Episode 4 Permission Impossible: Britain's Planners

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.

Disgusting.

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

Tonight, a planner has a dilemma...

My decision could be, not only his home,

which might have to be removed,

but 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 to holiday lodges looks on the bright side.

I might come and look at Jacuzzi Susie with her top off and say,

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

HE LAUGHS

In the UK, green belts were introduced almost 70 years ago,

as a way to control the expansion of our cities.

Planning laws are particularly restrictive here,

and the construction of new houses can only be allowed

in exceptional circumstances.

But just outside London, there's a man who calls the green belt "home".

Steve Gumble owns a 4.5-acre plot in Hertfordshire,

where he still practises an ancient way of life.

I appreciate a lot of simple living.

There's a lot to be said for the medieval side of life.

Apart from the plague. And, um, dysentery.

Probably not be too good.

All you do, you go in, shut the door, do what you're doing.

A sprinkling of sawdust, which is gently rotting down

with whatever else is in there.

The nutrients will leech into the soil to grow this beautiful willow.

Which, apart from screening the place,

it's actually a living entity, it's something we can use.

Using the wood he grows on his land and other local supplies,

Steve produces timber-framed buildings and charcoal.

Ten years ago, after getting divorced,

Steve built himself a log cabin and moved into it.

So, this is my area. That's where I sleep, that's my pit.

This is not the love shack, no, no.

There's not been a lot of love going on here. Not that sort anyway. No.

I'm... Yeah.

In a world of violence, you turn the TV on now

and there's millions of people protesting about God knows what, you know?

My main concern is what's going on out there, and it's not a lot.

But somebody's come to interrupt Steve's peaceful isolation...

..Broxbourne Council's Major Sites Development Officer, Andy MacDougall.

What's the tattoo?

Basically a bunch of arrows that go right the way up to the shoulder.

Little bit symbolic for something. Don't really know what.

One of those mid-life crises that had to be done.

Not sure Mum liked it, though. She'll get used to it.

Since woodsman Steve built a house in the green belt,

he's been in breach of planning law.

Mr Gumble operates a charcoal-producing business.

He does have a lawful planning permission

to run that business from the site.

What he doesn't have is the lawful right to occupy

the land as a residential dwelling.

Green belt policies exist to stop the spread of houses within it.

I suppose my job is to stop the green belt free-for-all at the moment.

The danger is, if you start pushing out into green fields,

you erode those fields, you erode the countryside,

you erode areas that people use for leisure.

So it's not an ideal situation.

For the last two years, Steve has been locked in a costly legal battle

with the council to try and keep his house.

But after spending nearly all his savings on legal advice,

he's now trying to obtain retrospective planning permission.

As I understand British law,

if you are a farmer, you can live on your farm,

if you're a forester, you can live in your forest.

It doesn't get much more forestry than making charcoal,

green-timber building, and I'm also growing about 800 trees.

He's obviously claiming that he has to be on site at all times

during the burning and the production of charcoal.

I wouldn't want these to burn out of control,

but I've got to assess whether or not he could reasonably

look after those burners

without actually having to live on the site.

Steve has submitted his application.

The planners have eight weeks to consider it.

If this planning application does fail, then, yeah,

it will be pretty hard to run the business.

My whole life is on the line, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

My decision could be not only his home,

which might have to be removed, but the ceasing of his business.

Every square inch of Britain has a purpose.

Planners decide which land should be commercial,

industrial or residential, in an attempt to regulate development.

In Rhyl, North Wales,

the council has spent the last seven years

crafting its new development plan,

which assigns a specific use to every area of the city.

In the beginning, God. It all started with God.

But when Pastor Mike Bettany wanted a place for his new church,

he consulted a much older publication.

I was reading my Bible and I came across a verse

in Deuteronomy where God speaking to Moses said, "Go and seek THE place

"where the Lord your God chooses to put his name for a dwelling place."

I've meditated on that, and here we are now,

this is the place, this beautiful factory.

Pastor Bettany wants to build a brand-new church

and community centre on this industrial plot,

which will include a counselling service, a nursery

and a food bank for the poor.

That's roughly what we're looking to do. It's a lot cheaper than

the old brick construction.

And then this blue building will be a sports centre.

But the site has been designated for industry,

and the planners have to authorise a change of use

before the pastor can start building.

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

The church will be built.

But one objector thinks the area

should continue to be devoted exclusively to business.

Follow me to my world.

Hang on, I'll look cool.

No, I'll be serious.

Property tycoon Dougie Parry

owns the industrial unit next to the proposed church

and he's been renting it out to this steelworks

for the past eight years.

Car parts go into here...

I don't really know what they do. Hold the phone a second.

Gavin, what are they for? They're car parts...?

Yeah.

Yes, and what do they do? I mean, what are they for?

-You should know by now, Doug!

-BLEEP

-help me!

Products from this factory

are used to transport car parts all over the world.

The company has ambitions to expand.

Dougie tried to buy the industrial plot next door,

but was pipped to the post by Pastor Bettany.

We are a manufacturing country.

We've lost an awful lot of manufacturing,

but we need manufacturing in this country more than anything else.

In the last five years, £29 million of regeneration money

has been ploughed into Rhyl.

Planner Paul Mead is in charge of this application.

It's had a few kicks over the years, has Rhyl.

And it continues to struggle

with social and economic problems.

The deprivation that you see,

it's really quite saddening to see what Rhyl has become.

It's got to reinvent itself.

The pastor's application poses a real dilemma for Paul.

MOBILE RINGS Hello?

He has to balance the church's charitable work

with the potential for employment.

This site used to give work to 150 people.

In terms of the employment, then,

cos you've mentioned that you would be employing people here,

what roles would they be undertaking at the site?

-Number one - I'm employed.

-OK.

Number two - there will need to be an overall site manager.

The coffee bar will need two full-time

-with the possibility of maybe two part-time staff.

-Mm.

But also, because we are a church,

we don't want to run a successful business. We want to run a ministry.

Oh, OK, well... It's got a lot of things that are ticking boxes,

you know, in terms of what community cohesion is about,

the community involvement, bringing people together

and the benefits that you are bringing to Rhyl are quite clear...

Pastor Bettany has such strong belief in his vision

that he spent £180,000 of church funds on buying the site.

He now hopes planner Paul will see the light

and recommend approval for this application.

THEY SING UPBEAT SONG

We pray, Lord, I ask your blessing upon everyone throughout this coming week.

Those who are faced with difficult decisions,

I pray that you will give them great wisdom to make the right decisions.

In Jesus' name, amen.

With nearly 2.5 million unemployed across the UK,

record numbers of people are creating their own businesses.

In Broxbourne, Bee Hopkins runs a successful dog-walking business,

but her plans to expand it are messing up neighbourly relations.

Good girls!

Makes you feel a bit lighter now!

Bee wants to join the 80,000 UK businesses run from garden sheds,

which last year contributed £6.1 billion to the economy.

In 2012, she built kennels in her garden

and asked for permission from the planners to keep dogs.

But they refused.

I lost on the potential for noise

to the surrounding neighbours.

So I'm resubmitting my application,

this time for cats to be boarded only.

I've converted the one dog kennel now into a cat chalet.

So I have a cat pen, a cat chalet,

and I have hutches for guinea pigs and rabbits.

Bee hopes with quieter guests,

the council will now grant her permission.

Planning assistant Rob Webster is handling this application.

I'm not an animal person,

so I'm not sure I've ever seen a cat hotel before,

so, eye-opening stuff.

Bee is proposing to accommodate a maximum of nine furry animals

in her luxury sheds, charging £8.50 per day.

-Come on into the pet pen!

-Thank you very much.

This is the indoor bay area.

I've got the tower, I've got a catnip chase.

They will also have other things to play with, like balls,

squeaky mice, that kind of thing, in here.

It's not often as a planner you need to get inside the head of a cat,

but I think it's better than I get at home, this!

Next-door neighbour Larry Shannon is less impressed.

The garden shed is a summertime retreat for this former detective.

But Larry had to come out of retirement recently

to sniff out a bedroom intruder.

I woke up on a Monday morning,

and there was the biggest load of muck and wee

on the bed you'd ever seen.

I could hear "tinkle-tinkle" and I see this cat, creeping...

This feline break-in has put Larry off pussies for good,

and he's now objecting to Bee's planning application.

I'm against the cattery and rabbits and whatnot else

because of the cats around here, there's too many cats.

There's cats, there's everything around here, but she don't care.

ROARING

And Larry isn't alone.

76-year-old widow Doreen Sims

has lived in the house next door for 42 years.

I'm a Sinatra fan

and I sometimes join in.

SHE CHUCKLES

And if the bones are not aching too much,

I might get up and have a little dance.

# Come fly with me Let's fly, let's fly away. #

It's... What is it now? I've forgotten the words!

Like Larry, Doreen is worried that Bee's furry guests

will be allowed to roam free.

I've got visions of them hopping over that fence

and I'm going to get quite a few visitors, I think.

And I don't want that.

-If you want to have a look...

-I'll poke my nose over the top...

Having assessed the site, planner Rob has to decide

which side of the fence he wants to come down on.

-Ooh, careful!

-I hope that wasn't too important!

He has to choose between recommending approval for Bee's new business,

or listening to the neighbours' concerns and refuse it.

Okey-dokey, I'll mind my step before I try and continue.

-All right.

-See you again.

-Thank you.

-All right. Bye.

-Bye.

This is so small fry. I don't understand why it's such a problem.

I could have this amount of pets of my own.

Bee's business dreams are on the line once again.

To not win this time would be potentially devastating.

Just two miles away, in the green belt of London,

the future of Steve Gumble's home depends on the outcome

of his retrospective planning application.

This whole planning thing has probably cost me 25 grand so far.

To me, that's a lot of money,

that's a lot of charcoal I've got to make to make that money back.

But there's no point in getting angry

and labelling all planning officers as complete what-and-evers,

because I'm sure that there is one or two out there with a conscience.

Planner Andy MacDougall is in charge of this application.

Dwellings within the green belt are looked at very carefully.

And, at the moment,

I'm...on the side of sceptical,

rather than...

..wanting to approve it.

There is a potential issue of highway access.

I certainly wouldn't want it on my conscience

that I recommend something for approval, a year down the line,

a serious accident takes place because of inappropriate access to the site.

Hence why I've gone to the County Council Highway Officer for an opinion.

When we look at developments, one of the key things is to make sure that

it encourages walking and cycling and public transport and so on.

And then, when I turn up in this car,

a black Audi A3, big engine, yeah, it kind of...

I think it's the impression that I don't always practise what I preach.

So, I try not to do every site visit in this. If I can walk, then I will.

But, er... yeah.

Highways Officer Matt Armstrong has to work out

whether the access is suitable for Steve's domestic and business needs.

Visibility really isn't great in both directions.

Particularly in that direction.

There should be 215 metres' visibility.

Nowhere near that here.

For what is a 60-mile-an-hour road, that's not brilliant.

After carefully considering all the elements,

Matt is ready to give his professional opinion.

I've got to look purely at all of this from a technical aspect.

The level of visibility's not great,

the road surface isn't really what we would like.

Road width perhaps a bit limited as well, but the fact is,

they've had permission for the last six, seven years or so

to use the site, so I can't really turn round now

and say that they can't carry on using this access.

So long as the business keeps at the same level that it has been,

there's not a great deal I can really object on.

Steve's application has the backing of the Highway Agency -

but for planner Andy, work isn't finished yet.

Before he makes a recommendation, he has to look for any precedent.

There is a lot of case law and applications out there which would go against him.

So, I've got to take it all in the round,

assess all his information, um...

and give him a fair chance.

In Rhyl, Pastor Mike Bettany

has been looking for a place for his new church for two years.

He considered an ex-nightclub, an abattoir

and a frozen meat factory,

but in the end, he asked his parishioners to dig deep

to buy this derelict industrial plot.

Today, he'll find out if the planners

have recommended approval or refusal for the construction of his church.

I was talking to a pastor from Egypt,

and this Egyptian pastor said, "We're praying for you."

In the centre of Egypt, where Christians killed,

their buildings have been burnt down, they're praying for us.

It's like, "What do we need?"

Apart from planning permission, what do we need?

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Objector Dougie Parry is praying the pastor's plans are refused

and wastes no time in calling the planner.

Hello, Paul. Can you tell me what the decision is or how we've got on?

It's bad news for Pastor Bettany and his Pentecostal community,

as the planners couldn't support

putting a church on an industrial site.

Thank you, bye-bye. Bye-bye.

That's certainly good news.

I was brought up in Rhyl when Rhyl was a very busy, thriving place.

And it's deteriorated so much

that I think this is a positive move for the area

and I hope it may give other people initiatives to spring off from this.

It's got to start somewhere.

The recommendation to refuse the application has been sent out

to the planning committee members by planner Paul Mead.

We need to protect what employment land

we have got in Rhyl, which is quite scarce.

I know the Reverend has mentioned that he will employ a few people

within this church complex, but, unfortunately,

we were probably hoping that he was probably going to be able to employ

a lot more people than he is doing on that particular site

and that's what the site's allocated for.

But it's the elected members

of the planning committee who have the final word.

Former seamstress Pat Jones

and corner-shop owner Margaret McCarroll

are two of the longest-serving councillors.

I've been on the town 17, 18 years

and then went to be a county councillor.

Together with town councillors like Ellie,

Pat and Margaret work to regenerate one of the most deprived areas in the country.

Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!

So many little hidden gems like here.

I remember when my children were little, Craig fell in this pond.

-Oh, did he?

-Come to Rhyl, it's brill!

THEY LAUGH

Deciding on this application won't be a walk in the park.

Ahead of the planning committee meeting, they have to make a site visit.

-We shall make an official...

-Two minutes.

-Two minutes to go?

Oh, OK. We've got to be precise. We've got to...

Shall we have a sing-song, or...?

The site visit is due to start at 10am.

So they must wait to allow time for any of the other 30 members to arrive.

I think we're getting close to ten o'clock, ladies, aren't we?

Shall we beckon the chair and vice-chair back

from their in-depth conversation, look?

They're not talking about planning at all there, are they?

They're talking about barbecues, et cetera.

Well, we'll make a start. The site, within our development plan,

is allocated for employment purposes.

The inspector has basically said this site needs to be

retained for employment purposes.

We've only got 1.8 hectares of employment land in Rhyl

and if this does go, it's gone then,

and then where do we find the other required lands?

-You want something like this for your ward?

-Yes.

You're also thinking about what, historically, this area's been.

We'll see you again on Wednesday, OK? Thanks very much indeed. Bye.

I don't know the Reverend, but what a wonderful project!

What would this do for our community?

Choosing between economic or spiritual healing

is proving a real dilemma.

Some things are difficult...

..and some things are quite simple.

But the difficult ones are really difficult, aren't they?

The Forestry Commission looks after 3% of Britain's land.

Facing severe cuts in public funding and falling timber sales,

it has recently come up with a new money-making plan.

The Forestry Commission has teamed up with a private company,

Forest Holidays, to build holiday villages

inside Britain's publicly owned forests.

Offering beauty treatments and outdoor hot tubs.

Their next target is Delamere Forest in Cheshire.

This 2,400-acre forest currently loses £140,000 a year.

For Head of Recreation David Williamson,

not to build a holiday village here is a luxury he can't afford.

Providing public access in forests is a costly business.

Working with our colleagues in Forest Holidays,

we're able to bring an income stream

to help support the forest in the long term.

The proposal is to build 78 log cabins

that can accommodate 350 tourists.

Planner Adrian Crowther is in charge of this planning application.

There's going to be a whole series of lodges on both sides

of this forest ride, or track, if you like.

This is where the main visitor facilities are.

So, you can see they cover quite a significant area.

But before the Forestry Commission can branch out,

their plans have to convince Adrian

to recommend approval for the scheme.

There's the economic aspects of it.

What does this bring to the area, to Cheshire West?

What are the arguments for the Forestry Commission

in terms of the long-term viability of the forest and the sustainability of it?

And on the other avenue, they have to demonstrate to us

that the harm is not going to be significant.

200 local objectors have made it their mission

to show Adrian just how harmful this development will be.

The human body needs a little bit of peace and quiet now and again,

away from everyday society.

And there's no better place to come for it than Delamere Forest.

I'm adding years to my life, walking in here.

I think I'm taking them off fighting this campaign!

Chief protester Nigel Gilding lives at the edge of Delamere Forest.

He owns an industrial carpet business,

and wants to pull the rug from under this development.

Now, these aren't small cabins.

These things are 50 feet long and 29 feet wide.

And everywhere you turn in 47 acres,

you will see a lodge or a car.

You don't see that at the moment.

Well, obviously, you don't see it, you can SEE you don't see it.

Imagine a hardcore path there,

with three cars parked outside it

and a nice, posh, four-bedroomed, double-glazed lodge. Cracking(!)

That's what you call the countryside(!)

Beggars belief!

Although I'm told that my rights of way won't be affected,

so I might come and look at Jacuzzi Susie with her top off and say,

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

With 12 weeks to go before the planner's recommendation is due,

Nigel's mobilised the great and the good

in this affluent corner of Cheshire.

How many have we got here? Couple of hundred? I would say so.

I'm the Member of Parliament for this part of Delamere

and I'm here to advise, I was on a planning committee

when I was a councillor for ten years so that's my commitment to you.

I encourage you to sign the petition.

I have here the traffic management plan that doesn't mention cars!

Nigel's well-informed objectors are determined to do

whatever it takes to keep the forest just the way it is.

No-one here is a NIMBY. You just care about the forest.

APPLAUSE

We've got people who know what they're talking about.

So, without any shadow of a doubt, this will get refused.

I don't doubt that for a moment.

I live just up there...

I'm a busy man. I've got kids, I've not played with me lad for a week, two weeks sorting this out.

Get in at night and all I do is read documentation.

If I thought I was wasting my time, I'd not be doing it, I'd just let it happen.

In Broxbourne, Hertfordshire,

planner Rob Webster is about to make a recommendation on plans to turn

a back garden into a luxury hotel for cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Bee Hopkins submitted an application for dog kennels in the past,

but had it turned down.

The dogs have been taken out

from the previous application,

that was really the issue we had there.

So, without any dogs, there's no noise issue,

or not much of a noise issue as far as we're concerned.

So, we are, yeah, quite happy to recommend approval.

But the planners recommended approval for her last application

only for it to be turned down by the council's planning committee.

And the final word is once again

down to these 13 elected councillors.

They include a London taxi driver,

an ex-market-stall holder

and a cleaning-company owner.

The council has refused the application

against our recommendation before.

They could very well do it again.

They will clearly need some convincing.

So I'm just preparing some glasses and some water

for the committee members because it's such a hot day.

It's so hot, I feel really uncomfortable.

Very sticky. I've tried to dress as comfortable as possible.

But I draw the line at leaving my shorts on.

I'm not sure that I've got enough the same size.

This is identical.

Some of the guys might want the bigger glasses,

and the ladies, the smaller ones.

That would make sense, wouldn't it?

-There's water and fruit here.

-That's very kind.

So please help yourself.

-Sorry, they can't really accept too much, so...

-Right.

..that's very nice of you.

But as it's not planning protocol

to accept hospitality on site visits,

Bee's spread goes untouched.

We refused planning permission...

-..for this being here.

-Mm-hm.

-And yet it's still here.

-Why isn't it knocked down?

-It's the use that you refused, not the structures.

The recommendation for approval comes from the fact of,

you know, that it is of a small scale.

I totally understand neighbours' concerns about noise,

but if we think that's eradicated...

-The smell is one of the things...

-And smell, yeah.

I think it's well constructed, it's well thought-out.

Whether this is the right place for it, I'm not sure.

Whether the committee would agree with that.

I have visited this site once before. It was geared up for dogs.

I've still got grave concerns.

-Back on the bus?

-Back on the bus.

Do you want to take the water with you? That's the best thing to do.

-Go on, I'll pass it round.

-Take it. Take both.

-Thank you.

-I've got more indoors. You're welcome.

-OK.

-Cheers.

-All right.

In three days the councillors will pass their verdict.

In Rhyl, North Wales, it's planning committee day.

The proposal to build a church on this industrial plot

will finally be ruled on.

This is a very reliable machine, this.

You must've had some strange things in the back of that Rascal, though.

Yes, yeah. Including my partner!

THEY LAUGH

As an objector, Dougie Parry is entitled to argue his case

during the committee meeting,

but has decided to employ a consultant instead.

Will you speak for three minutes at planning committee, Doug?

-No, I shan't be.

-Really?!

I thought that would've been perfect for you, to come up on stage...

No, no. That's what I pay my planning...

-You're going to get Mr Lloyd to do that for you?

-Yes.

-OK.

He charges £47 an hour, just to let you know.

-Heavens!

-Yes.

-Well worth it, I'm sure.

Yes!

Dougie may be throwing money at today's planning committee,

but the pastor is ready to throw the book at it.

Just reading a verse this morning in Psalms,

which - it says, "But as for me, I trust in You, oh Lord,

"I say, 'You are my God,' my times are in your hands."

And on top of that, I think it's BSC 12,

the document in their accepted planning policy.

We tick every single box.

However, planner Paul Mead

is recommending refusal for the application.

The case that the reverend's put forward is quite strong

in relation to the social cohesion that might be

brought by his particular use of this site

but, fundamentally,

God hasn't provided a lot of jobs in Rhyl over the last few years,

and I think it's jobs that we really need on this particular site.

Paul may have recommended refusal to the planning committee members,

but when voting time comes they're free to overturn his recommendation

and approve the scheme.

Should the three Welsh-speaking councillors

decide to take part in the debate today

an interpreter and £35,000 worth of equipment

is ready to spring into action.

This has two channels.

That's too difficult for most punters.

Right? It's a lot, lot easier than learning Welsh.

I think that the batteries are charged, I think it'll all work.

-Turn it round.

-Turn it round.

FEEDBACK

All members working? Please could you show.

First to speak is Dougie's planning consultant.

-Thank you, chair.

-You can have three minutes, thank you.

First and foremost he's asked me to fully endorse the officer's report

to provide and protect a range of employment sites

across the county and within Rhyl.

So, we request you refuse planning permission.

Pastor Bettany now has a chance to convert the councillors.

We've been looking for new premises for almost four years

because we've outgrown the building we're in.

We want to employ children's workers and leaders.

We want to develop our youth ministry and take on full-time staff.

The day centre for the elderly will require staff.

The children's suite for parents and toddlers, preschool playgroup,

it requires staff.

The pastor hopes that his intention to create jobs

will make up for the loss of an industrial site.

Before the vote, councillors Pat Jones and Margaret McCarroll

have requested to speak.

During their 18 years of friendship

they always discussed difficult decisions and voted the same way.

The present day needs of our community, I'm sorry to say,

are actually more demanding than ever,

so the services for this church will be ever more in demand,

so for those reasons I support the application

against the wishes of the officers. Thank you for your time.

Me and Margaret never disagree on something.

But we so need jobs for our young people.

So, reluctantly,

on this particular site,

I'm going to go with the officer's recommendation for refusal.

The proposed church aims to promote social cohesion,

but has already broken up a formidable political alliance.

OK, thank you, chair, we're going to go to the vote now.

It's going to be "plus" to grant, and it will be "minus" to refuse.

All vote now, please.

In most councils the vote happens with a show of hands,

but in Denbighshire councillors vote with their fingers.

OK, members, the application is refused.

Five councillors agreed with Margaret,

but overwhelmingly 14 agreed with Pat,

which means that Pastor Bettany will have to keep looking

for the promised plot of land.

It's quite astounding that such an act has just taken place.

It's ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous.

PAUL: I think members were quite clear in their views

based on the policies that we've got,

and they weren't going to deviate too much from that.

That's always been industrial. And you want jobs for the young people.

There's no jobs.

And he can't guarantee us that it's going to employ 18 people.

He just cannot guarantee that.

For objector Dougie Parry, it's money well spent.

Hi, great news!

I've got no grudge against the guy at all.

Maybe he had a calling to this area,

but obviously this area's not calling to him.

Bless him.

The pastor is now considering selling the plot

and buying this disused hotel to convert into a church.

In Broxbourne,

the decision on Steve Gumble's retrospective planning application

for his house is imminent.

The outcome will determine his future way of life.

If this planning application does fail,

it would mean that I haven't got the security to carry on the business.

I don't want to sign on the dole, I don't want a council house.

There's nothing wrong with them, fine.

This is how I want to be living - in the woods.

Steve's business has been the deciding factor

for planner Andy while coming up with his recommendation.

The creation of a dwelling on such sites is objectionable in principle

but all the information from Mr Gumble

has overcome my initial concerns which I raised.

And now I'm pretty comfortable in recommending an approval.

I think there is the special situation

that he needs to live there 24/7 while charcoal is produced.

But the council's senior planning officers and two councillors

have to be consulted before a final decision is taken.

They will now scrutinise Andy's recommendation

to approve the application.

So he's put forward reasons as to why he believes

he should be allowed to occupy the site.

Now the management of the charcoal-making process -

it's a single kiln, it's got to be kept to the right temperature

and monitored, both for the production of good quality charcoal,

but also for safety.

-Clearly that needs his...

-Yes.

-..attention on site throughout that process.

-OK.

The next question is, is it a viable business?

-Yeah.

-Um, and does it have a future?

Yeah. He has submitted accounts.

In 2009-10, achieved a turnover of £65,000.

This reduced to 57,700 in the years 10-11.

£800 was made from the charcoal business.

I say in my report, the sales fluctuate,

and the majority is coming from the timber frame element

of the business.

The charcoal business is very much a sideline, isn't it?

The primary business is the timber frame...

-Certainly the primary business is timber framing.

-..work.

Um...

Well, it's tricky, this, isn't it?

Because we can't have a precedent where we're just allowing

anybody to come in and put up a kiln,

burn that a couple of times

and then claim that as a reason for a house in the countryside.

-So we've got to look at the whole business in the round.

-Yeah.

OK.

With the planners and the councillors debating,

Steve is on his way to the council to find out their verdict.

The ideal result today would be full consent

with no silly conditions.

But hopefully this will be the day when it's sorted out.

Behind closed doors, the panel is about to reach a decision.

I think it needs to be made clear to Mr Gumble

that if the business discontinues, the house goes.

-Yes.

-If the business becomes unviable, the house goes.

-Yes.

If the business changes, and so it's no longer a rural business,

the house goes.

-So, on that basis, everyone OK?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

The council has decided to monitor Steve's business,

and will only allow him to live in his cabin for three years.

-Morning, sir. How are you doing?

-You all right?

-Yeah, good.

When this time is up, he will have to reapply for planning permission.

It's planner Andy's job to break the news.

-So, basically, we had our delegated meeting.

-Right.

What we've decided to do is to grant a three year temporary permission.

I know it's not what you were hoping for when you first applied...

No, I've made it clear from the start that I need permanency now,

after eight years,

so obviously I'm going to have to go away and think about it.

-Yeah, thank you very much.

-Cheers. Bye-bye.

Heat of the moment, I don't think he was overly happy.

But hopefully he'll go away today and have a think about it

and realise actually it is quite a good result for him.

You don't get houses in the green belt very easily.

I want a permanent position,

and for the council to want to have to control me and my business

is just not tenable.

It's just not good enough.

I've asked for full permission, and after eight years...

legally, morally, you name it, I think I've got a right to be there.

Else I wouldn't have started doing it.

Steve isn't giving up his fight for permanency

and has now appealed against the council's decision.

Morning, Andy. The saga continues, mate, I'm afraid.

I'm going to be 90 by the time this is over.

Back in Cheshire, businessman Nigel Gilding

is campaigning against the proposed construction of a holiday village

with outdoor hot tubs

among the ancient trees of Delamere Forest.

That was at the weekend, that.

There were loads of horse lorries and boxes came in at the weekend.

Won't be quite the same with holiday lodges in it, will it?

The people in the hot tub may be having a fun ride,

have you thought about that?

Nigel's come to the council offices to hand the fruits of his campaign

to the planner in charge of this application.

The petition is there.

Exhaustively collected by volunteers.

It's a pretty big document, really.

Nigel's petition used up a tenth of a tree in paper.

He's hoping that it will convince the planner

to recommend refusal.

I sincerely apologise for being so late,

and I know your time's limited, so I want to just be very quick.

That'll keep me busy, won't it?

Nigel may be proud of his petition,

but size, in planning, isn't everything.

Numbers are an issue,

but what we're bothered about is what the issues are.

We're bothered about what the planning matters are.

Not just numbers of residents.

And in here we've got very few actual comments, unfortunately.

They're just signatures. So...

When Adrian's recommendation comes in,

it's not the highlight of Nigel's day.

The planner has recommended approval.

Yeah.

I've had my orange pen and my pink pen out.

My orange pen highlights certain aspects of it I'd look further into,

and pink ones are ones where I think it's a load of old rubbish.

And as you can see, there's a little bit of pink on every page, really.

A lot of work's gone into raising our objections,

and it's not had much of a bearing, really, on what's what.

So my faith in local democracy has been knocked somewhat.

The planner believes that the holiday village

will generate the income Delamere needs to survive,

and that the development won't spoil the enjoyment of the forest

for the local population.

But the people in charge of making the ultimate decision

are the nine elected members of the strategic planning committee.

Norman, do we have any sweets coming round the bus?

-I haven't brought any sweets today.

-Aw.

This special body includes a farmer, a rock salt producer

and a quality manager in an arms company.

It only meets when a planning application

threatens to change the borough dramatically.

This is one of the interesting aspects of planning,

is that you have the opportunity to...

to put your nose in!

Can I ask what facility arrangements they've got?

Are they in the cabins?

-Are you talking about the toilet facilities?

-The toilets, yes.

This is the height of luxury, Norman. This is the whole nine yards.

-It's toilet, showers, everything you need in a...

-Hot tub.

Hot tubs on the verandas with certain ones.

What do you think? Hot tubs in the forest.

Well, it reminds me of some experiences I've had in California.

But Nigel believes he's unearthed something

that will force the councillors to refuse this application.

There's a pipeline runs through here.

It's full of aviation fuel,

that runs from Stanlow to Manchester Airport

to fuel the jets.

So, it's beneath here, and it runs down.

We've got - and I don't know the exact distance -

somewhere round about 70 or 80m away you've got the nearest lodge.

The danger is that the pipeline explodes.

You've got 300 people, children and dogs included,

sat having a cup of tea in a lodge nearby.

Have you ever thrown a Christmas tree on a bonfire?

Blooming 'eck. It's just crying out for a disaster, isn't it?

Nigel thinks that planner Adrian has overlooked the pipeline issue,

and he intends to publicly expose him at planning committee.

All my reading, and I've done a lot of reading,

cos I don't want to make myself look a fool,

all my reading says that this is a showstopper.

When the committee understands

how important the information is on this pipeline,

your time's up, boy.

200 miles south, in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire,

plans to turn a back garden into a hotel for cats, rabbits

and guinea pigs are about to be debated by the planning committee.

13 elected councillors from all walks of life

will be voting on this application.

Planner Rob Webster will be there to keep them on a tight leash.

They can be unpredictable.

There are reasons for refusal from councillors

that you never saw coming,

but, you know, we still have officers here on the night

to give them a little bit of advice.

Can't fault those right angles, can you?

This is applicant Bee Hopkins's second appearance

at a planning committee in 12 months.

Her plan to run kennels last year was turned down.

She has the support of her best friends and of her son, Zane.

But first to speak will be next-door neighbour Larry Shannon

on behalf of Doreen and four other objectors.

I'm against this application as I see no need for a change of use.

We already have foxes and rats in the area,

and I feel this would only make the situation of vermin

in the neighbourhood worse.

It should also be noted that, due to the council only collecting

household food waste every two weeks,

we already have smells and flies in the area.

I feel cats' and any other animal waste would only add to this.

I thank the committee for listening to me.

It's now time for Bee to defend herself.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I note that the one concern,

the one reason why I was turned down last time,

was the potential for noise, and for that alone.

There is no noise now.

The cats that I have are in pens, and there is no noise being emitted.

I hear what Mr Shannon says about the smells and the vermin

and everything else, and as far as I'm concerned I'm very hygienic,

so there should be no problem

with any guinea pig bedding or any cat litter.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE

There will be noise and smell.

Cats are smelly, cat faeces is very, very smelly,

and I think the members here should take that into consideration.

I don't know whether I should declare an interest -

this application is for nine animals.

Well, when I lived in Church Lane I had two cats, a dog, two ducks...

LAUGHTER

..and a wife.

And I didn't need planning permission for that,

and I think this application is...

She's done her utmost to do the decent thing,

to cut out noise and things like that, and I move the recommendation.

APPLAUSE

Bee's plans have convinced one animal-loving councillor,

but she needs at least six more votes in favour.

Can I ask for a show of hands?

Anyone against?

The motion's carried.

The committee has approved Bee's luxury pet hotel.

I'm going home.

-Just very quickly, Doreen...

-No.

Just very, very quickly, how are you feeling?

Rotten.

I won!

We've won. We've won!

It's been tough. I felt like I was some kind of criminal.

I used to come out of my home

feeling like I'd crawled out from under a stone,

because everyone would be, "Shh-shh," you now?

And it was - it felt very much cloak and dagger,

and it shouldn't be like that.

But now, you know... Perseverance, perseverance, definitely.

The new wave of holiday villages sweeping through Britain's forests

could soon come to Delamere in Cheshire.

Soon to be invaded by holiday cabins like triffids.

70 hot tubs bubbling away.

Delightful(!)

There, it'll be. Yeah.

Bikini Brenda in her hot tub will be there.

With a glass of champagne in her hand.

Nothing wrong with champagne.

Defending Delamere

has been businessman Nigel Gilding's obsession for the last 12 months.

That's all Delamere planning stuff.

Research of presentations, letters, DEFRA, the whole lot...

But the culmination of his campaigning

will be his speech at tomorrow's planning committee.

Two minutes 57.3 seconds!

Or thereabouts.

And it reads...

"Committee members,

"I would like to draw your attention to page 40 of the..."

Nigel's battle plan is to prove

that the planner has failed to give due notice

to the Health and Safety Executive about a major fuel pipeline

running next to the proposed cabins.

There's been a major short cut taken,

and it's a short cut that can affect public safety.

And I can't see the circumstances where any member of that committee,

listening to what I have to say tomorrow,

can approve that planning application tomorrow.

To me, what I've got there is cast iron,

concrete proof that it can't be approved tomorrow.

They may not hear anybody else.

They may just say, "Let's just stop here, there's no point continuing."

I'll pop a shirt and a jacket on tomorrow.

Yeah.

Been saving me shave up for tomorrow.

As Nigel drives to committee, he's taken care of every detail.

-BLEEP

-no bloody fuel.

Nigel's supporters file in with their own pieces of paper,

but their hopes rest on one A4 sheet

bearing their leader's finely crafted argument.

Well, we all like to win, don't we?

It's nice to be vindicated.

Let battle commence.

Nigel's lived and breathed planning regulations for 12 months.

He's now ready to beat the planner at his own game,

and put a premature end to this meeting.

Committee members, you have an opportunity today

to defend Delamere, and prevent its gradual erosion to which this

proposal would no doubt lead.

The hazardous aviation fuel pipeline makes this decision easy

for committee members, as the legal requirement

for 21 days' notice period to the HSE has not been observed.

Therefore, the content of the original officer's report

should be seen as inaccurate.

No approval can be given today.

Thank you. APPLAUSE

Planner Adrian now has to defend himself.

For those that don't understand, I'll try and explain it quickly.

Should you be minded to approve this application this afternoon,

the application would be referred to the HSE

to see whether they feel it's appropriate to call the matter in.

You can't... I'm sorry, you can't approve.

-Excuse me.

-OK.

-It is technically wrong.

-Excuse me.

APPLAUSE

Can I finish, Chair?

Nigel may have popular support in his bid to save the forest,

but it looks like he's been barking up the wrong tree.

Excuse me.

Please, carry on.

To be precise, members, you are minded to approve

the application, should you do that, it then goes to the HSE.

If they are happy it is acceptable, as we feel will be the case,

then the decision would stand.

-Thank you, Chair.

-Thank you.

Planner Adrian has followed the correct procedure.

The Health and Safety Executive will be notified,

but only after councillors have decided if they want to approve

the holiday village application.

All those in favour please show.

Eight.

Against?

Clearly carried. Thank you.

Shame on you all.

An overwhelming majority has voted in favour of the log cabins.

But Nigel still thinks he knows best.

Well, that wasn't... It was nothing, was it?

It was just a total sham.

They've believed what they've been told by Mr Crowther.

Factually incorrect information

that everybody falls for, hook, line and sinker.

There's been no robust testing of anything.

They've all just rolled over and died.

It's incredible. Absolutely phenomenal.

-Well done, Nige.

-BLEEP.

We like a good debate in planning,

and we like the issues batted about.

The adrenaline flows in that situation,

and whilst there are times when it's tough,

that's the endgame, isn't it?

I don't doubt they'll start digging tomorrow.

Press a green button, and they'll be there.

I wonder who I complain to about that, if that happens?

Not the local council, that's for sure,

cos they won't give a toss.

But unexpectedly,

the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

has called in this application,

as he thinks it may conflict with national policies.

A public inquiry will be held before a new decision is made.

For now, the future of Delamere Forest is still undecided.

Next time...

No to the student village!

..Chester residents revolt over plans to build on green belt.

I think it's time to move the bus, if you don't mind.

I don't believe this council. I'm not voting next time.

Plans to extend a children's home

creates a moral dilemma for councillors.

It's extremely difficult,

because the children's interests have to be considered, as well.

And can residents get this business closed down?

I get really annoyed - this isn't an industrial area.

It's just not on.