Tag Archives: Planning

Aug 18 2010

Planners – sometimes get it horribly wrong?

A few weeks ago I was in Derby – showing someone around a building I have been trying to sell for the last three years. We have taken it off the market for the moment.

Meretricious tat in Derby

It is a challenging building – being Grade II listed and laid out as an Arts College – which it was designed for just over 100 years ago. It is fair to say that we missed the market – the property would have made fantastic apartments; New York loft style. There are beautiful details, high ceilings and the building is in quite good order externally. (Am I selling it to you yet?)

We have made a number of approaches to the Planning Authority to establish what sort of changes might be permitted. It is fair to say that there was a luke-warm response. In an ideal world they want to see Education continue in the building. Residential conversion was more than frowned upon!

I was aware that a new building had been put up by the local authority next door to ‘my’ property. What I hadn’t realised was quite how appalling this building was. It has no architectural merit – none. It is probably one of the worst pieces of modern architecture I have seen in some time. The word ‘crap’ was invented for this sort of building. I can find nothing good to say about the building – I can only imagine it was done in a hurry on a fag packet?

This is next door to an architectural gem. And the Planners gave me a hard time?

Jul 10 2010

Convenience Stores – competition always good?

There is a rumour that locally we are to get a new Sainsbury’s Conenience store. This may be only a rumour, but an application has been made to the local Council for a ‘convenience store’ for Bramcote Lane, Nottingham. This is my local shopping centre and a source of bacon sandwiches and cappuccino at the weekend (I try to have a day off Starbucks).

Site for new store Bramcote Lane Nottingham

I am not entirely convinced about this inexorable machine taking over the High Street, let alone the suburban area. We already have two ‘local’ convenience stores. Perhaps NIMBYism but true.

Put in context Bramcote Lane has an eclectic mix of shops – Dry Cleaner, Health Food Store, Cheesecake Shop, Newsagents, Hairdressers, Estate Agents, Opticians, Dentist, Gift shop, Butchers, Fruit & Veg shop, Discount Goods, Hardware store, Eurospar and Off-Licences. As at the weekend two of the shops are vacant – and have been for some time. The area is just about in balance.

Close by, there is another Convenience store (Co-op) and a hairdressers.

The Developers are responding to demand from the major retailers (it’s not just Sainsbury’s with requirements!). They have seen an opportunity and are exploiting it. In my professional life I see (and do) this all the time!

But I am concerned that a new store will put at risk the local retailers who simply can’t compete on price – I would imagine that the Butchers, Fruit & Veg store, Pricewise and off-licence will be at risk. The area doesn’t need four more vacant shops!

The Planning Application has been lodged here. There is no certainty that the scheme will get consent. But the reasons in the application justifying it have some credibility too.

Some anti-supermarket groups have been set up previously – you can read about one here.

Alternatively, if consent is given, you have another choice…

You can vote with your feet. You don’t have to shop there. You can support local shops.

May 28 2010

Invest in Nottingham – part two!

Yesterday I went to the Invest in Nottingham day – this time actually back home! It makes a change from MIPIM and London.

The Market Square - part of the walking tour

My day started at the new NTU conference centre – where lunch was served! Then I wandered off into town with Nigel Turpin, one of the towns planners (and prolific cyclist!). The walk around the town was interesting – and I learned things about my home town! We took in NTU, Theatre Square, The Market Square, The Council House (with a tea stop with the Sheriff and the Mayor!), The Lace Market, Broad Marsh and finally back to Loxley House.

It was interesting to hear Nigel’s take on some of the Planning issues – and it was good to have some of the subtle design features pointed out. These included the de-cluttering of the City’s streets and the incorporation of the tram stops into the pavements. We also had a lively group who were questioning of some of the Planning decisions!

Then we went off to Loxley House – Nottingham City Council’s new home. Various talks were given – including by the new Director of Planning Simon Smales, Steve Wood from Westfield (owners of Broad Marsh) and Chris Deas from NET. I always have a chat with Chris – his dad was my first boss at Home Brewery in 1979!

I also had a look around Jane Todd‘s (CEO of the City) office … it’s open plan in the thick of it!

It was a busy day, very well attended and a positive look at Nottingham. It was good to see so many of Nottingham’s professional brethren out and ‘selling’ the City – alongside the dedicated team at Invest in Nottingham!

We once again proved that we are the friendliest people in the world – probably!

May 8 2010

Deja Vu part 2!

I blogged last year about my return to Nottingham Trent University to have a look around the Arkwright and Newton buildings – they were reaching the final stage of their refurbishment.

The newly created space at NTU

This week I went to one of the official opening evenings.

The £92m scheme is now complete – and it looks amazing. Hopkins Architects have done a great job in retaining the essence of two architecturally important buildings whilst connecting them with a modern piece of architecture. This really is the centrepiece of the University and the facilities are second to none. This is both in terms of teaching space, but also the newly created Nottingham Conference Centre.

It was interesting to hear some of the historical context of the buildings – D H Lawrence studied at the University College Nottingham (as Arkwright was then known). My old lecturer Paul Collins went dewey eyed when he remembered the old urinals – and the fact that David Herbert had once peed in the very same place. I wasn’t sure where it was headed, but he held it together I think – just. I think the Collins facial hair may have permeated his brain. Or he was being sponsored by Flomax …

I was also amused about some of the opposition when the scheme was put before the statutory consultees. One organisation were concerned about the loss of the rows of lockers in Newton building. I miss them too – I used to lean up against them …

But the real story (apart from the quality of the space) was the green roof – 30,000 sq ft of it. This has helped the University achieve the no.1 spot in the Green League of Universities in England and Wales.

It is a great regeneration project – which deserves all the accolades it will surely get. It’s a great advert for Nottingham – on the world stage.

Feb 24 2010

Housing – a market on the up?

There have been some really mixed messages this week. I have spoken to two Architects about their workload and the general state of the market. Both indicated that the residential sector of their work had increased in recent weeks.

My charity Abel Collins contributed 4 houses to the 2009 total!


This is against the backdrop that the number of new house builds in England was at its lowest level since 1946 during 2009, according to the latest figures from the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).

Around 118,000 new homes were built in 2009, which is 17% lower than the number built in 2008. And this is some way off the Governments target to build 240,000 homes each year until 2016 – to satisfy the anticipated number of households.

Although there does seem to be an increase in demand (which may be better described as ‘interest’) I am not convinced that developers are falling over themselves to buy into land.

In fact my conversation with a London based Architect revealed an interesting change in how sales are being achieved. As an agent acting for a vendor of land it was our aim to try to reduce the number of affordable houses on a plot of land – as they had a negative impact on the value (in one case where I was involved the cost of providing the affordable housing was £5m – the resulting residual land value was only £7m). The ‘norm’ for provision depends on the Authority but is frequently cited as 30%. In London, according to the Architect I spoke to, on some of the schemes, 60% is being voluntarily offered as this is the only cash available. It looks as though we might be moving back to building Council Houses!

Yesterday Housing Minister John Healey on the announced a boost to housebuilding in England, confirming nearly £500million funding to build around 8,000 affordable homes across the country. He suggests that this takes total Government funding for housebuilding to £3.5 billion since June.

You can see the scale of the problem – the target is 240,000, we built 118,000 and the Government are going to ‘kick-start’ another 8,000 – so had that number been delivered last year we would still be only around half of the requirement…

As part of my blog earlier this week I did express my concern about our kids getting on the housing ladder. Maybe the affordable housing route is going to be the only way. And that means private renting (possibly through a Social Landlord) or through a shared ownership scheme.

Jan 22 2010

Cheap professional advice?

As I sat watching “build a new life in the Country” this week I find myself sitting asking – why?

The lighthouse at Eastbourne - courtesy Rob Wassell


A couple buy a former lighthouse in Eastbourne. The conversion is to a ‘hotel’ and as makes good television – they are in a hurry. Oh, and the lighthouse has been moved away from the cliffs once. That seems to have sorted that issue, but the road is soon going to be wet – as it falls into the sea. The Council allegedly agreed to a new route with the previous owners for £15,000. But they now want £85,000 – which is deemed ‘outrageous’.

Then there’s the builder who is modelled on David Brent – but with tattoos!

The couple paid £500,000 and think they will have to spend another £500,000 on refurbishing. The project suffers delays – and cost overruns. “We bought it in a moment of madness” the owners said. They applied for planning permission whilst the builders was on site. They spent “between £700,000 and £750,000″!

I couldn’t help wondering why on earth they didn’t take advice? A plug for all professionals – a Surveyor would have spotted the access road and might have expressed concern about the close cliff. An Architect would have made the building even better – and might have spotted the need for planning permission. He / she might have also avoided a sliding door! A QS would have tightened up on the costs before the work started – and enabled the owners to be able to be able to prioritise. The Project Manager would have kept the whole programme in check.

Yes, these services cost money, but the schoolboy errors can be avoided.

I did wonder when the owners apply for these programmes whether the first question is “ok so you have a great project and cool building – but have you taken ANY professional advice?” – Answer “No” and we’ll be there!

I have done two dilapidation surveys this week – where the tenants will almost certainly cry “it’s not fair”. In neither case did the tenant have a schedule of condition at the start of their lease. I have done one of those too this week – it cost £750. It will probably save the tenant tens of thousands of pounds at the end of his lease.

It sounds like money that can be saved (and spent on stripey fabric?) – but in the long run, it does pay to employ a professional. Plug over.

Dec 14 2009

Nottingham – Planning for the future

Last week I was invited to attend a breakfast presentation to see what the City Council had learned from the review undertaken of its Planning Service by Addison Associates.

EMP Seattle - would you get Planning Permission for this on Maid Marian Way? Thought not!


I was consulted earlier in the year – partly as a result of my involvement in the Castle College planning application for the rebuilding of the maid Marian Way campus. I won’t dwell on that process, but it was the 9th scheme that went before the Committee – with an Officer Recommendation, only to be adjourned. We did get the consent, but in reality had missed the window of opportunity. Subsequently the LSC funding debacle cost more than the scheme – it had a human cost too.

Jennifer Dearing is the interim Director of Planning – for a six month period. Her primary role as she explained was to push through the changes and improvements highlighted in the review. In fairness Jennifer started the presentation by listing some of the good things about the Planning Team – it wasn’t all bad! Nottingham lead the way on Transportation and produce some excellent written reports. But she did acknowledge that there was a lot to be done – partly as a result of a theme which came from the consultation:

Nottingham is less easy to do development in than other UK cities

Sadly I think this is true. It is difficult to highlight exactly why – but we do seem to get hung up on all manner of minutiae. To some extent Nottingham Castle causes as many issues for development as it benefits the City in tourism (if it does?). We shy away from tall buildings, but I am not sure why. We have critical views lines – from bizarre points (Musters Road West Bridgford?). We have to respect heritage – but I am not convinced we have a consistent approach – viz. The Nottingham Contemporary.

The positive news is that Jennifer is setting about trying to change all of this – and this must be welcomed. Jennifer has said, “Are we going to be a city famed for its modern, high quality architecture or a city well known for keeping the scale of development in keeping and in character with a much more human scale.”

Although not drawn on the answer this question is critical. I know what i think!

But we might also see the introduction of Planning Performance Agreements for large scale developments – which should be welcomed. These can give the Applicants an amount of certainty in the process.

I look forward to the new look Planning Service – Nottingham needs it to compete on the world stage. And we need to tell everyone too that there is a new broom sweeping clean – so that the people with bad past experiences might come back and give Nottingham a second chance!

Nottingham is a brilliant place – but could be better. The Planners have a critical part to play in our future… But so do the members of the Planning Committee!

My suggestion about making Nottingham the Friendliest Place in the World runs deep into the corridors of the Planning Department!

Dec 7 2009

Valuation – a tricky art!

It is not an exciting part of what I do – most of us would rather be ‘doing deals’ – buying, letting or selling. But much of what I do revolves around valuation for clients. At the moment it may not be exciting, but it is certainly interesting and challenging! As you might expect providing advice on what something is worth in the current market can be tricky. And there are quite stringent rules about the valuation in the form of something we lovingly called ‘The Red Book‘.

Getty Los Angeles - cost $1bn, but what's it worth?


The methods of valuation are varied, but by far the most used is the comparables basis – which is as simple as it sounds – you get ‘evidence’ of other deals which you compare to the subject property. The art is in making adjustments! So you can value your house easily if you know that the one two doors down sold for ‘x’ – but you have a conservatory and a bigger garden, so your must be worth ‘x+’. Easy.

But what happens when there are few transactions – or worse still none? Or that those transactions are from 18 months ago – before the ‘crash’? Then it gets a bit tricky.

The RICS give some guidance about ‘valuing in uncertain times‘ – which is quite helpful on a technical level. But actually the client still needs a number on which he can rely. After all, that is what they are paying for! And we often have a dilemma – the gap between expectation and reality can be quite significant. Bad news is not easy to sell. We also have one eye on our Insurance policy – which protects us if the value we report is ‘negligent’.

Last week I valued some land which might in the future be suitable for residential development. But there is no Planning Consent in place for it. Nor is there really a market for residential land at the moment – the house-builders are slowly getting back on their feet, but they have no appetite for big deals. The residential market (end users) is patchy. But my client needed a valuation figure on the land to see if there was justification to proceed on another deal…

It would be all too easy to slash the figures, but that too can be wrong – and sometimes could be seen to be negligent (although harder to prove).

So we give an opinion of value – and as one of my old University mates told me ‘we can only do a snapshot’. He is right, the market is moving so quickly. And next year could be as tumultuous again with a General Election looming. But you can only give an opinion as you feel on the day.

Years ago, I heard a great statement (and annoyingly I cannot recall who by) which said ‘you are paid for your opinions not your doubts‘. I think this is a great maxim for our profession, especially at the moment.