Planning Inspectorate Newsletter - Issue 7
Message from the Chief Executive
All of us who knew Stephen Crow have been shocked by the sudden, sad news of Stephen’s death. He was so full of life that I am sure we all believed he was invincible. I for one will miss him enormously. He took great delight that we sat together in the National Planning Forum and at every opportunity jointly waved the flag for PINS. And only last week we were exchanging e-mails about one of the projects he had up his sleeve: I have a whole file marked “Stephen Crow Research”!
From all of us here at PINS we wish him a fond farewell and we are grateful to Stephen's successor, Chris Shepley, for providing a tribute to him.
Katrine Sporle
Chief Executive
December 2007
Contact
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Accompanied Site Visits
Inspectors’ work programmes are carefully prepared to make the most efficient use of their time. This means that when a programme of written representation appeals is set up, the Charting Officer identifies a set of sites that are geographically located to enable the Inspector to make as many visits as possible within a working day. Wendy Burden, one of the Inspectorate’s Inspector Managers, explains why punctuality is vital in all accompanied site visits.
Costs
Among the areas where are looking to simplifying processes is the submission of appeal costs applications and decisions on them. Leonora Rozee, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Policy has recently issued further advice to Planning Inspectors.
Common Land and Town and Village Greens
The Inspectorate recently took on from Defra responsibility for determining applications for works on registered commons in England made under Part 3 of the Commons Act 2006. We are also developing with Defra a pilot study to implement provisions for registration of commons and town and village greens under Part 1 of the Act. Martin Steer, head of the Specialist Casework Branch, describes these initiatives in more detail.
Read the "Common Land and Town and Village Greens" article >>
RTPI Learning Partner
The Planning Inspectorate has been awarded Learning Partner status by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in recognition of its approach to the professional development of its planner workforce. David Harvey of the Inspectorate’s Learning and Development Unit explains what the award means.
Read the "RTPI Learning Partner" article >>
New Rights of Way Inquiry and Hearing Rules in England
On 1 October statutory rules were introduced governing the procedures to be followed by all parties to hearings and inquiries into Rights of Way Orders. Annie Owen, Rights of Way section leader, provides some background and explains the main changes.
Read the "New Rights of Way Inquiry and Hearing Rules in England" article >>
Planning Appeals and Old-style Development Plan Policies in England
Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, unless expressly replaced by a 'new' policy, 'old' policies (adopted local plan, unitary development plan and structure plan policies) are saved for three years from whichever is the later of either the date of commencement of section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 ('the Act') on 28 September 2004 or the date the plan was adopted or approved.
Under the Act, the Secretary of State has powers to make a direction to save specified policies beyond the three-year period, and appropriate directions have now been issued on the Secretary of State's behalf by regional Government Offices, with a covering letter. Details of Government Office saved policies have been placed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website for ease of reference by all parties.
Read the "Planning Appeals and Old-style Development Plan Policies in England" article >>
APOS: 13TH Report Published
The 13th Report of the Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate (APOS) was published on Monday 12 November. The Report can be viewed online.
View the "APOS: 13TH Report">>
Stakeholder News
Stakeholders
The last issue of the Newsletter gave feedback on Stakeholder meetings held during the summer at which the main topic for discussion was the Planning White Paper during the consultation stage.
Sheila Rice, PA to the Chief Executive, summarises the topics discussed at a recent meeting with legal bodies (Law Society and the Planning and Environmental Bar Association).
Read the "Stakeholders" article >>
Leonora Rozee appointed Visiting Professor
Leonora Rozee, the Inspectorate’s Deputy Chief Executive, has been appointed Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne for a 3 year term. Leonora herself studied for her degree in town planning at Newcastle in the late 1960s/early 1970s and she finished a 3 year term as external examiner to the School last year. She is delighted to be able to continue her contact with this highly respected and long standing school of planning.
Unexpected Compliments
We were very pleased to receive a completely unsolicited compliment from a surprising source “The Land is Ours”. The organisation provides planning advice to “smallholders, low impact builders, caravan and shack dwellers and other low income rural people experiencing problems with the planning authorities”.
Recently the Mayor of London thanked the Panel (chaired by Chris Shepley) that carried out an Examination of Further Alterations to the London Plan. He considered they did "an admirable job", and was "particularly pleased that they so strongly endorsed his proposed policies on Climate Change, which will now allow London to get on and make some real progress in tackling CO2 emissions from new development".
Planning Summer School 2007
The Inspectorate was well represented at this year’s Planners’ 2 Summer School in Swansea between 8-12 September. We funded a total of eight places for Inspectors, Planning Officers and administrative workforce taking planning qualifications.
“Mastermind” Champion
At the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants (BIAC) Annual Conference “Planning – The Countryside’s Dilemma” on 11 October 2007, Steve Ingram Head of Planning at Huntingdonshire, Elizabeth Gould Chair of DC Committee Breckland DC, Barry Davies Chair Rural Planning Division BIAC and Leonora Rozee, the Planning Inspectorate’s Deputy Chief Executive, entered a “Mastermind” competition with questions from Huw Morris Editor of Planning. Leonora won, maintaining the Inspectorate’s reputation!
Christmas and New Year
We would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Inspectorate’s Bristol office will be closed on 25 and 26 December 2007 and 1 January 2008. The Cardiff office will be closed on 24-26 December 2007 and 1 January 2008.
Newsletter 8
The next issue of the Newsletter will be published in early March 2008.
