News Round-Up - 5 June 2008
New zones for offshore wind schemes named
A total of 11 zones off the coasts of England, Scotland and Wales have been identified by the Crown Estate (CE) as potentially suitable for a further round of offshore wind schemes which could deliver up to 25 gigawatts of green energy.
For the first time the CE is proposing to co-invest up to 50 per cent of the cost of obtaining planning consents for wind farm sites, including the funding of enabling works designed to speed up wind farm delivery.
The zones cover areas off the Moray Firth and the Firth of Forth in Scotland and Cardigan and Carmarthen Bays on the Welsh coast, as well as an area off Anglesey. Also identified is an area near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea, a location off the Norfolk coast and areas off Beachy Head in the Channel, off the Dorset coast and off the north Cornwall coast. In addition a zone between the Isle of Man and the Cumbrian coast has been earmarked.
Read the Crown Estate press release
Planning Aid funding increased
Communities secretary Hazel Blears has announced increased Government funding for the Planning Aid service in England. During 2007/08 the service received a grant of £1.7m which has been nearly doubled for 2008/09 to £3.2m. Government funding is now set to go up to £4.1m in 2009/10 and reach £4.5m in 2010/11.
Hazel Blears said: "We need to do more to support local communities and individuals, particularly those least able to put forward their case, with the advice and skills they need to engage effectively, which is where this new funding will provide direct help."
Planning advisory team expands
The Advisory Team for Large Applications (ATLAS) has completed a significant expansion programme in response to continued high demand for its services. The team can now offer expertise to local authorities across a wide part of the country in helping to unlock complex planning projects and applications.
ATLAS, hosted by national regeneration agency English Partnerships, now operates in six Government office regions – East, London, South East, South West, East and West Midlands The team is currently working on 40 projects with the potential to unlock more than 80,000 new homes and associated mixed use across its area of operation.
Projects include all types of major development including urban extensions, town centre and area regeneration, estate renewal and a new settlement.
Read the English Partnerships news release
Key Ebbsfleet scheme gets go-ahead
Dartford Borough Council has granted full planning permission to Land Securities for another key element of the ambitious Ebbsfleet development project in Kent. The proposals for the area known as Station Quarter North involve a mixed-use development comprising up to 2m sq ft of employment space; nearly 27,000 sq ft of local of local retail development; nearly 600,000 sq ft of other retail, hotel leisure and entertainment uses; 930 new homes and extensive landscaped public open space.
Green light for Barking project
Countryside Properties and English Partnerships have received planning consent from London Borough of Barking and Dagenham for 602 homes at Lymington Fields, Barking. The scheme, designed by architects BPTW partnership, includes the provision of a new primary school and will cut CO2 emissions with the installation of solar panels and biomass boilers. Over half of the new homes will be traditional family houses with gardens.
The site is owned by English Partnerships in connection with the London Wide Initiative, and is being developed to increase the provision of affordable homes for key workers in London.
St Pancras award
The newly restored and extended Grade l listed St Pancras station in London has been named as the winner of this year's RIBA/English Heritage Building in a Historical Context Award.
Read the English Heritage news release
Enforcement breach leads to fine
Alan Telford, a resident and businessman from Downpatrick in Northern Ireland, has been fined a total of £3,000 plus costs for non-compliance with enforcement notices served by the Province's Planning Services.
The two notices related to the unauthorised use of land for the purpose of a car wash, car valet business, sale of plants and associated storage of vehicles; and the unauthorised infilling of land, formation of hard standing, siting of portacabin and container, construction of sheds and a building for a generator, concrete ramps and erection of a wooden fence at land south of the Asda supermarket in Downpatrick.
Boost for affordable housing in Wales
A network of specialist 'housing enablers' will be expanded across rural Wales to increase the supply of affordable housing in a new rural housing development scheme announced by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Deputy minister for housing Jocelyn Davies also announced a new grant scheme to help first-time buyers make their homes more energy efficient.
The rural housing development scheme will provide funding to expand an already successful set of pilot 'Rural Enabler' posts into a comprehensive resource across Wales. Funds are also being made available to develop the concept of 'Community Land Trusts' – another potential way of expanding the supply of affordable homes.
These initiatives surfaced as a report from the Rowntree Commission was published which highlighted affordable housing problems in rural Wales. These include the lack of available land, the fact that small scale of development leads to higher costs and the need to understand the needs and ambitions of local people.
Read the Welsh Assembly Government press release
Climate change toolkit published
An updated Climate Change toolkit for local authorities has been published. It has been produced by LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services), the local government central body responsible for overseeing local authority regulatory services and is available from the Local Government Association.
Landfill restoration study published
Planting specific types of tree can help restore landfill sites by turning them into green spaces including woodland, parkland and farm land, according to research just published by Communities and Local Government.
Planning minister Iain Wright said: "Restoring landfill sites in this way can provide local communities with more attractive green spaces, help tackle climate change, regenerate important brownfield land and provide new places for wildlife to live."
Read the Communities and Local Government news release and access the report
MPs want power lines removed
More than 20 MPs have signed a Commons Early Day Motion criticising electricity distribution company Western Power for not making use of allowances which could mean the removal of overhead power lines in areas like the Brecon Beacons, Gower, Exmoor, Wye Valley, Dartmoor, Tamar Valley, the Quantocks and the Cornish, Devon and Pembrokeshire coasts.
Contaminated land conditions circulated
A new set of model conditions intended for use by local planning authorities in England for development on land affected by contamination has been circulated by Communities and Local Government.
Access the letter to chief planning officers
Wrangle over pub makeover in TV ad
Home improvement firm Everest is involved in a planning wrangle over a nationwide advertising campaign featuring England's highest pub. The Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales has had a makeover with energy-efficient windows and solar panels.
However, the local planning authority, Richmondshire District Council, has pointed out that the firm should have obtained building regulation approval, planning permission and possibly also listed building consent. Everest is now hoping to get retrospective consent.
Roger Milne
5 June 2008
Advertisement:
© Crown Copyright 2008