News Round-up

A round-up of planning news.

Voting open for RTPI elections

The RTPI has opened voting for vice-president and roles on the Board of Trustees and the General Assembly.

The candidates for the 2024 vice-presidency are Helen Fadipe MRTPI and Kirsty Macari MRTPI.

Nominations for roles on Regional Management Boards, Regional Activities Committees, and Executive Committees in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will open on Monday 4 September.

More information can be found on the RTPI website.

UK’s first solar-powered all-electric park-and-ride site opens in Leeds

Leeds City Council has announced the opening of the UK’s first solar-powered Park and Ride in Stourton, which will be serviced by electric buses.

The panels are expected to generate 852,000 kilowatt-hours a year, powering a bus service to Leeds city centre.

They will be mounted on top of carport canopies and battery storage will store excess power so that the service will be able to run outside of daylight hours.

The project is part of Leeds City Council’s strategy to hit carbon zero by 2030, and Jonathan Roper, the principal renewable energy consultant at EvoEnergy, which is installing the panels, thinks the scheme might inspire similar projects elsewhere.

“This project is a sustainable example for other cities in the UK to follow. This site highlights how a project can positively impact a community, the local economy, and businesses throughout the city by enabling renewable energy-powered transportation and enhancing the volume of transport links,” said Roper. “It’s a great step forward in sustainable electrification of transport while overcoming local grid limitations and the essential need for smart energy solutions.”

Council appoints design review panel members

Croydon Council has appointed 31 members and four chairs to its newly launched design review panel which begins in September.

The members will use their areas of expertise to advise the council on major planning proposals, capital projects, regeneration and development projects in the borough.

The council appointed panellists with experience in planning, architecture, urban design, culture, landscape design, green infrastructure and placemaking.

Schemes the panel will be examining are:

• planning applications for major development and regeneration projects;
• infrastructure and highways;
• parks;
• street furniture;
• public realm; and
• public art projects.

1930s building to become apartments

The South Downs National Park Authority has granted approval for a landmark grade II-listed building to be retained to provide 64 homes.

Approval is subject to a section 106 agreement to secure a substantial financial contribution for affordable housing in the national park.

The former St Dunstan’s building is located on a 4.75-hectare site north of Marine Drive and to the west of Rottingdean. It was constructed in 1938 in a small area of open downland as a rehabilitation centre for blind veterans. Recently, it has been used to provide respite care for older veterans, but owing to a decline in the number of veterans requiring the facility, the charity is relocating to smaller premises in Rustington.

The plans by James Taylor Homes Group feature 64 market dwelling homes, a new gym, and a swimming pool. There will be 13 one-bed, 19 two-bed, 31 three-bed and one four-bed flats.

The grade-II listed chapel at the site will be retained, while 188 cycle parking spaces will be provided in a new cycle storage building.

Onward Homes purchases 62 homes from Countryside Partnership

Developers Countryside Partnership has agreed to the sale of 62 affordable houses on its Bollin Grange development in Macclesfield to Liverpool-based housing association Onward Homes.

Onward secured funding for the project through its strategic partnership with government agency Homes England.

Of the houses, 26 will be made available for affordable rent while the remaining 36 houses will be made available for shared ownership. The homes are part of a wider 306-home development on Gaw End Lane, which is being delivered by the Vistry Group, which Countryside is part of.

Joe Turner, managing director of Countryside Partnerships Manchester and Cheshire East, said: “Bollin Grange is a strategically important development, not only for us but also for the broader Vistry Group, as we strive to establish a sustainable community in Macclesfield. The partnership with Onward will ensure a diverse range of homes that will help address local housing demand.”

All of the residences purchased by Onward Homes, which includes both apartments and a mixture of two, three, and four-bedroom houses, will be fitted with PV solar panels.

Stephen Heverin, growth and regeneration director at Onward, added: “These modern homes will meet an identified need for affordable housing in the Macclesfield area, as well as helping local people to put down roots through our shared-ownership tenure.”

Funding for local energy projects

England’s rural and local communities will soon be able to bid for a share of a £10 million government fund to help set up local energy projects.

The Community Energy Fund aims to kick-start projects such as small-scale wind farms, rooftop solar partnerships, battery storage, and rural heat networks. They should all be proposed, designed and owned by local people.

Minister for Nuclear and Networks Andrew Bowie said: “These energy projects could expand beyond local areas by attracting further investment from the private sector, in turn inspiring other communities to power their area with energy from England.”

The Community Energy Fund will open to applications in the early autumn.

Acorn buys land in Hensol Castle Park

Acorn Property Group has agreed to purchase 3.4 acres of land within the historical parkland of Hensol Castle Park in the Vale of Glamorgan for a residential development in South Wales.

Phase one of the development, currently known as The Mews, will include nine two and three-bed houses and one three-bed bungalow. Phase two, known as The Villas, will feature six four and five-bed detached houses.

The location’s proximity to Cardiff also means easy access to the M4 motorway and the city centre shopping and leisure amenities of Cardiff.

Engineering consultancy to continue in role for London mayor

Global engineering, design, and advisory practice Buro Happold will continue its role as lead consultant for the Mayor of London’s Local Energy Accelerator (LEA).

The LEA is a funding programme that supports the development and delivery of local energy projects across London.

It has been extended to spring 2024. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has made an additional £3 million available to support organisations to deliver clean and flexible local energy projects.

The fund forms part of London’s work to be net-zero carbon by 2030.

Buro Happold will continue to work with partners Turner & Townsend and communications consultancy Camargue.

The programme funds support and expertise for organisations including local authorities, government departments, NHS trusts, and housing associations to develop projects such as district heat networks and technologies, including heat pumps and solar PV.

Deal agreed for 98 homes at Barkingside Yard in Ilford

Developer Countryside Partnerships, housing association Peabody and Transport for London’s (TfL) wholly owned commercial property company have completed the agreement to deliver 98 affordable homes on land next to Barkingside Underground Station in Ilford.

The land is owned by TfL and was previously used as a builder’s yard.

The homes will be a mix of shared ownership and social rent with one, two, or three bedrooms. They will be split across three buildings of up to five storeys. Construction is expected to be completed in 2025.

Air source heat pumps, green roofs, new allotments, and communal gardens for residents feature in the designs. Barkingside Yard will be car-free for residents, except for Blue Badge parking spaces, with cycle storage spaces provided.

Architectural practice Sheppard Robson designed the scheme.

22 August 2023

The Planner

Our planning news is published in association with The Planner, the official magazine of the Royal Town Planning Institute.