image: jeremy phillips
homebuilding.co.uk 157l Landscape impact An important
material consideration — the scale of a new
development, its location, the materials
used and the trees that must be retained are
all often dictated by landscape sensitivity.
Different parts of the country have
special landscape designations – such
as areas of outstanding natural beauty,
heritage coast or national park – and it’s
important to know about them when trying
to get planning permission. It does mean
that anomalies will exist and developments
that appear to be in the same landscape
will be treated very differently because of
the designation which affects one but not
the other. It also means that where you can
incorporate significant landscape planting
within your proposal and demonstrate
that trees are being retained and hedges
improved this may help your case.
l Ecology There are very serious laws
about harming wildlife and damaging
habitat but very few planning applications
are prevented because of ecological impact.
Putting aside Sites of Special Scientific
Interest and those areas that require
additional open space to compensate for
increased numbers of residents, in most
cases ecology comes down to the presence
of bats or birds, and great-crested newts.
An application made in an area sensitive
to wildlife will need to be accompanied
by ecological surveys. There are plenty of
consultants who offer them but the time
of year when surveys can be undertaken is
often restricted and if you’re unlucky, you
may have to delay your application for six
months until you’re in the right season to
undertake the necessary surveys. However,
once you’ve done your surveys and you
understand the ecology, it is pretty unusual
for this to prevent development; it is more
normal for mitigation to be undertaken
to ensure that wildlife is accommodated
within a scheme and mitigation measures,
such as bat boxes or nesting boxes or areas
for newts, are retained and provided. Don’t
panic if the house you want to demolish has
bats in the roof, just be aware it’s likely to
delay the process.l Highway safety and parking
Highways and transport issues are often
the number-one grounds for objection to
new residential development, even to single
houses. Local authorities have parking
standards and if you are building a new
house you need to provide parking. In
some locations, such as the central areas
of large towns, you can get away with no
parking because it’s assumed people can
walk to the nearest bus stop or train station.
But just about everywhere else there will be
standards you need to comply with.
There are also necessary visibility
considerations at new accesses to ensure
that you can see the traffic. It is absolutely
essential that if you buy a building plot that
you ensure that it has adequate access that
meets the necessary highways’ requirements.
There are many excellent development sites
that are vacant and undeveloped because
they are not capable of being accessed
or because the point of access is owned
by somebody unprepared to come to an
agreement. So, accessibility, highway safety
and parking are key material considerations
that will be looked at very carefully in
respect of any planning application.
So, next time you see a house built in a
strange location and find yourself asking
how did they get away with that, it might be
worth looking at the planning history and
reading the planning officer’s report that
will explain the decision-making criteria that
led to that permission being granted.casesTudy
When Jo and John Hawes
wanted to build a new
house for themselves,
preparing their planning
application became a rather
lengthy process. They came
up against access issues, and
had to have a bat survey,
flood risk assessment and
an arboricultural assessment
done that included mapping
out and identifying every
tree and plant in the
garden. As a result of the
assessment a number of
trees were retained and
protected during the build.counciL design guides
and supplementary planning
documents dealing with
specific subject areas like
design, access, parking,
ecology, etc., are worth
reading to learn more about
what influences
planning decisions.