0:00:02 > 0:00:06Britain is a green and pleasant land,
0:00:06 > 0:00:07but for how long?
0:00:07 > 0:00:12We're now getting to a situation where any site's worth putting a planning application in for.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15After the biggest shake up of the planning system in 40 years,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19the race is on to get Britain building.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22If I have a house here, I'm thinking about building
0:00:22 > 0:00:25a sort of Berlin Wall that's got to be at least six feet high.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27So constructors are making plans.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Whoever designed that needs to be shot.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Objectors are making noises.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35We've had bloody enough of it with what we got in this town
0:00:35 > 0:00:38- for councillors and all the- BLEEP- they're putting up.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40And neighbours are going to war.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44We always won our battles as a family and we'll win this one.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47In the firing line, shaping the country of the future
0:00:47 > 0:00:49are Britain's planners.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53- So, nothing happens in the hall, yes?- No.- Yes, no? Yes?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Thank you for letting us visit. And we'll see you on Thursday.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Another British planning cock-up, really.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Planners don't just consider what a building looks like.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22They also have to weigh up its impact on the local economy
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and the people that live nearby.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27In the Scottish Borders,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30planner Ian Aikman is dealing with an application that,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34if successful, will have a big impact on the region.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The application is for a new poultry unit at Glenrath Farms,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41in the north of the Borders.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43It is a big scale building which will
0:01:43 > 0:01:47house around 170,000 birds.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52It's been a complex application and one that's been very controversial.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03This is the man with the poultry plan - John Campbell,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07self-made millionaire and the second biggest egg farmer in Britain.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Hi, girls. Hi, girls! They like to peck your finger.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15You put your hand in the cage, they're usually like,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17"Oh, that's something different."
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They come and peck your finger. Nothing wrong with that.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Everyday, one and a half million eggs are laid,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28packed and sent to supermarkets from his seven farms.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34John now wants to add another shed to his collection.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Want to build another shed because, sadly,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40the demand for organic eggs since the recession
0:02:40 > 0:02:42has dropped dramatically.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47And the demand for colony eggs has increased quite substantially.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50so, our company motto is to give our customer what they want,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54when they want it, how they want it and on time.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56# Old McDonald had a farm
0:02:56 > 0:02:59# And on that farm he had some hens... #
0:02:59 > 0:03:02John thinks he's found the perfect site for his new shed,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04just two miles down the road.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08# ..and the eggs went away to the supermarkets. #
0:03:08 > 0:03:13This is the farm I purchased in maybe 1970.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16There was poultry houses here before!
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I mean, it's not as if it's a new site.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21There's the rubble that came out from it.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23We've dismantled them because they were eyesores
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and here we're building brand new, modern houses
0:03:26 > 0:03:31and, surely, that's the right place to be where they were before.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33They've been here for 40, maybe 50 years.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39But John's new site has neighbours,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44and all that separates them from his planned sheds is a row of trees.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Can you hear that hum?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49That traffic sound you can hear is not traffic.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51That's the fans from the existing sheds.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- And there's going to be 42 more. - 42 more.
0:03:57 > 0:03:5842 more.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04The converted 18th century farm building 150 metres away
0:04:04 > 0:04:07is now home to six families
0:04:07 > 0:04:09and a small but well organised protest group.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14There's going to be 8,000 tons every year
0:04:14 > 0:04:18of dried bird faeces being taken along a conveyor belt
0:04:18 > 0:04:23and dumped into open trailers which have no protection around them to catch any of this dust
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and this is flying up into the atmosphere.
0:04:25 > 0:04:31There are instances of disease being exacerbated by bird faeces.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34You can't see it, the dust is smaller than smoke.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38- You don't know it's there and you can't get away from it.- Mm.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40So that's the biggest worry is the long-term health issues.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44(Oh, chilly.)
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's going to be sited in this gap here, tall as those trees,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50100 feet wide and 300 feet long,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54where twice a week they'll be firing out their tons
0:04:54 > 0:04:57of poultry manure into the trailers.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It beggars belief that there's
0:04:59 > 0:05:02so much documented evidence that this can harm human health,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and yet making money is put before human health.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Is that not just the bottom line? I think so.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16At the end of the lane lives fellow objector Angie MacDougal
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and her daughter Beth.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19This is Beth's bedroom.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24The windows stay firmly closed in her cottage.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25You can taste the smell.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It can be so bad you can taste the smell.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31If I am leaving this house and it's really smelly,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34the smell is still with me half an hour later
0:05:34 > 0:05:36if I'm going to Penicuik or Peebles.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38You can taste it, it can be so bad.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47We're 70-75 metres away from where these sheds are
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and where all the dust and the manure
0:05:49 > 0:05:52is going to be emptied out of them.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54I was brought up in the country.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I have no objections to smells, country smells,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00muck spreading, animals, I keep animals,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03always kept my own animals, it's the health problems
0:06:03 > 0:06:07that are associated with so many birds that are my main concern.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12People are justified to complain if they think they can,
0:06:12 > 0:06:13but what is there to complain about?
0:06:13 > 0:06:17We're complying with EU rules. We've invested 50 million
0:06:17 > 0:06:20in bringing our facilities up to EU standard,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22which we're very proud of.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24And we take this manure away twice a week
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and nobody even knows we're doing it.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29And there's no smell,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32there's no ammonia, there's no flies.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33And there's no vermin.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Led by planner Ian Aikman, the 13 elected members
0:06:39 > 0:06:41of the planning committee are about to visit
0:06:41 > 0:06:43the site before deciding on its future.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Farmer John's worried the objectors will jeopardise his business.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54We're surprised we're being held up for so long and it looks as
0:06:54 > 0:06:58if we're going to have to cancel orders and make redundancies.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Is that the way forward for Scottish agriculture? I doubt that.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10He's clearly decided he's going to argue the toss about it, so...
0:07:10 > 0:07:13230 miles down the road in Cheshire,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Nial Casselden has one of the most exciting jobs in planning.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22He's one of the country's 700 enforcement officers,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26who investigate around 5,000 planning breaches every year.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31He has the power to demolish buildings and clear land
0:07:31 > 0:07:32if he thinks it's necessary.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37This is an interesting site, actually, because it's where
0:07:37 > 0:07:40we demolished a house last year
0:07:40 > 0:07:42that had been built in the wrong place.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45It was built too far back
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and was causing a lot of harm to the neighbour.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49I'll keep out your way.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52That neighbour is Norma Jean Carter,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55a stickler for detail when it comes to planning.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- You don't want me to serve a notice on that do you?- But that's only supposed to be small.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04- I said, "Please, I can't see," which you'll see from inside.- Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05For most people,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09when an enforcement officer comes calling it usually spells bad news.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13But not for Norma who dealt with Nial for a year over the demolition
0:08:13 > 0:08:15of the neighbouring house.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- INTERVIEWER:- Have you met Nial before then, is he a nice man? What's he like?
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Nial?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- Er... Who, him? Nial?- Yeah.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Haven't you told them about us?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I don't know what you mean(!)
0:08:29 > 0:08:30- Is he a nice man?- Yes.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I was like a terrier at a trouser leg.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40This man... I'm getting upset now because he's been absolutely wonderful.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Absolutely wonderful.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I'd hug him now if we weren't on camera.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Oh, you can give me a hug. That's OK.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Thank you, Nial. - That's all right. That's all right.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Knocking down the neighbouring house solved Norma's big problem,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03but now she has a smaller one.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Another neighbour's trees are spoiling her view.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12I'm very upset that he can't understand, you know.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- I like to see the sky and the planes, you see.- Yeah.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- You see the weeping willow?- Yeah.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Now that is a dangerous tree.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23But he's had that lopped.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24One of the worst trees.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30I'm not moaning about anything else, it's that alder that scares me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Yeah, yeah.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38- It's unlikely that we can justify taking formal action.- I know, I know.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It's going to get to a point where it does justify a notice,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- which is why if we did write to him...- So we'll leave it?
0:09:44 > 0:09:46SHE SIGHS
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Yeah.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Nial has decided against action this time,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53but Norma's faith in his judgement is unshaken.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I trust Nial, I trust him implicitly.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00I might write to the Queen anyway for the OBE.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05You don't believe me, do you?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- And thank you very much.- That's all right. You and Noel take care.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Thank you so much.- And we'll keep an eye on it.- OK.
0:10:14 > 0:10:20- Get back in touch if anything else happens.- I'll take your advice and not do anything.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- OK, all right.- Thank you.- OK.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25We're not the garden police.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30If it's a situation where a garden is a bit overgrown
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and perhaps there's branches overhanging a neighbour's property,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37that's not really a matter we can justify intervening over.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43But a potentially more serious enforcement case
0:10:43 > 0:10:44has arrived on Nial's desk.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47In Huxley near Chester,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51a couple has reported a garden overflowing with rubbish.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55The initial indications are that the condition of the property is
0:10:55 > 0:11:01far worse and potentially causing significant harm to local amenities
0:11:01 > 0:11:04so we're going to have to assess exactly what's on the land
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and the harm that's being caused to the local area.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Sandra and Keith Rowland want Nial's help.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Their neighbour moved out of his house
0:11:15 > 0:11:18but has been using the garden as a dumping ground.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22There's all sorts of things.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Actually, underneath here
0:11:25 > 0:11:28is asbestos sheets, tin.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31There's two vehicles in there somewhere.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Keith and Sandra inherited the house from Keith's father
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and have spent 20 years next to the offending garden.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I don't know what animals live here.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I wouldn't like to think.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I'm very angry.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I don't want Kew Gardens next door to me,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I just want all this cleared and some decent neighbours there.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Nationally, overgrown gardens are one of the most frequent
0:12:04 > 0:12:06violations of planning rules.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09It may well be that the neighbours just don't like looking at it
0:12:09 > 0:12:13but that in itself isn't enough to justify us taking action.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17We do have powers to take action where the condition of the land
0:12:17 > 0:12:21has got so bad that it's perhaps beginning to damage property.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Only when Nial has seen the garden can he decide whether it's
0:12:27 > 0:12:31time to stop sending letters, and instead send in the diggers.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43With a growing population, Britain has a chronic shortage of housing.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47I like downhill skiing because gravity is my friend,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49going uphill is a different matter altogether.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53In Stroud in Gloucestershire, planner Phil Skill needs to
0:12:53 > 0:12:57find sites for 3,000 new homes over the next ten years,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00without damaging the beauty of the countryside.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05This is my patch. This is the bit that the community
0:13:05 > 0:13:07ask me to look after for them.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10So what I hope is that my children can look at Stroud and say,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12"Look what a good job my dad's done,"
0:13:12 > 0:13:16rather than, "I'm not going to Stroud. Look how ugly it is. My dad really messed that one up."
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Tough decisions are taken every day about which fields should be
0:13:20 > 0:13:23reclaimed to meet the housing shortage.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28According to planning policy, the first land to be
0:13:28 > 0:13:32considered for housing should be in and around built-up areas.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37What we're looking at first of all is sustainability.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42When petrol hits £5 a litre, people won't have to drive,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46they'll be able just to walk down the road and get to the doctors,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50get to the hospital, get to the shops,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52without, where possible, using the car.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57In the peaceful town of Minchinhampton,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00there's an acre of land that could tick all Phil's boxes.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05The Lemon Field is 30 seconds from the high street
0:14:05 > 0:14:08and surrounded by existing buildings.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13It hasn't been built upon since the Middle Ages.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16But all this may be about to change.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21You see there the three houses on the left, over there,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24and four on the right, facing that way.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29The owner of the land has put his agent, Andrew Watton,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33in charge of finding a more profitable use for the Lemon Field.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Andrew has found a developer who has come up with a contemporary
0:14:36 > 0:14:40looking cul-de-sac tailored to this plot.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42The walnut tree stays.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46There is one part to be chopped back slightly to balance it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Three bedrooms, cottage style.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51The finish is in reconstituted stone,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54it's not going to be Cotswold stone.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56But not everyone in Minchinhampton
0:14:56 > 0:14:58is looking forward to having new neighbours.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I'm thinking about building a sort of Berlin Wall.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04It's got to be at least six feet high.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I don't want people looking into my garden or my house
0:15:06 > 0:15:09while I'm living here all the time.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's just going to be like being in a goldfish bowl.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Peta Bunbury, chair of the Protect Our Space action group,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23is leading the opposition from her headquarters - The Crown Pub.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- I'll take the wine. - Oh, fiddlesticks.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30We've got a number of posters A4 and A5 size.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36So, we got the A5, which is easy for the little windows in Friday Street.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And then we've got the larger ones for people with big, Victorian sized windows.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Along with her neighbours, Peta has been lobbying against the development
0:15:44 > 0:15:48since the day the application was submitted six weeks ago.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52There's a lot of apathy in our world, and a lot of people say,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55"Oh, it will be taken, Peta, one day the builders will take it."
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Well, you don't stop fighting. You keep going until the last breath.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03look at the gorgeous tree. You don't want to change that canopy, do you?
0:16:03 > 0:16:08A lot of people who've lived here for a long time feel very protective about this field.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09There's a lot of history.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13To be honest, what they're proposing is going to be like any other
0:16:13 > 0:16:17estate anywhere in the UK. It would be another Brookside.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19You try and come up with a scheme,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23which mitigates what the neighbours may perceive as the damage.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Clearly in this instance the neighbours aren't impressed by that argument
0:16:28 > 0:16:34and have created a lobby which is to say that this field is a gem and should be kept.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41The elected members of Stroud's council planning committee
0:16:41 > 0:16:45will decide in a fortnight whether to give planning permission.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50They will visit the Lemon Field with chief planner Phil Skill to weigh up both sides.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Members see it through their own eyes, and use their own filters to come to their own conclusion.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01But it's perfectly legitimate that here's seven more houses off our housing supply.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04It's seven we don't have to build anywhere else.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06MOOING
0:17:12 > 0:17:14In the Scottish Borders, the application to build
0:17:14 > 0:17:19a new home for 167,000 chickens has attracted plenty of opposition.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Just a quick walk around here to let you see what we're doing, OK?
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Farmer John Campbell is opening his sheds to the 13 elected
0:17:28 > 0:17:31members of the local planning committee - the people who
0:17:31 > 0:17:35will decide whether to let him expand his operations.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40- That's the hopper to the attic to dispose of the manure.- Yeah.
0:17:40 > 0:17:47How do you control that there's no blowing away of dust at the point of transfer?
0:17:47 > 0:17:50We just mix it in with the dung, because the dung is moist,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52it's not absolutely dry.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Councillors have to weigh up the neighbours' health and noise fears
0:17:56 > 0:17:59with the benefits for local employment.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04We're going to try and imagine at the proposed site
0:18:04 > 0:18:07what we have just seen here.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11And think, therefore, what the impact on the local people is going to be.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17The people in the area are going to be facing that for the next 20, 25 years.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23But equally there's also the potential for employment in the area.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28It's again that weighing up of the pros and cons of the site.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- So, the total employees on this site, John, are?- Pardon?
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- The total employees on the site? - What's the total employment here?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39At about 62, I think. 50 during the day, and then 10 cleaners at night.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42My wife and I started this business with nothing
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and we've now got 230 employees.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48We're the largest agricultural employer in Scotland
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and maybe Great Britain, something we're very proud of.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- We'll leave you with that. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Having heard from John Campbell,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01it's time to see where he intends to put his new chicken shed.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Among the councillors there is a farmer, a geography teacher
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and a maker of military figurines.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Objector Angie McDougall wants them
0:19:13 > 0:19:15to see things from the neighbours' perspective.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I do have faith in these people looking at it from our point of view,
0:19:21 > 0:19:27and asking themselves, would you want to live where I live? Would you want to bring your children up here?
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And I think the answer to all those things is probably no,
0:19:31 > 0:19:36so we are hoping that the planning officers
0:19:36 > 0:19:40have a little bit of empathy for the residents.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Do you want me to walk you around? Would that help? Yes, OK.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Our garden is up to here and this is where we reside,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49this is where our children kind of play.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55So, it's quite noisy here, and that's from the fans from the existing sheds.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00And those fans were replaced last year, it was an upgrade to those sheds.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03And those fans are a lot noisier than they were previously,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07so it's only this year that we've started to notice the noise.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11And you find yourself swatting, you know, taking 20 minutes
0:20:11 > 0:20:15to swat flies when you come in from work or...
0:20:15 > 0:20:18You know, we have got fly screens on some of our windows that we open
0:20:18 > 0:20:23because if you leave them open for too long, your house becomes infested with them.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28You'll have a level of opinion for a thing or against a thing,
0:20:28 > 0:20:34and it doesn't lead for popularity, and it's not democracy, planning - it's simply a judicial role.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39We've been elected to make decisions, and that's what councillors have to do. It's part of the job.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- I'll leave you to it. - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It's in their hands on Monday.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52One part of me feels quite confident because actually we do have a good case.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55They are certainly going to be scrutinising it.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I don't know if we'll get much sleep before Monday.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Erm... But yeah, we've just got to wait till Monday.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12At Cheshire West and Chester council,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16senior planner Iwan Hughes looks after a team of 15 planners.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23I'm from a place called Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales, near Porthmadog.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Not far from the Portmeirion holiday village.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So, that's why I have that on my desk.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Says, "Every morning I wake up and thank the Lord I'm Welsh."
0:21:33 > 0:21:37But the funny thing is, on the back it says "Made in England".
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Iwan has been a planner all his working life.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49He was once locked up in a property by a developer and told he wouldn't
0:21:49 > 0:21:53be allowed to come out unless he revealed the name of an opponent.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Iwan never said a word.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Do you still think in Welsh? - Every now and again.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I dream in Welsh.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03That's enough said.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05WOMAN LAUGHS
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Yeah. So my wife can't understand me when I shout out.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Sorry, I need to go for a wee. Compose myself.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21In an area known locally as little Switzerland,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Iwan is considering an application to build a new house.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The proposal is to demolish an old cottage
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and build a very modern family house.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Looks like reinforced concrete, doesn't it?
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Andy and Shelly Cumming bought the cottage and the land for £250,000
0:22:40 > 0:22:46and are planning to spend a further £350,000 on their new modernist home.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52It was funny, when I started looking at the concept designs, you know
0:22:52 > 0:22:57I would literally pull pages out of magazines and throw them on the floor.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I remember the first meeting, and Graham just looked at it and went,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04"What you've got here is a sketchbook full of boxes."
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And I went, "Well, actually you've got a very, very good point."
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Our first task was to analyse this book that they've given us,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and find out what it was that makes them tick.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Try and get under their skin and understand them as clients, really.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19That's the first job that an architect needs to do.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I like a lot of glass, and I think the thing that we've got with this house
0:23:22 > 0:23:26that I'm really pleased and excited about is the space both at the front and at the back,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30so we can let the outside in. And I think the guys have done a great job in getting that for us.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33You know, we're a family, we like the light.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36We feel better in light surroundings.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40And the modern buildings with bigger windows with more space inside
0:23:40 > 0:23:44- and outside, a good flow through the house, is what we aspire to.- Yeah.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48The timing is good for Andy and Shelly,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50as there is a shortage of houses in Cheshire.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Years ago you'd have to ask the question whether something was good enough to be approved.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01But now it's a case of is it bad enough to be refused?
0:24:05 > 0:24:09On his way to meet Iwan, Andy stops off to chat with a future neighbour.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16- Is it funny meeting applicants? - I love it.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It's the interaction with the customer.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23In effect, you test your own skills, don't you?
0:24:23 > 0:24:30Your people skills. You've got to have a bit of humour about yourself.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Thanks, Sue. Bye, now.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- Hello, how are you? - Hi, Andy. All right?
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- Hi, I'm Iwan. - Hi, Iwan, I'm Andy. Are you OK?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Yeah, thanks.- Good stuff. I'm sorry I'm a little bit late.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Yeah, well, I'm used to it. ANDY LAUGHS
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- I'm always on time.- Are you? - Yeah. ANDY LAUGHS
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I'm going to take my sunglasses off.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54- So, the house would start, say, about here.- OK.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Roughly about this sort of space.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01- So, about... Close on four metres back from where it is now? - Possibly, yeah. Roughly.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03It's going to start there, it'll go into this wall.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07We'll put a new retaining wall, and then what we'd like to do is try and take the view,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10so we're going to point it into this space to take the whole of this view,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12so that we're not overlooking anybody.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And what we want to do, as well, were going to try
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- and make it quite eco, as well.- OK. - So we'll have rainwater harvesting. - OK.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22We'd use that for washing machines and toilets and things like that.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25We'd have flat solar panels on it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27So ideally we're going to try and make it passive house standard.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30So that's, in a nutshell, I suppose, what we're trying to do.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Yeah. You going to stop holidaying abroad, as well? ANDY LAUGHS
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I think it's good, it's refreshing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40It doesn't jar in terms of its impact on the landscape.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43It's a cracking opportunity, isn't it?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- You can see the important part - Wales.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Whereabouts in Wales are you from? - A place called Penrhyndeudraeth.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53- Oh, right, yeah. I was only in Porthmadog a few... - THEY LAUGH
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Planners are legally obliged to tell neighbours
0:25:58 > 0:26:00when an application comes in.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Their views must be considered on any planning decision.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07And in this case, neighbours don't agree with the planners.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Six, I think. I think we've got six objections.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Deep breaths. Deep breaths with these, I think.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23A lot of people are nervous about the design, and I can
0:26:23 > 0:26:27understand why they might be nervous about the design, but they shouldn't be.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29We're not trying to build a carbuncle,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32we're actually trying to build something that we think
0:26:32 > 0:26:36is really beautiful, and want to make it a sustainable family home. We're trying to push the boundary.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- Be positive, we'll keep going.- Yes. - We'll keep going, and we'll hopefully get there eventually.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45- It's 13 weeks today.- Is when we put a planning application in?- Yeah.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- And a year since we bought the plot. - SHE LAUGHS
0:26:48 > 0:26:53- It's been a delight. We'd recommend it to anyone. - HE LAUGHS
0:26:59 > 0:27:02In the middle of the Cotswold town of Minchinhampton,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05plans to build houses on the ancient Lemon Field
0:27:05 > 0:27:07have not gone down well with the locals.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Off we go again, get out and see the world.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Led by planner Phil Skill, committee members need to see
0:27:16 > 0:27:19the site before making their decision on the proposals.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Could you just pop to the pub and say, fashionably late, we'll be there in a mo?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- I will.- Thank you so much.
0:27:29 > 0:27:36Chief protester Peta Bunbury wants to show the councillors how strong local opposition is.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- Do you know this gentleman? - No, I don't.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Oh, he's in the middle of carrying something.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Excuse me, would you be so good as to put some notices in your window?
0:27:50 > 0:27:53- Oh, sure, yes.- Because they are coming round. - There'll be a site visit.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Site visit.- Right. By the council? - By the council planning.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Right, yeah.- We are not allowed to talk to them. It's a closed meeting.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05But we are allowed to be very visual in our objection, put it that way.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10- So we are planning to be very visual and get posters up in everybody's house.- Sure, yeah.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Oh, keep running!
0:28:12 > 0:28:18- Have you done your objection yet, Ange?- About to, yeah!- About to!
0:28:18 > 0:28:20I'll be watching.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Mrs Weller, how are you?
0:28:22 > 0:28:27- Now, you've got a lot of windows. - Yes.- How many?- One per pane.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29One per pane?
0:28:29 > 0:28:33- Well, that wouldn't leave you with an awful lot...- Of light!
0:28:35 > 0:28:41- Wouldn't that be lovely? To deface their windows with the posters.- Lots of posters.
0:28:41 > 0:28:48- So, I put posters in Walls the electrician's. Taylor's the butcher's.- Good.
0:28:50 > 0:28:57Thanks to Peta's press work, news of the Lemon Field campaign has spread all over the Cotswolds.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02It's quite interesting that there is a large walnut tree there at the moment.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05My friend Arthur, he used to look after a horse just two fields away,
0:29:05 > 0:29:12so, we were often up in that area. I don't remember a tree at all.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16But, of course, that was 60 years ago, and it may have just been a sapling.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Like many locals, Richard Pond has also been putting pen to paper.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24But instead of writing a letter, he's written a tune.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29My letter to the council said, well, I have a piece of music.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34It tries to give the mystery of the place,
0:29:34 > 0:29:39but also a certain amount of sadness, because if they are going to
0:29:39 > 0:29:44build houses on that ground, then it's a shame, really.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48So, here we go. Lemon Fields.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50HE PLAYS 'LEMON FIELDS'
0:30:02 > 0:30:06The 13 committee members have arrived at the Lemon Field.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Among them are a mother of eight, a teacher and a former mayor.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Members?
0:30:13 > 0:30:19So, to orientate ourselves, the tree here. Trunk.
0:30:19 > 0:30:20It's a full application,
0:30:20 > 0:30:25and these are the sorts of things that are proposed.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Can I just understand, what is the status of this field?
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Well, the status is agricultural.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35- Cos it's obviously not... - It doesn't have any planning permission as such.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38It's a significant field because basically
0:30:38 > 0:30:40it's the last field in the village.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44And I think that has touched, you know, everyone's imagination, really.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Obviously people are very concerned.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49We take note of what they're saying.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52We take that into consideration next week, yeah.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Councillors have to consider local objection,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58but it's not always a reason to refuse planning permission.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00I'm not against development.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03In fact, I think that there is often quite a lot of scope
0:31:03 > 0:31:08for modern buildings that are well-designed.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Because, you know, it's the way that urban areas have developed over the centuries.
0:31:12 > 0:31:20as new styles come in, they put new styles in, and you've got Georgian and Regency and whatever,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22all next door to one another.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26I don't know whether people used to complain in the old days
0:31:26 > 0:31:29- about, "Oh! This is too modern!" - HE LAUGHS
0:31:29 > 0:31:33MUSIC: "Lemon Fields" by Richard Pond
0:31:33 > 0:31:38The town of Minchinhampton must wait another two weeks to discover the fate of its Lemon field.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44HE PLAYS FINAL CHORD
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Finishing with a question mark.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58In Cheshire, chief enforcement officer Nial Casselden also
0:31:58 > 0:31:59has a big decision to make.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06He has the power to forcibly clear an overgrown garden,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10and efforts to contact the owner have failed.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15Nial is off to meet neighbour Sandra Rowland.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20Hi, there. Nial Casselden. I'm the planning enforcement manager.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25So, I've really just come to have a look at the property next door.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30- I mean, how long has it been like this for?- 20 years?- Really? Right, right.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36- My father-in-law used to live here and he went to Australia to see my sister-in-law.- Right.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39- When he got back, they were there. - They were there.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43- I haven't a clue what's inside it. - Right.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48- I would hate to think, personally, what is in there.- Yeah, yeah.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51So, how often does the property owner come here?
0:32:51 > 0:32:55He doesn't, unless he comes in the middle of the night.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00- So, when's the last time that you think he came here? - I haven't got a clue.- Right, OK.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Nial must assess the impact of the garden on Mrs Rowland's house
0:33:04 > 0:33:08before he makes a decision on clearance.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13I mean, you don't really get the full horror of the site unless you're looking above it,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18cos it's so well screened by the mature vegetation, it's hard to tell.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22You've got a caravan, an old van, a horsebox.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Various other things you can't even see.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30- But as you can see, we try very hard to keep our side looking so lovely. - Yeah, yeah.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34OK, all right. We'll definitely be in touch about this.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38It must be a living nightmare, really.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42After the meeting, Nial thinks it's finally time to act.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48We've tried to make contact with the owner, we've left letters, and we haven't got anywhere.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53Probably on average we only really do maybe one, possibly two clearances a year,
0:33:53 > 0:33:58but where they continually ignore us, and where the land in question is in a really bad condition,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00we have to step in and we have to take action.
0:34:09 > 0:34:15Also in Cheshire, Andy and Shelly's plans for their modern home have hit a snag.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Neighbours in Little Switzerland have seen the modern, flat-roofed design.
0:34:22 > 0:34:27Unlike the Swiss, renowned for being neutral, the Little Swiss are taking sides.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32They have objected. They've strongly objected, in fact.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34They're entitled to their view.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38I personally feel that it's going to enhance the lane rather than detract it,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42but other people hold a different view, and they are entitled to that view.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47The parish council are leading the opposition,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49along with the county councillor.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54This area was designed by Cheshire County Council
0:34:54 > 0:34:57as an area of special landscape value.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01And while I wouldn't want to discourage new ideas,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04some buildings just don't belong.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07The formal objections mean the application must
0:35:07 > 0:35:09go before the county planning committee,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12rather than be decided by the planner alone.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17- CHILDREN CHATTER - Andy and Shelley have asked to put their case to the parish council.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22I can show them on here. I am going to rock up, have a chat to them about those things
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and see if I can persuade them to reconsider their decision.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Are you going to be good for me? Nice and quiet?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31We're going to go to the meeting and talk about our new house.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Only if we can have the iPad.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- Do you think Daddy might want the iPad?- But after Daddy finish.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40That sounds like a good deal. You can have it after Daddy has finished.
0:35:40 > 0:35:46- Great, you're just going to sit quietly and listen to Daddy. - CHILDREN CHATTER
0:35:46 > 0:35:49My name is Andy Cumming, as Alan has just kindly introduced.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53We've got a planning application on the hillside,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and we're just a little bit frustrated... Not frustrated.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Concerned, I suppose, about some misconceptions.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03And there are a number of things that we feel perhaps allay
0:36:03 > 0:36:06some of those concerns that some of the objectors have.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08We don't want to build a nasty carbuncle,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11we want to build a really sustainable family home,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14and we are not trying to bulldoze people, and we're just trying
0:36:14 > 0:36:18to go about it in the right way and engage with everybody.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22So, thank you for giving me that opportunity to talk to you. Thank you.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28But the parish council has already made up their mind.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31With so many objectors, the house is going to planning committee.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Most cases we don't get any correspondence whatsoever.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37On this occasion, residents came and actually
0:36:37 > 0:36:41spoke at the parish council meeting, and that's what we based our view on.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45The parish council has to listen to what local residents want,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47and they have to act on that.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51They are lovely people, they are going to be our neighbours.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56- They are, absolutely.- But they are not architects, they are not designers, they're not builders.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01And not everybody can read plans and really read into a design document.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04They are just determined to take it to a planning committee
0:37:04 > 0:37:07because they want to object it, and they feel that's their best route.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12- And it's a shame that it has to be adversarial when it could be engaged.- Yeah, it is.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16A decision on the house will be made by the planning committee in six weeks.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32In the Scottish Borders, farmer John Campbell's proposals for a four million pound
0:37:32 > 0:37:36chicken shed are about to be considered by the planning committee.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Neighbours have been lobbying against the shed for months.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44We've come down here today hoping that a sensible decision
0:37:44 > 0:37:48will be made about the planning application, we can only hope that
0:37:48 > 0:37:53the decision is made sensibly, taking health issues into concern.
0:37:53 > 0:37:59We have really strong arguments about health concerns, about noise, about smells.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I think we have a really good case.
0:38:05 > 0:38:11The meeting starts with a report on John's application from the environmental health officer.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15On the information I have received to date,
0:38:15 > 0:38:21there are no obvious flaws with any of the modelling
0:38:21 > 0:38:26that has been put before the committee in respect to the air quality.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32As regards the fugitive dusts, non-process related noise, fugitive odours, flies,
0:38:32 > 0:38:39I'm satisfied that the information that's been provided to the committee demonstrates adequate control.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45The officer is happy the shed won't have an impact on neighbours' health.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50In Scotland, neither applicant nor objector are allowed to make
0:38:50 > 0:38:54their argument at committee, so it's straight to debate by the council.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59- Councillor Moffat?- I would support this if it had been on a better site,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01but I don't think that this site is the right site.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06- So you are moving refusal?- Yes.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Councillor Ballantyne?
0:39:08 > 0:39:13I just wanted to clarify or to check that in terms of risk to
0:39:13 > 0:39:18human health, I presume you'd accept liability for any miscalculation of that,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22if there is subsequently any effect on human health.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27We are required to assess all air quality in the Borders
0:39:27 > 0:39:30each and every year, and report on that to the government,
0:39:30 > 0:39:37and these premises would be part and parcel of that assessment process.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41I think, from my perspective, I could support the application.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Chairman, I think we've been focusing very much on the amenity
0:39:49 > 0:39:52of the residents of the area, quite rightly.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55But there is the consequence to the business
0:39:55 > 0:40:01and to the employment of the area if the application is refused.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08After 40 minutes of discussion, and a split of opinion amongst the committee,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11the application is put to the vote.
0:40:11 > 0:40:18For approval of the application, can I have a show of hands for that first, please?
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Nine. And to refuse the application?
0:40:24 > 0:40:28- Three. So, the application is approved.- Thank you.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32The vote ends overwhelmingly in favour of John Campbell's new chicken shed.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40That's a very easy decision to make for people who do not live so close to these sheds.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44What they didn't consider was there is an existing problem
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- even with that shed. - Without the new shed.
0:40:46 > 0:40:51- There is smell, there is noise, and there is flies.- And dust. - And dust.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55And they kept saying that the new sheds will make it better,
0:40:55 > 0:41:00but no-one talked about the existing noise and how the cumulative effect...
0:41:00 > 0:41:04- We've been let down by the planning committee today.- Yeah.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08The nature of the planning system is that you're making decisions that will impact on people's lives,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10so obviously they are going to be passionate
0:41:10 > 0:41:13in terms of their reaction to the decision that's taken.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16You've got to reconcile the lifestyle
0:41:16 > 0:41:19of the nearby residents along with the economic
0:41:19 > 0:41:23and employment opportunities offered by the new shed.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25I think that we got the balance right.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31The council have been very fair,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35and they've got on well. I got on very well with the planning people
0:41:35 > 0:41:39because they know that we're creating jobs, bringing enterprise in the area.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47This is what the whole concept is. The little egg, the humble egg.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49The incredible, edible egg.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51Hi, girls.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01The heart of Minchinhampton in the Cotswolds is the target of
0:42:01 > 0:42:04a controversial plan to build a modern cul-de-sac
0:42:04 > 0:42:07on an ancient undeveloped site called The Lemon field.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15There was a very interesting episode of Top Gear where Mr Clarkson
0:42:15 > 0:42:19tries to get a Hummer through the centre of Chipping Norton.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23Well, he wouldn't have made it through here.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Stroud council have a shortage of 3,000 homes.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33Phil Skill needs to decide whether Minchinhampton's Lemon Field is the place to build.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38There's almost like a window of opportunity for developers this year.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Developers come forward with these sites that a year, 18 months ago we'd have said,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48"No, go away," and they would have said, "Yeah, fair dos, I'm going to walk away from it."
0:42:48 > 0:42:52We are now getting to a situation where any site is not quite fair game,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57but it's worth asking the question and putting a planning application in for.
0:42:59 > 0:43:06I'm not the tallest of people, but I can certainly see the open space that's provided by the field itself,
0:43:06 > 0:43:12and the stonking great walnut tree, which I'm very concerned about.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17It hasn't been built on in the last 300 or 400 years,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21and therefore it's very important that we look at whether or not
0:43:21 > 0:43:23it should cease to be a field in the next few years,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27or whether it should continue to be a field for the next 200 to 300 years.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS There we go.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40I can't blame people for wanting to make money out of their assets,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42everybody wants to do things like that,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46but, you know, it's a bit like knocking down Gloucester Cathedral
0:43:46 > 0:43:49to put up a multi-storey car park. You know, there are some things that really
0:43:49 > 0:43:52you ought to think twice before you try and do them.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- MOOING - Come on, girlies.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58With just a week to go before the planning committee meeting,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Minchinhampton organic farmer Melissa Ravenhill has made
0:44:01 > 0:44:05a last-ditch attempt to save The Lemon Field.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08You know, The Lemon Field would be great for us to use as grazing
0:44:08 > 0:44:11for young cattle, but also to have them in Minchinhampton,
0:44:11 > 0:44:13because we're part of Minchinhampton,
0:44:13 > 0:44:18we are producing food for Minchinhampton people to eat.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21My husband and I have already approached the owner via his agent,
0:44:21 > 0:44:25to ask if we could get the grazing on the land, and he respectfully said,
0:44:25 > 0:44:30"No, sorry, we want to maintain the status quo." I mean, those were his actual words in the e-mail.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33It's only one acre.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36so, it's hard to see how it fits into modern farming practice.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39The reality is, it's a lot less hassle to have nobody on the land.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40MOOING
0:44:40 > 0:44:43I just thank God it's not a Tesco going on there.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47That wouldn't surprise me. And that would be...
0:44:47 > 0:44:50I think we'd just lie down in the road in front of the earthmovers if that was the case.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52I would, anyway.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00At the end of his visit, Phil Skill has finally made his mind up
0:45:00 > 0:45:02and decided on his recommendation.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07I drove up, and ambivalent is probably the wrong word.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10But I was either way.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14I can see what the community are saying, I can see what the developer is saying.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18but not only have got some stunning trees like the walnut tree,
0:45:18 > 0:45:23the field itself has got its own flora and fauna that's associated with it,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26and all that would be lost with the development.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Seven homes in the right place is great.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Seven in the wrong place is wrong.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38We've got the good, the bad, and the ugly.
0:45:38 > 0:45:44And perhaps here we are getting towards the bad end of that spectrum.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Now it will be the developer's job to convince the planning committee
0:45:50 > 0:45:55that building on The Lemon Field should go ahead.
0:46:03 > 0:46:08In Huxley, Cheshire, the time has come to clear the untidy garden.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12This is finally it, we get to clear the site.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15It's a nice day for it, as well.
0:46:16 > 0:46:22Despite repeated letters, the owner has failed to clear the site himself.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26He's got all the mail. I bet our notice is in there.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27There you are, there's my notice.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30I suppose we ought to keep that.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35It's never nice when you have to go in and take action,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39because we hope that we can sort out problems without having to do this.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56Legally we are entitled to go onto the land as he's failed to comply with the notice
0:46:56 > 0:46:57and carry out the clearance.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03The items, as far as we're concerned, are all waste.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- Another minibus! - Another minibus?!
0:47:05 > 0:47:10Hidden in the overgrown garden, the contractors find four Sherpa vans,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14two Morris Minors, a Ford Transit van, a Hillman Hunter,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17one caravan, one horsebox,
0:47:17 > 0:47:20three small trailers and a Ford Anglia.
0:47:20 > 0:47:26They also remove 30 bicycles, 700 tyres, 30 bus seats,
0:47:26 > 0:47:32engines, mechanical parts and electrical items among tons of rubbish.
0:47:35 > 0:47:41But they still haven't seen the one thing they really hoped to find - the homeowner.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45If he does appear, he'll face a £7,000 clearance bill.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Are you ever surprised by what you see?
0:47:48 > 0:47:52No. I've been in the building trade now for 38... No. 40, 50... Bloody hell, how many years?
0:47:52 > 0:47:5647 years. 47 years.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00No, I'm not surprised any more. I used to be when I was a young lad, but not any more. No.
0:48:00 > 0:48:06This is just dead vehicles, and we've seen dead bodies.
0:48:06 > 0:48:12I think it's absolutely amazing. Can't believe it's actually started.
0:48:12 > 0:48:19After all this time, now it's all about to go. Wonderful!
0:48:38 > 0:48:42At Cheshire West and Chester County Council, planner Iwan Hughes
0:48:42 > 0:48:45is desperately trying to get hold of applicant Andy Cumming.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47ANSWER SERVICE: 'Hello, you've reached Andy Cumming.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50'Unfortunately, I'm out of the office now...'
0:48:50 > 0:48:52There is news about his modern house application,
0:48:52 > 0:48:57which was due to be discussed at the next planning committee.
0:49:00 > 0:49:05The matter is so urgent that Iwan has spent the last hour trying to get through to Andy.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11- It's not going to committee, then? - No.- Why?
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Because Councillor Leather, who originally called it in,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17has considered all the issues and feels that
0:49:17 > 0:49:21the application wouldn't benefit from going to planning committee.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25- What's his name again? - Andy Cummings.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30The strongest opponent to Andy's modern house, Councillor Leather,
0:49:30 > 0:49:34has read a landscape assessment that he commissioned on the case.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Two particular points came out of that.
0:49:37 > 0:49:43The first was that the designation of special landscape value
0:49:43 > 0:49:47has been somewhat downgraded by other policies,
0:49:47 > 0:49:51and the second was the view that there was no predominant
0:49:51 > 0:49:55character against which this style of building could be judged.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00As a result, Councillor Leather has withdrawn the request
0:50:00 > 0:50:04to debate this case at planning committee, and planner Iwan
0:50:04 > 0:50:08will decide on his own whether to approve or refuse the application.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15- 'Hi, is that Iwan?'- Hi. - 'Hi, Iwan, it's Andy. You OK?'
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Yes, fine thanks. I just got some...
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Wanted to update you on some news about your planning application.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22'Oh, right, OK.'
0:50:22 > 0:50:26Whilst you were off, I spoke to the ward councillor, John Leather...
0:50:26 > 0:50:32- 'Yes.'- ..and basically the upshot is that he has withdrawn his call in.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37- 'Has he?'- Yeah.- 'And are you still planning for recommendation, Iwan?'
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Yes, refusal. No, sorry, approval.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44- 'Approval?'- Yeah.- 'Wonderful! That's wonderful news!'
0:50:44 > 0:50:46- 'Brilliant! Brilliant!'- OK.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49- 'That's made my day!' - Has it? Oh, that's good.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53- 'Thanks. Take care, Iwan. Thanks for your help.'- Cheers. Thanks. Bye.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56'Cheers, fella. Bye-bye.'
0:50:56 > 0:50:58OK. Job done.
0:50:58 > 0:51:03Winners and losers in planning, aren't there? For everyone that's happy...
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Yeah, winners and losers in life, isn't there? It's the same thing.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10You could end up losing your hair or, you know, end up being a loser and keeping it.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15- ANDY LAUGHS - Nice(!)
0:51:15 > 0:51:19The beaming smiles say it all. It's unbelievable, isn't it?
0:51:19 > 0:51:23I jumped up and down in the office, and shrieked a little bit.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27- I have a new job. They now think I'm very strange. - SHE LAUGHS
0:51:27 > 0:51:29But now the fun starts!
0:51:29 > 0:51:31CHEERING
0:51:31 > 0:51:33Oh! That wasn't even as good a one as before!
0:51:33 > 0:51:37After eight months spent living in rented accommodation,
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Andy and his family can now look forward to moving out.
0:51:41 > 0:51:42ANDY LAUGHS
0:51:42 > 0:51:45RAIN FALLS ON LEAVES
0:51:45 > 0:51:48In the Cotswolds town of Minchinhampton,
0:51:48 > 0:51:52it's the eve of the big day for Peta's campaign group Protect Our Space.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55We ask you to refuse this application,
0:51:55 > 0:52:00to save our conservation area and AONB and protect our walnut tree.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Tomorrow, the planning committee meets in Stroud to decide
0:52:02 > 0:52:07whether to grant permission to build seven houses on The Lemon Field.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09TIMER BEEPS That's tight. Three seconds.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13Let me have one more go. What I want to do is take away the Queen's English,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16the "I'm standing up presenting to".
0:52:16 > 0:52:21- I don't know.- I don't think you should muck around with that, frankly.- I wouldn't.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25We've got three minutes to get our message over.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28It's probably the most important three minutes
0:52:28 > 0:52:31out of the whole eight weeks that we've been doing all this work,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34because we're going to be sitting there in front of
0:52:34 > 0:52:3712 people, and we have to get our points across
0:52:37 > 0:52:42so when they come to vote, they'll go, "Hmm, this should be refused."
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Can you teach me your timer, and then I'll have a go doing a few myself?
0:52:45 > 0:52:47You're not having eggs in the morning are you, Fi?
0:52:47 > 0:52:51- LAUGHTER - Can see what she's doing.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55- DOG TOY SQUEAKS - I'll probably go through it once. And that'll be it.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57Don't do a two o'clock in the morning, Peta.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00Oh, God, I promise you, I will be going to bed at about 11 o'clock,
0:53:00 > 0:53:02because I'm up at crack of sparrow's.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Thanks very much, chaps, that's great.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Can't get out! SHE LAUGHS
0:53:08 > 0:53:12Not only could she not sort out an egg timer...
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Right, the top one is to the right, and the bottom one is to the left.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Of course(!)
0:53:18 > 0:53:22- All right, good night, everybody. - See you tomorrow.- See you tomorrow.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26- Good night, guys.- Bye!- OK.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31- Hey ho, Louie-Lou! - DOG TOY SQUEAKS
0:53:35 > 0:53:38The following day at Stroud council.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Peta has been arrived an hour early bringing seven copies of her speech,
0:53:42 > 0:53:43just in case.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49The piece of laminated is just so that when you get clammy hands it doesn't matter.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Again, it's that planning ahead business, isn't it?
0:53:53 > 0:53:58This is a planning Olympics, we could say, and we're going to come out gold.
0:53:58 > 0:54:04- Hello. How was your day? - Fine, fine. Absolutely fine.
0:54:04 > 0:54:10- Oh, gosh! I've left the car wide open!- That was very clever of me(!)
0:54:10 > 0:54:15Before the debate opens, the developers will make the case for construction,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18and Peta will make her case for refusal.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23The developers are now facing popular opposition
0:54:23 > 0:54:28as well as a recommendation for refusal from chief planning officer Phil Skill.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Would anybody like to speak who opposes the application?
0:54:31 > 0:54:37For Peta, the most important three minutes of the last eight weeks have arrived.
0:54:37 > 0:54:43The Lemon Field is the last remaining undeveloped green space within the conservation area.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46It is integral to the historic core of Minchinhampton.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49We ask you to refuse this application to save our
0:54:49 > 0:54:53conservation area and AONB, and to protect our walnut tree,
0:54:53 > 0:54:58- not just for us, but for future generations.- Thank you.
0:54:58 > 0:55:03Is there anyone who would like to speak in support of the application?
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Please.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10My name is Tony Doyle, and I'm the agent for the application.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14It is acknowledged that there is some local opposition to the scheme.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19This is not unusual, and as you are aware, local opposition in itself
0:55:19 > 0:55:23is not sufficient justification for refusing planning permission.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28The application is supported by a thorough landscape and visual appraisal,
0:55:28 > 0:55:31we therefore urge you not to accept
0:55:31 > 0:55:35your officer's recommendation this evening, and grant planning permission.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38It's time for the councillors to decide
0:55:38 > 0:55:44whether Minchinhampton will be acquiring a modern cul-de-sac.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47How far do we allow our developments to be influenced
0:55:47 > 0:55:50by the decisions that were taken by our ancestors?
0:55:50 > 0:55:53I shall be voting against.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57It's the design in particular that makes this application particularly bad.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01It's a very unkempt, overgrown piece of space.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04I would find it difficult to support refusal,
0:56:04 > 0:56:10but design and materials, Bradstone in the middle of Minchinhampton?
0:56:10 > 0:56:12No, thank you.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16There is no other debate? Then we go to the vote.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19There is refusal on the table as the officer recommendation,
0:56:19 > 0:56:21and as amended, please show.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27- Unanimous.- That is unanimous.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Just for the record and for the avoidance of doubt,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34the application has been refused as the officer's recommendation.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36Unanimous refusal!
0:56:38 > 0:56:45- Peta, do you want to say something now? How do you feel about that? - Emotional!- Yeah.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48- The Lemon field is just... Sorry. - No!
0:56:48 > 0:56:52MUSIC: "Lemon Fields" by Richard Pond
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Just tired. I'm tired.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01But that's just brilliant, and what's so wonderful is people do recognise that
0:57:01 > 0:57:04there are these little gems, these little parcels of land,
0:57:04 > 0:57:09and if they'd let this go through, it would have actually impacted
0:57:09 > 0:57:12lots of other conservation and AONB areas,
0:57:12 > 0:57:17so, I have to say thank you very much, councillors. We love you to bits.
0:57:17 > 0:57:23It's been a long day. Yeah, I'll have to go and wind down a little.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28No doubt I'll have to watch a bit of mindless American junk on the television,
0:57:28 > 0:57:32just to calm down a bit, and a bit of hot milk.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34I doubt.
0:57:38 > 0:57:45Next time, planners clash with a religious community over expansion plans.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48We desperately need a bigger place and better place.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52This is the future for our community's teenagers.
0:57:52 > 0:57:58The biggest frustration with it is that they are not willing to negotiate and not willing to listen.
0:57:58 > 0:58:05In Cheshire, a property developer gambles it all on a multi-million pound housing scheme.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09We've got a house up for sale. If this doesn't happen this time, it won't work.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13We couldn't carry on with the business. Everything goes. It's the end of the line.
0:58:13 > 0:58:18And in Cheltenham, neighbours go to war over a two-foot fence.
0:58:18 > 0:58:23I don't see how it really affects him in his day-to-day life.
0:58:23 > 0:58:28He actually has signed a piece of paper to say not to erect a wall or fence.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32What's he done? Erected a wall and fence.
0:58:38 > 0:58:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd