0:00:03 > 0:00:06Planning battles are raging across Britain.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07I love the countryside.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09So do I, mate. So leave it alone.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10I don't have time for nimbys.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13No to the student village!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15In a drive to boost the economy,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18the government has relaxed planning laws.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Here we are, with a massive planning application.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21It is a big project.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24You're talking about 270 million of economic benefit.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I mean, we like to see enterprise, but not on our doorstep.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30So developers are cashing in.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Of course I'm here to make a buck - guilty as charged.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Objectors are going to war.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's not morally right, it's not socially right.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Disgusting.Totally stitched up.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46I'm not having that they were frightened of a bunch of pensioners!
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Deciding who wins are Britain's planners.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51I can't sit on the fence.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Well, it's not a fence, it's railings.
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Tonight...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02No to the student village!
0:01:02 > 0:01:07..Chester residents revolt over plans to build on green belt.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I think it's time maybe to move the bus.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Plans to extend a children's home
0:01:11 > 0:01:14create a moral dilemma for councillors.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15It's extremely difficult,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19because the children's interests have to be considered as well.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22And can residents get this business closed down?
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I get really annoyed. This isn't an industrial area.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26It's just not on.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Last year, nearly half a million students
0:01:39 > 0:01:41were admitted to UK universities -
0:01:41 > 0:01:44the highest number of enrolments ever reported.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47In Chester alone,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51the student community grew by 4% in 2013
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and there are currently about 16,800 students at the university.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It's brilliant, the community feel around everything is so nice.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03You can't walk past people and not smile at them.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Even at 8.30am for the first lecture of the day.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09You don't get up for that time? Lectures start at 9am,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11so everybody is up and raring to go.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17900 students currently live on Chester University's campus.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Well over 2,000 rent private houses in the city's Garden Quarter.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Students love living in the Garden Quarter
0:02:24 > 0:02:25because it's so close to town.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27And Chester is such a beautiful city,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29everybody loves the hub around the city,
0:02:29 > 0:02:30the things it's got to offer.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Students may enjoy Chester,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35but the feeling is not always mutual.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Can you see how shabby everything looks?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Avril Coady is the secretary of the local community forum
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and has been living in the Garden Quarter for 40 years.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53It is the area that abuts the university,
0:02:53 > 0:02:54it is next door to the university.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56It is a convenient area,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59it is one where the students can roll out of bed
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and be at the lectures within five, ten minutes.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Hence its convenience and hence the fact it has gone down.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11Mostly, it is noise.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13It is noise throughout the night.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Always, somewhere in this area, there will be a party.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21This is the kind of thing that we have to deal with
0:03:21 > 0:03:23on a constant basis.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Is it fair?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Is it fair that we should pay our council tax
0:03:27 > 0:03:28for this kind of thing?
0:03:30 > 0:03:31What we would hope would happen
0:03:31 > 0:03:36is that this area could slowly, slowly revert to what it was,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39which was a community, family-based area.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44A developer has come up with an idea
0:03:44 > 0:03:46which could be the answer to Avril's prayers
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and it's currently in the hands of Head Planner Fiona Edwards.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I look forward to coming to work every day.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57For me, it is about...leaving some form of legacy behind me,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00because you don't get an opportunity to do that very often,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02unless you are really famous or talented,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04and as I am neither of those,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I'll just try to make a building that looks half-decent
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and I can say, "I had a bit of influence on that."
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's not just one building Fiona has to consider today.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Bell Developments has proposed the construction
0:04:17 > 0:04:19of 41 new blocks of flats
0:04:19 > 0:04:23to provide shared accommodation for 2,300 students.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27They would be built on Chester's green belt in the suburb of Blacon.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29What they are proposing
0:04:29 > 0:04:33is to spread the student accommodation
0:04:33 > 0:04:34all around the site
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and this central area would be the hub, with the facilities
0:04:38 > 0:04:40and some accommodation in it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The site itself is 27 hectares, so that is a massive site.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47The city's planning committee
0:04:47 > 0:04:49rejected a similar application in the past.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53But given the amount of popular support for the scheme,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56the developer decided to slightly reduce the number of apartments
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and resubmit the plans.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02There is a growing body of residents of the city
0:05:02 > 0:05:05that feel it is about time we dealt with the problems
0:05:05 > 0:05:08of what is being termed "studentification".
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Fiona knows that green-lighting the scheme
0:05:11 > 0:05:13would make Chester residents happy,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16but she has just acquired some brand-new objectors.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22It looks Stalin-esque, architecturally.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27It is a kind of '60s, '70s type of NCP car park build.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29And some have described it
0:05:29 > 0:05:31as looking like an open prison.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Nail technicians Yvonne Jones and Ruth Shaw
0:05:36 > 0:05:39are the founders of a Blacon-based nail-cutting service
0:05:39 > 0:05:40for older people.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43After seeing what might be built in front of their houses,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47they have decided to file a complaint.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50We have got a valuable amenity on our doorstep, the green belt,
0:05:50 > 0:05:51and we care about it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Because Blacon has been a vast council housing estate,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00there's a perception that people don't fight their cause.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03They're either lazy, they can't be bothered
0:06:03 > 0:06:05and that's not the case.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Ruth and Yvonne are looking for supporters
0:06:11 > 0:06:14as they start their campaign against the scheme.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I just don't want a student village at all.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Will they be able to come through here and walk through?Yes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Will they? There are designated areas
0:06:23 > 0:06:25for them to walk through.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29No. Definitely against it, 100%.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It was nice to meet you.Thank you. Take care, bye-bye!
0:06:34 > 0:06:35AVRIL:Hello, you!
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Nice to see you.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Nice to see you, too.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42While on the other side of town,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Avril has invited city centre residents
0:06:44 > 0:06:48to set up a campaign in favour of the new student village.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I've had my car scratched down the side,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53they bounce along the tops of your cars.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55We want a student village
0:06:55 > 0:06:59not in order to take all the students away from this area,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03but in order to create a balance throughout the city -
0:07:03 > 0:07:04that is all we're asking for.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09But the power to recommend approval or refusal for the scheme
0:07:09 > 0:07:11is in the planners' hands.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And they will publish their decision in 12 weeks.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16It's a real shame that some local residents
0:07:16 > 0:07:19don't understand the value the students bring to the city
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and it really is a small minority ruining it for everyone.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Without students,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26there would be a huge deficit of vibrancy and excitement
0:07:26 > 0:07:29that students do bring to that part of town.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36In the next 25 years,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40the population of Britain is set to grow by almost 10 million people.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41As communities expand,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44local councils are under increasing pressure
0:07:44 > 0:07:47to build thousands of new homes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50But it's not just residents above the ground
0:07:50 > 0:07:51who are struggling for space.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Recent reports suggest almost half of England's cemeteries
0:07:56 > 0:07:57could be full in the next decade.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01In Winsford, Cheshire,
0:08:01 > 0:08:06one local businessman is taking this grave matter seriously.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Think we ought to pick this one up a bit, Dave, or not?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Retired farmer Allen Plumbley
0:08:10 > 0:08:13has been burying the dead for nearly 60 years.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Six foot eight - keep that right, Tom.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18He has got the measure of the industry,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21after digging his first grave at the age of only 15.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26You can have a cardboard coffin, a wicker coffin, seagrass,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28an ordinary coffin.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31You can have it decorated to whatever you want.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33You can have vegetables on it,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36a canal boat, anything you want.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Families can do their own internments,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41they can help to dig the grave if they would like to
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and they can also help to fill it up.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47You can fetch your mother-in-law in the back of the car,
0:08:47 > 0:08:48have a grave and put her straight in!
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Five years ago, Allen converted an unused section of his land
0:08:55 > 0:08:58into a traditional graveyard, and recently,
0:08:58 > 0:09:03he started offering specialist, ecologically friendly burials.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Green burials and environmentally friendly burials,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08where you probably like the countryside
0:09:08 > 0:09:11or you've been into gardening or hiking
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and you want to be away from the maddening crowd.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19You can put bulbs in over the winter -
0:09:19 > 0:09:20anything, plant-wise.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Foxgloves, primroses...
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Anything you would find in a woodland.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Allen's green graves have been a big hit with the locals,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33dying to claim one of his plots.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37You can go there, if you wanted.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41We sort it out before you go and you know what you're getting.Yes.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43I've got a tree down here where I'm going under,
0:09:43 > 0:09:44a nice copper beech.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47That is my resting place.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52There's nothing like knowing where you're going.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54My dad always said, "It can't be so bad when you go,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56"because nobody's ever come back."
0:09:58 > 0:10:01The existing woodland cemetery will be full in three years
0:10:01 > 0:10:04so Allen has applied for planning permission
0:10:04 > 0:10:06to extend the site, using another bit of his land.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09This is the new site.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's approximately six acres,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15which should last somewhere in the region of 30 years.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20But Allen must get planning permission
0:10:20 > 0:10:23before he can start work on the extension.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28It is over to Cheshire West planning manager Nial Casselden
0:10:28 > 0:10:31to run the rule over the scheme.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Got a few cemeteries dotted around the place,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38but we don't really get that many applications to extend them
0:10:38 > 0:10:39and we certainly get even less
0:10:39 > 0:10:42for...green burial sites.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44It's pretty unusual.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48When you compare it to their current site,
0:10:48 > 0:10:53it's larger than both the formal standard cemetery area
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and the green burial area that they have in the back.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00This particular application is on the edge of the town
0:11:00 > 0:11:05so it's in an area which is designated as open countryside.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08But it is quite near to people's houses.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Some people might see it as a bit ghoulish, perhaps,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15to have a large field full of people buried right next to them.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Next door to the cemetery,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21one local resident is horrified by the plans.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24The road is 30mph,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27we regularly get people in the high 40s, close to 50.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Highway planning engineer Simon Boone
0:11:31 > 0:11:34has been keeping a keen eye on his neighbour's application
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and is hoping to shoot down Allen's plans.
0:11:37 > 0:11:3948.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41What does concern me
0:11:41 > 0:11:44is visitors en masse, after a funeral,
0:11:44 > 0:11:45going out onto the road.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50So when there is an increase in a lot of vehicle numbers
0:11:50 > 0:11:53that have just come from a funeral, then it is going to be an issue.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58That was a funeral car going past at 24.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03There is nobody here that's bothered about it, really.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07We've only got one objector this time and he's not going to worry me.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Not one little bit.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13On this hedge line is the start of the cemetery.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17There are often funerals taking place
0:12:17 > 0:12:19literally just by the hedge line.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20It is intrusive.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And you can hear a whole funeral,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26you can hear people wailing during the funeral
0:12:26 > 0:12:27while you are in the house.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Simon has formally objected to Allen's application.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35The planners must now decide
0:12:35 > 0:12:39whether to take his side or bury the new graveyard for good.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43There are a lot of uses you grant permission for,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45maybe they will be there for a few decades,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but a cemetery is pretty permanent.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52It is going to be there long after we have all shuffled off.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Might even end up in it, who knows!
0:13:13 > 0:13:15In the UK, planners can take action
0:13:15 > 0:13:18against businesses that operate without planning permission.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22They have the power to issue fines of up to £20,000,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24but they can also help the business become legal.
0:13:25 > 0:13:25but they can also help the business become legal.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31In Llantarnam, South Wales, ex-takeaway owner Spiro Callus
0:13:31 > 0:13:34has spent 30 years tending to his much-loved garden.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39We have fig trees, apple trees. We've got a pear tree there.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Another apple tree over there. Another fig tree over there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46But these plants have recently been watered
0:13:46 > 0:13:48a bit too often for Spiro's liking.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54If there's strong wind, it spreads the spray all over.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56It travels for quite a distance.
0:13:57 > 0:14:0115 months ago, a car wash was set up without planning permission
0:14:01 > 0:14:03on the site of a disused garage.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Since then, life changed dramatically
0:14:06 > 0:14:08for its neighbour, Spiro.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13Don't tell me that's not noisy, the water pressure, you know?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18How can one put up with all the noise seven days a week?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27We've all looked after our houses,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30tried to make them look as presentable as possible.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31And then we've got that.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It's just not on.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Another resident unwilling to put up with the car wash
0:14:37 > 0:14:39is part-time beautician and single mum of two,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Beverley Holyfield.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45I can hear that very clearly when I'm lying in bed.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48It's industrial cleaning and we're not in an industrial area.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49It shouldn't be here.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Beverley lives directly opposite the car wash,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54which is operating without planning permission
0:14:54 > 0:14:59and has recently built a new fence to block out her unsightly view.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02The wall is about 4.5ft high.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Then another 3ft at its maximum height with the fence,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10which is actually making it illegal, unfortunately.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I'm just waiting for the planners to write me a letter
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and say I don't have permission for the fence,
0:15:15 > 0:15:16which would be ironic.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Torfaen's planner Richard Lewis is heading to Llantarnam.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29When I was in school,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31I wanted to be an architect.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34But they did a careers evening
0:15:34 > 0:15:38and this guy talked about planning and made it sound very exciting.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42I thought, at that stage, "I think I want to be a planner."
0:15:42 > 0:15:46So...I haven't regretted my decision.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Not yet anyway.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The car wash in Llantarnam wants to continue trading
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and has submitted a retrospective planning application...
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Richard Lewis, I'm the head of planning.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03..which Richard is now considering.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Do you get noise from the vacuum cleaner as well
0:16:05 > 0:16:08or is it mainly the...?A little. It's mainly the jet washers.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11And the aesthetics is what bothers us.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12Right, yeah, yeah.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16There are a range of issues that they are concerned about -
0:16:16 > 0:16:19traffic impact, spray from the car wash,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23the look of it, the signs that have been put up there.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24Obviously, it is not just negative.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26There is a business being run here
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and people are employed by the business.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Our job is looking at those objections, those issues,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38and evaluating them to see whether or not they are so bad
0:16:38 > 0:16:40as to warrant the refusal of an application
0:16:40 > 0:16:43or whether that impact is not that significant.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49In their bid to straighten out their business,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53the car wash has employed planning consultant Gereint Hurst.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00This new use of the site will not affect local residents,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03however much they protest.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08Part of the planning process is producing evidence
0:17:08 > 0:17:10to back up your argument.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Now, as part of our application,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18we addressed the noise issue by getting an acoustic report in.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20The conclusion of that report
0:17:20 > 0:17:23highlighted that there was no real impact
0:17:23 > 0:17:26on the residential amenity of the area
0:17:26 > 0:17:28and that it is acceptable.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Gereint may be confident
0:17:34 > 0:17:37but planner Richard decided to check the sound levels for himself.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Do you mind if we plug this,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41just about where Peter's setting up, there?
0:17:42 > 0:17:43All right. OK.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47He's brought along Environmental Health Officer Peter Oates.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51Peter spends his day attending to noise complaints.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53We listen to all sorts of noises.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The most common ones are dogs barking and loud music.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It can be people running up and downstairs
0:18:00 > 0:18:03in the neighbouring property, noise from water pipes,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and noise from bedroom activities we occasionally get as well.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Did we get enough of the car being washed?
0:18:16 > 0:18:17I think we've got a good sample.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21There's enough of the range, I think,
0:18:21 > 0:18:22of washing, for our purposes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26The assessment we need to make is whether that sound we can hear
0:18:26 > 0:18:28is actually harmful to amenity.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34People may argue that consent should've be granted first.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37But there's a number of people that would be affected
0:18:37 > 0:18:38if this were to shut.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Employees...
0:18:48 > 0:18:52200 miles north in Cheshire, a controversial application
0:18:52 > 0:18:55to build a student village on the green belt of Chester
0:18:55 > 0:18:57has divided the local population.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00It's a really big application.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03It is a big intrusion into the green belt.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05There are action groups both for and against it
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and it's got its absolute vociferous supporters
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and its equally vociferous objectors.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Residents of Blacon,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14the site of the proposed student village,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17have gathered 2,600 signatures against the scheme.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21In the city centre, over 1,500 residents
0:19:21 > 0:19:23have signed their own petition in favour,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26hoping it will drive the students out of the neighbourhood.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33But hoping to sway the planners into recommending approval,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36the developers have now revised their application.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Along with the student village,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41they are proposing the construction of a sports centre,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43designed and run by Sir Steve Redgrave.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48The concept is over three years in the making.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Sir Steve Redgrave has been involved for two years.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56It is meant to be an integrated academic institute
0:19:56 > 0:19:58for accommodation and sports.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03The new sports centre would have a full-sized football pitch,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05a fitness centre and a physiotherapy clinic
0:20:05 > 0:20:09to cater for students on site as well as professional athletes.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It is a big project.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15You are talking about 100 million to build the facility,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18you are talking about 270 million of economic benefit.
0:20:18 > 0:20:201,000 jobs over five years.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23It seems to me to be the perfect location
0:20:23 > 0:20:26for an integrated sports and student accommodation.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34We have Sir Steve. Images of his sporting achievements.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Planner Fiona is evaluating the new plans before she makes
0:20:37 > 0:20:39a recommendation on the scheme.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I will admit that Sir Steve Redgrave is one of my sporting heroes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I have his first autobiography.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47But it won't influence us in any way,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50because we do have to make decisions based on planning policies
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and based on all the material considerations,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and unfortunately, as fantastic as Sir Steve has been for this country,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00him being involved isn't a material planning consideration.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03So, it won't influence me or the committee members in any way.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14Also in Cheshire, Planning Manager Nial Casselden is assessing
0:21:14 > 0:21:17an application that's a matter of life or death.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20He's come to meet gravedigger Allen Plumbley
0:21:20 > 0:21:22who's applied for planning permission
0:21:22 > 0:21:25to treble the size of his ecologically friendly burial ground.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Good afternoon.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Hi there, Nial Casselden from the planning department.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31I'm Allen Plumbley.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Is it a mixture of normal burials and cremations?
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Yes.Right, OK.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38It's quite quiet, as well.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I know you're next to a main road. It's lovely, it's just peaceful.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45It is a peaceful area. My tenants don't make any noise!
0:21:45 > 0:21:50No, I was going to say, with these kind of proposals,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52noise isn't usually something that becomes...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55No problem, really, with anybody overlooking us.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Noise may not be an issue with this application,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but Nial has other potentially serious concerns.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The kind of issues that we need to consider are,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07impact on anyone who is living around the site,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10ecology, also ground water is an issue
0:22:10 > 0:22:12that is particularly relevant
0:22:12 > 0:22:13to burial sites.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21There are strict rules about how close you can have burial sites to underground water supplies.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26The cemetery is a stone's throw away from The Winsford Flashes,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28the area's largest lake system.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Nial has to be sure that Allen's natural interments aren't
0:22:32 > 0:22:34polluting the local water supply.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Objector Simon Boone has also picked up on the potential pollution problem.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48What you've got is a series of ditch courses,
0:22:48 > 0:22:53and these ditch courses lead eventually to the flashes.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57And there are also some small ponds, as well, in these fields.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59This isn't drinking water,
0:22:59 > 0:23:07but further along here it could get into the system that we all use.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11My concern is what type of burials we are dealing with
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and how that will affect the water course.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18You picture people getting buried in wicker baskets
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and then seeping out into, you know, the water table.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25I'm told that isn't the case, and let's hope it isn't.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It's a very serious issue,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35so the onus is on the applicant to show us that it is possible
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to carry out the development without causing any big problems,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41so, for a burial site, it's up to the applicant
0:23:41 > 0:23:44to do a survey of the site and to provide the information
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and show us that it's not going to affect groundwater.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51If for whatever reason it shows there might be a problem,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55then we have little choice but to refuse the application
0:23:55 > 0:24:00on the grounds of an unacceptable impact on the environment.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Allen must now prove to the planners that the site is safe.
0:24:12 > 0:24:18I'm digging a test hole to test for the groundwater level.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21We are supposed to dig a metre below the depth.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Striking water now could mean a definite refusal.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31If I find water, I'll be digging my own grave!
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Britain's planners receive over half a million letters of objection every year.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53In the chocolate box Cotswolds countryside,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58a community is up in arms against the latest planning application.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02I have always said about Box, people think it is just a collection
0:25:02 > 0:25:04of lovely Cotswold cottages.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06But 50% of what makes this village is the people who live in them
0:25:06 > 0:25:10because they do take part. Brian lives just opposite here,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12he writes the pantomimes for the children.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17I think you're doing your fourth rewrite of this year's! Fourth rewrite of Treasure Island.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20That phone box is well known locally because it is a library.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Talk of the devil, here comes Carolyn who looks after the library.
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Our librarian!
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Don't film me today, please!
0:25:31 > 0:25:35It is a community. It is not just a set of 90-odd houses.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40We do need as many people contributing to this village as we possibly can.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Which is our concern, where private dwellings get consumed for other purposes.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52The Cotswold Chine school, which looks after 60 children with special needs
0:25:52 > 0:25:58bought these three cottages and has applied for planning permission to turn them into care homes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But parish councillor Steve has objected on behalf of the residents.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I am very supportive of what the school does.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08There is a great drive for expansion of the school.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13Which now means they've got to start cannibalising the village to get the space.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19They already have the pub next door, that's closed now, has been for a year or so.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22They recently purchased the woods and tried to limit
0:26:22 > 0:26:25the freedom of residents to walk the woods as they had for years.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35Jake Lucas is the school's principal. He's been at the school for 21 years.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Try not to limp.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42I broke my ankle playing football with the teachers. That was stupid.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43You shouldn't do it at 45
0:26:43 > 0:26:46but I thought it was a good idea at the time.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Jake knows that, following the school's expansion in recent years,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54the residents of the village are feeling boxed in.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I've heard remarks made and I've seen objections.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00The school provides education
0:27:00 > 0:27:05and care for young people between the ages of eight to 19,
0:27:05 > 0:27:11who have experienced childhood trauma or childhood adversity.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I think there have been some complications in the past
0:27:16 > 0:27:20concerning our use of the Halfway Cafe,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24which obviously we changed from a public house into a cafe.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27We purchased Box Woods because we know
0:27:27 > 0:27:31that our young people really need safe, outdoor space,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33where they can run around and play.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35What could be better than your own wood?
0:27:35 > 0:27:39I don't think that vulnerable people with a disability
0:27:39 > 0:27:41living in a village is an intrusion.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48The residents asked to be consulted about any new expansion to the school,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51but they don't think their views are being considered.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57The dominant argument is that they must always think of the children first, above all else.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01While I understand their duty is to look after the children,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05it seems to be, in this case, at the expense of the community which they are part of.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15The school's application is now in the hands of the planners.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The application is for the three buildings to my left.
0:28:21 > 0:28:27They are right on the periphery of the school. This is the school here.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Then we have the village of Box running down here.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Normally it wouldn't be a complicated issue.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Here we are in the hamlet of Box, where the community is very strong
0:28:38 > 0:28:42and feelings run very high about any change of use of residence.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46You have a big institution and a small community.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49There might be a perception
0:28:49 > 0:28:53that the school is going to subsume the village.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57I'm trying to prepare people for leaving care.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03You can see that the table was set this morning by the young people.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07They would have had their breakfast in here, and then they clear the dishes away,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10they wash up and set the table for their own lunch.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14That's very important, that there's a sense of structure and rhythm and routine to the day.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19Planner Phil has eight weeks to come up with his recommendation.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23We've had quite a few objections already to this application.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27So we'll have to look at what they're saying and how we can handle that.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33If we are not successful, it may mean
0:29:33 > 0:29:37young people may have to move back into some of our larger houses.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42Which seems pretty unfair when they are progressing to
0:29:42 > 0:29:47a level of semi-independence, ready for moving on.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03In South Wales, a car wash has applied for retrospective
0:30:03 > 0:30:07planning permission to continue trading in this residential area.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10But with neighbours complaining about noise,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12the planners commissioned a sound test
0:30:12 > 0:30:15before making their recommendation.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16Results have just come in.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22When we are dealing with subjective issues such as noise
0:30:22 > 0:30:25and the way noise affects people, we have to look at the numbers.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28And while there may be some irritation factors
0:30:28 > 0:30:31or annoyance factors of this, I don't think
0:30:31 > 0:30:36they are sufficiently large enough that we would say that this
0:30:36 > 0:30:40has necessarily got a health effect on the people living next to it.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43It's bad news for the neighbours of the car wash.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46When a new noise comes to an environment,
0:30:46 > 0:30:52when you haven't experienced it, we all notice it more, as people accept
0:30:52 > 0:30:56road noise because there is very little that can be done about it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02With Environmental Health giving the all-clear,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05planner Richard can now make his recommendation.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09From a statutory noise point of view, there is no issue, it is
0:31:09 > 0:31:12not a statutory noise problem.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16So we recommend the application be approved.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23The planners may have recommended approval, but there is a lifeline
0:31:23 > 0:31:27for Spiro and the other seven objectors, as it will be down to the
0:31:27 > 0:31:31local planning committee to make the final decision on this application.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35The noise by my patio, it really gets you.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37HE IMITATES THE CAR WASH
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Yes.You know?Yeah.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41It gets you crazy.
0:31:41 > 0:31:4526-year-old councillor David Daniels will be among the people making that decision.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49But since he is also the ward councillor for this area,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52he has come to offer advice to these objectors.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55I would recommend you guys make a representation on the day.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58If you want to argue your case effectively,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01I would exercise your democratic right to speak.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05I think it is actually important to convey to the committee
0:32:05 > 0:32:07how much of an effect it has on you guys.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10It may not refer to planning policy, but it still counts,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12that's what the committee is there for.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17It's not the first time Councillor Daniels has got
0:32:17 > 0:32:20summoned by worried residents ahead of planning committees.
0:32:20 > 0:32:26I am quite familiar with the concerns that this group have got now.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31So it's all about drawing up some questions for the committee to ask
0:32:31 > 0:32:33and get answers for them, basically.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37But right now, Councillor Daniels has a concern of his own.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39He is stranded in the rain.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I'm going to try to find out whether my mum can give me a lift.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48That's my arrangement at the moment. Until I can afford a car.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Dreadful with her phone, my mum.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06In Winsford, Cheshire, someone else is waiting for his phone to ring.
0:33:06 > 0:33:12Grave-digger Allen Plumbley wants to know the outcome of his burial planning application.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Will you hear from the planners soon?I hope so.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20I don't know how they spend their time.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24He has carried out a series of tests to check if there is a risk
0:33:24 > 0:33:28that burials on the site could pollute the local water supply.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Doesn't that look nice and comfortable in there?
0:33:31 > 0:33:35The results are in and planner Nial has finally reached a decision.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42Most of the holes came back showing there was about 300mm of topsoil.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45Which, you know...yay.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49And another 2.5 to 3 metres of a mixture of clay and sand
0:33:49 > 0:33:54underneath that, so pretty good soil for burying people.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59So we don't have any objections on pollution grounds
0:33:59 > 0:34:02and we can proceed with it.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08MOBILE RINGS
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Hello. Swanlow Park Cemetery.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Hello, Allen, it's Nial from the planning department.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Hello, how are you? Are you well? Not so bad, are you good?
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Not so bad, I'm in the grave here! Go on.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24It's good news, we have decided to grant permission.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30So the notice that sets out your permissions and the conditions we have attached to it,
0:34:30 > 0:34:34that will be with you in a couple of days.Thank you.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Ta-ra. Ta-ra.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42He was actually in a grave, actually in a grave.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46A little bit creepy, isn't it?
0:34:46 > 0:34:49You wouldn't get me sat in a grave, definitely not.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Allen has got the green light.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55With just one objector,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57his case won't need to go to the full planning committee.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00But he hasn't had it all his own way.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02The conditions that the council put on,
0:35:02 > 0:35:07whereby we can't bury anyone within ten metres of any boundary,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11will reduce the site by about a third.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14It will be all right. Just have to put them a bit closer.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Next-door neighbour Simon may have lost his fight
0:35:21 > 0:35:24to stop the development, but he is seeing the funny side.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Dead good water, that!
0:35:31 > 0:35:35I'm not surprised, it's what I expected, to be honest.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37More quiet neighbours next door!
0:35:45 > 0:35:49Also in Cheshire, a proposed new development
0:35:49 > 0:35:51stands to drive 2,000 university students
0:35:51 > 0:35:54away from Chester city centre into the green belt.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59With a massive number of supporters and objectors from both sides of the city,
0:35:59 > 0:36:04it has been decided that, for the first time in Chester's history,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07every elected councillor will vote on this planning application.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11There is clearly a lot of disquiet about this application
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and I think people feel, rightly or wrongly,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19that it will get a fairer hearing at a full council meeting.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22The application will be determined in a democratic manner.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Our recommendation as officers will go to a body of members,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30to have an open, honest, transparent debate,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32and members will come to a view on the application.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40The councillors, including an ex-police sergeant,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44a theology student and the manager of a salt mine, are about to visit
0:36:44 > 0:36:48the proposed site of the student village, in preparation for the vote.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51The tension builds! Why do you say that?
0:36:51 > 0:36:55Everyone has just gone quiet now the bus has started.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Shout for Harry!
0:37:00 > 0:37:04Kingdom! And St George!
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Ready for the arrival of the councillors,
0:37:07 > 0:37:11residents have prepared a special welcome committee.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16I, as a revolting pensioner, object.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19But then I object to most things in life.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23That is why I am permanently revolting.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26The councillors' first glimpse of the student village site
0:37:26 > 0:37:30is from a clearing a mile away from the residents.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35If we are sitting here in 15 years' time, what would our aspect be like?
0:37:35 > 0:37:40Would it be basically a range of buildings across the skyline? Would it be that?
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Yes, it is a big development and it will be obvious looking at it.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Anyone have a question for members?
0:37:46 > 0:37:47Shall we move on then?
0:37:52 > 0:37:57The community has certainly got together over it, haven't they?
0:37:58 > 0:38:02They are obviously all keen to let us know their feelings,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04that they don't like it.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Normally the councillors would disembark from the coach
0:38:07 > 0:38:11to explore the site, but this time they choose not to.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Do you want to stay here? We'll stay here, thank you.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15It's difficult if there are a lot of protesters.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Normally it's easier to stay away.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20We are all pensioners, what can they be frightened of?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22You'd be surprised!
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Let's let their tyres down!
0:38:24 > 0:38:29How about parading around the bus? Come on.I'm game.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32I am going to put my cup of tea down.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34No to the student village!
0:38:39 > 0:38:42At what point could the developers say,
0:38:42 > 0:38:44"I am going to sell these as houses"?
0:38:44 > 0:38:47We have to make sure whatever decision we make is pertinent
0:38:47 > 0:38:52to the application in front of us now, we cannot go into the realms of speculation.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I think it's time maybe to move the bus, if you don't mind?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Can they read?
0:38:58 > 0:39:01I think we need to move away from here.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04OK, if we are all done, let's move away.
0:39:04 > 0:39:09And I'm not having that they were frightened of a bunch of pensioners.
0:39:09 > 0:39:15You tell them.Even if we are revolting.I can't believe that!
0:39:15 > 0:39:17You didn't get out. Why was that?
0:39:17 > 0:39:22I was thinking of getting out, but not wanting to go against advice.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32I don't believe this council. I'm not voting next time.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Having seen the site,
0:39:34 > 0:39:36the councillors will gather again tomorrow
0:39:36 > 0:39:39to give the final verdict on this application.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42They will not build that student village there.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46To spoil that.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50No. It can't happen.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58And there's someone else hoping to create new student accommodation.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01In Box, Gloucestershire,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04the Chine School wants to turn these three cottages
0:40:04 > 0:40:07into residential care homes for its special needs pupils.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11It's been a controversial application
0:40:11 > 0:40:14with 54 objections from local residents,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17but head planner Phil Skill has made up his mind on this case.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Given that this is merely three houses in a row
0:40:22 > 0:40:25already in the ownership of the school,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28how can I demonstrate that that change is harmful?
0:40:28 > 0:40:31To be quite honest, I don't think I can.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34In these circumstances, I think we'd be hard pushed
0:40:34 > 0:40:37not to be recommending permission, so permission is what's recommended.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43It's a bitter blow for the residents.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46There are about 100 buildings in Box.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49In the past 20 years, the school bought five of them,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52as well as the local woods, and the local pub,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54which was turned into a cafe.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Half price, Fosters.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06We're trying to get rid of it!
0:41:03 > 0:41:06SHE LAUGHS
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Yeah, have a drink, for God's sake.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11We open the village hall and we have a pay bar.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14All the villagers come and catch up on the news.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18After losing the pub, the residents feel
0:41:18 > 0:41:21like they're being pushed aside by the school's expansion.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Bit by bit, they've encroached on our village
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and it's beginning to affect village life,
0:41:28 > 0:41:31it's beginning to affect our community,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34and we seem a bit powerless to stop what's been happening.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38But not all is lost for the Box objectors.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47The final decision on the school's latest application
0:41:47 > 0:41:50is down to the 12 elected members of the planning committee,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54who have the power to go against planner Phil's recommendations.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58There are two sides to every story,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03so it will be interesting to see what it looks like, geographically.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06And we have to make a judgement
0:42:06 > 0:42:09based on all the facts in front of us.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14It's not surprising that, on a committee of 12 people,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16there will be 12 different opinions.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18And they will all be different to mine.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29From a planning point of view, if the houses had a resident adult
0:42:29 > 0:42:31who lived there permanently,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and the children lived with them as boarders,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37that would be a house and therefore there'd be no change of use.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42The issue before you is the use of a rota carer,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45rather than a permanent carer. That's the difference.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48It becomes more like a children's home.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And it's that change which is being applied for.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53If the application is approved,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57the houses will cease to be ordinary residential dwellings.
0:42:57 > 0:43:02I think what we have got to unravel here is what the actual application
0:43:02 > 0:43:06is saying, rather than what the feelings of the villagers are.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11It is an extremely difficult application, actually.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14Because the children's interests have to be considered as well,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and that's the primary concern that I have.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22The councillors will gather to give their verdict in four days.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31In Llantarnam, south Wales, the local planning committee
0:43:31 > 0:43:34is also about to gather to decide
0:43:34 > 0:43:37whether to give permission for this car wash to keep trading.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40The youngest committee member
0:43:40 > 0:43:44is 26-year-old animal behaviour graduate David Daniels,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46who was elected 18 months ago.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50I guess I am a bit different from your average councillor.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53People say, "Oh, you're young for a counsellor."
0:43:53 > 0:43:56and they are quite happy to see something a bit different.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Is that someone's birthday?
0:43:59 > 0:44:03LAUGHING:It was my birthday last week.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07This is a card from my nan and granddad's dog.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12I love my grandparents. They're brilliant.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14They give money and then I get lots of sweets
0:44:14 > 0:44:16because they know I love sweets.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Is it working now?
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Right. Is it working now?
0:44:27 > 0:44:29FEEDBACK ON MICROPHONE
0:44:29 > 0:44:33After carrying out a sound test, the planners are satisfied
0:44:33 > 0:44:36the car wash is quiet enough for them to recommend approval.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Good afternoon, everyone. It's working.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43But when voting time comes, these elected councillors have the power
0:44:43 > 0:44:47to overturn that recommendation and close the business.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50There's no reason why they should allow this to go ahead.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52We have put up with it for 18 months.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55It's made our life a misery for 18 months. We just want it to stop now.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Making his argument for the car wash
0:45:00 > 0:45:03is planning consultant Gereint Hurst.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05We feel that we have addressed those issues.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08We've undertaken an independent report
0:45:08 > 0:45:11with regards to noise and general disturbance,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15which your own professional environmental health officers
0:45:15 > 0:45:17have corroborated.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22The outcome is, there is little impact on the residential amenity.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Thank you very much.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Then it's Beverley's turn.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33We live on a road where we take great pride
0:45:33 > 0:45:36in the appearance of our homes. But, in the last 18 months,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39it has felt as if we live on an industrial estate.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Normally the jet wash is loud enough to wake me up on a Sunday morning.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46The building is unsightly, badly maintained,
0:45:46 > 0:45:48there's rubbish left there regularly
0:45:48 > 0:45:51and it's not a suitable place to be washing cars.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56No... It is just horrific. It is not the place for this. Thank you.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03We are voting now to approve this application.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07It's now down to the councillors to decide on this application
0:46:07 > 0:46:09with a show of hands.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11We'll vote on that now.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14The car wash has wiped the floor with the objectors.
0:46:14 > 0:46:15Every single councillor
0:46:15 > 0:46:18has voted in favour of their application.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21That's unanimous, so this application has been approved.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Was it a difficult one for you? It was a difficult one...
0:46:28 > 0:46:29because, to trade being there...
0:46:29 > 0:46:31They are jobs, at the end of the day.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33Especially in this climate.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37It's about striking the balance between the impact on residents
0:46:37 > 0:46:41and then a trade being there, basically.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44I guess you are not going to be popular with residents?
0:46:44 > 0:46:48That's not why we're in the planning committee, though, is it?
0:46:48 > 0:46:51You're not in the planning committee to be popular.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53For the residents, it's a whitewash.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Make them sit outside on my patio, and see how they stand it.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02How they stand the noise or the spray.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04My wife is having a nervous breakdown.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07But there you go.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09You try and do everything right and do you get any justice?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11This doesn't feel like justice.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14All I want to be able to do is open my bedroom curtains
0:47:14 > 0:47:17and not just look at a load of cars, vans and tractors
0:47:17 > 0:47:20being washed outside of my bedroom window.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Not a lot we can do about it now. I have to go. Thanks.
0:47:37 > 0:47:3924 hours later,
0:47:39 > 0:47:43Beverley has found the ultimate solution for the car wash problem.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47She put her house up for sale, and is looking for a new one.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58It's a historic day for Chester.
0:47:58 > 0:47:59For the first time,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02all the elected councillors have been called to decide
0:48:02 > 0:48:05on a planning application to build a massive student village
0:48:05 > 0:48:07on the green belt.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09Head planner Fiona Edwards
0:48:09 > 0:48:12has finally come up with her own recommendation.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16For us, as officers, it is a clear-cut refusal.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19It is an inappropriate development in the green belt,
0:48:19 > 0:48:21for which they need to demonstrate very special circumstances.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24We certainly do not consider that they have done that.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27It is a refusal on those grounds, but it's also a refusal
0:48:27 > 0:48:29in terms of the impact on the historic landscape of the city
0:48:29 > 0:48:32and the countryside itself.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35The developers proposed the construction of a sports centre
0:48:35 > 0:48:37run by Sir Steve Redgrave.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41But that wasn't enough to sway the planners into recommending approval.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43When voting time comes, however,
0:48:43 > 0:48:45these 55 councillors have the power
0:48:45 > 0:48:48to go against the planners' recommendation.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52And Sir Steve Redgrave will personally try to convince them
0:48:52 > 0:48:54to vote in favour of the scheme.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57This is going to be a serious and difficult planning application
0:48:57 > 0:49:00that we are discussing this evening.
0:49:00 > 0:49:07So I would ask visitors not to clap, cheer or heckle in any way at all.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11But first to speak is another supporter of the application,
0:49:11 > 0:49:15Garden Quarter resident Avril Coady, who, along with her neighbours,
0:49:15 > 0:49:19is hoping students would relocate away from the city centre.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Am I on now? Yes? Good.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Chester City is at a tipping point.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28The deterioration in parts of the city over the last decade
0:49:28 > 0:49:31have been caused primarily by the increasing numbers of students
0:49:31 > 0:49:34living alongside permanent residents,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37who have had to deal with anti-social behaviour,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39disruptive street noise,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42parking problems and verbal abuse.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44How far does this deterioration have to go
0:49:44 > 0:49:49before the university and the city realise that a student village
0:49:49 > 0:49:51would address many of these issues?
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Your vote tonight will determine our city's future.
0:49:54 > 0:50:00I make no exaggeration. We need a student village now. Thank you.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03APPLAUSE
0:50:05 > 0:50:09This is a planning meeting, so please refrain from clapping.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13Ruth is going to speak on behalf of the objectors.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18Green belt land is a priceless asset to the United Kingdom.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Given the fact we are a small country with a large population,
0:50:21 > 0:50:24it is vital we preserve open spaces.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27I therefore hope this particular proposal
0:50:27 > 0:50:30will be refused and that the local people's voice will be heard.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35The next speaker has won six Olympic medals.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37But to get permission to build his sports centre
0:50:37 > 0:50:39alongside the student village,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Sir Steve Redgrave will have to win over 55 councillors.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Chairman, Councillors,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49thank you for this opportunity to speak about our proposal today.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53The Redgrave Institute is my vision for integrated sports delivery,
0:50:53 > 0:50:59for aspiring elite athletes, students, community and our children.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Chester is where I want my institute to be based.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05It is a good place with good people who care.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10I think we can do something special in Chester. Thank you for your time.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13The councillors must now prepare to vote,
0:51:13 > 0:51:17as no-one else is scheduled to speak...officially, at least.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21..all of you, for what you are doing!Please, sit down!
0:51:21 > 0:51:26Chester resident Julie wants the students out of the city centre.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29You'll have to throw me out.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31SCATTERED APPLAUSE
0:51:33 > 0:51:35Shame on the lot of you!
0:51:36 > 0:51:41We will carry on with the debate which we have not yet finished.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43You should be ashamed! All of you!
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Can we just remind members
0:51:50 > 0:51:52that decisions can only be made this evening on planning grounds.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55No matter how emotional you might get about things,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58it is planning grounds that you need to think about.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00The planners have recommended refusal.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Now the time has come for each councillor to declare
0:52:03 > 0:52:06if they agree with Fiona's decision.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09We are voting in favour of the recommendation,
0:52:09 > 0:52:11which is to refuse this application.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17Councillor David Armstrong?For.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Councillor Alex Black?For.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Councillor Tom Blackmore?For.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Councillor Alan McKay?Abstain.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Councillor Stuart Parker?Against.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32SCATTERED APPLAUSE
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Councillor Ben Howell?For.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Councillor Keith Board.For!
0:52:37 > 0:52:41Things don't look good for the supporters of the student village.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45With just one councillor in favour,
0:52:45 > 0:52:5051 against and three abstentions, the scheme has been refused.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54Thank you very much. I hope you all have a safe journey home.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57LOUD CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Ecstatic.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02With every "for" there, it was just even better, wasn't it?
0:53:03 > 0:53:06I've got to go and celebrate now!
0:53:06 > 0:53:08They're all kissing each other down there!
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Oh, brilliant!
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Oh, definitely a pint. I'll give you a hug as well.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18We have been disregarded totally,
0:53:18 > 0:53:21and I say "we", the people of Chester who have to live with this
0:53:21 > 0:53:23on a constant basis.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25Where does that leave us?
0:53:25 > 0:53:29It leaves us struggling to live a decent life in an ordinary way.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31But were we considered? No, we weren't.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36It's over, finished.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I'm going to find my car and go home.
0:53:39 > 0:53:44I haven't got any wine in the house, so I will make a cup of cocoa.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48Very boringly! Unless I stop at the off-licence on the way home,
0:53:48 > 0:53:50which is always a possibility.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Bye!Bye!
0:54:02 > 0:54:05But there are some students who could soon be moving premises.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09The application by a Gloucestershire special needs school
0:54:09 > 0:54:12to turn three residential cottages into care homes for their pupils
0:54:12 > 0:54:15has incensed the residents of Box.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19It isn't a problem with having a school in your backyard,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21it's a problem with a management team
0:54:21 > 0:54:24who want to close houses to make the empire grow.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Tonight, Stroud's planning committee will decide
0:54:27 > 0:54:30whether to approve or refuse the school's application.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35I hope we get the right decision, and if the planning is approved
0:54:35 > 0:54:39in our benefit, it will be a good result for the young people.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43The planners have recommended approval,
0:54:43 > 0:54:47but these eight councillors can decide to overturn
0:54:47 > 0:54:50that recommendation after they've heard both parties' case.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55First to speak is David Jones, the school's planning consultant.
0:54:56 > 0:55:02Paragraph 159 of the MPPF recognises the need to provide accommodation
0:55:02 > 0:55:05to meet the needs of different groups in the community,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07including people with disabilities.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11I urge this committee to support that application and recommendation.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Thank you, members.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Is there anybody who wishes to speak against the scheme?
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Yes, please. Thank you, sir.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24Parish Councillor Steve is speaking on behalf of the Box objectors.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28The Trust has proven it is prepared to cannibalise the village
0:55:28 > 0:55:30in the process of expanding its business.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33The loss of three more houses as conventional domestic dwellings
0:55:33 > 0:55:36and their use instead as dormitory accommodation
0:55:36 > 0:55:38for students and staff of the Cotswold Chine School
0:55:38 > 0:55:40would diminish still further the pool of resource
0:55:40 > 0:55:43from which we can draw to keep the village a community.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46APPLAUSE
0:55:46 > 0:55:50As the debate opens, one counsellor takes sides.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53This application in front of you is another example
0:55:53 > 0:55:58of Novalis just simply ignoring their sense of community spirit.
0:55:58 > 0:56:03Once you grant this application for the conversion of three houses,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05what more will happen?
0:56:05 > 0:56:08How many more houses can they buy?
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Enough is enough. We are not, as a district council,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14going to support this creeping and creeping
0:56:14 > 0:56:15into the community.
0:56:15 > 0:56:20Mr Chairman, I would like to move against officers' advice, please,
0:56:20 > 0:56:21and move for refusal.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28Refusal is on the table. All those in favour, please show?
0:56:32 > 0:56:33Seven.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36All those against, please show?
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Abstentions, please?
0:56:41 > 0:56:43That is carried.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45APPLAUSE
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The committee has refused the application.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52The school won't be able to turn its own houses into care homes.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I think it has been a fair decision and a right decision.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58I'm hoping Cotswold Chine now, and Novalis, will now say,
0:56:58 > 0:57:00"OK, we're going to work with Box residents
0:57:00 > 0:57:03"and the district councillors," and actually reach a compromise
0:57:03 > 0:57:06so the two communities can get on better.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10The council has made the correct decision
0:57:10 > 0:57:13because that's the decision they came to.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17We'll see whether it's the right decision if it's appealed.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22For the school, it's not a case of "if" but "when".
0:57:22 > 0:57:24Ultimately, it will be an appeal inspector
0:57:24 > 0:57:27who determines the final decision.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31I think it's very upsetting that we work with a very vulnerable group
0:57:31 > 0:57:33of young people, who, at the end of the day,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35just want somewhere to live, and they just want a home,
0:57:35 > 0:57:37but we will appeal.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40CHEERING
0:57:40 > 0:57:42But we realise there's going to be an appeal,
0:57:42 > 0:57:46so we look forward to the time when the Chine come and have a talk to us.
0:57:46 > 0:57:47Yes, absolutely.Yep.
0:57:54 > 0:57:59Next time, residents see red over a proposed new housing development.
0:57:59 > 0:58:01That is our history,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and that's what they want to put all this housing on.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06Urgh, developer!
0:58:06 > 0:58:10Locals don't want to see a new business venture get off the ground.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Hovercrafting? It's a noise pollution.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16It's not an accepted thing in a quiet, little town.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20And a constituent loses faith in democracy.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23I don't know about the law being an ass, I think the council's an ass.