Planning Issues

Land use planning has been a core concern to CPRE since our establishment in1927. In that time CPRE has had many notable successes over the establishment of National Parks, the Green Belt, The Town and Country Planning Act and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We also campaign on issues like aviation and roads. For more information about current national campaigns on planning issues, please click here.  CPRE members may also ask to receive a regular newsletter.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 implemented a major reform of land use planning.  CPRE has a national website to explain the revised system in a clear, understandable way.  Newcomers to the planning system are aided by a glossary, a simple explanation of the planning process, a brief description of important plans and a guide that explains how to respond to planning applications - often the first way people find themselves involved in the planning process.  More experienced planning compaigners will be helped by the website's guide to local development frameworks, a new invention brought in by the Planning Act to replace county structure plans, and a guide to regional spatial strategies, which are a very important part of the new planning system.  There are also sections on planning appeals, departure applications and strategic environmental assessment, a new tool for assessing the environmental effects of proposed plans and programmes.

A more detailed Planning leaflet produced by CPRE Herefordshire with information on how a planning application can affect you and what to do if it does can be downloaded in printable format by clicking here. 

The Government has introduced a new series (June 2004) of Planning Factsheets dealing with “Privacy and Overlooking”, “External Lighting” and “Overshadowing” which provide useful information on these frequently contentious topics. They are available online at www.odpm.gov.uk click on “planning” then “planning guidance and advice”.

CPRE's NATIONAL PLANNING HOTLINE is open to CPRE members on Thursday afternoons on Tel: 020 7981 2000. Members also benefit from free publications.

CPRE Herefordshire belongs to CPRE's national "Sprawl Patrol" network, that aims to monitor and prevent the unnecessary spread of housing into the countryside.

Why is Planning Important?

• A proper planning system is vital to our quality of life (Planning Green Paper. Dec 2001)
• England is one of the most crowded countries in the world – we need good planning to deliver sustainable solutions and to create better places in which we can live and work
• Without town and country planning widespread damage to the environment would have occurred over the last 50 years, probably with serious economic and social consequences
• Safeguarding the environment is fundamental to sustainable development (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Mar. 2002)
• The presumption in favour of the applicant which has been an implicit feature of the planning system in the past ought no longer to apply (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Mar. 2002)
• People can be dramatically affected by planning decisions and care deeply about how new development, however small, can affect their surrounding
• To be successful the planning system should promote economic prosperity but must also command public confidence by being open, fair and impartial
  

Herefordshire Case Study

Planning applications to build a new dwelling in the garden of an existing house are common in the County. Providing they meet certain criteria, relating to village settlement boundaries, design and amenity, consent is likely to be given. A case in a north Herefordshire village in 2002:

• Near neighbours who had suffered years of fly and odour nuisance from an adjacent slurry lagoon were concerned that the living conditions of future residents of the proposed new house would be harmed by unreasonable levels of nuisance. They objected to the application citing an obscure clause in national Planning Policy Guidance which highlights the need for planners to take full account of the risk of nuisance that can arise from livestock units, including slurry lagoons. PPG7 (Planning Policy Guidance Note 7).
• Despite these concerns, which were supported by the Council’s own Environmental Health Officer, the planning case officer recommended that the Planning Committee should give its consent. His view was that since this objection related to an activity outside the site, the proposed new house would not increase the level of nuisance!
• Neighbours felt so strongly about the issue they lobbied the Parish Council and their local elected member of Herefordshire Council.
• When the case came before the planning committee the local member convinced all other members that consent hould indeed be withheld.
• Although the applicant appealed against the refusal, this was dismissed by the Planning Inspector who agreed with the arguments put forward by objectors.
• This example reinforces the need for people to become involved in the planning process. It highlights that it is possible, despite the obstacles, to achieve a positive outcome if a carefully argued well researched case is put forward.

CPRE and Planning Applications

The Herefordshire Branch of CPRE has considerable experience on planning matters in the County and is able to give advice to members on how and where to access the information needed to put their case – unfortunately we cannot guarantee a satisfactory outcome!

It is essential that you exercise your right to comment on, and try to influence the outcome of any planning application that may affect you, whether locally or in the county.

CPRE Herefordshire would like to cover the whole County with a network of volunteers willing to monitor planning applications in their district. If you would like to help - you don’t need to be a member of CPRE -please telephone David Ward: 01684 540204.

Further help and advice can be found in an excellent short guide - “How to Respond to Planning Applications” - priced at £3 that you can order by e-mail or download as a *.pdf (see also details on CPRE's national website).

Self Help Plannings Guidelines (what you can do)

• Be alert. A weekly list of new planning applications lodged in the County can be viewed at www.herefordshire.gov.uk click on “environment” then “planning”. A monthly bulletin of planning decisions is also available.
• Some planning applications are advertised in the local press and a yellow notice is usually posted at the site. You can you also look at your local Parish Council notice board because they are consulted on all applications and details are usually published in the meeting agenda.
• You can find out more about an application by calling the Planning Office, or visiting it at Blueschool House, Blueschool Street, Hereford. Ask to see the application and quote the reference number [e.g. DCNC2003/1234/F]
• Check out whether the application is in accordance with the current ‘development plan’ – unless there are ‘material considerations’ to indicate otherwise, it must be. You can access the plan at your local Library, the Planning Office and online [www.herefordshire.gov.uk]. There is a new Unitary Development Plan in the process of being agreed.
• As our case study demonstrates you may also find other data to support your case by accessing relevant national Planning Policy Guidance. [www.odpm.gov.uk]
• Remember to make your comments in writing to the correct address: Planning Services, Herefordshire Council, P O Box 230, Blueschool House, Blueschool Street, Hereford HR1 2ZB – within the time allowed – usually 21 days from the posting of a site notice.
• Stick to the planning issues and avoid matters of a personal nature.
• In addition, let your Parish Council and your local Member of Herefordshire Council know of your concerns – why not send them a copy of your letter?
• The majority of planning applications are decided by professional planning officers under ‘delegated powers’ but the more contentious are referred for decision to an area planning sub-committee on which your local member will sit. The importance of informing your local members of your views cannot be over emphasised but be aware that the Councillors' Code of Conduct prevents the member from disclosing a view before the meeting.

If you would like to become a CPRE Herefordshire Planning Watchdog, please telephone David Ward: 01684 540204.

If you have a particular problem which we have not covered here, please email us

We will do our best to help but please remember that CPRE Herefordshire can usually only assist with planning applications that are either contrary to the Local Plan [available in your Library or from Herefordshire Council] or would have a significant impact on the landscape, countryside or environment of Herefordshire. All our planning work is carried out by volunteers.

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CPRE Herefordshire is a registered Charity: No: 213951. The Campaign to Protect Rural England exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country.