At Manse & Garret Property Search we are almost on first name terms with a number of council planning offices across London and Kent. With three clients currently on our books looking to build their dream properties, a lot of time is inevitably spent on the telephone and in meetings with duty planners and building control.

I must admit that I do have my favourite planning departments: Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster provide the least painful experiences! Equally, I also have a few that I dread dealing with (although I won’t name any for fear of reprisals!)

From the midst of the planning process, preserving the character and appearance of our streets can seem like a bit of a hassle, yet you need only look at a beautiful streetscape in Hampstead Village to know that it is worth it. This is why I am still in a state of disbelief over the report of a developer in Twickenham who bulldozed a semi-detached Regency house, without permission in January of this year.

I may perhaps be slightly biased, as in terms of architecture I happen to be very fond of the housing stock which has survived from the 1820s, but even without my personal aesthetic preferences, I cannot believe that anyone could demolish a house that was attached to another without permission, in order to cut their own developer costs.

The developer was fined £80,000 by Richmond Council, and also had to pay Richmond councils £42,500 legal bill to cover the cost of taking legal action. I imagine that this will serve as a warning to other developers who may be tempted to subvert, or indeed, simply ignore planning regulations in future.

Technorati Tags: Buyers agents, London Buyer's Agents, London Property Buyers Agents, Planning, Planning Permission

Tags: Buyers agents, London Buyer's Agents, London Property Buyers Agents, Planning, Planning Permission

Musings of a London Property Finder

As the final stages of the planning bill are due to be debated in the House of Commons next week, we thought we’d remind you what’s right with it and what’s wrong, in case readers fancy a little last-minute lobbying of their MPs.

The Good:

• An Independent Adjudcator will preside over disputes and appeals;
• The Community Infrastructure Levy will be based on more than sales uplift alone;
• Economic viability will be taken into consideration when setting the levy.

The Bad:

• The Planning Gain supplement has not been repealled
• The Bill appears not to have teeth to force local authorities to implement infrastructure plans with money collected as part of the Community Infrastructure Levy

Also

• Residential homeowners with detached homes will benefit from the new rules on when planning permission is required however because most Londoners and many residents of the South East live in terraced  or semi-detached housing, the new rules will largely not apply because they base the need for planning permission on proximity to neighbours. 

Of most concern is the planning gain supplement which could effectively halt private development by small developers with the result that local authorities will miss housing targets to an even greater extent than they do at present.  Tough policies on affordable housing and punitative section 106 agreements have meant that this has already happened.  Take South Cambridgeshire for example.  The need for 50% affordable housing and detailled policies on garden and parking provision make it hard for developers to make schemes work.

There should be more news next week – the London Property Finder will keep you posted.

Technorati Tags: developers, development land, London Property Finder, Planning Bill, Planning Gain supplement, Planning Permission

Tags: developers, development land, London Property Finder, Planning Bill, Planning Gain supplement, Planning Permission

Musings of a London Property Search Agent.

For you non-North London readers we thought we would describe the process of a house purchase in the best roads in Hampstead Garden Suburb.

1. See house priced at £5 million plus
2. Get into bidding war and end up paying £8 million … if you’re lucky
3. Rent the house for £3 – £15K a week while you get planning permission to knock it down and start again
4. Knock the house down and start building
5. Finish building
6. Get divorced/ decide you don’t like the UK/ retire etc
7. Wait till a Property Finder contacts you with a crazy budget

PS If you want to end up on the right street and not pay over the odds, call  this London Property Search Agent

Technorati Tags: Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Hampstead house prices, London Property Search Agent, Planning Permission

Tags: Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Hampstead house prices, London Property Search Agent, Planning Permission