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
- 'One of Birmingham's tallest buildings' approved despite three per cent affordable flats January 11, 2021Birmingham City Council has approved a 48-storey city centre development of 454 build-to-rent apartments, despite the provision of a less-than-policy-compliant 14 affordable flats and concerns about heritage impacts.
- WYG rebrands as Tetra Tech following takeover January 11, 2021One of the UK’s biggest planning consultancies has officially adopted the name of its American parent company following a takeover in 2019.
- Almost a third of English councils lack a five-year housing land supply, research finds January 11, 2021The number of English councils with a National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)-compliant development plan has risen to 71 per cent, but almost a third of local authorities lack a five-year housing land supply, according to new research from consultancy Savills.
- Developer has to pay Herts council extra £0.5m due to 'flagrant' CIL regulations breach January 11, 2021A developer will have to pay an additional £500,000 towards local infrastructure after a planning inspector concluded that the firm had made a "flagrant breach" of community infrastructure levy (CIL) regulations by starting work on a site without first notifying the local authority.
- May local elections ‘likely to be delayed’ January 11, 2021Speculation over whether May's local and mayoral elections will be postponed in light of the coronavirus upsurge and news of the completion of London’s “largest ever office building” feature in today's newspaper roundup.
- Number of housing sites planned on London's green belt has trebled in four years, report claims January 8, 2021The number of housing sites allocated on London's green belt in local plans has trebled in the past four years, according to a study by a conservation pressure group, which claims that planning inspectors are unnecessarily "insisting" on green belt reviews.
- Inspector allows 440-home scheme on allocated site after Kent council's 'unreasonable' refusal January 8, 2021A planning inspector has granted permission for up to 440 homes on an allocated greenfield site in Kent and issued a partial costs award against the local authority, after concluding that there was "no demonstrable evidence" backing up one of the council's reasons for refusal on highways grounds.
- Inspector backs north Essex joint local plan following removal of 34,000-home garden communities January 8, 2021Three north Essex councils may have to begin the process of identifying adequate land to make up for the deletion of two garden communities totalling 34,000 homes from their joint local plan, after a planning inspector backed the adoption of the document without the two proposed settlements.
- Homebuilding sector 'benefits from housing market boom’ January 8, 2021News of the resilience of the housebuilding sector during the pandemic leads our roundup of today's newspapers.
- What the government's latest housing need changes mean for the areas subject to higher requirement levels January 7, 2021The vast majority of the 52 local authorities that will have to apply a new 35 per cent uplift to their housing need levels under the revised standard method will be subject to figures far in excess of their recent delivery levels. Meeting such an increased need will be a challenge say observers and risks […]