I thought I’d give you an update on our office move plans. As is often the case, the best laid plans have gone slightly awry and we’re still in our old offices in Temple Quay House.
However, once the paint has dried in our new offices we will still be making a short hop across town to the new Planning Portal Towers (aka the Spectrum Building for those that are local.) We’re lucky enough to have found a small but perfectly formed office about 10 minutes’ walk from where we are now and we’re really looking forward to moving into to our own place where we hope to welcome plenty of customers and partners in future.
We expect to be packing our bags by 25th September and will be moving around then.
Contact information
For those who need it, our postal address will be:
Planning Portal
Suite C 4th Floor
Spectrum Building
Bond Street
Bristol
BS1 3LG
Our email addresses will also be changing on the date of the move. The name format will be the same but you’ll need to replace @planningportal.gsi.gov.uk with @planningportal.co.uk. We’ll have a re-direct in place for a short period of time. Mobile numbers will be unchanged.
Our support service will remain available throughout the move itself, as will our online help centre which can be found at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/general/contact
Energy minister Lord Bourne has announced development consent has been refused for the proposed Navitus Bay offshore wind park involving some 194 turbines set to be located between 14 and 17 kilometres off the Dorset and Isle of Wight coasts.
The scheme was the brainchild originally of Eneco, a Dutch energy company, later joined by EDF Energy, a French one. It was examined by a team of four planning inspectors between September 2014 and March 2015. They recommended refusal.
The most significant aspect of the examination was that in response to opposition to the proximity of the proposed wind farm to the coast, the promoters put forward an alternative option where just the seaward half of the wind farm would be built, reducing the number of turbines to 76-105.
The scheme met a huge amount of opposition partly because of its proximity to Dorset’s so-called Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage site. There were also fears the scheme would hit tourism. Local Tory MPs were very vocal in their opposition.
The decision letter made it clear that although the World Heritage Site is a geological one, the visual impact of the turbines on the site was sufficient to refuse the project.
This is only the second large offshore wind farm to be refused, the other one was Docking Shoal off the Lincolnshire coast which was considered before the Planning Act 2008 regime came into force.
Infrastructure planning expert Angus Walker, a partner with law firm BDB, said: “Characterising this as a huge blow for renewable energy is probably going a bit far.
“All the other offshore wind farms promoted under the Planning Act 2008 have been approved, this one is something of a special case given its proximity to the coast, although the Rampion wind farm off the Sussex coast was about the same distance and has been approved.
“The Conservatives’ opposition to onshore wind is well known, and this decision suggests that near-shore wind farms are also vulnerable.”
Roger Milne
The Royal Borough of Greenwich’s planning board has approved a revised master plan for the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula site in south-east London.
The blueprint from developer Knight Dragon provides for up to 12,678 homes and 220 serviced flats to be delivered on those parts of the site that have not already received full permission or begun to be built. The scheme represents one of the largest new developments in London.
This brings the total number of homes to be built at the wider Greenwich Peninsula site to 15,720, an increase of more than 50 per cent over the 10,010 homes permitted under the original master plan.
Development is proposed to take place across six new neighbourhoods, five of which will be primarily residential and the sixth a leisure-led district centre.
As well as homes, the scheme includes nearly 60,000 square metres of business space, 40,000 square metres of film and media studios, 23,500 square metres of retail and food space and a 500-room hotel. A minimum of 22.7 per cent affordable housing must be provided across the site.
Under the original master plan, for which outline permission was granted in 2004, an affordable housing provision of 38 per cent was required. But this was subsequently cut to 21 per cent of units in 2013. The master plan is subject to approval by the mayor of London.
Roger Milne
Proposals for more than 1,000 new homes have been submitted for a site in Cheshire dubbed as “one of the North West’s largest construction projects”.
A hotel, care home, shops and restaurants are also proposed for the southern sector of Omega site near the M62 at Burtonwood. The Omega project is already home to distribution warehouses and has reportedly created 2,000 jobs.
The land at the former RAF Burtonwood airbase has been labelled “the largest employment site in Western Europe” by Warrington Borough Council.
Planning permission has already been granted for a new primary school on the site, whilst government funding has been committed for improvements to Junction 8 of the M62.
The developer behind the scheme is Omega Warrington Ltd, a joint venture between Miller Developments and KUC Properties Ltd, in partnership with landowner the Homes and Communities Agency and supported by Warrington Borough Council and the Cheshire and Warrington LEP.
Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council said: “The continued development of Omega is a key priority in our ambitious growth agenda. Work is already underway on-site on the construction of a new primary school, Barrow Hall, which will open in September 2016 and this planning application brings much needed housing to the town.
Roger Milne
The project to reduce the visual impact of power line infrastructure in nationally protected landscapes across England and Wales has reached a key milestone following a decision to prioritise four projects.
The four projects involve National Grid transmission schemes in:
- The Dorset area of outstanding natural beauty near Winterbourne Abbas
- The New Forest National Park near Hale
- The Peak District National Park near Dunford Bridge
- The Snowdonia National Park near Porthmadog.
The decision was announced by the initiative’s Stakeholder Advisory Group chaired by environmentalist Chris Baines. The group includes senior representatives from organisations including the Campaign for National Parks, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, Historic England, Cadw, Natural England and the National Trust.
The aim of the scheme is to reduce the visual impact of National Grid’s existing infrastructure in AONBs and National Parks and improve the related visual quality of the landscape. Energy regulator Ofgem has said the company can spend £500m on this exercise up to 2021.
Originally 12 sections of high voltage lines in eight AONBs and National Parks were shortlisted.
Given the sensitive nature of these protected areas, replacing existing overhead lines with underground cables has generally proved to be the preferred option both technically and in discussion with local stakeholders.
Chris Baines, chair of the advisory group, said: “Reducing the visual impact of pylons and power lines in our most precious landscapes is highly desirable, but it is also very expensive and technically complex so we have had to make some difficult decisions
“Although four schemes have been prioritised, none of the locations on our original shortlist have been dropped and they will remain under consideration for future work to reduce the impact of National Grid’s transmission lines under this visual impact provision project.”
Roger Milne
Rutland County Council has approved a settlement with a developer after a planning error cost it nearly £2m. The mistake was made by officers in 2011 and involved the s106 Agreement over a 1,000 dwelling housing development in Oakham.
The blunder happened when Larkfleet Homes the developer of the Oakham North scheme, asked to vary a minor condition of the section 106 agreement for its Oakham North project, originally anticipated to provide over 1,000 new homes in a sustainable urban extension.
The condition related to flooding issues. The variation was agreed under delegated powers by officials. But in the process the developer ended up with a second valid permission but one without a s106 agreement.
Subsequently the developer pointed out the error. Following legal advice and negotiations Larkfleet has now agreed to pay a sum of £4.8m. The council has estimated that if it had not made the mistake it would have expected to receive some £6.68m under the terms of the original s106 agreement.
This week the local authority admitted that it had lost nearly £1.88m as a result of the administrative blunder, which happened while an officer was acting as head of planning shortly after the retirement of a previous officer.
Since the appointment of a new Planning Manager in May 2012 the council’s procedures have been “comprehensively reviewed” a report by the council explained.
“We are as confident as we can be that there could not be a recurrence of this error” members were told this week when they agreed to the deal.
Roger Milne
New Local plan panel starts work
Planning minister Brandon Lewis this week launched a new group of experts to help streamline the local plan-making process.
The eight-strong panel will consider how the current regime can be simplified. More than a third of local planning authorities have yet to adopt an up to date local plan.
The chair of this new group is John Rhodes of planning consultants Quod. Other members are:
- Adrian Penfold from developers British Land
- Richard Harwood QC from legal firm 39 Essex Chambers
- Councillor Toby Elliott from Swindon Borough Council
- Keith Holland a retired senior planning inspector
- Liz Peace formerly of the British Property Federation
- John Howell MP
- Derek Stebbing plans manager for Chelmsford City Council.
Lewis said: “it’s fair to say the process of getting local plans in place can sometimes be lengthy and complicated.
“That’s why we’ve brought together this panel of experts to help look at ways to streamline the process. Their first-class advice will help councils push on and deliver the homes and infrastructure that their communities need.”
Land Securities quits Kent major housing scheme
A developer has pulled out of a scheme to build more than 5,000 homes on a former military site in Kent.
Land Securities said it was not going ahead with the scheme at Lodge Hill, Chattenden, for commercial reasons. It has spent over £11m on developing the scheme which was approved last year by Medway District Council. The scheme was called in by the then Communities Secretary Eric Pickles in February.
The developer’s latest annual report said it was quitting “due to increased uncertainty over the recoverability of our costs to date following the disappointing decision by the Secretary of State to call in the proposed scheme for public inquiry”.
The development proposals were opposed by many residents, Natural England, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust.
A Medway Council spokesperson said: “The council and other parties are preparing for a public Inquiry which will consider development proposals for Lodge Hill.
“The council continues to support the development which, if given the go ahead, would create a new community comprising of 5,000 homes, three primary schools, a secondary school, medical facilities and leisure and retail space on the Hoo Peninsula, providing up to 5,000 jobs.”
View more information on the BBC news website
D-day soon on offices to homes conversions
Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis has confirmed that an announcement on whether it will extend a temporary permitted development right for the conversion of offices to homes is expected “in the not too distant future”.
Confirmation came during questions to the minister by the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee last week.
Lewis said the administration was “looking to make an announcement around the future for permitted development rights relatively soon”. He added: “We want to make sure that we get the decision right and make sure we learn from what’s happened in the last three years”.
The policy has been particularly controversial in London where local planning authorities are concerned that it may be extended after May next year and could mean existing exemptions are removed.
According to a briefing note by London Councils, which represents local authorities in the capital, prior approval was granted for at least 322 fully occupied office spaces across London since May 2013 when the new regime was introduced. Some 834,000 square metres of office space has been lost to residential conversions, the councils noted.
View more information on the Parliament.uk website
Green belt homes halved
New research from Countrywide has revealed that the homes built at green belt locations in England over the last 20 years has halved. Since 1995 the estate agency has estimated that 96,000 new homes have been built on the green belt slightly fewer than the total number of homes in Trafford, south Manchester. This equates to around 3.5 per cent of the 2.7 million homes built in England between 1995 and 2014.
The number of new homes built on the green belt each year has halved since the early 2000s, falling from a peak of 6,700 homes in 2001 to 3,248 in 2014, according to the agency’s researchers.
Despite a 36 per cent increase in the number of homes built in England between 2001 and 2007, the numbers built on the green belt fell by 46 per cent.
Demand for new homes and a shift in development southwards saw 48 per cent of all green belt development occurring around London in 2014.
In the case of four green belts, around Blackpool, Gloucester, Burton and Morecambe, no new house-building has been recorded since 2011.
PM says public land sales will quicken
The Prime Minister has committed to an acceleration of the sale of publicly-owned land for development.
In a keynote speech calling for a “smarter state”, the PM insisted that for the first time public sector land will be sold with planning permission already secured.
The PM said: “At the moment, we sell off unused government land to developers. But the whole process takes a lot of time. Is it not time to cut out the middleman?
“Should government not just contract out development on this land and get building on it straight away?”
Corbyn sets out housing commitments and names first shadow cabinet
New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is on record as being committed to large scale council house building and a National Investment Bank to support new housing development.
The MP for Islington North would also like to see limits on rent rises and measures to make home ownership more affordable for a larger number of people.
Key members of Corbyn’s newly announced top team include John Trickett MP as Shadow Communities Secretary; John Healey MP as Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning; Lilian Greenwood MP as Shadow Transport Secretary; Lisa Nandy MP as Shadow Energy Secretary and Kerry McCarthy as Shadow Environment Secretary.
View more information on the Labour party website
Over 40 more inspectors recruited
The Planning Inspectorate’s most recent recruitment campaign has resulted in 15 new inspectors who joined the organisation in June to undertake a variety of appeals casework. A further two groups of around 15 inspectors each are set to join in October and November.
The intake is the latest in a drive to boost Inspector numbers that will strengthen the Inspectorate’s workforce and help address a high volume of work. The recruitment campaign run during November 2014 resulted in over 260 applicants.
Recruitment for another intake of Inspectors began last week with the Planning Inspectorate seeking to fill 20 positions. Applicants should apply before 30 September.
Victorian and Edwardian buildings at risk
The Victorian Society has announced the latest top ten most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in England and Wales.
The 2015 list includes:
- Brighton’s seafront walk,Madeira Terrace, said to be the longest continuous cast iron structure in the world.
- Kinmel Hall, often dubbed the ‘Welsh Versailles’ or ‘discount Downton’, subject to thefts while lying neglected by its British Virgin Islands registered owner since 2011.
- London’s gothicLadywell Baths which remains derelict despite a London property boom.
South Worcestershire and Warwick local plans
A final set of proposed changes to the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) have been published by the three councils, Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon, preparing the blueprint to guide economic and housing development in the area to 2030.
The SWDP is currently the subject of an examination by a government-appointed planning inspector. The councils are due to vote on a further round of public consultation over these latest changes.
The number of dwellings required to be built under the SWDP was increased to 28,370 last year in the first phase of the examination. The latest proposed modifications leave that number unchanged.
However, it is now proposed that some housing sites are removed from the plan. These involve the playing fields site in Green Lane, Malvern, and, a number of small sites in Worcester, including Claines Recreation Ground in Worcester. Some other sites have had changes proposed to their housing numbers.
Meanwhile in a separate development the inspector examining the Warwick District Local Plan has agreed to the suspension of the examination, rather than requiring it to be withdrawn, while the planning authority looks at further work on housing need and unmet needs from neighbouring authorities.
View more information on the South Worcestershire Development Plan
View more information on the Warwick Local Plan
London round-up
- Business organisation CBI and commercial property and real estate services adviser CBRE have launched the latest London Business Survey highlighting the key issues for businesses in the capital. Priorities included include investment in transport networks, improvements in housing supply and the need for effective strategic planning decisions. The survey also showed two thirds of businesses cited housing costs and availability as having a negative impact on the recruitment of entry-level staff.
- Lambeth Council has granted conditional planning permission for the 194-home mixed-use redevelopment of several sites around Lambeth town hall in the south London area of Brixton.
- Brent Council in north west London has announced that the Sudbury Town Neighbourhood Plan has passed its referendum, with 94 per cent voting yes on a turn-out of just under 17 per cent
- An affordable housing contribution of 24 units in a scheme of 71 units overall has been waived in favour of a commuted sum following scrutiny of the viability of the development proposed by developer Loromah Estates for a site in Lewisham, south east London, by a planning inspector.
- Developer Ballymore Group has submitted plans for its flagship ten-storey 215, 000 square feet commercial building, One Embassy Gardens, in Nine Elms, south west London, with spectacular views over the River Thames and the centre of the capital
- The iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavern in South London has been listed Grade II by Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch on the advice of Historic England. This is the first listing of its kind for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGB&T) venue.
Lake District fence plan ditched
Water company United Utilities has withdrawn heavily-criticised plans to erect a fence across open fells in the Lake District.
The company wanted to install the 13 kilometre structure to stop contamination of Thirlmere by erosion caused by heavy grazing.
Because common land was involved UU had applied for consent, under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 and was due to argue its case at a public hearing.
Conservation groups had objected to the proposals, claiming fencing would “degrade the wilderness of the national park”.
View the news story on the BBC news website
TCPA plea on right to buy in Garden Cities
Housing and planning charity the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has called on the government to ensure that homes in existing and proposed Garden Cities are exempt from the proposed extension of the Right to Buy in a bid to ensure that Garden Cities remain socially mixed and affordable places to live.
That call came as the pressure group published a new report which argued that a blend of traditional garden city environmental standards and the efficient delivery mechanism of post-war new towns were required for new garden cities to grow and flourish.
View more information on the TCPA website
Transport developments
- Six designs for the first new bridge across the River Avon in Bath in over a century have been unveiled. The proposals for the bridge were shortlisted from 50 entries in a competition launched by Bath and North East Somerset Council in February. The bridge will link Bath Quays with the city centre. The council said it was essential for the regeneration of the “neglected” quayside district.
- Network Rail has announced its plans for the second phase of its so-called East-West Rail scheme which involves proposals to upgrade the railway between Bicester and Bedford, and Milton Keynes and Princes Risborough.
- Work has started on Grantham’s Southern bypass “40 years” after plans for the Lincolnshire project were first mooted. The scheme was approved in 2013 but was delayed by a failed legal challenge from a developer planning to build 3,700 homes nearby. The road, which will link the A1 and A52, should be completed in 2019.
Core Cities report urges housing policy reforms
A new report from the Core Cities organisation has criticised current housing policy. Extending Right to Buy was limiting cities’ ability to invest and deliver.
The organisation also said that the New Homes Bonus was not supporting housing growth across most of the Core Cities.
“The 50 most deprived councils have lost out on £111m while the 50 least deprived have gained £96m” it complained in its latest prospectus published in advance of the next Spending Review.
View the report on the Core Cities website
Lincolnshire solar power and wind farms blocked
Appeals by solar farm developers over two separate schemes near Lincoln refused by West Lindsey District Council have been unsuccessful.
The projects were RGE Energy Ltd’s proposed 20 megawatt solar farm and Green Hedge Group’s similarly sized scheme, both earmarked for farmland at Burton by Lincoln.
The inspector who heard the appeals said the schemes were unacceptable because of the loss of agricultural land and their visual impact.
Meanwhile Communities Secretary Greg Clark has dismissed a recovered appeal by green power company RWE Innogy over a ten-turbine wind farm proposed for farmland north of Hemswell Cliff, Lincolnshire.
The wind farm had been refused by the same planning authority. Clark agreed with the inspector who held the planning inquiry that the scheme was detrimental in terms of visual and landscape impacts and would harm nearby heritage assets.
Legal round-up
- A Willesden kebab shop in west London has lost a High Court battle over a planning condition which limits its opening hours to 11pm.
- Squatters on land near the Magna Carta memorial in Surrey are preparing to face the bailiffs after they lost a legal battle to stay on the site which owners Orchid Runnymede have permission to develop for student accommodation, a care home for elderly people, affordable housing and an estate of private homes.
Roger Milne
Energy minister Andrea Leadsom has refused planning permission for four onshore wind farms and one overhead line project all in Powys, Mid-Wales.
The schemes were considered by a conjoined public inquiry between June 2013 and May 2014. The hearing was the biggest ever held in Wales. The inspector’s recommendations went to the Secretary of State for Energy on 8 December last year.
The only project to get approval involved plans for the repowering of the existing Llandinam wind farm. However, the minister blocked the plans for the overhead power line project the scheme would have required.
The inspector had recommended approval for the repowering scheme, the overhead power line and one of the other new projects, the Carnedd Wen wind farm.
The rejection of plans to build the wind farms in mid Wales was “short sighted” and “hugely disappointing”, the Welsh government’s environment and planning minister Carl Sergeant said.
He warned that communities would stand to lose millions of pounds and energy supply would be put at risk.
As part of plans for further devolution, the Welsh government is set to acquire new planning powers over energy projects up to 350 megawatts in size. All of the schemes determined by the UK energy minister would have been decided by welsh ministers under such a regime.
The decisions are:
- Llanbadarn Fynydd onshore wind farm refused
- Llandinam onshore wind farm repowering consent given
- Llaithddu onshore wind farm refused
- Llanbrynmair onshore wind farm refused
- Carnedd Wen onshore wind farm refused
- Llandinam to Welshpool substation overhead power line connection refused.
The decision letters said the schemes were refused because they were unacceptable in terms of their visual and environmental impact.
Councillor Avril York, Powys Council‘s cabinet member for planning, welcomed the decisions. She said: “The council set out its position that the applications should be refused, given the number, size and impact of these applications and the scale of public opposition. This stance was maintained throughout the public inquiry.”
Roger Milne
A report by RIBA has highlighted client frustrations over the divide between architectural practices with vision and those that can deliver post planning.
The conclusions of the report, ‘Client & Architect: Developing the essential relationship’, are described as “both daunting and exciting” and suggests the profession needs to “adapt to prosper”.
RIBA’s research claims that architects who can design a building from concept through to delivery are so rare that clients claim they are often forced to replace the original practice once planning permission is received.
Many clients said while they would prefer to hire only one firm it was often considered too risky to leave the concept architect in charge of the technical aspects of delivery.
The report claims clients would rather appoint a single practice to take forward the vision from concept to completion. However, RIBA’s research found that clients regard the profession as falling into two broad and separate categories: the concept architect and the technical architect.
It added: “Some clients struggle to find practices that are strong in both categories and commonly feel they have to replace the concept architects with a ‘safer’ pair of hands after stage three.”
“This is based on the perception that the creative flair that makes a good concept architect is an unacceptable risk during technical delivery. In other words, it is a compromise in the face of fear that the value gained with planning permission will be lost through inefficiencies, inaccuracies and waste.”
The 44-page report quoted is the result of a two-year project led by outgoing RIBA president Stephen Hodder. The research involved one-to-one interviews and roundtable discussions with hundreds of clients from many sectors.
Roger Milne
New policies that set the course for development across one of the largest planning authority areas in England are out for consultation now the South Downs National Park Authority has published its so-called preferred options strategy.
The proposed local plan for the park, which covers large parts of Hampshire, East and West Sussex, seeks to put landscapes first while still serving the needs of communities and the local economy.
When the plan is adopted (expected to be in 2017) it will be the first time that a single set of planning policies have been applied across the 1,600 square kilometres area of the UK’s newest national park.
Trevor Beattie, the authority’s chief executive, said: “Our landscapes are the reason the South Downs became a National Park so they must sit at the heart of every planning decision we make.”
The strategy allowed for 4,596 new homes over the next 17 years. Of those, 1,840 would be affordable. The plan identifies 20 potential sites for new development including three strategic brownfield sites: Shoreham Cement Works in Upper Beeding, the former Syngenta site in Fernhurst, and the North Street Quarter and Eastgate area of Lewes.
Significant new housing development is expected with 700 homes in Petersfield (Hampshire), some 835 homes in Lewes (East Sussex) and around 150 homes in Petworth (West Sussex).
View more information on the consultation
Roger Milne
Planning Portal Blog 