Use Class Order Shake-up
All the latest developments including news and analysis on the government's plans to revamp the Use Class Order as part of its pro-growth agenda
Latest News
Free schools charity to battle against policy axe
26 August 2011A charity that promotes the establishment of free schools has pledged to keep pressing for planning reform after ministers rowed back on plans to let any buildings be converted into schools without planning permission.
London councils slams change of use proposals
15 August 2011Plans to allow developers to change offices into homes without planning permission will create low-quality housing in unsuitable areas, umbrella body London Councils has warned.
Tory London borough attacks change of use plans
08 August 2011The London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames has attacked government proposals to allow commercial premises to be converted to homes without the need for planning permission.
RTPI says government's change of use plans are 'unworkable'
06 July 2011Plans to amend planning rules to make it easier to convert properties from commercial to residential uses could result in a system that is 'difficult to understand and to enforce', according to the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Change of use plans 'unlikely to benefit north'
30 June 2011Government proposals to allow commercial buildings to be converted into housing without the need for planning permission are unlikely to be commonly used in the north and Midlands, a study will say.
Clark targets temporary change of use requirements
27 June 2011Decentralisation minister Greg Clark has said he will look at removing planning permission requirements for temporary change of use as part of the Government's review of the use class rules.
Coalition set to relax rules on barn conversions
23 May 2011Rural landowners have welcomed government moves to ease planning restrictions preventing disused farm buildings from being converted into affordable housing.
Bristol urges retail class rejig after riots
06 May 2011Bristol City Council, which has seen violent anti-Tesco riots on its streets, has called on the Government to allow planners to distinguish between different types of retail use.
Change of use plan 'could create 260,000 new homes'
08 April 2011Communities secretary Eric Pickles has claimed that plans to make it easier to convert offices for residential use could result in the creation of more than 260,000 new homes.
London mayor appoints key planning official
22 May 2012London Borough of Redbridge planning chief Stewart Murray is to become assistant director of planning for London mayor Boris Johnson.
Analysis & Opinion
Use changes can support growth
15 July 2011The Centre for Cities interim chief executive Joanna Averley says that changing the use of empty or underused building could inject life into a depressing street scene
The dangers of deregulating permitted development in England
29 July 2011Coalition proposals would remove some local control over planning decisions as well as hinder economic growth, argues Adam Sheppard.
Latest Casebook News
In Focus - Lodge extension found at odds with heritage aims
18 May 2012A proposal to extend a lodge at the entrance to a West Yorkshire cemetery has been rejected on the grounds that it would substantially harm the building's character and historic interest. The lodge had originally formed a caretaker's dwelling for the...
Woodland mast backed as alternatives lacking
18 May 2012A 30-metre telecoms mast has been permitted in an area of ancient woodland in Berkshire following an inspector's acceptance that alternative locations are unsuitable or unavailable.
Judge endorses council tower design appraisal
18 May 2012Permission for the 31-storey "Quill" skyscraper in central London has been upheld after the High Court rejected a challenge by the owners of an adjoining building.
Forum
18 May 2012Q: An authority has refused a lawful development certificate (LDC) for a full-width rear dormer because raising of the party walls means the dormer will not be entirely within the dwelling's curtilage. Even if one accepts that half the party wall is ...
Communication failure leads to court upset
18 May 2012The Court of Appeal has overruled a High Court verdict after hearing evidence from a resident opposing the secretary of state's decision to allow 43 homes at a former school in London.
Council wins backing in slurry pit arguments
18 May 2012The High Court has ruled that Stafford Borough Council's decision to grant planning permission for a slurry pit 12 metres from a neighbouring dwelling was properly made.
Lifetime home standard met in revised scheme
18 May 2012A development involving retail, commercial and residential uses in south-east London has been permitted following findings that a revised design makes it accessible to disabled people.
Homes turned down due to farm buildings loss
18 May 2012A proposal for 82 homes in southern Scotland has been dismissed on the grounds that its layout fails to create a sense of place or retain traditional farm buildings.
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Additional Information
Latest jobs Jobs web feed
- Transport Policy Manager Borough of Poole £38,961 - £41,616, Poole
- Partnerships Officer City of London Starting salary £30,450 - £34,550 p.a., with potential to progress to £39,270, London
- Enforcement Planner (Development Management) Dartmoor National Park Authority Grade 4/5: £19,621 - £28,636, Bovey Tracey, Devon
- Head of Economic Growth Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Competitive, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
- Principal DC planner Randstad Neg, South Coast
- Senior Planner / Associate Broadway Malyan Competitive, Manchester
- Assistant Planner KDH Associates Circa £25,000, Central London
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- Senior Planner Randstad £28,000 - 37,500, London
- Assistant/Consultant Town Planner Anders Elite 20,000 - 25,000 Per Annum, Manchester
