Kirkwells' Planning Blog

Devizes Special Offer

2013-06-17T06:41:00.001+01:00

So what has got them bouncing up and down in Devizes?

Loss of sheltered housing? No. Things have moved on from 2010.

Development of one and two bedroom apartments? No.

Although it is the redevelopment of the former Offers Court sheltered housing complex, it is not this that is causing the ructions, but the loss of a historic name.

Seems the developers have failed to do their homework. And by trying to call the new apartments Roundway Court - they have almost erased from history a name with long and strong associations with the town. The Offers being famous for among other things the Wiltshire wagon. You learn something every day.

Wiltshire Wagon - Museum of English Rural Life

To add insult to injury it seems the developers also got their geography wrong - the development being in Devizes not Roundway parish.

However all is not lost and the developers are to return to the town council with a number of alternative suggestions. We trust this will involve some decent background research that will preserve the Offer name in some way.

430 "urban planning" Acronyms and Abbreviations

2013-06-16T06:27:00.002+01:00

From Winchester City's Local Plan Review Pages - Planning Policy Officer Being Made to Walk the Plank?

Only 430.

We can only assume this list from allacronyms.com is written with the US in mind. No SHLAA or SHMA! Don't they have them? Just think what they are missing out on.

But we do like RUID - Review Until It Dies.

Click here for your copy.

The First Cut is the Deepest

2013-06-15T08:46:00.001+01:00

Following on from Daws Hill - where Wycombe Council carved RAF Daws Hill out of the residents neighbourhood area application - it looks like Surrey Heath Borough Council are intent on doing the same and removing the Princess Royal Barracks site from the Deepcut Neighbourhood Planning Forum's proposed neighbourhood planning area. Does this only happen with ex-military sites?

And clearly co-ordinating statements with Save Whalley Village Action Group? Paul Matthews, the forum’s project manager said:

“It is absolutely laughable.

“What we’re seeing is the slow death of localism in the UK almost before it was allowed to take off.

Click here for your copy.

Whalley: Neighbourhood Planning A Bad Joke?

2013-06-13T10:26:00.003+01:00

53 bad jokes - all worse than neighbourhood planning

We couldn't let this juicy little gem from the Ribble Valley slip by unnoticed.

Two years ago now, we used Whalley as an example, to ask the question "could Localism turn down the heat in planning conflicts?" Since we wrote the piece, the conflicts arising from the pressure of development, on communities in the Ribble Valley, such as Whalley, have only intensified.

Twelve months ago we met with Whalley Parish Council to undertake one of our neighbourhood planning training sessions. Fair play to the parish council they had invited along Save Whalley Village Action Group (SWAG) to the meeting. Our feeling afterwards was that there was a split. With, on the one hand, a parish council with the view that neighbourhood planning was possibly something that could help shape the future of the village; and on the other, an action group who held the view the "whole thing is a joke and a bad one at that".

This highlights a number of issues. Not least the "heat" that Localism (neighbourhood planning) itself creates within communities. Should we engage with this new beast or not?

For those, and by the sound of it this includes SWAG, who decide not to engage, and not be open to the future accusation that "it's all your fault through that bloody neighbourhood plan. If only we had objected at each and every turn." Fair enough. This leaves plenty of scope to object to the Local Plan and planning applications. Pretty much where you have always been on the outside looking in.

But we have to say we disagree with you.

You are leaving your new power, unopened, in the box. OK, you may see it as a Pandora's Box, leading to the endorsement of things you vehemently oppose. But why set aside neighbourhood planning if you want to save Whalley, or Clitheroe, or Sabden? When neighbourhood planning gives you an additional tool to shape future development - of which there has to be, and will be some. Don't believe us - look at Thame. Deciding where development should go. On the inside looking out.

Does your community need to make an informed choice decision on whether to neighbourhood plan or not? Get expert help.

Town Planning: The Musical

2013-06-08T09:00:00.000+01:00

RTPI Young Planners Prepare for The Centenary Year Musical

Many thanks to the Colchester Chronicle for bringing this to our attention and the headline.

Sadly, there is not a Town Planning: The Musical. Although there should be. The real title is Parkway Dreams. A show by Eastern Angles Theatre Company about the development of Peterborough.

Click here for your copy.

Shepton Mallet: Neighbourhood Planning Comes of Age

2013-06-08T07:17:00.000+01:00

With trouble in Winsford, Malmesbury and extra cash for frontrunners one could be forgiven for thinking that neighbourhood planning has taken a bit of a hit in the last few days. To add to these tales we have come across another.

Shepton Mallet Town Council.

thisisSomerset lays bare a to-do about who should be the town's planning committee chief.

We won't comment on the rights or wrongs of this one - but would highlight a point we have made to DCLG. That, in amidst all the talk about the doing of neighbourhood plans, some thought needs to be given to some of the generic skills needed e.g. procurement. Parishes do have access to some of this type of training but procurement is one area where we think things need beefing up.

But, still, nothing like a bit of controversy to grab the headlines for your neighbourhood plan - the next round of engagement is a today's Collett Park Festival. Get down there.

What all these stories of little local difficulties highlight for us is that neighbourhood planning has come of age. Once you start playing in the big leagues you are confronted with the complex, messy world we live in. And that includes things people may own, value, or have other interests in. So you say something in a neighbourhood plan they disagree with they push back. And this is not something to run away from with power (the power to neighbourhood plan) comes responsibility. Embrace it!

Click here for your copy.

Neighbourhood Plans: Probably the Best Local Planners Ever?

2013-06-07T06:07:00.000+01:00

Regular readers will know we are big fans of neighbourhood planning. OK, sometimes we highlight some of the inevitable teething troubles, and, at others, we highlight the best practice out there.

So with word of warning, before you think this is just some company puff piece, we want to highlight the work of some of the best local planning authorities out there. Those doing that little bit extra to support neighbourhood planning. Just to give a little context, local planning authorities should "facilitate" neighbourhood plans and offer "appropriate support". But this latter does not run to financial support.

So what best practice is emerging out of local authorities in terms of "appropriate support"?

First up, Broadland. A bit like with a mobile phone, Broadland are offering potential neighbourhood planners a cash top-up. Basically, for groups in the district, successfully accessing the government's grant support, a cash top-up of £6,000 is available (as with mobiles - terms and conditions apply).

Secondly, one that we are involved with, is Daventry in Northamptonshire. Here, the Council have procured our services to provide neighbourhood planning support to parishes and groups, should they choose to use us, at a set fee rate. What is the advantage of this? Well it takes out the need for lots of separate procurement for any parish or group wanting to neighbourhood plan. Saving them time and money.

The third, and final, route we want to highlight is the service level agreement (SLA) option being taken by a number of councils (Leeds, Harborough). This may well be one that a number of local planning authorities will want to look at - given the resource issues many have. And, if you are a council planner, and want some advice from somebody who has talked to 50+ parishes and groups over the last 12 months, the one thing parishes and groups would like is clarity on what help and support you will provide. So a service level agreement is one way of doing this. Interested? PAS have produced a handy guide with examples and a model SLA.

We do know of more good examples - the danger with this sort of post is you leave some deserving case off - so apologies to all you local planning authorities offering cash, or with dedicated neighbourhood planning officers. But to redress this, hard hit local planning authorities, let us know what you are doing.

Click here for your copy.

More Local Say on Windfarms: The Detail

2013-06-06T11:14:00.000+01:00

We ended our earlier post More Local Say on Windfarms with the rider:

"The Localism agenda has a canny knack for saying one thing and delivering another."

And now we have a little more detail with a Written Ministerial Statement from Eric Pickles.

So what does giving "local people far more ability to shape the places in which they live" stack up to with windfarms?

Firstly, secondary legislation will be amended to make pre-application consultation with local communities compulsory for more significant onshore wind applications.

Secondly, the Government will be expecting the windfarm industry to revise its Community Benefit Protocol by the end of the year, to include an increase in the recommended community benefit package in England from £1,000/MW of installed capacity per year, to £5,000/MW/year for the lifetime of the windfarm. After the Boles Bung the Davey Bung?

Thirdly, and potentially the more significant change, is the change of emphasis flagged up in proposed new planning practice guidance.

Government it seems, bowing to MP and community pressure, do not think decision makers are using the National Planning Policy Framework in the right way. According to Eric:

" We need to ensure decisions do get the environmental balance right in line with the framework and, as expected by the framework, any adverse impact from a wind farm development is addressed satisfactorily."

So councils will be expected to have local plan policy that ensure adverse impacts from wind farms are covered. Are there any that don't?

And to ensure planning decisions reflect the balance in the framework new planning practice guidance will be issued. Setting out:

the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local communities
decisions should take into account the cumulative impact of wind turbines and properly reflect the increasing impact on (a) the landscape and (b) local amenity as the number of turbines in the area increases
local topography should be a factor in assessing whether wind turbines have a damaging impact on the landscape (i.e. recognise that the impact on predominantly flat landscapes can be as great or greater than as on hilly or mountainous ones)
great care should be taken to ensure heritage assets are conserved in a manner appropriate to their significance, including the impact of proposals on views important to their setting

So clearly not a problem created by the National Planning Policy Framework - just all those officers and inspectors who weren't reading it correctly. Silly Billys.

Click here for your copy.

Winsford: Ban the Plan Part 2

2013-06-06T10:22:00.002+01:00

Seems we could be the last to know on this one.

But yesterday's Winsford Guardian reveals more of the strength of feeling on this one. With a mass walkout of angry residents.

Neighbourhood Planning comes of age.

More Local Say on Windfarms?

2013-06-06T06:32:00.001+01:00

Never ones to bow to popular pressure the Coalition are seemingly on the cusp of major changes to the planning regime controlling wind farms.

With barely a detail in site the BBC leads with the headline:

Local communities offered more say over wind farms

But clearly change is afoot with both DCLG and DECC co-ordinating support and bringing out the big guns:

Eric Pickles:

"We want to give local communities a greater say on planning, to give greater weight to the protection of landscape, heritage and local amenity,"

Ed Davey:

"It is important that onshore wind is developed in a way that is truly sustainable - economically, environmentally and socially - and today's announcement will ensure that communities see the windfall from hosting developments near to them, not just the wind farm".

So big change afoot? Well for all those anti-wind farm campaign groups I would not be getting the bunting out yet. The Localism agenda has a canny knack for saying one thing and delivering another.

Winsford: Ban the Plan

2013-06-05T06:37:00.002+01:00

In Cheshire, Winsford's neighbourhood plan has been causing a bit of stir.

Why? Well the recently submitted draft neighbourhood plan is seeking to respond to Cheshire West and Chester's strategic allocation of 3,500 new homes for the area. And as we all know the neighbourhood planning mantra is "this is about shaping, not stopping development".

Well not everyone knows this.

Because some local residents are opposed to the plan. They feel it unfairly targets some of this new development in an area surrounding their homes. In particular Rilshaw Lane, Winsford.

So the Rilshaw residents have set up an action group called, funnily enough, ’Save Rilshaw’.

To heap insult on insult Save Rilshaw are of the view that the Winsford consultation process for the neighbourhood plan has not been carried out correctly. Unfortunately Rilshaw were not leafleted in the same way as other residents.

Winsford Town Council have apologised for missing them and other residents off their list. Oh dear. This is learning point number 1. We do tell the groups we advise you must get your consultation right.

As you can imagine Save Rilshaw now have the bit between their teeth and have since sent out their own leaflets opposing the neighbourhood plan and set up a website encouraging local residents to boycott the plan altogether. The Save Rilshaw group believe that not only has the consultation been sloppy, but the evidence base for certain policies in the plan is just not there. And we now have a ‘Ban the Plan’ campaign. And this is learning point two. As we have been pointing out to many of the groups we advise - one day, some body's plan, probably not yours, will get very controversial and for that area, when it does, they will have yo be ready for a sustained, organised and vociferous No Campaign. And as we always say: "Are you Ready". Over to you Phil...

"Are You Ready Winsford?"

Are an abridged version of this post first appeared in Kirkwells' Neighbourhood Planning News.

Click here for your copy.

Kirkwells’ Neighbourhood Planning News June 2013

2013-06-04T15:29:00.003+01:00

The June issue of our popular Neighbourhood Planning News is out now.

Click here to download a copy.

June’s issue has stories on:

First recipients of the government’s £9.5 million funding and support
Ban the Plan in Winsford
Broadland top-ups
Updates on Herefordshire and Warwickshire
Community Infrastructure Levy

Make sure you do not miss a future issue - subscribe.

Need support to produce your neighbourhood plan? Get expert help. Just call 01282 872570.

Not sure what neighbourhood planning could mean for your area? Book one of our FREE training sessions.

Neighbourhood Planning's Full Setters

2013-06-04T14:46:00.001+01:00

One of the surprising things thrown up by the list of early groups receiving the government's neighbourhood planning support via Locality, is the amount of support still being required by some of the early frontrunners.

You will remember that this package can be either direct support or a grant, or both, up to 7,000 quid.

In total, 16 groups are to receive direct support; 28 grants; and 7 areas both direct support and grant. Not surprisingly, at this early stage, the list is heavily dominated by the rural and the more southerly regions of the country.

But what of the frontrunners?

Well, eight of these will be getting direct support (Denmead, Holbeck, Kirdford, Long Ashton, Pebworth, Ugborough, Wet Hoathly, and Woodcote). Six will be getting grants (Cringleford, Denmead (again?), Greater Faringdon, Kirdford (again?), Uppingham, Woodcote (again?)).

But have you spotted the pattern? Three frontrunners (Denmead, Kirdford and Woodcote) will not only have there £20,000 from being frontrunners, but direct support and a grant. Neighbourhood Planning's Full Setters.

Being a little more serious before we go. No one ever said this was not a likely outcome, and in these early days of neighbourhood planning there is nothing wrong with ensuring things are a success. What it does go to show is that some areas require more hand holding than others, and that some definitely require more money than others.

Click here to find out how Kirkwells can help you with your neighbourhood plan.

Housebuilding: Construction Time Again?

2013-06-04T10:49:00.002+01:00

According to today's Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI construction output activity returned to growth in May. Lead by housebuilding. Unfortunately the same could not be said for civils.

Time for a song...

More Strange Goings On in Malmesbury

2013-06-03T11:48:00.000+01:00

Poor Malmesbury just cannot keep out of the headlines.

First we had the Planning Inspectorate Boles-up with a decision issued that should not have been.

Then we had the anonymous neighbourhood plan leafleting.

Now we have the political spat over Waitrose.

Local MP James Gray has been working hard behind the scenes to get Eric Pickles to call this particular application in. In the meantime Wiltshire Council's northern area planning committee have been seeking to approve it.

Not bad going for a town of 4,500.

Keep it up.

Herefordshire: All Not Well in Neighbourhood Planning Country

2013-06-02T07:03:00.002+01:00

When it comes to neighbourhood planning the country's market leaders (certainly in terms of areas designations, anyway) are Herefordshire. With, if every thing goes to plan, soon to be 30-plus designated areas (see map below).

We always assumed this was some perfect union of parish and local planning authority.

Sadly, this may not be the case. For Ledbury, Bromyard and Leominster are joining forces and creating a fighting fund to challenge Herefordshire's emerging Core Strategy.

According to the Hereford Times:

'Bromyard councillor Gary Swinford said: “The main crux of our argument is the consultation, or the lack of consultation.

"We believe this form of consultation has not taken place and the present core strategy would be rejected out of hand at a planning inspection.”“We want to challenge the process. This could lead to a new core strategy involving community engagement and involving developers and landowners.'

The council's response is that the consultation has been undertaken correctly.

So, all is not, perhaps, as cosy as it seemed in the county. Inevitably, the key issue is housing. 16,500 new homes to be built by 2031. 4,700 in the three towns of Ledbury, Bromyard and Leominster.

And they are not alone. For what we are finding, up and down the country, in our neighbourhood planning work is the thorny problem of: how you put together a neighbourhood plan in an area with an emerging Core Strategy/Local Plan? (OK - you got us that is 50% of the country!)

Shadowing the local planning authority's timetable is the obvious answer. Whilst seeking to use your emerging neighbourhood plan to influence the Core Strategy/Local Plan along the way. But this is not always possible for two reasons. Firstly, the Core Strategy/Local Plan may be so delayed that you may be waiting a very long time to produce a neighbourhood plan.

Secondly, sometimes, thinking on the Core Strategy/Local Plan and a neighbourhood plan are just so out of step that, even with the Core Strategy/Local Plan in one of its various drafts, the big issue of the neighbourhood plan not being ultimately in "general conformity" are laid bare.

Given that neighbourhood planning has reached a critical mass of 500 designations and applications it is now entering the "reality check" phase. Will all 500 of these areas be grasping the nettle and seeking to "shape not stop development"?

Exposed: Polygamous Planner

2013-05-31T06:47:00.000+01:00

Good stories have been thin on the ground in the last few days.

So you can imagine what our faces looked like when we saw planning featured in the Polygamy Blog.

But, no. Wipe that grin from your face. This is no laughing matter. We are talking about Joseph Smith's 1833 grid system the Plat of Zion, aka The Mormon Grid. Now this is clearly a result of our poor English education system, because the Mormon Grid is not something we have encountered before. And yesterday we learnt a great deal. Especially from The Basement Geographer, who informs us that the Plat of Zion was an attempt to build a New Jerusalem in the American West.

Joseph Smith's Original City Plan (The Basement Geographer)

One thing we failed to follow, being English, was the simple, simple! Street naming and numbering:

Another unique feature of the Mormon grid plan, especially within Utah where the concept is omnipresent, is the unique, so-complicated-it’s-simple method of street naming and numbering. There’s a very good explanation of the system here. You’ll see that reading a street address listed as ‘2150 East 13400 South’ really isn’t that complicated. (Short form: streets themselves are named an address, increasing by a value of 100 with each block. ‘2150’ is the house number, ‘East 13400 South’ is the street name denoting the direction of the street and its geographic location). Again, another method of keeping things neat and orderly.

Simple.

Neighbourhood Plan Training in Warwickshire and the West Midlands

2013-05-25T09:35:00.003+01:00

Number 46 in our occasional plug series...

“Excellent – well structured and well presented”

“very interesting day and very informative”

“Openness to ongoing questions very helpful”

Just some of the comments we received after our recent neighbourhood plan training day for parishes organised alongside Warwickshire & West Midlands Association of Local Councils.

Kirkwells Training Day with Warwickshire Association of Local Councils

Attended by 37 representatives from 17 parishes this one-day training event covered a range of themes using a mix of presentation and hands on workshops, including;

Introduction to Neighbourhood Planning
General conformity
Putting your plan together
Engaging the community
Examination and referendum
Funding

This is training that gives you a realistic, comprehensive, and insider’s view of neighbourhood planning. Training that will allow you to assess whether neighbourhood planning is for your area, or give you new tools and skills to take your plan to the next level. And you do not need to take our word for it, here is what one satisfied delegate said:

“In my opinion this was the best WALC training day I have attended. Mike Wellock and his staff from Kirkwells are obviously highly experienced town planning professionals with a high level of experience, knowledge and understanding and are passionate about Neighbourhood Planning. Congratulations for having secured such competent course leaders.”

Interested in arranging a similar neighbourhood plan training session for your Association of Local Councils? Or are you a local planning authority wanting to help your parishes and local groups? If you are and would like to discuss how we can help you support your area contact Michael on 01282 872 570 or email.

Right Royal Rumpus in Windsor

2013-05-22T10:54:00.001+01:00

Had to happen somewhere.

Seems the Windsor and Eton neighbourhood planners are not getting on.

Now we have Central Windsor, West Windsor and Eton and Eton Wick.

By all accounts:

The [Windsor and Eton] Steering Group will also need to iron out any conflict between different views, and to make sure that our plan is realistic and robust. Ooops.

Model T Localism

2013-05-21T06:19:00.002+01:00

The Conservative half of the Coalition seems intent on destroying its fan base. Not surprisingly lost in the "swivel-eyed loons" fiasco is the intervention of Education Secretary Michael Gove in to planning policy.

In Gove's view, reported in the Telegraph, and talking about the Coalition's changes to national planning policy:

“These planning reforms have not been without their critics but no one who believes in social mobility, in aspiration, in pro-family policies, in thrift and in freedom can be anything other than delighted by the release of more land for housing,”

OK. Take Clitheroe, in the Tory controlled Ribble Valley. Some residents are fighting a major housing proposal. Having met with Whalley parish council and others they are not nimbys, nor at the even at the more extreme are they "swivel-eyed loons". For perfectly rational reasons, often backed with seemingly sound arguments, they do not want large-scale, one site development. So are they against social mobility and aspiration?

Again, the answer is no. Some of the arguments they put forward are that "in protecting our greenfields investment could be made in surrounding inner areas" - where there is plenty of brownfield land and communities in dire need of regeneration. Rather than pulling in the draw bridge, offering a helping hand?

So Gove in his double-think, for are not the people who live in areas such as Clitheroe about as upwardly mobile, aspirational, pro-family, thrifty etc. as you can get? Probably. What this highlights, of course, is the central contradiction in the current brand of Localism we have. You can have more power so as long as you decide to do what we want.

Model T Localism?

Dr Evil Town Planners Drive James Bond out of Britain

2013-05-14T08:52:00.003+01:00

Possibly a non-story in the Daily Express, but what a headline. Enemies of enterprise? Pah. Small time. We are now in the big time, real Dr Evil's. Imagine scenes such as this, as Heads of Planning up and down the land, demand their CIL.

Laughing stock? Not likely.

More Bobbies in Gasland

2013-05-13T15:17:00.005+01:00

According to a report in the Telegraph, one of the cunning wheezes dreamt up by one of the many companies pushing for fracking is to give communities more bobbies on the beat. Perhaps they could be used to police the protests at Camp Frack.

Nick Boles Tommy Gun

2013-05-09T16:42:00.002+01:00

Today's report in Planning that Nick Boles will shoot anyone who comes to him with suggestions for further planning reform is welcome news for all concerned. But may be a tad drastic.

Majority Oppose Building on UK Countryside - Just

2013-05-08T20:09:00.000+01:00

Reading our i today we came across this revealing little nugget.

The above is the i's headline but these journos, hey.

Seems the ComRes poll, of 1,001 of our fellow citizens, found that 48% disagreed with the following statement:

"the Government is right to change the planning rules to allow more homes to be built in the countryside to try to boost economic growth".

Surprisingly, 45% of us agree with this statement. Now given these usually have a margin or error of plus, or minus, 2% hardly evidence that "Majority Oppose Building on UK Countryside". More like a dead heat.

St James Yes Vote As Well

2013-05-03T13:21:00.001+01:00

On a much poorer turnout, than Thame, Exeter St James has voted yes in their

neighbourhood plan referendum.

Yes 92%

No 6.2%

Turnout 20.8%