Episode 3 Permission Impossible: Britain's Planners

THEY CHANT

Planning battles are raging across Britain.

I love the countryside.

So do I, mate, so leave it alone.

I don't have time for NIMBYs.

No to the student village!

In a drive to boost the economy,

the Government has relaxed planning laws...

Here we are with a massive planning application.

It is a big project.

You're talking about 270 million of economic benefit.

I mean, we like to see enterprise but not on our doorstep.

..so developers are cashing in...

Of course I'm here to make a buck. Guilty as charged.

..objectors are going to war.

It's not morally right, it's not socially right.

-It's disgusting.

-Totally stitched up.

And I'm not having that they were frightened of a bunch of pensioners.

Deciding who wins are Britain's planners.

I can't sit on the fence.

Well, it's not a fence, it's railings, basically.

Tonight, one couple expose their bold plan to stop a development...

-We are both naturists...

-I don't know whether to put this on camera.

..and it may put off prospective buyers.

..residents are pushed to the limit...

If it goes against us, I could probably kill somebody.

..and objectors tell the architect where to go.

Between the Gherkin and the Shard, it'd look lovely.

Across the country, the number of successful planning applications

for new homes has risen by more than 20%

since the planning laws were relaxed in March 2012.

But in the sleepy village of Slad in Gloucestershire,

the setting of Laurie Lee's classic novel Cider With Rosie,

a planning application for a new property

is upsetting the apple cart.

Today, head of planning at Stroud District Council, Phil Skill,

is on his way to visit the proposed building site.

You must excuse me.

The Japanese stalks on this thing confuse the heck out of me so quite

often I'll change lanes by indicating with the windscreen wipers, so...

This plot of land is just under an acre.

Originally, there was a small bungalow on the site...

..but the previous owners knocked it down and sold the land, with

planning permission to build a detached two-storey house.

Obviously, these houses are of an age

where they're probably ready for either

major renovation or rebuild, as this one was.

The plans that have already been greenlit by the planners

are called 'live' or 'extant' plans.

They are still valid

and mean the developer could start work immediately.

But the new owner has new ideas.

The red line shows the proposed 3m increase in roof height

at one side of the property.

My opinion is the site can actually take a substantial building.

What I'm worried about is the height of the building.

In order to make a recommendation for approval or refusal, Phil needs

to visualise whether the proposed building is too tall for the plot.

There's no dwelling in place as a comparison,

but there is something else to help.

Quite often the neighbours or even the developer

will place things on the site to give you a visual cue

as to how high a building is. In this case,

we believe that the neighbours have put some scaffolding poles up

with a high-vis vest

to indicate the height of the ridge of the building.

Now we've not verified that,

but it does give you an indication of what the neighbour thinks.

Rod and Terry Clifford have lived next door to the proposed site

for 20 years.

This is the first part of the extension that we put on the house.

Their property was a small bungalow,

which they've added to over the years to make a large family home

four times its original size.

We bought the property some 20 years ago.

We wanted to extend it.

Because there wasn't an abundance of cash available at the time,

we've built it as we could afford it.

The Cliffords have done all the building work themselves,

using pieces from reclamation yards, jumble sales and auctions

to create every room on a shoestring.

This came from a junk shop up in Minchinhampton,

it was about a fiver.

This came from an old draper's shop.

The hammer dropped at £70.

This piece of wood here was 50p in a Scout auction.

Come on, Zigs, out the way.

Rod and Terry did not oppose

the original plans for the site next door,

but they are one of the 14 objectors to the developer's new proposition.

The build is obviously in front of us now.

Erm...

It's so hard to visualise from plans as to heights,

so I put up a flagpole at the weekend,

so that hopefully, if the planners came, they would understand.

Um...

That is the height of the ridge tile,

and comes across and ends under this vertical tree here.

What he's proposing is just too big and too tall.

The man behind the scheme is property developer Paul Blakey.

If he gets permission to go ahead,

he plans to sell the four-bedroomed, detached property

for over a million pounds,

making it the most expensive house on the road.

It's very farcical, that, and very childish, in my opinion.

Paul insists the footprint of the house he's proposing

is not significantly larger than the original, extant plans

and he can't understand why Rod and Terry are objecting so strongly.

They have got four bedrooms. They have got two bathrooms.

They have got an indoor swimming pool. They've got a lounge,

a dining room, a study, a kitchen/diner,

a utility room and a double garage. In actual fact,

they have got more rooms that what I'm asking for.

The Cliffords won't have the final say as to whether

Paul's £1 million property gets built,

but they've already warned him that their lifestyle choice

could drive away potential buyers.

I said, "One thing I feel I must tell you,

"if it's a speculative build.

"We are both naturists.

"And therefore you may see nudity in the garden.

"And if you want to sell it, it may put off prospective buyers."

-I don't think you ought to mention that, really!

-Why not?

But Paul isn't going to let Rod and Terry's outdoor pursuit

put him off his fight to build his £1 million property.

What they do in their garden, I couldn't care less.

Because I've been negotiating with the planners for five months,

I cannot sustain, financially,

to leave this site while I go to appeal.

I've got £400,000 stood in this site.

I've got to turn this round and make a profit.

Every new build brings a new design.

But not everyone's going to like it.

In Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, planning assistant Colin Free

is assessing a site for a potential new building.

Ripe for renovation, this, isn't it?

The landowners are proposing a block of eight flats.

But it's the bold design that's provoked strong opinions

in an area of more traditional housing.

It's been described in the office as...

um, impolitely, as Gonzo's nose.

What do you make of the design?

HE LAUGHS

Sorry!

Well.

It's growing on me, actually.

I didn't like it at first.

But I can see now that it's certainly got merits. It's..

..it would be quite a landmark feature in the local area.

For years to come, I'm sure people who drive past it and think,

"Hmm, that's interesting."

They might not like it, we'll have to see.

It's an interesting one, very interesting.

The developers behind this scheme are Italian-born Toni Fantozzi

and his son Joe.

-You said you want a small one.

-Yeah.

SHE SPEAKS IN ITALIAN

82-year-old Toni has been living in the UK since 1957.

He used to be a market gardener in the fruit and veg business,

but now works alongside his 48-year-old son Joe,

who still lives at home.

Well, when the family

work together, they go a long way.

My chequebook, I put his name on it, I got my name.

He spends money on something, I'm not going to question it

cos I trust him. He's not going to swindle me, is he?

From a business point of view, it's really good.

Not that he does much because he's retired. But...

Well, he's also got one arm, but that doesn't really stop him!

Toni lost his arm in a forklift accident

but that hasn't prevented him from building a property empire

worth an estimated £3.5 million.

We started small and, bit by bit, we grew.

We've refurbished quite a few properties.

We've done a large block of two-bedroom flats.

We've still got them as well. They're all ready now.

This would be our biggest project yet.

This application to build eight flats is the Fantozzis' third attempt

to get permission to build on their former nursery site.

So far, the project has taken two years and significant funds.

We've spent somewhere in the region of £120,000.

That's just paperwork.

If it's rejected, that's a colossal amount of money to lose.

But it's in the residents' best favour to have an unusual building

which will set off the landscape, I think.

But with 84 objections lodged,

the Fantozzis are far from on the home straight.

Without sticking my neck out,

I don't think that's going to be accepted.

Ron Canterford and Ron Sharples have been next-door neighbours

for 48 years.

Some people call us the Two Ronnies,

but, um, we take that with a smile.

HE LAUGHS

Their gardens back onto the proposed site

and they are both strongly objecting to the Fantozzis' vision for the development.

I'm not saying it's not a nice-looking building in its right place.

Between the Gherkin and the Shard, it'd look lovely.

Not on a nice little corner.

It don't need something like that there.

Council policy says it should be in keeping with the area,

clearly it's not.

Look, them house, they're like a barn, they're like a shed there.

They have got no taste!

That's why myself, on the other length,

I want to build something which is completely different than any other.

Fashion changes, styles change,

and he was just after something slightly different,

which stands out amongst the normal box houses that you see around you.

Totally out of keeping. It would be a huge domination of the area.

The whole thing really needs careful rethinking.

Having assessed the site, planning assistant Colin will need to make a recommendation

to approve or reject the application.

A design like this will engender strong opinions both ways.

It's been described as a Marmite application -

you either love it or you hate it.

Local resident Ron Sharples hates it

and he isn't afraid to let the Fantozzis and Colin know exactly how he feels.

We've lived here 50 years and now we're all trying to move.

Value of the property goes down and you won't be able to move

once that gets built, overlooking all those gardens along the back there.

It's disgusting.

Sorry. It's just not right.

It's not morally right, it's not socially right.

You're entitled to your opinion.

Anyway, I've got to go.

I've got to pick Wendy up from the hairdresser's.

In Britain, planning is a democratic process.

Members of the public can challenge any application,

no matter how small, if they don't agree with what is proposed.

In Torfaen, South Wales, retired couple Jan and Pete Newsome

have lived in their close for 20 years and there's nothing they love more

than their immaculate garden they've meticulously nurtured.

I think if your garden is nice

and you keep your outside looking as nice as you can,

you're welcoming people to come visit you then.

It's what Alan Titchmarsh says!

Although not everyone is welcome.

It's not a child-friendly garden.

They can look at it.

But you don't put a toe on the lawn!

SHE LAUGHS

Kill!

We've put our heart and soul into this house.

It's where we'll go from in the box.

Yeah! We'll go out feet first!

Recently, Jan and Pete have been gathering support from fellow residents

against a planning application that's threatening to change the appearance of their beloved close.

Pete drafted a letter so everybody could sign.

So I went round and I knocked everybody in the close.

And I didn't say no more, but give them the letter.

I says, "It's about that mess that we've been looking at."

And they just signed it.

The controversial planning application in question

relates to this wooden fence outside their next-door neighbour's house.

The property is owned by one of Wales' biggest housing associations

who built the fence as a temporary replacement for a brick wall that collapsed a year ago.

That's the picture of how it looked before the wall fell down.

Now the owner wants to erect 12.5m of galvanised railings

to replace the wooden fence

as they say it's the most cost-effective solution.

Galvanised fence, what they're proposing,

-just does not fit anywhere.

-No.

Surely you can build a wall that's going to stay up!

The Romans did it and some of their stuff's still here!

It's not rocket science to build a wall, is it?

All the other residents in the close agree -

including the tenants of the property, who have signed the petition against their own landlord.

How can big galvanised railings look nice?

I don't care if they are gold. It will look like a big cage.

What do you want?

-Wall!

-The wall back.

This man juggles all the major planning applications in Torfaen

from power stations to shopping centres.

Today, however, the Head of Planning will bring his years of experience

to good use on this application.

God, it's a bit wobbly, isn't it?

I've just given myself a...

Ooh, nasty!

It's Duncan Smith's job to decide on behalf of the council

whether to risk upsetting the public

and allow the 12.5m of metal railings to be built.

We're paid to have opinions. I can't sit on the fence.

It's not a fence, it's railings, basically.

I don't think this would change the overall character of this area.

It would be different from what was there originally. I've got no problem with that.

Planner Duncan is recommending approval for the railings,

but insists they should be painted black or dark green.

Why are you choosing black or dark green?

Because I've got black on my back garden.

It looks very good, actually!

However, as he faces the residents' implacable opposition,

Duncan wants the decision to be made by

the elected councillors of the planning committee.

Despite the fact it's what we would call a minor application,

23 people bothered to sign a petition. So I felt that

this warranted putting the application to the meeting.

At least then the decision is taken in open forum.

People can see that decision being taken.

I can see the people actually saying why they're doing it.

-Did you sweep up?

-Yes, I swept up.

She filmed me sweeping up - it's on camera!

You missed a bit!

Having galvanised the opposition,

Peter and Jan now want a show of strength

at next week's planning committee.

Laura, can I ask you if you'd be free next Tuesday, four o'clock?

They're lobbying their neighbours to join them when the decision is made.

I mean, are they going to ignore everybody that lives here?

Where are those railings going to fit in?

You can edit this bit out, but what clown thought of that?!

HE LAUGHS

Pete and Jan might have the support of all 23 residents,

but they're up against a heavyweight.

The applicant is one of Wales' biggest housing associations, Linc.

Despite managing more than 4,000 houses, their top man is determined

to see railings going up on the close.

I have been to the site. I've decided

it's going to be galvanised.

I know that it's going to be around about 1.1m high

and it's THE most attractive option.

When approval is given, then we'll start work almost immediately.

And with the support of Torfaen's planners,

are Linc an unstoppable force?

Back in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, there's trouble in Paradise.

Local property developers the Fantozzis are proposing

to build a block of eight flats in the middle of a residential area.

But the locals are not impressed with the design.

I feel that is suitable, it is vibrant,

it gives to that corner a kind of excitement.

Sicilian-born architect Luigi Bille designed the flats.

Both he and the Fantozzis think the look of the building

would add to the character of the local area.

I think it has got a wow factor.

Whether you like, and you say, "Wow, it's crap!"

or, "Wow, it's good!"

there's nothing comparable in the area. I agree. I noticed that.

But that is the reason of putting through a project like that -

to make something different.

But Luigi's wow factor has failed to woo the locals.

84 residents have already made their objections known, including

Brian Mollett, who also helped quash the Fantozzis' last two schemes.

I mean, if you've seen the pictures of this thing,

it's the worst one yet out of the three.

I mean, the last two were bad enough but this one is absolutely terrible.

Brian has lived on the corner of the close for 29 years.

Dinner is served.

Ah, merci. Merci bien.

Oh, that's all right.

He's no stranger to objecting to local planning applications.

Two golf driving ranges, there was a school, there was a radio mast,

there was the football pitches,

-there was a defined footpath, that's six.

-Yeah.

Um...

bearing in mind, these projects,

as you probably appreciate with this planning,

they do tend to drag on.

But after all his planning battles, Brian's determination to keep

his neighbourhood just the way he likes it is still going strong.

I quite enjoy it because you've got a sense of achievement, you see.

You don't win 'em all. We've only lost one in all these years.

But I love a good row, yeah. Especially if I'm in the right.

What do you make of it, all his fights?

Oh, no. I quite agree with it. I think someone's got to do it.

And, well, we're both retired,

so it's something to fill our time, as well.

With so many people vehemently opposed

to the proposed block of flats, planning assistant Colin Free

has decided to find out more about residents' concerns.

-Hello!

-Hello, Brian.

-All right, Guv?

My name's Colin Free, I'm the case officer

for the application which I believe you've been objecting to.

Well, yeah, Psycho on a bad day! It's a monstrosity!

Yes, yeah.

Is that your main objection to it?

The main factor, it just doesn't fit.

People would come up here on coach trips just to see it, I think.

It would be quite famous, I would think,

to see the horror of Cheshunt.

It's been described to me as a bit of a Marmite -

either you love it or you hate it.

Well, I can't see anybody loving that.

You know, I mean, it's like something out of Grand Designs, innit?

I mean...

Is that such a bad thing, to be aspirational?

Yes! I can't see anybody convince me this compliments the area.

And I think you might have to agree on that, to be honest.

Come on, to be really honest.

Back at the office, Colin has come to a decision.

We've met with residents and we appreciate their concerns

but we feel, as a department,

that it does meet our policies and our requirements.

The design is contentious, we realise that,

but we're going to recommend approval.

But hope is not lost for Brian and the other local objectors

because the final call on the Fantozzis' flats will be made

by the elected members of the council's planning committee.

In the last year, Government figures showed 400,000 plots of land

across England and Wales had planning permission to build on.

Yet only half of these sites had started construction.

In Slad, Gloucestershire, local developer Paul Blakey bought an acre

of land with planning permission to build a two-storey house.

But six months later, the £400,000 site is still dormant.

Paul has submitted a new planning application

to build a three-storey house,

which has led to strong objections from neighbours.

I mean, these people

are just so small-minded.

They need to get a life.

Having assessed the site,

Head of Planning at Stroud District Council, Phil Skill...

Ouch!

..now needs to make a recommendation for approval or refusal.

Now, obviously, with three storeys,

you're going to get more floor area and I think that's being picked up

by the neighbours, but the scale of the difference between the two

is such that there won't be a significant harm created

by the larger scheme, so we will be recommending permission.

But it will be up to the planning committee to make the final decision.

Today, Phil is taking the committee to the site

so they can assess it for themselves.

It's interesting, getting out with the councillors

and dealing with them informally rather than a formal meeting.

-Do you all get on?

-Yeah, there's a camaraderie.

But I never get invited to Christmas parties or Bar Mitzvahs or anything.

The planning committee is made up of 12 men

and women who are elected by their constituents.

Stroud councillors include a retired chartered accountant

and a former teacher.

When I go on a journey, say, on the train, so I'm able to look out of the window,

I find myself actually really looking at all the buildings

on the way and making planning judgments on them.

You should've got planning permission for your hut!

Yeah, I think, "Oh, gosh, we wouldn't have permitted that. That's terrible."

Principal planning officer Darryl Rogers

is leading today's site visit.

What we have here is an application for a replacement dwelling.

You'll notice there is no dwelling on the site currently.

That's what was here.

Classic sort of '20s, '30s bungalow,

very typical of what has been along this part of Slad Road

and what has been systematically replaced with larger dwellings.

On site visits, applicants

and objectors are not allowed to lobby the councillors.

However, next-door neighbours and the scheme's strongest objectors,

Rod and Terry Clifford, have come up with

a way to sway the committee's vote without breaking the rules.

We took the extant planning and the current planning

and superimposed one on top of the other so that you could

see very clearly the difference in size.

The red line indicates the new proposed three-storey property.

We made this pack up

and hand-delivered that to all the councillors,

the 12 councillors on the building committee,

so that they all had their own copy,

because we felt that they probably hadn't had the opportunity to

compare like with like, the extant planning with the current planning.

But when the committee meet a week later, the planners have noticed

discrepancies in the measurements of developer Paul's plans,

and the case is deferred for another month so this can be rectified.

I'm glad that

the committee feel that there's enough questions

behind the application

-to relook at it.

-So that's positive.

But for developer Paul Blakey, time is money.

If you take my wages and my son's wages,

that costs me roughly £8,000 a month.

So, all in all, it has cost me the best part of £35-40,000.

It's utterly ridiculous to say that local people can design your house.

It's my house, my land. They are just literally jealous.

It's as simple as that.

They just don't want a beautiful house built here

when all of theirs are very average.

Paul now needs to submit new plans with the correct measurements

in time for next month's committee meeting.

So although the Cliffords have won the battle,

it's still possible Paul could win the war.

I think they are probably content that approval hasn't been granted,

but this may just be a stay of execution.

We've still got to see what the members have said.

The members have not yet debated this,

so we don't know which way it's going yet, do we?

The UK faces a large and growing gap between the houses we need

and new houses being built - a shortfall of approximately 200,000.

In Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, planner Andy MacDougall is assessing

an application to provide seven new properties.

This application is for five flats to be located

in the dwelling at the bottom of the driveway.

As you come into the site, a further two dwellings are located roughly...

roughly where we are on site at the moment, in the form of a pair

of semidetached houses with parking spaces.

And I've got to assess how these buildings sit both within the site

and how they sit adjacent to the neighbouring properties.

This site is currently used as a builder's yard,

but it could provide vital housing for the borough as it's

in a residential area and close to local amenities.

But Andy has already received nine objections from local residents

who are unhappy with the plans, so he's got a tough decision ahead.

While I think most people recognise that houses need to be built,

it's fairly rare to find neighbours which want it built in gardens

or on sites next to their own.

This could be funny. Whee!

With so many objections to the development,

Andy is visiting neighbours to get their viewpoint.

-Hi, Miss Hollywood.

-Hi. Are you all right?

Geraldine Hollywood's Victorian terrace

backs onto the potential site.

Are they going to knock this down?

Because this is part of my garden.

Right, anything on their side of the boundary, they are removing, yes.

-So, is this brick wall going?

-So if this is...

if it is your brick wall,

-then they would have to get your permission to remove it.

-Right.

If it is their brick wall, they could replace it with a fence of some description or they could retain it.

Well, I've got planting and everything there

that's been established for eight years and I'm not happy about that.

That's the reason we planned our garden

around this. And there's no way I'm having my garden removed.

That wisteria on that wall there, growing along there,

it's taken eight years for it to flower.

And I'm not having some developer wreck it.

Objectors don't always have the same reasons to oppose a development.

Next door,

there's another neighbour spitting feathers about the application.

This local resident has lived here for 14 years, and this new proposed

development could overshadow the room he spends most of his time in.

Alf loves a cup of tea.

He really likes tea.

Alf, do you want a cup of tea? Alfie?

ALFIE WHISTLES

Alfie the parrot is a big part of the Hunt family.

Alfie?

His mum Sandra and dad Cliff have brought him up since he was a chick.

We've had him since he was born. He's 14 now.

You've got to understand,

he don't know he's a bird.

He's an imprint, like, imprinted on us. He thinks he's a person.

He'll tell us when he wants to go to bed. He'll say, "Going to bed,"

and then we just cover him over and stick him in the corner.

But the proposed development would stand more than 2m

above the surrounding houses

and threaten to overshadow Alfie's bright, sunny lounge.

DOOR BELL CHIMES

DOG BARKS

-Hi there. You must be Cliff.

-Hello.

-Hello, hi, Andy from the council.

Today, planner Andy has come to meet Cliff and Alfie

to hear their concerns.

So, I mean, look at the old parrot there.

If they built 'em, he'd been in the dark all day.

-ANDY LAUGHS

-Get no sun, no natural light.

-He hasn't written a letter in, has he?

-He ain't.

But Andy does have to seriously consider how the new houses

would affect Cliff's right to light and privacy.

Maybe ask the guy who wants to build them,

-if he lived here, would he like it...

-Yeah. I mean...

-..that close?

..I do try and talk to developers and say, "Well,

"this is how you should be designing schemes. If you wouldn't be happy,

"then why would you be expect other neighbours to be?"

I can understand him, you know, doing the house. That's fine.

I can even understand these to a degree, but not as much as those.

-He's just being greedy.

-Yeah.

-Just being perfectly greedy.

Andy will now need to write a report that makes a recommendation

to approve or refuse the potential new homes.

Alf, say "application refused".

Alf, say "application refused".

In Torfaen, South Wales, plans to install galvanised railings

in a residential area have got one couple up in arms.

On the plans that we went to see,

I know that looks a bit rickety,

-but...

-It's very similar to that. Gross.

Pete and Jan Newsome believe the railings

proposed for installation in front of their neighbour's house

are not in keeping with the rest of the close.

-This is our little walk that we sometimes do.

-Yeah!

Oh, I wish I'd put nail polish on now!

THEY LAUGH

That's about the height they're going to be.

Rubbish.

It's going to look like a cage. I'm going to be going, "Let me out.

"I have done nothing wrong!"

That's very good.

Pete and Jan have the support of all their neighbours, but the

applicant is a true Goliath - one of Wales' largest housing associations,

backed up by Torfaen's planners, who are recommending approval.

In this instance,

the applicant and ourselves were happy

with the solution they were putting forward.

Railings are certainly not out of place or wouldn't be

out of place at this location.

But planning is a democratic process,

and thanks to the residents' petition, the decision has now been

passed to the 16 elected members of the planning committee.

In Britain, the average age of a councillor is 60.

Torfaen, however, is bucking the trend,

with councillors as young as 26.

Planner Norman Jones will show them around.

OK, erm, the proposal is to replace

the existing temporary feature,

that you see there, by metal railings.

Is there a reason why the wall couldn't be rebuilt?

This is what the applicant has asked for.

So we've got to... Yeah.

-If you would like to see a picture of the wall...

-Excuse me...

You can't interfere with this, I'm sorry.

-I was just trying to be of some help.

-Yes.

-Because these people are going to vote on this.

-Yes, I know they are.

Jan has fallen foul of planning protocol.

On site visits, members of the public can't lobby the councillors.

We can display that at committee.

It should be displayed now,

then you can see what's happening, how it looks as it was,

to the rubbish that's up there at the moment and what's going on.

But young councillor David Daniels has taken the residents' objection

to heart and wants to know precisely what the railings will look like.

Could we get a more detailed design, maybe some sort of similar picture?

We haven't actually got further details, other than...

You know, the smallest thing, like railings,

can have quite an impact on the amenity of the area.

You can see why...

When you put yourself in the residents' position,

you can see why it...how they feel.

It's quite hard to visualise it,

so it would be really good if we could have the design.

OK, well, possibly, we can arrange for that...

We did hear one young man say he wanted to know more about it

and he wanted to see...

We did hear that, to which we thought, you know, "Good on you."

The final decision will be made by a democratic vote in six days' time.

And with new drawings requested, Jan shares her new-found hope

with another local objector.

We just stood there in our garage, earwigging.

It did sound as if there might be some hope.

I've got to admit, the other day, I didn't think there was any.

I just thought, "They're going to do it."

But listening today, I don't know.

165 miles east down the motorway, in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire,

planning assistant Colin Free

is back at the Fantozzis' proposed building site.

But this time, he isn't alone.

-OK, hang on, we're not all here yet.

-No.

Colin has made a recommendation for the block of eight flats to be

approved, but it will be down to the 13 elected councillors,

who make up the planning committee, to have the final say.

-It's actually 24m from the rear elevation of that building.

-Wow.

Colin is showing them around the site.

It's far better to see the site than just work from drawings and pictures.

Basically, it gives them a chance to appraise the site

so that, on the committee evening, they'll have a chance

to put forward informed opinions on the application.

So, this development,

which part of it do you regard suits the existing buildings?

Is it going to match in with any of the surrounding properties?

It won't match in, no. We see it more as a landmark feature really.

The councillors represent their voting constituents

so the impact on the community is at the forefront of their minds.

Sometimes it's a little difficult, when you've got houses round.

We've got to make sure that, when it's done,

it's not going to upset anybody and...it's done in a correct manner.

But will the planning committee share the Fantozzis' bold vision

for the site?

Sometimes, you've got to take a chance

and go with the modern developments.

When you look at the actual building,

you don't want to be a luddite and stick with the past.

You've got to look to the future.

But you don't want it to be a blot on the landscape.

It's very easy to be traditional

and sometimes, we need to try something that's innovative.

So...we'll have to give it a lot of serious thought

before we make a decision.

In a week's time, the committee will make their ruling.

There have been two refusals there previously.

The design is quite contentious.

It's too close to call, I think. I really do.

But with £120,000 at stake,

are Toni and Joe Fantozzi feeling lucky?

Out of 100, I'd say...

98%, it's going through.

That's how confident I feel.

In Slad, Gloucestershire,

it's decision day for developer Paul Blakey.

Paul has planning permission to build a two-storey house,

but he's now applied for permission to build a three-storey property

that he hopes to sell for over £1 million.

Well, I hope the committee members approve it.

When all's said and done, all it is

is a four-bedroom house with a double garage on an acre plot.

It's not a ten-bedroom mansion.

So...I can't see what the issue is, personally.

Next-door neighbours Rod and Terry Clifford

think the new proposed house is too tall for the acre plot

and have been battling for months to get the plans refused.

At the end of the day, we believe our objections are correct and...

We just hope the right decision is made for the village.

-I suppose that's the bottom line.

-Yeah.

The planning committee meets every month

in the main council chamber.

It's now up to them to decide

whether or not Paul's new proposed house can go ahead.

Is there anyone who wishes to speak opposing the application?

The planners have recommended approval,

but this is Rod's chance to convince the councillors

to refuse planning permission.

-It's the next one, I think.

-Sorry.

That's the one with the tick on it, that's the one that works.

We believe that the current proposal by the speculative builder

has resulted in an oversized, imposing building

which will dominate the gateway to this village.

Mr Blakey will develop the site and then move on.

The villagers have to live with whatever he leaves behind.

Thank you very much for your time.

Developer Paul has heard Rod's objections.

How is he going to answer them?

Good evening. Oh, I press this...

Good evening, my name's Paul Blakey.

I've listened to the objections and, basically,

they're talking a load of nonsense.

The building is narrower, it is lower and further back on the site.

So where they're objecting to is beyond me.

So that's really all I've got to say, really.

The councillors start to debate.

I appreciate it's got a large, um...square footage,

but it is on three floors and that's what makes it up.

I don't think the massing of it is that much more significant

that the extant permission anyway,

which is the reason that I think it should be supported.

You could have got 12 houses in there, if you wanted to,

and you've got one house.

I do find difficulty voting for it, chair - thank you.

Any other members' questions?

In that case, would somebody like to make a proposal, please?

Councillor Jones?

I propose we go with the officer's recommendation.

Therefore, we go to the vote.

All those in favour, please show.

All those against?

That is carried, thank you.

So with six votes to four, developer Paul's plans are approved

and now he can finally start to build his three-storey house.

I shook his hand at the end of it because he's won and we didn't.

Obviously disappointed.

I just think it's a sad day for Slad.

I'm just pleased it did go my way,

because it really has been a painful experience,

to be honest.

Um...and it does actually put a sour taste in your mouth

when I've still got to build the house.

Obviously, I'm a developer and I've got to make a crust.

It's as simple as that, you know?

But it's more than making a crust, isn't it?

I don't know... How do you mean, "more than making a crust"?

Good night. Thank you.

Well, you wanted to buy it, didn't you?

-Yes, we did.

-Why didn't you buy it?

We wanted to buy it as a family home.

-Why didn't you buy it?

-Because we couldn't afford it, OK?

Well, that...that's your answer, then.

That's fine. OK.

I've got the money to do it.

Money talks, as you've told us.

No, it doesn't talk.

I've no idea. I...I've no idea what he's talking about.

He said that he was there to make profit,

and I said, "Yes, excessive."

OK? Good night. Thank you.

I told him that, basically,

in all the years that I've been building,

um...I've never been beaten on a planning application.

And that is still to date - I never have.

I'm going home, now, and I'm going to have a glass of wine. Goodbye.

It was a big property,

but as we all know, size does matter.

In Torfaen, South Wales, councillors are gathering

to debate the 12.5m of steel railings

that threaten to tarnish Pete and Jan Newsome's dreams

of a happy retirement.

We just want kick these railings out

and have our little wall back, please.

The planners have approved the application

but every resident is against it, so Jan and Pete believe

the councillors should do them justice.

We've done our best.

We hope that the committee will see sense and reason

and do the right thing.

If it goes against us, I could probably kill somebody.

26-year-old Councillor Daniels

requested better drawings from the applicant,

one of Wales' largest housing associations.

But will the sketches convince the committee

to rally against the railings?

In support of the application, I have prepared some sketches.

It does give you quite a good view of what it would look like

if you had this wall.

What we do propose, effectively,

the new railings offer a visually acceptable solution

and one that's very practical.

Before the committee can vote, one councillor must now come out

either in support or against the railings.

I will ask for a motion now.

I move that we accept the officer's recommendations.

Unexpectedly, after seeing the new drawings,

Councillor Daniels now wants to approve the new railings.

All right. Is there a seconder?

That's been seconded.

Right. Could we have a show of hands?

-Those against?

-Two against.

Two against. That application has been approved.

It was biased for the railings.

When they put the railings up, they'd done it in such a way

that the picture, actually, it looked quite nice.

Then they put the wall up and it was just a blank of white

and we went...

"Well, that looks awful. I wouldn't even vote for that."

We knew we'd lost.

Despite every household in the close being against the railings,

their elective representatives have given them the green light.

Well, a diplomatic dictatorship. That's the only way to describe it.

We voted them in, but we have no say on what they do after that.

They obviously do not care what the residents think at all.

Over in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire,

a development to create seven much-needed new homes

has been ruffling feathers with one local resident

who thinks their light will be blocked...

He won't be too happy, the old boy.

He'll probably have to live out in the garden to try and get some light.

-PARROT:

-Hello, Alf!

..and another whose walled garden is under threat.

If they touch that wall, that's all gone.

And I will kill them if they touch my brick wall.

I will, honestly.

But before planner Andy can make his recommendation,

the site also needs to be assessed by the Highways Department.

Highways officer Matt Armstrong

works closely with the planning office

to determine what effect any new development will have

on the local road network.

Yeah, I'm a qualified planner.

I have to try and be really careful in my job

not to do the planner's job.

My role is to look purely at the highway implications.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Today, Matt is assessing site access and parking provision.

Can you...film this again?

These are always really difficult to get on.

His report could make or break the planning application.

I mean, you get all sorts of parking here.

So you've got parking on top of the road humps, you've got parking

up on the footway, you've got parking up on the grass verges.

It's just not... It's just not good as it currently stands.

And, yeah, I wouldn't want this development to make it any worse.

This application has five proposed flats and two proposed houses

but the developer has only allowed room for three parking spaces.

This happens quite a lot and the problem is it, you know,

churns up the grass verge.

On the opposite side of the road, people are right onto the footway

as well, which really restricts its width so that impedes pedestrians.

It's really not good.

Given the fact they're only providing three on-site parking spaces,

I think that's too little. They should be looking, here,

at about 10 or 11 spaces that they should provide.

The public highway will be expected to take the shortfall

and that will exacerbate the problem with roadside parking even more.

So, on that basis, I will be recommending refusal.

I don't think he likes the look of me, does he?

Maybe he's in favour of the development.

Perhaps he thinks there's enough parking.

But planner Andy is under pressure to provide

new housing for the borough.

So does he agree with Matt's recommendation?

I am, on this occasion,

recommending refusal of this scheme for a total of six different reasons.

This includes invasion of privacy, lack of parking and over-sizing.

I simply think that the applicant, on this occasion,

is proposing too much built form for the site and that all has

further wide-reaching implications in terms of neighbours.

So, for now,

Geraldine Hollywood's precious wall and wisteria are safe...

I was so worried.

So worried.

But now I can keep everything the way it is and I'm over the moon.

..and Alfie the parrot's favourite room remains unchanged.

Have a cup of tea and celebrate the old refusal.

There you are.

Everyone should get a parrot.

If they've got any planning issues, let the parrot sort it out for them.

-PARROT:

-Application refused.

Less than a mile down the road, it's a big day for the Fantozzis.

After a two-year battle and two attempts to get permission,

there's only a few hours left until the planning committee decides

whether Joe and Toni's block of flats will finally get built.

It's very important it goes my way tonight...

Our way, should I say?

..for the simple reason of the amount of time

and the amount of money we've pumped into this.

As I said, it's just over 100K and I need to go forward now.

I need to go forward with this project.

It's been delayed, in and out, in and out of the council so many times.

I can't mess about now. It's our livelihood.

And, not only that, it's just a block of eight flats -

I'm not putting a nuclear power station anywhere.

Colin has recommended approval for the eight flats.

It could go either way.

It... It could be unanimously passed, it could be unanimously thrown out.

But the locals think the design is out of keeping with the area.

If I was a betting man, I'd say it was a 50/50 at the moment.

So we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Yeah, I don't feel so confident as I did last time at all.

Anyway, I'd better get in, I suppose, cos

otherwise I won't get a seat.

The objectors need detailed reasons to support their case

and they're putting their argument in the hands of

telecoms cable planner Cliff Stapleton.

Good evening, Mr Chairman, members of the committee.

This new proposal has been

described by the developer

and the borough planning department as being a landmark building.

There has been 84 letters of objection to this development

received by the council,

which shows the strength of local feeling against this scheme.

The design contravenes the council's own planning policies

H8, H11, HD13, HD14, HD16 and T3

and we hope this will be taken into account

when you make your decision. Thank you.

With a strong case proposed for refusal,

the Fantozzis have decided to let the paid professional,

architect Luigi Bille, try to match it.

Mr Chairman, honourable

ladies and gentleman of the committee...

But he waits until his allotted time is nearly over to address

the controversial matter of the design.

Finally, I'd like to refer to

the Dutch barn, as depicted by the locals,

which is not really a Dutch barn but it is the English barn.

There are many examples in the country

and I've got a document here that I'd like to circulate,

if you want to know about the Dutch barn, but it is the English barn.

You have to wrap up now, I'm afraid.

Anyway, the scheme is compliant.

I think, you know, I trust that that is sufficient

for you to grant planning permission. Thank you.

I'll now throw it open to the members.

I don't think people will say, as they drive past,

"What a wonderful building."

It's not a very pretty sight, to be honest.

I actually think it's an ugly building, to tell you the truth.

I commend this chap for actually trying to put something that's

worthwhile there but I don't think this plan has got quite there yet.

I think he needs to come back and work on it a little bit more.

APPLAUSE

Contemporary designs are very subjective.

If you actually look at that area,

there's a lot of Victorian, Edwardian houses

and they've become timeless so I do think that it could be redesigned.

So I would recommend refusal.

APPLAUSE

If there are no other speakers, it has been moved for refusal.

All those in favour of refusal, please show.

Against.

That has been carried for refusal.

APPLAUSE

The council has dismissed the planners' recommendation

and it's a third victory for the local objectors.

Satisfied. We've done it again. Mind you, they'll apply again, probably.

Hopefully they'll come up with a reasonable scheme next time.

Let's go and crack open the champagne now, eh?

Yeah, let's go down the pub.

Yeah, frustrated a little bit

because it keeps going in and out, in and out, in and out and...

HE SIGHS

..when's it all going to stop?

So now I'll have to go back to the drawing board and speak to Luigi,

speak to the building consultant, see which way we are going to move now.

Today didn't go well for the Fantozzis

but this isn't necessarily the end of the road

for their block of flats.

There's always a chance the developer will go away and appeal.

Either that or he'll go away, have a rethink, lick his wounds and he's

welcome to come to us with the next lot of pre-application discussions.

We're always here, 9-5 weekdays, 9-1 Saturdays, with an open ear.

Next time, a planner has a dilemma...

My decision could be the ceasing of his business.

..an applicant puts his plans in the hands of a higher authority...

I'm not in control, planners are not in control - God is in control.

..and an objector looks on the bright side.

I might come and look at Jacuzzi Suzie with her top off

and say, "I've got a perfect right to be stood here looking at you, love."