Making sense of the various permitted development rights for change of use under Part 3, Schedule 2 of the GPDO is a long way from easy. In particular, many have drawn the conclusion that a local planning authority which fails to determine a prior approval application within the requisite period has granted permission by default. Not so, as we highlighted in No worries.
Monthly Archives: July 2019
One giant leap
As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing it appears that planning has made one giant leap backwards. Get this: in Hertfordshire an appeal has been allowed and approval granted for change of use from light industrial to windowless flats under the provisions of Schedule 2, Part 3, Class PA of the GPDO (DCS Number 400-022-545).
The hands of time
If William Morris were still here he might be interested to know that, whilst many of his ideas were considered revolutionary in his lifetime, some have since been absorbed into mainstream planning policy. In particular, he did not share his fellow Victorians’ enthusiasm for turning back the hands of time in relation to the preservation of ancient buildings, and an appeal decision against the refusal of listed building consent for internal alterations to a thatched cottage in Wiltshire (DCS Number 400-022-320) is in line with his philosophy.
Celebrity gossip
Readers who move in certain circles might already be aware that, after his problems with a proposed private chapel on his Suffolk estate, Ed Sheeran does at least now have his wildlife pond sorted out.
Truncated
An inspector has authorised shorter visibility splays than deemed necessary by the council at the access to six dwellings in Suffolk, finding no particular justification for insisting on visibility splays suitable for a trunk road (DCS Number 400-022-073).
News from PlanningResource
- 'Stargazer ordered to demolish unlawful self-built garden observatory' October 18, 2019News that an amateur stargazer must demolish a 'dazzling' observatory he built himself on his garden shed features in today's newspaper round-up.
- Read our council-by-council guide to measures being taken to boost housing delivery October 18, 2019Planning has studied 67 action plans published so far by authorities in areas shown by the government's housing delivery test to have delivered fewer than 85 per cent of their target number of homes over the previous three years.
- The 13 authorities who released green belt in their local plans in 2018/19 October 18, 2019East Hertfordshire and Barnsley councils released the most green belt in their local plans in 2018/19, contributing more than 50 per cent of England's total decrease in such designated land between them, according to new figures.
- Number of councils losing green belt through local plans highest this decade, MHCLG figures show October 18, 2019Thirteen local authorities adopted local plans that involved a reduction in green belt land during 2018-19, according to the latest government statistics, the highest number so far this decade.
- High Court raps inspector for 'misapplying law' over unlawful flat conversion October 18, 2019A High Court judge has criticised a planning inspector for having "misapplied" the law in blocking council enforcement action against an illegal north London flat conversion on the basis that it had changed use for more than four years and therefore had immunity.
- South Oxfordshire challenges Jenrick's threat to decide on its local plan October 18, 2019South Oxfordshire District Council has written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick to challenge his threatened use of legal powers to approve the authority's local plan himself.
- 31-storey Waterloo office tower approved after housing dropped from scheme October 18, 2019Plans for the redevelopment of Elizabeth House in Waterloo into a 31-storey office tower have been approved despite the removal of 142 homes from a previous scheme that was consented for the site in 2014.
- What each of the 67 authorities is doing: a council-by-council breakdown October 17, 2019The actions planned to tackle housing under-delivery, and the causes cited, by 67 councils in under-performing areas. Click on the council's name to view the action plan in question.
- test October 17, 2019
- Permission in principle could be used to boost housing delivery by one in four councils in the most under-performing areas October 17, 2019A quarter of published housing delivery test (HDT) action plans for significantly under-delivering areas say permission in principle could be used to help boost housebuilding, according to research by Planning.