Author - philevers

Rob Duncan Planning Consultancy goes Limited

As of the 1st January 2014, Rob Duncan Planning Consultancy became a Limited Company.  Should you require any planning assistance or advice then please do not hesitate to contact us.  Our contact details can be found on the 'Contact Us' page.

76m Long Solar Panel Array Approved

Rob Duncan Planning Consultancy has recently secured approval for a 76 metre (249 foot) long solar array on an agricultural field in Staffordshire. The development will deliver up to 50 kilowatts of renewable energy with any surplus transferred into the National Grid.

More Cuts to Feed-in Tariff for Renewable Energy?

It has emerged recently that the Government is considering cutting the feed-in tariff for solar power developments to less than a thid of its current level.  The feed-in tariff is an incentive to develop small scale, low-carbon energy generation by buying surplus electricity from people with solar panels or wind turbines.  It pays a set amount per kilowatt hour...

West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership

A recently launched Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is aimed at making planning services more business-friendly.  The LEP is committed to improving the planning services offered by member Councils with the aim of ensuring they are focused on the importance of securing economic growth, speeding up the planning process and improving communication with applicants.  The Councils who have signed up...

Decentralised Planning Fees

A recent survey carried out by Planning Magazine - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute has showed that whilst only 14% of Local Authority planners consider LPAs setting their own fees will hamper development, some 59% of Planning Consultants surveyed disagreed and considered it would have an adverse impact.  In 2010 the Government introduced proposals to allow Local Authorities...

Pre-Application Charges

A recent survey carried out by Planning Magazine - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute has showed that some 60% of Local Authority planners consider that pre-application charges represent good value for money.  However, those surveyed from the private sector disagreed with this, with only 13% agreeing that they were worth the outlay.  Whilst Local Authorities are under increasing...

Are Validation Requirements Too Onerous?

A recent survey carried out by Planning Magazine - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute has showed that whilst only 32% of Local Authority planners consider Validation Requirements to be too onerous, Planning Consultants very much take a different view, with some 84% of consultants surveyed finding them too onerous.  In 2010 Local Authorities were instructed to...

Resistance to Third Party Rights of Appeal

A recent survey carried out by Planning Magazine - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute has showed that the majority of both Local Authority Planners and Planning Consultants consider that third party rights of appeal should not be introduced.  Introducing such rights would inevitably lead to significant delays in bringing developments forward, with schemes at risk of...

Doubts as to whether Neighbourhood Plans will succeed

A recent survey carried out by Planning Magazine - the journal of the Royal Town Planning Institute has showed that only 17% of Local Authority planners, and 37% of Planning Consultants surveyed consider that Neighbourhood Planning will give residents more control over development in their area.  It remains to be seen how effective Neighbourhood Plans will be, and to what...