PEGASUS NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 4

SUMMER UPDATE

Welcome to our Summer Newsletter!

Summer 2011 has seen the early emergence of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In its current form, key parts of the NPPF provide important support for the development and commercial industries and landowners and are closely aligned with the approach advocated by Pegasus Planning Group. Over the past three months we have also seen how legislation, Ministerial policy announcements, Court judgements and planning appeal decisions have been re-shaping the planning policy landscape. In our planning eye section we offer you more detail on the current situation, which I hope you find informative.
Stephen Bawtree -Chairman

This issue includes:

Dementia Care Scheme, Otterbourne English Care Villages Storage and Distribution Centre, Bristol Places of Worship New Development, Yorkshire New EIA Quality Mark Green Infrastructure Planning Eye! Employee Focus

Dementia Care Scheme at Otterbourne Hill in Eastleigh gets Planning Nod

As reported in our 2010 Winter Newsletter, Pegasus have been advising the Brendoncare Foundation and the Perbury Group in respect of a joint initiative to deliver a pioneering new health care scheme in open countryside on land adjacent to Junction 12 of the M3 motorway. We are very pleased to report that after two years work at the pre-application and post-submission stage, the scheme has a resolution to grant planning permission, following its determination at the Area Planning Committee on the 14th June 2011. The terms of the Section 106 Agreement have been finalised and agreed with Eastleigh Borough Council and Allbrook Parish Council and following its engrossment, should result in the release of the planning permission by mid summer. Jim Tarzey, from our Bristol office, has led the project from a planning perspective from day one, working closely with the developer and landowner. Jim commented This has been a great project to be involved with not only due to the professional satisfaction of securing planning permission for such a large scheme in an open countryside location, but also due to the clear and recognised health care benefits that will be derived from this scheme in the long term.
Contact Jim Tarzey (Bristol)

www.pegasuspg.co.uk
PEGASUS PLANNING GROUP - PLANNING I ENVIRONMENTAL I URBAN DESIGN I RENEWABLES I LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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English Care Villages Partnerships

Our Bristol office has been appointed by English Care Villages Partnerships to prepare, submit and manage a number of planning applications for large Care Villages, or Close Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) in various locations throughout the country. The CCRC concept is fairly new to the UK and allows the elderly and those in need of care, to move to different types of accommodation offering the necessary levels of care as their needs develop. The model also allows for the next of kin of those in need of care to reside in the CCRC. The general layout of a CCRC comprises a core building, including reception, restaurant, meeting rooms, consulting rooms, hairdressers and shop, as well as a Wellness Suite including swimming pool, gym, sauna and spa. The CCRC provides three different types of accommodation, the Extra Care Unit which is akin to a residential flat but with the provision of an element of care; a Close Care Unit providing much greater levels of care; and Care Bedrooms, which can provide care 24 hours a day.
Contact: Jonathan Rainey / Rob Duff (Bristol)

Storage & Distribution Centre, Bristol

Pegasus has secured planning permission for a new 430,000 ft2 regional storage and distribution centre for the Co-operative Group, in Avonmouth, Bristol. Following our appointment by joint developers Stoford/ Gallan Group, our Planning Team in Bristol managed to secure permission only four months after the preapplication consultation was commenced. Whilst the site is located within the Avonmouth Industrial Area, there were a number of key issues to consider, including the impact on ecology (particularly of wintering birds) and highways. Given the size and location next to a protected wildlife area (the Severn Estuary), a Screening Opinion was submitted to Bristol City Council to determine the need for an Environmental Statement (ES). The ES focussed only on a number of key issues, including ecology, and considered a number of mitigation measures to minimise the impacts of the proposal.
Contact: Stuart Rackham (Bristol)

Places of Worship
Whilst the provision of new community facilities is generally encouraged through the planning system, a key barrier is often created by the land use planning system. That is, sites are rarely allocated for the specific provision of places of worship within local planning documents. On this basis the majority of applications for new facilities require a change of use of existing premises, or development on land which is protected for alternative uses. Many traditional places of worship are Listed Buildings, therefore all external and internal alterations to the fabric of the building and its fixtures and fittings such as removing pews or installing mezzanine floors for example, will require separate Listed Building consent. Ecclesiastical exemption grants churches, within some established traditions, the ability to make decisions in relation to listed building alterations internally, however planning permission will still be required for external alterations to the building or any change of use. If you would like further information on how we can assist with planning requirements please do not hesitate to contact any of our offices.

PEGASUS PLANNING GROUP - PLANNING I ENVIRONMENTAL I URBAN DESIGN I RENEWABLES I LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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New Development in Yorkshire Village

Our planning team in Leeds recently received approval for an outline application for the redevelopment and relocation of an existing farmstead to create 14 dwellings in an East Riding of Yorkshire village. The approval was given by Committee Members and subject to a S106 Agreement following months of negotiation with the Council. The application for the relocation of the existing farmstead, which is adjacent to, but outside the development limits of the village, away from the village was unanimously approved by Members. However, the application for residential development was recommended for refusal by Officers on principle terms, given that it fell within the open countryside and is therefore contrary to policy. Pegasus put forward a case on the grounds that the development would result in significant planning gain through the removal of an inappropriate farm, in a predominantly residential location; an improvement to the existing highway situation with improved visibility; the provision of a better car park for an adjacent church hall; the provision of an element of affordable housing and a sympathetic design within a sensitive location at the entrance to the village. The scheme received strong local support from the public and Ward Members.
Contact: Chris Calvert / Michael Powell (Leeds)

Green Infrastructure
The term Green Infrastructure has come to the fore in recent times, with the Landscape Institute producing a Green Infrastructure (GI) position statement creating awareness of the new term being circulated throughout the landscaping world. Our own Dave Paginton (Cirencester) recently gained his Masters of Landscape Architecture (MLA) with his thesis titled Green Infrastructure: A Fresh Approach to Strategic Planning and Land Allocation in Cheltenham Spa. In times of uncertainty and radical changes relating to the shake up of the planning system in the UK, Dave interviewed various stakeholders from urban design, planning, and statutory body perspectives to evaluate and understand exactly how GI is defined. A visit to Seattle, GI pioneers in the US, enabled Dave to directly compare and contrast the term GI and its implementation in its country of origin, and develop Daves thesis in terms of transferable qualities in planning policy and community involvement.
For further information on GI please contact Dave directly at david.paginton@pegasuspg.co.uk Contact: Andrew Cook (Cirencester)

New EIA Quality Mark will Uphold Quality Practice within the Green Economy
Pegasus has become one of only 40 organisations worldwide to join a new scheme that recognises a dedication to excellence in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). IEMA, the UKs largest environmental professional association representing over 15,000 practitioners, recognises Pegasus dedication to quality practice and announces Pegasus position as a founding organisation of the EIA Quality Mark scheme. The scheme will help planners, consultancies, developers, infrastructure bodies and construction companies to locate and work with externally verified EIA organisations from a central register and subsequently deliver a successful EIA project as part of delivering the green economy. Martin Baxter, IEMAs Executive Director-Policy, says Ensuring that development makes economic sense is good for society and works with the environment are at the heart of delivering the green economy. The 40 organisations that have so far gained the EIA Quality Mark have proven that they are capable of delivering sustainable development in practice.
Contact: Simon Chamberlayne (Cirencester)

Loch Fyne, Bath

PEGASUS PLANNING GROUP - PLANNING I ENVIRONMENTAL I URBAN DESIGN I RENEWABLES I LANDSCAPE DESIGN

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Planning eye!
Here is our round up of recent events in the planning world
The Localism Bill: Planning provisions were expected to be debated in Committee in the Lords in mid-July, with Royal Assent still a possibility for November. However, commencement of parts of the Bill revoking Regional Strategies will be subject to Environmental Appraisal of the implications of their revocation. There may therefore be some months before Regional Strategies are finally abolished. Planning for Growth: On 23 March Greg Clark issued a Written Ministerial Statement, entitled Planning for Growth, which emphasised that significant weight should be attached to the need to secure economic growth and employment. Planning Inspectors and the Secretary of State are attaching significant weight to this policy announcement in planning decisions on housing as well as economic development. The Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development: Planning for Growth was reinforced by the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development published on 15 June by Planning Minister, Greg Clark. The presumption states that local planning authorities should prepare plans to meet objectively assessed development needs; approve without delay proposals that accord with statutory plans; and grant permission where the plan is absent, silent, indeterminate or out of date, unless the adverse impacts of allowing development would outweigh the benefits, when assessed by the NPPF. The presumption will be a cornerstone of the National Planning Policy Framework, a draft of which was produced by a Practitioners Advisory Group in May and is expected to be the basis for a 12-week consultation in July. National Planning Policy Framework: It is advocated that Plans should be deliverable and allocations should balance obligations and policy burdens so that schemes will provide acceptable returns to a willing landowner and willing developer; Authorities should ensure a sufficient supply of sites for retail, commercial services and residential development in town and edge of centre locations and other accessible locations; The key housing objective should be to significantly increase the delivery of new homes; Planning should fully support the transition to a low carbon economy and actively support the delivery of renewable and low carbon energy. Pegasus Planning are continuing to support and lobby for the evolution of the NPPF to take forward these positive initiatives.
Contact: Roger Daniels (Bristol) / Stephen Bawtree (Cirencester)

Employee Focus

Name: Andy Kitchen Title: Principal Planner Office: Bracknell Q. Do you specialise in a particular area of planning? I have had input on a variety of projects, at all stages of the planning process. Recently Ive been advising a variety of clients for projects including residential, retail and charity sectors. Q. Do you see the role of Town Planners expanding or declining in light of new legislation? There are some encouraging signs that the unnecessarily obstructive aspects of Town Plannings role may be streamlined, however in my experience, some areas of planning at local level are being used as a brake on growth and development. The hope is that once the Localism Bill and NPPF are in place this will improve. However, if localism means greater freedom for local authorities, the impact will be greater polarisation between the approaches of authorities who wish to encourage growth and those who dont. Q. Whats your view on the recent demonization of planning by Government and the press? Planning has never been particularly popular with politicians! The manner in which the Coalition Government has attempted to rush the changes through can be best described as a dogs dinner. Far from providing certainty to the industry, it has resulted in considerable confusion and hundreds of thousands of planned houses being struck from development plans. It isnt surprising the Government is seeking to shift the blame for this.

Offices at:
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Manchester T 0161 235 6350 F 0161 235 6359

Pegasus Planning Group is the trading name of Pegasus Planning Group Limited, registered in England and Wales under number 07277000

www.pegasuspg.co.uk