Planning & Listed Building Consent Secured for conversion of historic building in Conservation Area

PDP were delighted this month to secure planning and Listed Building consent for the conversion of a 19th Century former warehouse building in the heart of a Derbyshire Dales market town to residential accommodation.

The building is situated just off the town’s main shopping street, behind a Georgian town house. The development will bring a disused historic building back into use and in doing so facilitate its restoration and long term upkeep.

Permission was granted for the scheme following consultations with planning and conservation officers, the town council and the conservation advisory forum.

Householder permitted development guidance published

A technical guidance document covering the permitted development regime for householders was published this month by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Significant amendments were made to permitted development legislation in October 2008. In our experience the amended rules have proved to be enormously beneficial to our clients who have wanted to develop their homes during the previous 2 years, by allowing greater flexibility for expansion without the need for permission, or otherwise providing a good starting point for negotiations with local authorities concerning larger extensions which do require consent. Clients are often pleasantly surprised about how much can be achieved thanks to the legislative changes.
However the legislation has, to a certain extent, been open to interpretation, and with several more marginal cases it has proved prudent to check with the local authority that they agree with our interpretation, given the lack of case law on the subject.
We therefore welcome the new technical guidance document as it will provide greater clarity and smooth the process further.
PDP are happy to provide assistance to anyone wishing to interpret the General Permitted Development Order. With the last remaining grey areas cleared up by this guidance document, the Permitted Development tool can now be used to greatest effect.
The GPDO covers the following types of development:
• The enlargement, improvement or alteration of a house such as rear or side extensions as well as general alterations such as new windows and doors
• Additions or alterations to roofs which enlarge the house such as loft conversions involving dormer windows
• Other alterations to roofs such as re-roofing or the installation of roof lights
• The erection of a porch outside an external door
• The provision of buildings and other development on land surrounding the house (the ‘curtilage’)
• The provision of hard surfaces on land surrounding the house such as driveways
• The installation, alteration, or replacement of a chimney, flue or soil and vent pipe
• The installation, alteration, or replacement of microwave antenna such as satellite dishes.

Housing incentives plan outlined by Government

Housing minister Grant Shapps conformed this month that the government’s plans to 'reward' councils that give planning consent for the building of new homes will be introduced early in the upcoming Spending Review. Shapps has outlined a system of incentives for councils to build new houses which will involve the Government matching the additional council tax raised by every new house built for the next six years.

For example a council approving 100 new Band ‘D’ homes – currently around £1,400 a year in council tax – would be entitled to £840,000. The minister said he wants to use the incentives, which can fund either more frontline services, new playground facilities or council tax discounts, to boost house building.
He said: "With house building falling to its lowest level since 1924, action is needed now to build the homes the country needs”.

A consultation paper on the final scheme will be published following the Spending Review in October. PDP will review the consultation paper as soon as it is available and are happy to advise any clients wanting to know whether the incentives may influence individual development proposals.