<![CDATA[Latest Additions]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/includes/latestBlogAndCaseStudies.jsp <![CDATA[Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) has arrived at last!]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=56

After 10 years or so of talk and not much action, the first few local authority CIL plans have been adopted and before long the payment of levies on commencement of development will become a familiar part of the planning process.

Local Planning Authorities can collect the levy, in £££’s per square metre, from all schemes of 100 square metres (net) and all new market dwellings (even if smaller than 100 square metres). The trigger for payment is commencement of development, although some councils may allow payment in instalments.

Changes of use, charity landowners and affordable housing are exempt. Levy receipts can be used for improvements to transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals, health facilities, parks and leisure centres. There is no longer a requirement to link the contribution to the development. So monies can be spent wherever the council sees fit. The first few CIL plans are as follows:

·         The London Borough of Redbridge  has set a blanket £70 per square metre levy applying to all types of development over 100 metres (net).
·         Newark and Sherwood Council requires up to £125 per square metre for residential and retail development only.
·         Shropshire County Council expects between £40 and £80 per square metre for residential development only.
·         Mayor of London - £20 per square metre in the poorest Boroughs, £35 per square metre in the medium Boroughs and £50 per square metre in the richest Boroughs. Expected to raise £300 million towards cost of Crossrail.
These early examples show a range of different interpretations of the CIL regulations. Less well off Boroughs who wish to encourage development may only charge CIL for certain types of development (eg Newark and Sherwood), while wealthier Boroughs may decide to charge more on a blanket basis in order to discourage development (eg Redbridge).

Worryingly, Stewart Murray, the Chief Planner at Redbridge, interviewed in Planning Magazine (10 February 2012) calculates that CIL in his Borough will raise £2.5 to £5 million per year, compared to just £1.5 million from section 106 agreements.

No doubt a lot more local authority CIL plans will be adopted in the coming months. It will be interesting to see how different regimes treat the Levy, as an enabling device or as a tax on development to raise much needed funds for local government, which is being hard pressed by Government cutbacks.

The viability of many schemes is bound to be threatened, if council’s do not adopt a flexible and reasonable approach.

]]> Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=56 <![CDATA[Continued Reform of the Feed-In Tariff (FITS) Scheme]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=55

Following the earlier announcement in January about new rates for solar installations, further consultation documents have been issued today by the DECC, which supplement their earlier announcement on solar and starts a consultation process on FITS for all other renewable technologies. The biggest reduction in payments proposed is in relation to small wind schemes up to 1.5 kW capacity with smaller reductions for schemes above that. Hydro and AD schemes will be largely unaffected if the proposals go through unchanged. The consultation also explains that payments will start to fall year on year from 2014 onwards and considers whether the regime should be different for community (to be defined) based schemes. The consultation can be found at:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/Renewable_ener/feedin_tariff/feedin_tariff.aspx

]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=55 <![CDATA[Judicial review in Scotland (and maybe England) should hopefully soon not empty your pockets.]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=54

Third party rights of appeal have never quite gone away in Scotland with the Government always conscious that although many of the changes have helped third party involvement in the planning process, there are still situations where decisions warrant challenging and in the past the cost of judicial review has been prohibitive thus acting as a check to those who would wish to take matters further. The Government is, therefore, considering introducing new rules of court for the making of Protective Expenses Orders, which will have the effect of capping the amount of legal costs that a challenger would have to pay the other side, if they lose, at £5,000. Proposals also include the introduction of a similar cap of £30,000 on the defending party's liability to pay the challenger's costs. The consultation closes on April 3, 2012.

This issue was recently discussed at the Scottish Property Federation, where the Chief Planner made it clear that this is coming directly from EU pressure and is also likely to be brought forward for England. Some sort of change seems inevitable although efforts will be made by the industry to set timescales and boundaries for its implementation.
 
]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=54 <![CDATA[2012 sees new era for those persuing Professional Accreditation]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=53

Like many young planners it was a huge relief receiving confirmation that I had passed my Assessment of Professional Competence, although for many back in late 2011 there remained uncertainty over what the whole process entailed, with some even delaying their submissions until further clarity was provided by the RTPI.

In late October 2011 the RTPI announced that they would be reviewing the Assessment of Professional Competence process and have subsequently published new guidance which came into force this month (January 2012). The changes seek to provide further clarity of the information requirements for applicant’s and those mentoring.

Key changes to the APC process include:
  • A new online submission process – hard copy submissions will no longer be accepted
  • New guidelines on how to prepare your application
  • More information on the assessment criteria
  • New corroboration requirements which relax the need for original signatures on each page of your submission and log book
  • Changes to the assessment outcomes and the resubmission process
  • No codicil
    • Although the changes appear to be relatively minor, the ability to now submit the assessment electronically will assist in making the submission process more efficient for both the applicant and RTPI. Further information on the assessment criteria will undoubtedly also be welcomed by applicant’s and mentors who were confused in terms of exactly what was expected in the submission.

     

    As part of my role as Vice Chair of the West Midlands Young Planners Committee, we will be holding a number of workshops throughout the year to provide those working towards professional accreditation with the opportunity to discuss the process face to face with a representative from the RTPI. Our first workshop will be held on the 1st February 2012 at Birmingham City University and is open to both applicant’s and mentors. These workshops are not only considered useful for those currently in the process of completing their APC, but also seek to encourage students in continuing to pursue a career in planning and become fully qualified following the completion of their university course.
    ]]>     Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=53     <![CDATA[Domestic Wind Turbines - Permitted Development in Conservation Areas]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=52
    In a move proposed to demonstrate the Government’s Green Credentials, a major exemption has been given to those seeking to erect domestic wind turbines or install solar panels in Conservation Areas.  Whilst other land (Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, National Parks, etc.) are subject to restraint, the Government has specifically allowed micro generation in Conservation Areas – be prepared for a Localism Backlash, when the good burghers of ‘Little Nestling in the Wolds’ see what’s coming down their street though.
     
    The amendment to Part 40 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order comes into effect on the 1st December 2011 and allows for the installation and replacement of a single wind turbine on a detached dwelling or a detached building within the curtilage of a dwelling house or a block of flats. The key restriction is that the proposed turbine must be less than 15m high or not protrude more than 3 metres above the highest part of the roof, whichever is the lesser. So there won’t be many wind turbines on detached bungalows then! Other restrictions mean that the wind turbine should not be located on safeguarded land, or within 5 metres of the boundary of the curtilage of the dwelling house or block of flats. In each case, the sweep of the blade should not exceed 3.8m2 the distance between the ground level and the lowest part of the blade will be less than 5 metres.
     
    The new Regulations will also permit stand alone wind turbines that do not exceed 11.1m high to be installed within the curtilage of dwelling houses or block of flats (note the absence of the word detached here) where they meet similar criteria.
     
    What is quite surprising is that although the Regulations restrict wind turbines from Article 1(5) land they specifically exclude land within a Conservation Area, where turbines can be installed providing that they are not installed on a roof slope or wall fronting a highway.
     

    It remains to be seen how many new Microgeneration turbines come forward as a consequence of the amended Regulations.

    ]]>     Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=52     <![CDATA[Government's Housing Strategy for England: Laying the Foundations]]> http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=51
    The Government have now launched their aptly titled Housing Strategy for England, ‘Laying the Foundations’, which includes help for home buyers, help for housebuilders, improving fairness in social housing, support for the private rented sector and action on empty homes.
     
    Most noteworthy is the Government’s support for a new 95% LTV mortgage scheme for new home buyers, which the Home Builders' Federation (HBF) deem to be ‘the key to unlocking home buyer demand’. It will offer a helping hand to 100,000 prospective buyers struggling to get on to the property ladder due to the need for large deposits. Under the new proposals, homebuyers will be able to buy any new house or flat, excluding second homes and buy-to-let, from a home builder signed up to the scheme with a 5% deposit, provided they meet the lender’s underwriting requirements. In addition, the Government will also consult on proposals to increase discounts under Right to Buy, providing an opportunity for social tenants to buy the homes they live in. The receipts from Right to Buy sales will be used to support funding for new affordable homes for rent on a ‘one for one’ basis, creating an estimated 100,000 new homes and 200,000 jobs.
     
    There is also encouraging news for housebuilders and, in particular, affordable housing providers who will be in line to share £1.8 billion cash to develop new affordable homes. The Government aims to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes across the country over the next four years, with the first £1 billion worth of contracts confirmed under the Affordable Homes Programme. Support will also be given to Councils and communities seeking to deliver new, larger-scale developments that meet the growing needs of their communities. The Government will seek to provide housebuilders with greater certainty and give communities a stronger say, which will be facilitated by streamlined planning processes.
     
    For more information click below:
     
    The Government’s strategy document can be accessed from the following link:
     
    ]]>     Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.alliance-plan.co.uk/blog.jsp?postID=51