that ended last week, Sustrans called for the limits in addition to...

Plant aims to limit carbon.
September 5, 2008... A pounds 500 million gas-fired power plant on Teesside has been approved by energy minister Malcolm Wicks. Thor Cogeneration Ltd is to build the 1,020MW combined heat and power plant at Seal Sands near Billingham. Its carbon emissions will...

Green homes views gained.
September 5, 2008... The UK Green Building Council has received more than 60 responses to online consultation about greening housing stock, ahead of its report to the government. It worked with the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, the Sustainable...

Scotland builds on potential for hydro.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Scotland has the potential for more than 1,000 more hydro power schemes, a report has claimed. The study, commissioned by the Scottish Government, reveals that there is 657MW of financially viable hydro capacity in Scotland. This would...

Johnson outlines city strategy in response to climate change.
September 5, 2008... London mayor Boris Johnson has pledged to increase the amount of green space in the capital to keep it cool during summer as part of a series of climate change measures. The city's climate change strategy also proposes designing or...

CABE makes spaces case.(Commission for Architecutre and the Built Environment)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... CABE has urged councils to give priority to using green space creatively to reduce the impacts from climate change on towns and cities. Case studies by Faber Maunsell-AECOM show that adapting public spaces helps settlements better respond...

Ramble flags runway issue.
September 5, 2008... Essex County Council's leader will head a 'runway ramble' next week to highlight the risk to the countryside if a second runway is approved at Stansted Airport. Lord Hanningfield's walk next Saturday aims to flag up homes, countryside and...

Amended retail bid lodged for Lisburn.
September 5, 2008... Revised plans for a controversial expansion of the Sprucefield shopping centre in Northern Ireland have been lodged by developers Westfield and Snoddons. Approval was granted in 2005 for plans to enlarge the out-of-town centre near...

Strategy put to city again.
September 5, 2008... Sheffield City Council is to reconvene the public examination on its core strategy after agreeing to make nine changes to its original submission last week. The examination opened formally in April but was postponed after inspector Shelagh...

Eco-village developer warns of resumption of aerodrome use.
September 5, 2008... A former aerodrome near Guildford in Surrey could be used again for aircraft if proposals for a new community are rejected later this month, its owners have warned. Dunsfold Park Ltd, the developer behind the plans for 2,600 homes and an...

Agenda.
September 5, 2008... 17 September: Street Planning and Design Organiser: RTPI Venue: Leeds Fee: pounds 15-pounds 95 + VAT Details: 0113 237 8488 18 September: The Power of Place Organisers: Landscape Institute, RIBA and RTPI Venue: Birmingham Fee:...

Council left reeling at New Road ruling.
September 5, 2008... South Gloucestershire Council is considering an appeal after the High Court backed a housing scheme that the authority argued undermines its affordable homes policy. It was 'surprised and disappointed' when deputy judge Mark Pelling QC...

Courses take on skill crisis.(University of Brighton)(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... The University of Brighton is set to launch a range of planning courses to tackle a south coast skills shortage. With up to pounds 200,000 of South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and DCLG money, it will offer a part-time...

Agency seeks more reservoir evidence.(Brief article)
September 5, 2008... Thames Water has been instructed to revise parts of its plan for a reservoir near Abingdon in Oxfordshire by the Environment Agency. In response to the utility's draft water resource management plan (WRMP), the agency said it needs to do...

Final call for consultancies to be listed.
September 5, 2008... This is the final call for consultancies to be listed in the annual A-Z of Mineral and Waste Planning. Final entries must be submitted by next Wednesday. It is free to have an entry in the directory, which is open to all in the sector and...

The DCLG to work with regional development agencies.
September 5, 2008... The DCLG is to work with regional development agencies and the Homes and Communities Agency on ways to revive flagging regeneration projects. The announcement came as part of a package of DCLG measures to help the declining housing market,...