A private developer has been ordered to pay what is thought to be a record £725,000 in compensation for a planning offence after building an illegal six-storey block of flats
East London’s Hackney Council served an enforcement notice in relation to the property in Hoxton in August 2011.
Garland Development Limited, and the company’s sole director Yusuf Sarodia, were sentenced last month for the offence of failing to demolish the property.
The local authority also made an application for the confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Hackney Council will receive one third of the confiscation order, with this sum reinvested in planning enforcement. The remainder will go to the court and the Treasury.
Garland Development and Sarodia are yet to demolish the property and the council said it would consider further enforcement if action is not taken.
Councillor Guy Nicholson, cabinet member for regeneration said: “Anyone who thinks they have a right to build a property in Hackney without first obtaining planning permission must realise that the council will take action against those who flout the rules.
“Putting up a building without planning permission is not only breaching planning law but to be quite frank puts at risk the safety of residents and neighbouring properties.”
Roger Milne
A Derbyshire planning authority has withdrawn its local plan from public examination after announcing it could no longer demonstrate a five-year supply of sites which would deliver the council’s objectively assessed housing need as set out in its draft Core Strategy.
Amber Valley Borough Council, a semi-rural local authority, has taken that draconian step after telling the planning inspector examining the strategy that discussions in the past month with relevant land owners and site promoters had revealed that fewer homes than originally anticipated would be available over the five years to 2020. Some 310 fewer dwellings were involved, the council reported.
The council told the inspector: “it will not be practical to achieve a demonstrable five-year supply through the identification of further sites for housing development without revisiting its overall strategy for housing growth. It anticipates that the process of reviewing the growth strategy and reaching a conclusion as to an alternative approach, including appropriate public consultation and engagement, will take at least 12 months”.
Alan Cox, Leader of the Council, said: “I am deeply dismayed that such a decision had to be made at the eleventh hour, after so much effort and expenditure on the process by so many.
“Regrettably, however, despite the fact that there are many sites within the borough that have been given planning approval by the council, the council has no powers to force developers to start building the houses, or influence the timeframe over which a site is developed.”
He added: “The council remains fully committed to establishing an up-to-date local pan for Amber Valley, which will provide a robust set of policies and proposals to support housing and economic growth in the borough, whilst at the same time safeguarding and enhancing the environment.”
Roger Milne
Ministers urged to allow more time for policy change consultation
Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, has written to Communities Secretary Greg Clark to press for a month’s extension to the consultation period over the Government’s proposals announced last week for a raft of changes to planning policy in England.
That move came as Betts signalled that the all-party committee would hold a quick-fire inquiry into the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) early in the New Year.
Betts pointed out there had been no prior warning about the consultation and that much of the consultation period will be taken up by the traditional Christmas and New Year break.
“An extension would allow the opportunity for the proper, informed, public debate these issues deserve” the Labour backbencher argued.
Meanwhile the Campaign to Protect Rural England has warned that the plans for a new ‘housing delivery test’ and proposals to allow housing on previously developed sites in the green belt would lead to more greenfield land being lost to development and the risk of further urban “sprawl”.
Report claims nimbyism isn’t inevitable
A new report from cross-party think-tank Demos has insisted that widespread local opposition to house development (aka ‘nimbyism’) is not inevitable.
The report argued that rather than being motivated by self-interest and financial concerns, most opposition was born out of genuine concern for the community and a lack of transparency and trust in the planning process.
The report ‘Community Builders’ highlighted that councils in the north of England are much more likely to approve new housing development, and in a much faster time, than those in the south where the shortage of supply is most acute.
The report also found that many types of council, particularly those in rural areas, were dragging their heels on approving new planning applications, including some councils where a third of all proposals for large developments are being rejected in the face of significant population growth.
The think-tank made the case that community-led housing schemes could help to solve the national housing crisis by encouraging greater local ownership over house-building.
Liverpool proposals
Proposals for the regeneration of Liverpool’s Chinatown have moved closer now planning permission has been approved for the £200m development that will provide new homes, businesses, leisure facilities, a hotel and a unique Chinese retail core.
The approved hybrid application sought detailed consent for the first phase of the project on Great George Street, and outlined consent for the second and third phases.
Meanwhile in a separate move the city council has dropped its legal challenge over the decision by the then Communities Secretary Sir Eric Pickles to refuse permission for regeneration plans for the Welsh Streets district in Toxteth proposed jointly by the local authority and housing association Plus Dane.
Accessibility toolkit
Social housing specialist Habinteg and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have joined forces and launched an online toolkit to help make accessible housing more of a national priority.
The interactive resource, Towards Accessible Housing, was launched in response to the implementation of the Building Regulations in October 2015.
This initiative is designed to offer practical support for local authorities’ planning policy on access and to ensure homes and communities are inclusive for all.
The TCPA said the toolkit would help planners and local authorities understand the implications of the new housing standards, support accessibility within planning, and ensure an increased supply of accessible homes.
Custom-build pilot for Basingstoke
A new development of 122 homes in Basingstoke, Hampshire has been selected as a national pilot for large-scale custom build, housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis has announced.
The minister stressed that the Government was committed to working with industry professionals to eradicate the two biggest barriers to custom and self-build, access to land and finance.
The proposed custom build scheme will be at Park Prewett, part of a major new housing development in Basingstoke. There, developer ZeroC will provide homes under the custom build model, ranging from self-build to custom fit-out.
Each of the homes can be customised to the buyer’s specifications with various levels of custom build on offer to buyers.
Plans for the site also include 44 plots which will be allocated for affordable housing, along with a few entirely-self build plots that will be made available.
Slough’s Sarah Richards named as new PINs Chief Executive
The Department for Communities and Local Government has named Sarah Richards as the new Chief Executive of The Planning Inspectorate.
Sarah is currently Strategic Director Regeneration, Housing and Resources, at Slough Borough Council a post she has held since 2013.
Previously she worked for the Greater London Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Essex County Council.
Resort restoration
Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens is one of 77 projects due to benefit from three million pounds of government funding.
Ranging from theatres to piers and lidos to lighthouses, the projects will each receive grants of up to £50,000 to help kick-start restoration work.
They are also set to attract £30m in private and public investment and could support up to 1,500 jobs, ministers have claimed.
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “Several of the sites are on our Heritage at Risk Register and require urgent action before they are lost.”
The schemes include projects from Berwick in Scotland to St Ives in Cornwall.
Energy and power projects
- Proposals to build a gas fuelled peaking power plant at a site near a scrap yard close to the M32 at St Werburgh’s, Bristol have been refused by the city council because of air quality and other pollution concerns. Three other proposals for peaking plant were withdrawn.
- Communities Secretary Greg Clark has dismissed an appeal over a single wind-turbine project earmarked for a location in green belt near Lumby in north Yorkshire originally refused by Selby District Council. His decision was in line with the recommendation of the planning inspector who held the recovered appeal inquiry. Clark’s decision letter concluded that the benefits of the scheme did not outweigh its short comings in terms of harm to the openness of the green belt and impact on heritage assets. He also said community concerns over planning impacts had not been addressed.
- The UK needs to start fracking to establish the economic impact of shale gas, an industry-funded body has said. The Task Force on Shale Gas’s latest report says only after fracking has begun will it be possible to determine how much gas can be recovered. The report calls on the Government and local communities to allow initial exploratory wells.
Cheshire East Council’s draft local plan receives examiners support
The planning inspector examining Cheshire East Council’s draft local plan has issued further interim views on how the strategy is developing which are broadly supportive of the local planning authority’s latest work.
The inspector noted that the council has produced “an impressive and comprehensive set of additional evidence within a relatively limited amount of time during the suspension of the examination.” The inspector said the council had adopted a balanced and rational approach to economic and jobs growth.
On housing, the objectively assessed need (OAN) for 36,000 new homes was viewed as “supported by the evidence”.
Thumbs-down for Hull music venue
Plans for a £36m music and exhibition centre in Hull have been rejected. The 3,500 capacity venue was to have been built on derelict land in the city centre and was expected to open in 2018.
Hull City Council’s planning committee rejected the proposal, despite council officers recommending approval.
Lewes development approved
The South Downs National Park Authority’s planning committee has approved, in principle, a 416-home development proposed jointly by developer Santon and the local authority for the Phoenix quarter of Lewes in East Sussex. Some 40 per cent of the homes will be affordable.
The North Street Quarter development is the biggest housing scheme to be determined by the park authority and was the subject of considerable local controversy and an alternative proposal by campaigners.
Margaret Paren, Chair of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “We recognise that our decision won’t be universally welcomed but we believe that it offers the best possible use of this brownfield site for the future of Lewes and the people who live here, including much-needed flood defences and drainage for the whole town and space for recreational facilities.”
London developments
- A viability report commissioned by two east London councils who object to controversial proposals to redevelop the four-hectare Bishopsgate Goods Yard site has questioned the lack of affordable housing on offer from developers Hammerson and Ballymore. London mayor Boris Johnson has called-in the housing-led mixed-use scheme on the grounds of its strategic significance. The proposals involve plans for 12 new buildings including two skyscrapers of 39 and 47 storeys straddling the boundary between Hackney and Tower Hamlets Councils.
- AFC Wimbledon has been given permission by Merton Council to build a new stadium close to its spiritual home in Plough Lane, south west London. The League Two club applied to build an 11,000-seater stadium (that could be expanded to hold 20,000) on the site of Wimbledon greyhound stadium. The original Wimbledon club left Plough Lane in 1991 because of legislation requiring all-seater stadiums.
- A series of listed Victorian buildings once used to store coal is set to be converted into a spectacular Covent Garden-style piazza under the latest proposals for the regeneration of the King’s Cross unveiled by developer Argent.
- Haringey Council have approved revised plans for Tottenham’s new 61,000-seat stadium. Spurs hope to move to the ground for the 2018-19 season with work beginning in spring 2016. The plans must now be formally approved by the Mayor of London.
Transport projects
- A new £26m railway station in Rochester has opened. It is closer to the town centre and allows longer 12-car trains to pass through the station. The old station used to take 10-car trains. Five extra trains to London will run in the mornings and one extra return train will run in the evening.
- A five million pound railway station has opened for the first time and is now serving residents of the new Cranbrook eco-town near Exeter. The single platform Cranbrook Station, funded by Devon County Council and Cranbrook New Community Partners will mean hourly services will run on the existing Exeter to London Waterloo line, providing new links to Exeter, Salisbury and Basingstoke.
- Two potential sites for a lorry park to deal with disruption on the M20 motorway in Kent have been unveiled for consultation. Either site would help prevent the need for Operation Stack, when the motorway is closed during cross-channel disruption. Both sites are to the north of the M20 at junction 11, close to Westenhanger, and would ease Eurotunnel and Dover port disruption, Highways England said.
Chinese lessons?
China’s success in using planning to grow and develop its economy has been highlighted in a report just published by the Royal Town Planning Institute. The organisation has insisted that this should send a strong signal to UK politicians and the public.
The report stressed that China recognised that urban planning was vital to economic growth and civic pride and showed what can be achieved when national and local policymakers provide leadership and support for planners.
In the study Professor Fulong Wu, Bartlett Professor of Planning at University College London (UCL), sets out China’s experience in using planning to drive economic growth while limiting the environmental impact of urbanisation.
Mike Harris, Head of Research of the RTPI said: “We see a confident and positive interpretation of the role of planning in China which is not always the case in the UK. Of course there are problems with their system but the key lesson here is China’s attitude and confidence in robust planning.”
East Sussex coastal erosion scheme
A scheme to protect homes at Fairlight in East Sussex from coastal erosion has been approved by Rother District Council. A rock barrier costing nearly two million pounds should prevent further erosion for the next 50 years but some 22 homes will be lost, it is predicted.
The new defences should save around 160 properties in the village, which sits on cliffs between Rye and Hastings.
Lawrence cottage listing upgrade
The only adult home of the iconic diplomat and writer T.E. Lawrence has been upgraded to a Grade II* listing by Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch.
The cottage, Clouds Hill, in Dorset served as Lawrence’s retreat from barrack life where he would entertain his friends and wrote most of his famous books.
Lawrence reconstructed the partly-derelict cottage during 1923-35 to his specifications and needs, preferring the simplicity of the small and unheated building. Since his death in 1935 the cottage has remained unaltered and preserved as he left it.
Roger Milne
The Government has begun consulting on a slew of proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
These changes to English planning policy involve the following areas:
- Broadening the definition of affordable housing
- Increasing the density of development around commuter hubs
- Supporting sustainable new settlements and helping development on brownfield land and small sites
- Helping the delivery of housing allocated in plans
- Promoting and aiding the delivery of starter homes.
In respect of broadening the definition of affordable housing to include a wider range of low-cost homes ministers are also already introducing a statutory requirement for a proportion of ‘starter homes’ to be delivered on all reasonably-sized housing developments. There will be separate consultation on the level at which this will be set.
The consultation explains government thinking on the introduction of a so-called housing delivery test and possible action where there has been a significant under-delivery of new homes over a sustained period.
The document also sets out the Government’s plans to extend the current exception site policy and strengthen the presumption in favour of ‘starter home’ developments. “We propose to amend the NPPF to make clear that unviable or underused employment land should be released unless there is significant and compelling evidence to justify why such land should be retained for employment use”.
The consultation clarifies the proposal to change policy to support the regeneration of previously developed brownfield sites in the green belt provided this contributes to the delivery of starter homes. This will be “subject to local consultation”.
Ministers have also said they will amend the existing policy test on the impact on the openness of the green belt to make this more flexible to “enable suitable, sensitively designed redevelopment to come forward”.
The document has proposed there will only be transitional arrangements, for a period of six to twelve months, in respect of local authorities accommodating the new definition of affordable housing because this may need the development of new policy and possibly a partial review of their local plan.
View the consultation documents
Roger Milne
Housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis has told Parliament that the Government intends permission in principle (PiP) for the development of certain land to be limited to “housing-led development”.
That clarification came during exchanges during the committee stage of the housing and planning bill. The legislation allows the Communities Secretary to make regulations granting PiP for the development of land allocated in “a qualifying document”. This covers local plans, neighbourhood plans and the new statutory registers of brownfield land.
In committee last week the minister stressed that development must be housing-led in order to qualify for PiP. But he also made it clear that secondary legislation yet to be introduced by the Government would allow for mixed-uses to be included in housing-led developments.
Lewis confirmed: “As long as a site allocation includes residential development, local authorities will be able to grant PiP for other uses.”
The minister also explained that the Communities Secretary would have “no direct role in choosing which sites to grant PiP to”. He said the Communities Secretary’s role would be to make development orders providing for PiPs to be granted by certain types of document and to “maintain oversight of how the PiP system will work, including issuing statutory guidance”.
The minister promised consultation on how the new regime will operate including procedural matters for councils when granting a PiP.
Meanwhile government amendments which would allow the Communities Secretary to ask the Mayor of London or a combined authority to prepare a development plan have been inserted into the bill.
Lewis said these new provisions would enable more “targeted and appropriate intervention where a local planning authority has failed to take action to get a plan in place”.
View the transcript of the debate
Roger Milne
Communities Secretary Greg Clark has intervened over proposals for what would be the biggest on-shore wind farm in England earmarked for a site in the Pennines straddling the boundary between Blackburn and Rossendale Borough Councils.
Earlier this year the two planning authorities approved plans by Peel Energy and United Utilities to add a further 16 turbines to the existing 26 at the Scout Moor wind farm. Most of the turbines (14) were due to be located on the Rossendale side of the boundary.
The letter from Clark explaining his decision to hold a public inquiry into the scheme raised four main issues.
These included the extent to which the proposed development is consistent with government policies on protecting the green belt, meeting the challenge of climate change and conserving the natural environment.
Also in the frame is the extent to which the proposed development is consistent with the development plans for the area.
Crucially, the Secretary of State has made it clear he will determine the wind farm project in the light of the Government’s post-election statement on local planning announced in Parliament on 18 June and the amended online guidance issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government on renewable and low carbon energy.
Find out more information about the expansions plans
Roger Milne
Details of a master plan for the ambitious redevelopment of York’s largest brownfield site have been unveiled this week.
York Central, a 72-hectare site in the heart of the city, could be transformed to provide some 2,500 new homes, up to 120,000 square metres of high-quality office space creating up to 7,000 new jobs, the expansion and enhancement of the National Railway Museum (NRM), improvements to the railway station and the creation of a network of public squares, green spaces and routes linking to surrounding neighbourhoods.
Over the past 12-months, the council has been working in collaboration with Network Rail, the NRM and the Homes and Communities Agency towards a high level master plan for York Central labelled as the Kings Cross of the North.
York Central was recently identified as an Enterprise Zone by the Government following a joint bid by City of York Council and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, which will potentially unlock over £100m to help deliver the York Central site.
Council leader Chris Steward said: “The redevelopment of York Central represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to deliver major growth in York. This will enable us to attract high value jobs, deliver new and much needed sustainable homes and create world-class public spaces which will help define the future for our city. We will also reduce the pressure to build on York’s green belt.”
Roger Milne
Gladman Developments has won an appeal determined by Communities Secretary Greg Clark for a 54-home scheme at Hook Norton, Oxfordshire refused by the local planning authority Cherwell District Council. The proposals, in outline, were to a limited extent in conflict with the neighbourhood plan for the area.
The appeal site involved 2.7-hectares of agricultural land located to the north of Hook Norton, on the east side of Sibford Road. The site lay outside but immediately adjacent to the development boundary of Hook Norton as defined in the 1996 Cherwell District Local Plan.
The inspector who held the recovered appeal recommended the scheme should go-ahead. Clark agreed even though he acknowledged the residents of the homes faced possible smells from an adjoining farm and possibly problems from insects.
In his decision letter Clark acknowledged that the local authority could demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land. However Clark insisted that the proposals would boost local housing supply, including the fact that some 35 per cent of the housing would be as affordable dwellings. This factor weighed heavily in favour of the appeal, argued the Communities Secretary.
“Overall” stated the letter, “the SoS considers that the benefits of this sustainable development would clearly outweigh the harm in terms of the limited conflict with the Hook Norton Neighbourhood Plan and the slight adverse effect on future occupiers as a result of odours generated by the adjacent Redlands Dairy Farm.”
View the decision letter and inspectors report
Roger Milne
Funding for garden towns and starter homes
Ministers have announced over £9m funding in total for two proposed garden town developments, one in Oxfordshire and the other in north Essex, and to help kick-start its ‘Starter Homes’ initiative.
As part of the initiative £8m has been to local authorities to help 27 sites across England prepare for the first wave of ‘Starter Homes’.
The funding will support councils in enabling ‘Starter Homes’ on local brownfield sites that are currently underused or vacant, through measures such as clearance, remediation, demolition and site investigations.
Over £1m funding is being allocated to help both the development of the Greater Didcot Garden Town in south Oxfordshire which could provide 15,000 new homes and proposals for a number of garden village communities in north Essex involving the county council and three district councils. These could provide 35,000 new dwellings.
Listed building consent poll
A third of listed building owners polled about applying for listed building consent (LBC) said their experience was poor, according to a survey just published by the Historic Environment Forum with the support of advisory body Historic England.
However half those involved said they had a good experience of the planning process. Those who did not go ahead with their application for LBC seem to be put off by the cost of skilled professionals and the complexity of the planning process.
The survey noted that since 2012/13, the number of listed building consent applications has grown, whereas all other planning applications have stabilised at lower levels than the peak of 2004/5.
This is in the face of further decreases in local authority staff. Since 2006, the number of archaeological specialists has fallen by 23 per cent and the number of conservation specialists has fallen by 35 per cent.
Key devolution legislation makes waves
The administration’s cities and local government devolution bill has been scrutinised by both Houses of Parliament and received its third reading in the Commons this week. The legislation will now return to the Lords where peers will consider Commons amendments.
The bill make provision for the election of mayors and additional functions for combined authorities and is a key building block for the devolution of power from central to local government.
View more information on the bill
NPs voted through in Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, West Yorkshire and West Sussex
Four more neighbourhood plans received a yes vote at their referendums last week. The Walton NP in West Yorkshire achieved a 95 per cent vote in favour on a 34 per cent turn out. The Climping NP in West Sussex achieved a 93 per cent vote in favour on a 44.5 turn out. The Harworth & Bircotes NP in Nottinghamshire achieved an 85 per cent vote in favour on a 13 per cent turn-out. While the Norley NP in Cheshire saw 95 per cent vote yes on a 20 per cent turn-out.
View the Walton Neighbourhood Plan
View the Climping Neighbourhood Plan
View the Harworth & Bircotes Neighbourhood Plan
RIBA urges minimum space standards
The Royal Institute of British Architects has urged the Government to insist on minimum space standards for all homes, in every location. The organisation has argued that the administration’s recently introduced so-called Nationally Described Space Standard should become part of the building regulations.
The institute complained that the standard won’t solve the problem of inadequate housing because it is voluntary and too complicated for local authorities to introduce.
According to research commissioned by RIBA outside of London the average new 3-bedroom home is missing 4 square metres, the size of a family bathroom.
It also pointed out that new three bedroom homes in London are 25 square metres bigger than in Yorkshire, the size of a double bedroom and family living room. The smallest three bedroom homes surveyed were missing 9 square metres, the size of a double bedroom.
RIBA claimed its survey showed that more than half of the new homes being built today are not big enough to meet the needs of the people who buy them.
Logistics report
The property industry has called on central and local government to do more to recognise the importance of the logistics sector in terms of boosting the economy and providing jobs.
A report called ’Delivering the Goods’ published by the British Property Federation (BPF) and researched by planning consultancy Turley, has outlined the contribution the logistics sector makes to the UK some £100bn Gross Value Added (GVA) per year.
The BPF called on central government to recognise the important role the logistics industry plays in the wider economy as the industrial sector faces increasing competition for land from higher value uses like housing. It said local councils should ensure that industrial land is given adequate provision in local plans.
The report estimated that the logistics sector directly supported a minimum of 56,000 businesses and employed 2.2 million people, some eight per cent of the UK’s workforce. The survey found that employment in warehousing operations increased by 40 per cent between 2009 and 2013.
London developments
- Plans for up to 13 new London bridges and tunnels along the River Thames would “unlock areas for development”, Mayor Boris Johnson has insisted after launching the report ‘Connecting the capital’ which features new crossings between Fulham in the west and Dartford in the east. Transport for London (TfL) has already launched public consultations on two of the crossings at Gallions Reach and Belvedere, both on the east side of the conurbation.
- Proposals for the City of London’s tallest tower, One Undershaft, have been unveiled. The 73-storey skyscraper would be slightly shorter than the Shard but would be the second highest building in the capital. At 309.6 metres, it would be 80 metres taller than the nearby Cheesegrater, which stands at 224m, and would dwarf the 180 metre high Gherkin. The project involves a public square at its base, a free public viewing gallery and a sky-high restaurant.
- East London’s Hackney Council has approved a mixed-use scheme at 201-207 Shoreditch High Street which will comprise a 200-room hotel as well as office floor space including so-called “creative” facilities with shared amenities and roof terraces.
Housing figures
Latest official figures show 66,640 new affordable homes were delivered in the last year in England. Ministers claimed this represented the highest annual increase since 1993. The Department for Communities and Local Government also said the numbers of new affordable and social rented homes were up by nearly two-thirds in the last 12 months. The department insisted over 270,000 new affordable homes had been delivered since 2010.
Meanwhile separate figures from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) revealed that in the six months from April and September 2015 there were 10,592 housing starts on site and 9,471 housing completions delivered through programmes managed by the agency in England (excluding London) except those administered by the HCA on behalf of the Greater London Authority.
The majority (7,572 or 71 per cent) of the housing starts on site in the six months to 30 September 2015 were for affordable homes. This represents a decrease of 20 per cent on the 9,439 affordable homes reported between 1 April and 30 September 2014.
LGA housing commission launched
The Local Government Association has launched a Housing Commission to explore new routes to house building, so councils can accelerate the building of more homes.
The LGA claimed that councils built nine times more homes between 2010 and 2015 than between 2000 and 2005. The association has argued that 230,000 new homes are needed each year and private developers have failed to provide more than 150,000 homes a year for more than three decades.
Builder ‘red tape’ review
The Government has promised another so-called ’Red Tape’ review which will allow house builders a further chance to canvas the removal of unnecessary and ineffective rules and enforcement procedures.
The key starting points for the review are based on the priorities raised by the earlier Housing Implementation Task Force:
- Roads and infrastructure rules for new housing developments
- Environmental requirements, particularly EU rules such as the Habitats Directive and wider EU environmental permit requirements
- Rules that affect utilities (such as electricity, gas and water – as well as broadband infrastructure).
The Government is keen to look at the changes made to the Construction, Design and Management Regulations, as well as any examples of EU rules that are being implemented too strictly.
Bristol airfield development site sold
The former Filton Airfield in Bristol, a strategic development site, has been sold to Malaysian developers YTL Utilities.
The 142-hectare site was previously owned by BAE Systems and has been bought by YTL Utilities for an undisclosed sum.
Planning permission for 2,675 new homes and 25-hectares of office and industrial use was granted by South Gloucestershire Council earlier this year.
Green light for Salford homes
Silverlane Developments (Greengate) Ltd has been given the go ahead by the city council for 300 new homes in two landmark towers in Salford.
The £50m development, known as Norton Court, involves buildings of 34 and 14 storeys and will provide a mix of one, two and three bedroom flats.
It will also include 473 square metres of commercial space at ground level, basement car parking, landscaping and links to the riverside walkway along the River Irwell.
The 0.19-hectare car-park site is part of a wider residential-led mixed use regeneration strategy by the council which aims to deliver 1,826 homes in the area over the next 15 years.
Stratford upon Avon town centre makeover
Stratford-on-Avon District Council has given the go-ahead to UK & European Investments to redevelop Bell Court, previously known as Stratford Town Square.
The £30m redevelopment will include new retail floor space, a four-screen Everyman cinema and a new restaurant as part of a 6,503 square metre project. The 14th-century bell that previously hung in Bell Court will be reinstalled at the High Street entrance to the site.
View the news story on BBC.co.uk
1,800-home ‘Surrey village’ project
Dunsfold Park Ltd, the company which owns and operates Dunsfold Aerodrome, has submitted plans for 1,800 new homes, an expanded business park and community facilities including a country park to Waverley Borough Council. The company says the development would be in the form of a new ‘Surrey village’.
The council refused plans for 2,600 homes on the brownfield site back in 2008. Unlike much of the borough the aerodrome is neither in green belt or the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
View more information about Dunsfold Park
Power project moves
- A judge at the Court of Session has said the Scottish Government’s decision to approve a 67-turbine wind farm near Fort Augustus was “defective” following a judicial review brought by conservation charity the John Muir Trust. Lord Jones said ministers reached their decision on SSE’s Stronelairg project “in breach of environmental obligations”.
- Tata Steel has been given a development consent order to build a new power plant, which will be fuelled by gases produced at its Margam site at Port Talbot, south Wales.
- Court of Appeal judges have overturned a High Court decision which backed the approval given by Denbigh County Council for two wind turbines on the outskirts of the North Wales village of Llandrillo which resident Andrew Jedwell has been fighting for several years. The appeal court judges decided that the judge who dismissed Jedwell’s earlier High Court challenge was mistaken. They have sent the case back to the High Court for reconsideration in the light of a procedural irregularity during the earlier High Court hearing.
Tintagel bridge designs
English Heritage has unveiled short-listed designs for a new 87 metre high footbridge at “one of the most spectacular historic sites in Britain”. The heritage body plans to build the £4m structure to reconnect two sites at Tintagel Castle in north Cornwall.
Toxteth terrace regeneration wins Turner Prize
A regeneration scheme for derelict houses in Toxteth in Liverpool has won Britain’s leading contemporary art award, the Turner Prize.
The £25,000 prize went to London-based architecture and design collective Assemble, who have revamped 10 terraced houses in the area.
Judges praised what they called “a ground-up approach to regeneration and development in opposition to corporate gentrification”.
Roger Milne
The high speed rail link connecting Crewe to Birmingham will open six years ahead of schedule in 2027, Chancellor George Osborne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced this week.
The Government claimed this move, affecting the section of the HS2 route from Fradley in the West Midlands to Crewe, would deliver a major boost to the Midlands, Northern Powerhouse and Scotland. This section is now designated officially as Phase 2a.
In a parliamentary statement McLoughlin said: “We intend to accelerate Phase 2a so that it opens six years earlier than planned, in 2027. This will bring more capacity and faster HS2 services to the north-west of England, including Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland much sooner than originally planned. Our plans will help to support growth and deliver jobs more quickly.”
Powers to build this section of the route will be sought through a separate hybrid bill which ministers intend to introduce to Parliament in 2017. HS2 Ltd has now procured Professional Services Consultants (PSCs) to support the hybrid bill development.
The Transport Secretary has issued safeguarding directions for that part of the route to ensure that new developments in this corridor do not affect the ability to build or operate Phase 2a or lead to excessive additional costs. Safeguarding has also triggered the statutory blight regime.
In a related but separate development plans to integrate Leeds’ proposed HS2 station with the city’s existing railway station have been announced.
The Government has also published a progress report on the Northern Transport Strategy, which includes a progress update across the full range of the strategy, including international connectivity, freight, smart and integrated ticketing, strategic roads and Northern Powerhouse rail.
The Chancellor also confirmed that former Director General of the CBI, John Cridland is to be the first Chair of Transport for the North (TfN), a new body created to help transform transport connectivity across the ’Northern Powerhouse’ area.
Roger Milne
Planning Portal Blog 