Episode 4 The Planners

Britain is a green and pleasant land,

but for how long?

We're now getting into a situation where any site's

worth putting a planning application in for.

After the biggest shake up of the planning system in 40 years,

the race is on to get Britain building.

If I have a house here,

I'm thinking about building a sort of Berlin Wall.

It's got to be at least six feet high.

So, constructors are making plans...

Whoever designed THAT needs to be shot.

..objectors are making noises...

We've had bloody enough of it with what we got in this town

-for councillors and the load of

-BLEEP

-they're putting up.

..and neighbours are going to war.

We always won our battles as a family and we'll win this one.

In the firing line,

shaping the country of the future, are Britain's planners.

-So, nothing happens in the hall, yes?

-No.

-No? Yes? No? Yes?

Well, thanks for the house visit and, um, we'll see you on Thursday.

Another British planning cockup, really.

Whoa!

Planning is not just about getting permission for new buildings.

It's also about preserving our history.

It's a system that protects not only the pomp and grandeur of our past,

but also the industrial heritage that once made Britain a superpower.

Another lovely day in Chester.

Where the sun always shines on the righteous,

but its raining on me.

So, what does that say?

Head Planner Fiona Edwards

is on the site of an application that could see ultra-modern design

collide with traditional Cheshire brick,

the city's iconic Leadworks.

One of the most historic landmarks in Chester.

You can see it on the train, you can see it from the roads.

Grade Two Star listed building, in all its glory.

It's a very important building for Chester,

has got a long and illustrious past.

Used to make musket shot from the top.

Used to drop the lead down through some sieves

and into water and it cooled and you got your musket balls.

The shot tower is the tallest structure in Chester

and has dominated the city's skyline for over 200 years.

Built during the Napoleonic war,

molten lead was dripped from the top of the tower,

cooling as it fell and forming perfect spherical shot

as it hit the water basin 168 feet below.

It diversified over the following centuries,

employing over 300 men at its height.

But as the toxic lead fell out of favour,

nothing could stop its decline

and, 11 years ago, its furnaces were extinguished for the last time.

It is in a very, very sorry state.

In fact, it's in a precarious state. It's really at risk now.

And you can see that they've put some emergency protection on it

but, really, I can't see it lasting many more winters

if something isn't done to it.

It's really the last broken piece of the fabric

of this part of the canal corridor.

I think it's important that we get a really, really good scheme,

not just for the building itself, but for the surrounding area

and...has to be done, otherwise we're going to lose it.

And if we were responsible, and I think if I was responsible

in seeing this building disappear at some point, I'd have...

I think I'd have a lot to answer to, to be honest with you.

The tower has a Grade Two Star listing,

putting it among the top 10% of protected buildings in the country.

The man tasked with the redesign of the iconic building

is architect, Matt Brook.

Probably a bit dripped on. Um...

So, that's one of the early visualisations of the scheme.

The idea was really, these are kind of, almost lead extrusions.

We've used a lead-coloured metallic cladding on there,

On the outside, we've tried to play down the fenestration

and give it more of an industrial vernacular.

The cladding is shiplap so it will give it that textural quality

that'll sit well with the brickwork

on the original scheme

and give it visual interest as people get nearer.

It's lead-ish and it's a hint to the former function of the site.

The development will include

1,000 square metres of shops and restaurants beneath 53 apartments.

It's a radical redesign...

..but conservation organisation English Heritage

has backed the £7 million pound scheme.

You do feel a weight of responsibility in a way,

dealing with a building at this point in its life-cycle,

because if we can't get this scheme to move forward,

you are onto a vicious circle, where the building is going to

slowly fall into a greater state of disrepair and it obviously

needs more money pumped into it to get the scheme to work.

So I think it probably is the building's last chance,

and hopefully we've come up with the right solution to save it, really,

and give it that future - preserve it for future generations.

The developers have the funding but not planning permission.

And with the scheme now public, it needs the support of the locals.

That, I find, is particularly offensive...

The Civic Trust are a voluntary body that represents the locals

on issues that affect Chester's listed buildings.

We want something that will put that area on the map.

Not something we're going to go,

"Ooh, we're stuck with it for 100 years."

Fantastic work down there. Absolutely.

Not everyone gets planning permission

before they start building work.

Often it's down to the public to bring unauthorised changes

to the attention of the planners.

Nial Casselden,

Cheshire West's Principal Planning Enforcement Officer,

has received a tip-off about a breach

of planning that requires his immediate attention.

Today was probably

one of the easier sites to find, I would say.

The property owner is Swedish.

He went away for a few days, and his mates from the pub came round

and painted the George Cross on the front of his house.

It's quite a tidy job,

considering it was done by a bunch of people from a pub,

I'm quite surprised, actually, by how neat and tidy it is!

The lines are quite straight.

I'm not sure I could paint lines quite that straight!

'It is a conservation area, and within this particular area,

'you do need planning permission to paint the outside of your house.

'It will have to be repainted in a more appropriate manner!'

So Nial has written to the homeowner.

If he doesn't reply within 14 days,

there'll be an enforcement notice ordering him to repaint.

If he ignores that, then it becomes a criminal matter.

I got a letter from the council

that I'm not allowed to have it, which I understand.

The Swedish owner has now asked his best friend to put things right.

I'd prefer a yellow and blue flag, to be honest!

We spent years winding each other about England, Sweden.

He's got his three crowns tattoos and things like that.

So it's been years in the planning.

They haven't got a sense of humour, most Swedish people.

And Tomas has fitted in really well, because he has fitted

into the English humour dead quick, dead well,

so he kind of like gets it.

But I think he gets it!

I'm not happy about it, actually, mate!

-You're getting it repainted for nothing out of it.

-True.

Are you going to clean the gutter out?

Not all enforcement cases end so amicably.

In Winsford, Nial's been called to investigate a potential

breach of planning that is causing a dispute between neighbours.

He's got one up there that revolves,

another the other side of this flag, top of there.

-That one revolves into our garden.

-OK, right.

-He's got two up there.

Yeah, I can see.

Homeowners are allowed security cameras on their property,

as long as they're more than ten metres apart.

Nial needs to decide if there's been a planning breach

or just a falling out.

-One at the side of the house, at the top.

-Yeah.

He's approaching into our privacy as well. We don't get on.

I don't like him. If he wants to secure his property, that's fine.

There's no need to secure my property, is there?

I'll take a few pictures of these, because what we have to do is

-determine whether or not the cameras require planning permission.

-Right.

Like you say, I don't mind them,

because that one points into our garden and the next door's garden.

Same with the back one.

It's pointing right into our back gardens.

We're here to enforce planning legislation,

and if something falls outside of planning legislation,

we have no remit to get involved in it, unfortunately.

Just in the same way that we are not the garden police,

we're not social workers either.

He's got plenty for security.

-They're doing everything that they need to do.

-Yeah.

-That one...

I know it's there, he knows it's getting to me being there.

On this one, I think there may be some scope for intervention by us,

because I think that a number of those cameras

go beyond the scope of permitted development.

Now Nial's heard Leslie's concerns, he'll need to speak

to his neighbour before deciding if the cameras need to come down.

But passions are running equally high

on the other side of the fence.

It's my right to keep them on my property.

I can either have these or just be harassed or burgled.

It's not a case of... It's like saying, let's get rid of

all the CCTV cameras in London and Manchester.

Would that ever happen? No.

Elmore, Gloucestershire -

a village of 216 people.

Among them, a husband, a wife and their two-year-old son.

What colour is that?

It's...blue.

It's not blue! It's green, you monkey.

Your typical family.

But not your typical family home.

This is Elmore Court, an estate that's been owned by the Baronetcy

of Highnam since the 13th century. And following 13 generations,

is now the responsibility of Anselm Guise, the new lord of the manor.

I came here five years ago.

And my uncle passed away in May 2007.

But we've been here a lot longer. We've been here for 750 years.

That's my uncle. There's my grandfather -

the little boy with the red hair - and my great-grandfather,

which is...

If Anselm thought that the family pile would come with piles of cash,

he was wrong.

The 13 cottages and six farms on his 1,250-acre estate

are not covering the upkeep of the house.

Running costs are about £165,000 a year.

What's happening is that I am just getting more and more overdrawn

and we sell something. And since I've been here,

we've sold a few pictures, we sold a cottage, you know.

And the estate is just going to shrink and shrink and shrink.

So Anselm has come up with a plan.

He has applied to build a wedding venue behind the mansion.

The £600,000 he aims to turn over from the new business

would put Elmore Court back in the black.

In order to do events here, we want to hold events outside of the house,

because the house is very old and historic and all the rest of it.

But we have a problem with noise.

It is quiet here, and we have had a few events here...

40th birthdays and stuff. And people can hear it.

And people have complained, and all the rest of it.

So we want to build a soundproofed space

to hold the event part of a wedding.

The back of the building is going to be about here,

and this kind of old ruin is going to be actually

retained as part of it, but inside the building.

The other side of it is going to be a stage.

The walls are all going to be made out of this rammed earth

which is got out of the ground literally 100 yards that way.

The whole building, it's almost like it is going to come out of the land,

and provide this just amazing space which we can have dancing

until midnight, and we can do that without upsetting anyone.

Stroud Principal Planner Elly Jackson

is handling the Elmore Court application.

Not only does she have to balance

a modern build within a historic environment,

but also the noise from a 6,700-square-foot function venue.

I mean, it's quite a... You look at the footprint of it,

it's quite big!

It's as big as the house, in terms of the kind of...

service area.

Well, for what you're wanting to...

to run, it needs to accommodate people.

-It needs room for that first wedding dance!

-It certainly does.

That's standing in the field out there, looking towards the house.

That's a window, there is a window there, and there's a little door.

It really doesn't affect the view of the house, which is quite unusual.

You presumably have done figures and got an idea

of how many functions you are likely to be able to accommodate.

To make it break even, it needs to do about 50 a year.

That's an event most weekends, and a lot of potential noise.

As part of the planning process, Elly is notifying

neighbours of his plans. They have 21 days to respond.

It is very early days, and I will be waiting to see what responses

we get, both from neighbours and not forgetting

our important colleagues in Environmental Health

on the noise issues.

Because I think we're well aware

that Anselm knows how to put on a good party.

We won't come to any final view until we get those responses.

It is hopefully one that we will be able to support,

but it is too early to say at this stage.

Developers have unveiled an ultra-modern plan to remodel

and save the historic Leadworks in Chester.

But their plans have not gone down well with the city's Civic Trust.

This 400 member voluntary group

want a more sympathetic redevelopment of this historic site.

Those objecting have provided very substantial arguments

against the development,

quoting recently adopted Chester planning policy.

And, unfortunately, we are all being ignored!

Johnny Arnott has lived next the Leadworks for 62 years.

He has come to Liverpool to do some research into the architects.

This Mann Island building

is the same architects

who is going to do the shot tower.

This is his idea of what looks nice, and what we, the public,

have got to live with for the rest of our lives.

The shot tower thing is terrible, that's the only word for it.

To paraphrase Prince Charles,

"It looks like a carbuncle on the face of a much loved friend."

The architects of the Leadworks and the Liverpool Waterside scheme

are based just 500 yards away.

One of the jobs

of architecture in a way is to encourage debate.

I'd much rather create a building

and a scheme that forced people to have a reaction to it, rather than

something that was so bland that people walked by and didn't notice.

It would be very easy for an architect to do a very

bland scheme that doesn't draw any response, a ho-hum scheme.

I think if you are getting a reaction, good or bad,

you are actually doing something different.

It looks like a black tooth in your set of teeth.

The white buildings at the side, they are sinking.

Sink, sink, sink, sink, sink, sink. It's gone! What a shame.

Sorry Mr Architect.

I think if architects and developers aren't brave

in trying to create good contemporary architecture,

the danger is there is no new heritage

for future generations to enjoy.

That is definitely our approach.

But their approach has faced strong opposition,

so the Leadworks scheme is going before Chester's planning committee.

11 men and women from all walks of life, elected for a 4 year term.

We have had an amount of training,

and we bring a background of experience to it.

That's what politicians do. We are informed amateurs, I suppose.

-That's what I would say. Would you agree with that?

-Yeah.

These councillors will decide the fate of this £7 million development.

They have professional opinion to inform their decision.

The recommendation is asking

the planning committee

to approve the application.

I'd like to see that building

saved for the future, and I think this is a good design.

And I would like to see members give it an approval

'at the end of the day.

'Ultimately, I can advise to the best of my ability.

'At the end of the day, members will make that decision.'

The new buildings would be sheet panelling,

which is aluminium with a powder coated finish.

With a colour similar to lead,

which is reflecting the lead history of the site.

If you're going to bring

modern architecture into linking up with history,

it's got to be right. As part of the planning committee,

we need to make sure that we listen to everything

and look at all of the documentation, and that

the materials, if it is going to be brought back in, will be in keeping.

So there will be a lot of controversy.

It goes back to being between a rock and a hard place! Yeah.

You can put modern contemporary design of very high quality

next to historic fabric.

That is a difficult concept for a lot of people to grasp.

They see Chester as either being

black-and-white timbered buildings or red brick.

It is just getting people to grasp those sorts of concepts.

People are talking about it being big, of an industrial scale,

not the right materials,

but they forget that it is an industrial building,

and the materials that they are proposing are industrial in nature.

So it is just a different form to brick,

which a lot of people found difficult to understand.

-That window up there...

-That's where they put the lift shaft.

It's incredibly difficult.

All of us have different views and they're controversial.

It's a very controversial decision

that's being taken.

It's one where I'd rather be on holiday.

In Gloucestershire, the future

of Anselm Guise's ancestral home, Elmore Court, hangs in the balance.

If his planning application to build a wedding venue is refused,

he may have no option

but to sell the home that has been in his family for 750 years.

We're progressing with Elmore Court.

One of the latest developments is that the councillors asked that

it to go to the planning committee if we have objections

either from Highways or from any individuals.

Although Highways don't have any problems with it,

we've had three objections so far from neighbours.

One main worry is the potential for noise and loud music.

They could make a good case

that the noise and disturbance will outweigh the benefits

of this scheme, so it is something

where it is unsure as to which way it will go now.

People are worried.

We did have a party once, but that was

four years ago. Over four years ago.

One party in five years which was quite noisy.

But I've got one, almost two kids now.

We're going to be living here.

We can't have noise happening right by the house.

But it's not just one party that has tainted Anselm's reputation.

It's no secret in Elmore

that he is also a former DJ and festival organiser.

When I first came, there were a lot of people sort of,

"Is Glastonbury going to turn up

"in our fields?" and all this sort of stuff.

And, you know, it's an understandable thing.

It's trying to shake free of a perceived reputation

that I might have. The truth of the matter is we're a wedding venue.

And, you know, it's not an electronic, 4-day,

10,000 people rave in the back field.

To reduce the noise, Anselm's using an ancient rammed-earth

technique for the walls of his venue, with mud

from beneath the fields of his estate. He's testing the theory.

This is a mini version of the real deal.

You put a layer of earth, then you do another layer.

You keep building it up until you've gone right up to the top.

It's quite experimental and it's crazy that we're doing it

but I think it's going to be amazing.

You can tell how unfit I am.

The mock-up is for Stroud Planning Committee to see when they visit.

Their vote will decide whether he'll ever build the real thing.

It's scary cos we've got momentum now.

People are beginning to realise what we're doing.

People are getting excited. We've got staff employed

and we've entered the timeline of our business plan.

It's nerve-racking for me.

I mean, the long-term thing is,

am I always going to remain employed here?

If, you know, especially if

the planning permission doesn't go ahead.

There's a doubt on the horizon what might actually happen. You know.

We are all thinking of our futures. We have young families and the like.

We enjoy so much what we do here

and this is the catch to it, really.

It's not just about the project.

It's about being here at Elmore Court.

It is a beautiful place to be.

If we don't get it? What will I do? I don't know.

It would be bad.

All the people who work here would probably have to stop

working because I won't be able to afford to pay their salaries.

We're not... We're going to get it. We've got to get it.

Yeah.

The people who will make that decision are on their way -

the Stroud Planning Committee.

-Are we near the ice-cream factory?

-No, that's the other side.

-Oh, is it?

-That's on the other common.

I get confused with commons.

With so much at stake for the staff of Elmore,

only the family china will do.

We decided the mugs are going to be replaced with cups

and saucers, much more appropriate for our guests today.

Joining the planning committee for her first site visit

is retired teacher, Liz Ashton.

I received the papers, as we call them,

on Friday, but I had an appointment with

the couch and the television all weekend.

So, I've been...

For the last day, I was up at five o'clock this morning swotting it up.

We've got the planning bible, if I can reach it. Just a minute.

I can't reach it.

Cos I'm too...

Thank you. Thanks, Stephen.

So I had my Stroud District planning bible

so I could look up all the numbers that are in the planning application.

They make reference to H9, G1...

..paragraph 47 in their national planning thing.

I don't know what they are at the moment

so I decided I had to do some proper homework.

That's what I've been doing for the last day

so that I could be knowledgeable and ask some good questions.

-Can I take you through to where...?

-Let's go.

-Can we follow them in?

The applicant is now proposing to use the house for wedding ceremonies.

Do we actually lay down in planning "a wedding venue"?

-Or is this effectively a function venue?

-It's a function venue.

So you could have 24 hours, people coming into the car park, noise.

It wouldn't just be weddings at weekends.

It could be right through the week, seven days a week.

I was super confident. Now I'm, like...

It's a bit like having an interview for a really important job.

And there's Elly. HE LAUGHS

Neighbours are worried that the proposed venue will be too noisy

but Anselm has a solution.

Could I draw to your attention a section of rammed-earth walling?

-Is that for environmental reasons? It's sustainable?

-It's mainly noise.

It's good for noise, is it?

It's very much in the hands of the councillors once something

goes to committee.

It has the potential to go very right and also to go very wrong.

In Winsford, Cheshire the appearance of CCTV cameras on this

end-of-terrace house has caused a dispute between neighbours

and may be a breach of planning.

Since Nial's site visit, his enforcement team have been

working to resolve the case, but with little success.

A couple of enforcement officers visited

the premises about three weeks ago

to try and speak to the property owner.

Unfortunately, the officers didn't receive a good reception

and were asked to leave the property before we'd had an opportunity

to provide the advice.

I had a planning officer come,

and I ejected her because she didn't know what she was talking about.

Basically she told me to rip all the cameras down

and I just laughed and ejected her from the premises.

KNOCKING

Hello?

'Hopefully, he'll be a little

'more willing to discuss the matter with us this time.'

Hi, there.

'We don't want to have to serve an enforcement notice.'

If the property owner continues to not co-operate with us,

'we'll be left with no option.'

It's overlooking my land and the driveway.

We'll discuss all that under planning.

-Some things come under different...

-You can't have one for one roof...

No. We're not going to do that.

-I'm just saying... Do you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

Yeah, we understand that.

What's that little thing there? Is that a light? A spotlight?

-That one's a camera.

-OK.

-That's a camera.

-OK.

-I'd rather comply than not comply.

I don't want to argue.

I like facts. If you can't give me facts, no good to me.

No. Sure.

-At the moment, at the back, there's just these two?

-Yeah.

-OK.

With a camera allowed every ten metres,

the back of the house complies with planning law.

Shall we have a look at the front then, please?

-See on that corner there?

-That one there?

Look round and then you've got this one on the pole here.

Oh, and one in the wall there.

-I was going to say you've got one in the wall.

-Forgot that.

On the front, we've got one, two...four.

Plus the post boxes on the outside

so if anyone's messing with the post box...

Do you know what I'm saying?

But with 4 cameras in the space of 20 metres,

the front of the house doesn't comply with planning rules.

James is told to take the one camera on the pole down.

It was amicable and everyone's happy.

Everyone's seen everything. Nothing was hidden.

Now I've got the right information, there's not a problem.

By and large, this case is pretty much resolved and, fortunately,

we've been able to resolve it amicably.

So that's all to the good.

I've been upset about them cameras over the years.

Job's a good 'un.

-Are you going to get on better with him?

-To be honest,

if he leaves me alone, I'll leave him alone. We'll get on.

250 miles away in the Scottish Borders, planner

Barry Fotheringham has noticed a growing trend on his patch.

I'm finding

an increase in the number of small-scale developments,

whether it be one, two, three-house

developments or house extensions,

steading conversions, that sort of development.

Barry's on his way to see a small developer with big ambitions,

Bristol-born architectural technician Hugo Sanders.

When Hugo arrived in Scotland 19 years ago, he lived next door to

a planner, and was inspired to become a property developer.

Once you start

and it gets in your blood, it's very difficult to get out.

You've got to build another house.

The plan is for two houses in his back garden.

If he gets to build them, he could make £400,000 profit.

Our two sons are coming to the age where they are going to university,

and we need to pay for education and that kind of thing.

Building a house and selling it would help a great deal.

There's this curved ridge, it's kind of a Balinese style.

The reason why I chose that was because

modern architecture is taken from Japanese style

where everything's very square and logically built.

'We've got to find a new identity for the computer age,

'otherwise our age will be defined by always looking'

back into the past, which is wrong, isn't it?

But Foulden is a traditional village,

and Hugo's vision of the future is not shared by everyone.

There's a painting here of

my great-great-great-grandfather's sister

who was painted by the court artist of the Tsar.

MUSIC: "A Wee Deoch An' Doris" by Harry Lauder

Gregory Lauder-Frost is the great nephew of

Scotland's legendary entertainer, Sir Harry Lauder.

He's also the current chair of the local community council

and head of the objectors to Hugo's designs.

Well, we felt that it was very, very ultra-modern.

This is an ancient parish and we want it to retain

a certain atmosphere a certain aura.

We're not opposed to people building a house

but we want it to look nice and twee.

Barry is making his first visit to the site.

He'll then make a recommendation on Hugo's plans.

We've got some concerns over the existing access

and whether that's suitable to absorb additional traffic.

We've also got concerns with regards to the impact the proposed

dwelling houses may have on the playing fields as well.

Barry's concerns focus on two large properties

lying on this half-acre of land.

Hugo's chances of realising his plans and profit are looking slim.

If we feel that the proposal doesn't comply with policy,

we could easily make a recommendation to refuse the application.

It's the day of the committee meeting that will decide

the fate of Chester's historic Leadworks,

and architect Matt Brook's £7 million vision to bring shops,

apartments and office space to the city's canal side.

It's a long time in the designing

cos we're passionate about creating something

which adds to Chester as an overall city. It's not just about that site.

It's about the role that that site can play

in the regeneration of that bit of Chester.

You only get one chance at heritage, once it's gone,

it's gone.

If you had an old Rolls-Royce,

you'd try to make it as original as you could.

You wouldn't put alloy wheels on it.

You'd get it back to original.

And I think it should be the same with these buildings.

You only get one chance.

The Chester Civic Trust are the voice of the objectors.

The application recommendation remains the same.

Thank you, Chair.

They're strongly opposed to Head Planner Fiona's recommendation

to approve this scheme...

-Madam Chairman, committee...

-..and are determined to block it.

The idea of reflecting the Leadworks'

heritage by using alien and cheap, grey-coloured materials on

industrial-type structures is crude.

What it will actually produce is a brutal and gloomy

set of buildings that loom over the canal and the homes of local people.

There is no need to accept this cheap

and ugly scheme which breaches a host of planning policies.

Chester deserves and could achieve a better solution

so we urge you to refuse the application.

APPLAUSE

The developers have three minutes to respond to criticisms.

We're not in the business of demolishing listed buildings.

However, by the selective demolition of the later parts of the building,

we can provide a more sustainable solution

and an improved setting for the shot tower.

The design is challenging and is not to everyone's taste

but it is encouraged by English Heritage who steered us

away from the use of brick elevations in order to avoid a pastiche design.

This is a modern solution to match with the listed part of the building.

Now, it's time for the committee to discuss

the merits of the application before putting it to the vote.

I can't believe that that's been put in front of us today.

It strikes me as being a complete mess

and it will be a tragedy for Chester if this were built like THAT there.

I think, to use the pun, whoever designed that needs to be shot.

It's a complete mess. I would like to move, at this moment, refusal.

I can't see that we're going to debate this for half an hour.

It's a lacklustre application and Chester

and the shot tower deserve better.

MURMURS OF APPROVAL

If we're going to do it, let's get it right.

APPLAUSE

I think we should cut this debate short.

I'm happy to second her motion for refusal

and we should vote on refusal.

With the plans about to be overwhelmingly rejected,

the developers get a message to Fiona.

I have just been informed by the applicants

that they now wish to withdraw

both the applications that you've just been debating

and the subsequent listed building application.

So they are withdrawn and there is no decision of this committee

to be made on these applications.

That was a waste of time, wasn't it?

Thank you. OK, thank you, members.

I think, the way

it was going, the councillors were going to vote against it.

That would have been seen by our side as a victory.

The fact that the developers suddenly, at the last minute,

walked away makes it a bit different.

The fact is that, morally, we won.

I'm very pleased. It's had a stay of execution.

You wonder what they'll come back with.

They're not going to just go away.

I suspect they'll reset plans

and we'll go through this again.

That's what I'm guessing.

That planning application we put forward

cost upwards of 150-200,000.

It's tomes and tomes of information.

And to see it being dismissed

in ten minutes as ill-conceived, rushed, not thought through,

a horrendous design, you know,

it is pretty heartbreaking

considering all the effort you've put into the scheme.

By withdrawing from committee before the vote,

the developers can now re-evaluate and consider their next steps.

But with so much money already invested in this scheme,

they are not going to walk away.

In the Scottish Borders, developer Hugo Sanders also had his initial

development knocked back.

Originally, when Hugo submitted these plans, it was for two houses.

They were quite futuristic and maybe a little bit zany.

Neighbour Sue, like many residents

of Foulden, has closely followed Hugo's planning applications.

He's cut it down to one house,

which is a little bit more acceptable to everyone.

He's got a good heart and he did listen to me.

I told him if he didn't listen to me,

he'd have to buy me lots of drink.

Being a miserable so-and-so, I think that swung it.

We got a picture of the shingle roofs here...

Hugo may have reduced the plans from two to one house,

but he's not toned down his design.

It is a bit Tolkien-esque.

There is a Harry Potter element to it.

This area, because it's been the victim of

mediocre planning decisions since the '70s,

it needs a focus.

Well, I don't think the village

exists for Hugo or anyone else to put their special projects in it.

It's got a very modern

almost Swedish-style design

and this house is going to be twice as high as the houses nearby.

It will cut out a great deal of sunlight and sunshine and warmth.

Hugo is a decent enough chap.

The council and the neighbours felt they didn't like his proposal.

It's nothing personal.

There's a neighbour over here, who's also objecting.

I think with that one, we've kept it through the formal channels.

We just nod and say hi to each other,

meanwhile there's this enormous battle raging

over our heads.

But will the concerns of the objectors

be supported by Planner Barry Fotheringham?

It's an unusual design and it's a unique design

and clearly we are striving to improve levels of architecture,

improve design, encourage innovative and contemporary design.

I've made a recommendation in my report to approve the application.

Unfortunately for Hugo,

he can't rely on Barry's report to green light his development.

We re-consulted neighbours

and the total number of objections exceeds four.

We have got five or more objections

and that would trigger the need for the application to go to committee.

Committee are also deciding the future of Elmore Court

in Gloucestershire.

Anselm Guise recently inherited the 13th-century family home.

He's only just discovering its rich past.

Initially, it didn't feel like my own house at all.

I was quite nervous about it. But it wasn't so much to do with this.

It was more to do with the fact that I had always come here as a kid.

It was my uncle's house and, weirdly,

I feel like it is mine now but, at the same time, I am

thinking about my next of kin,

that it is kind of intact for them and they can enjoy it,

which is kind of why we're doing this whole project.

Here is something that we found.

Is it here?

Somebody at some point has put a load of letters quite neatly...

Here we go.

Miss Florence Nightingale, 1820.

Charles Dickens.

He has got a hell of a signature.

Check out Charles Dickens's signature.

There is a nervousness.

There is, like, you know, the planning thing is a big thing

and if we don't get it then there will be a kind of awful

reality where everyone would lose their jobs

and I will have to get back to scratching my head

and wondering what the hell to do and how to stop this,

you know, 100,000 a year loss, essentially, which,

you know, that is why the whole thing suddenly becomes an issue.

Not only does everyone lose their jobs but we have probably got

to sell the whole place or at least seriously consider it.

Once or twice a week, I wake up at four in the morning and I'm like...

HE GASPS

..and I can't stop thinking about it and I have to go downstairs

and drink coffee and make myself think about it more.

The future of EVERYTHING is in these people's hands.

At the council chambers,

Anselm's application is about to go before committee.

His family have come out to see

what the future holds for their ancestral home.

And his seven staff - to see what it holds for their jobs.

But Anselm's party past threatens both.

He's grown up.

He has grown up quite a lot.

Part of the objection is this sort of attitude that he wants to build

a nightclub round the back, which I think is actually really funny.

I shouldn't say that cos it is someone's legitimate concern

but, you know, we have a child who is two and another one on the way.

I mean, it's just... And also the idea of having a nightclub

in Elmore is quite funny.

The objectors won't be speaking at the meeting.

They're hoping that the planners' reports

raise their worries about noise.

Anselm has three minutes to present his case.

I believe there is someone who would like to speak

on behalf of the application. Would you come forward now, please?

Dear committee members,

my family has been living at Elmore for 750 years.

The house was built to entertain,

so the plan is to primarily create a catered events space.

It has been designed so that when music is played inside it,

it will actually be quieter than

the sound of someone breathing normally

in the gardens of our neighbours. Should you grant us permission,

we will create something that is great for Elmore.

Please give us the green light to do this. Thank you.

Now it's down to the committee to decide the fate of Elmore Court.

It's come to a vote. Contenders on the table as per officer advice.

All those in favour, please, show.

That is unanimous for this to go.

Hey!

-Yeah.

-Yeah. Result. Result.

I'll wipe the tears away.

Yeah. It's like winning the gold medal at the Olympics.

The success continues.

I am actually a bit overwhelmed.

I need to regroup a little bit to be able to, sort of...

I've got Edward on the phone. Tell him.

Eddie. Hello, Eddie.

I've just got planning permission

to build a big party venue behind Elmore.

Right, I think we need to go and I really need a drink.

Yeah, let's.

With a big party venue in the bag,

it's time to celebrate.

So, I just wanted to say, "Wicked!"

CHEERING

We got it and thanks very much to everyone.

So, cheers to Stroud District Council.

Well done, Anselm!

Developer Hugo Sanders is at the Scottish Borders Council

to find out if he can build the fantasy house in his back garden

that will pay for his children's university education.

Due to the number of objections,

the decision will be made by the planning committee.

We're ready now for the erection of a dwelling house on land at Foulden.

In the Borders, applicants cannot argue their case at committee.

Hugo is relying on the recommendation for approval

made by the planning officer.

The proposal is deliberately quite different

from anything in the immediate vicinity.

But the approach that is being proposed here

is not entirely inconsistent with the setting.

OK, thank you.

I'm a wee bit apprehensive. We'll see what happens.

I've got reservations

and listening to the debate to decide whether those

reservations will be an objection.

The proximity of the buildings could give some degree of overshadowing

and I think we need to understand that because they are close.

The plan of the house, I think it has a certain element of a pagoda.

Sorry, I mustn't express my prejudices but you'll get my drift.

Obviously, the planners have been going with it

and I very much appreciate them...

going along with it cos it is an unusual design

but I think the local councillors are probably going to

err on the side of caution and try and, sort of, put it to bed,

put it in the bin.

I think it is something you can make really well insulated

and a good aspect. These are all very important things.

I think I would support that. I really am quite excited.

I actually find this design very exciting

and in the context of Foulden, because there's

a lot of different designs, I don't think it is out of place here.

Councillor Brown, are you wanting in?

I have heard two or three attempts to find a reason for a refusal here

but I am really happy with this design and I'd like to recommend

that we go along with it.

Well, I think we are about to test it out.

Discussion over, opinion split, it's time to vote.

To approve the application, can I have a show of hands, please?

Eight.

And Councillor Bell seconded by Councillor Mountford to refuse.

Four. So the application is approved.

Thank you.

Great.

That was a great result.

I can't say I was really expecting that result at all.

And I'm very, very pleased indeed. It was brilliant.

And surprised as well.

Decision made. Time for the community council chairman,

Gregory Lauder-Frost, to bow before the higher authority

of the Scottish Borders Council.

It's a negation of democracy.

Or maybe not.

Not only is he going to build his grand design, his dream house,

but he's also going to completely overshadow his neighbours.

It's no use saying, "We've looked at the objections,

"we've taken them on board."

All these phrases that local government use,

they're all meaningless.

If they'd taken them on board they wouldn't have approved it.

But they did approve it and so therefore it's a win for one

and a loss for everybody else.

That's the way we see it.

-HARRY LAUDER:

-# You can't beat the old home town, eh? #

In Chester, the Leadworks are receiving a second site visit.

After their original plan for dark grey cladding was strongly

criticised at committee, the developers have

revised their plans to use a more expensive light grey zinc cladding.

I hope it's not classed as Labour under the one umbrella.

THEY CHUCKLE

Serves you right for saying that.

It's like your party - it's collapsing.

In five hours' time,

the elected councillors will vote on the new plans.

With a £7 million scheme on the line,

the developers weren't prepared to give up without a fight.

The next couple of days

was taken up with a major review

where we did absolutely look at everything.

I think we were questioning,

"Well, crikey, have we got this was completely and utterly wrong?"

We're experienced developers and experienced architects

and I don't think we've ever had quite that

kind of reception from anything other than single objectors.

So we did absolutely look at everything.

So, this is the pre-weathered zinc.

They've provided a sample of the zinc cladding for the members

of the planning committee to see EXACTLY what it will look like.

So, as weathering takes place, it will remain that.

Yeah, it's zinc as well. It's not a coating,

so you haven't got a steel which may rust or something.

It is basically zinc so it will remain very similar to that.

It's a bit like a prison, really, isn't it? Yeah.

OK, thank you very much.

We now revert to the item four, the former Chester Leadworks building.

The officer's view remains that the application should be

approved subject to the conditions

set out in the officer report to this committee.

Thank you, Chair.

While the planners are still backing the development,

the Chester Civic Trust remain opposed.

On the 3rd of July,

the planning committee unanimously condemned

this scheme. Members were appalled and they were going to refuse it.

You are being asked to vote on essentially the same scheme.

We urge you to refuse this application.

The next speaker is Rob Mason,

who will be speaking on behalf of the agent.

We were told we had not given due regard to

the preservation of a listed building, yet English Heritage

support our approach, deem this to be an exceptional circumstance

and urge you to approve the proposal to save the buildings.

We have, however, introduced a major improvement

by now adopting zinc cladding. This has significantly increased cost

and has effectively removed any residual value for the site.

However, I am pleased to report,

English Heritage state this change will, and I quote,

"Further improve the high quality and innovative design of the proposal."

The long-term future of the Leadworks is on the line.

If the planning committee don't approve the scheme,

the historic building will continue to deteriorate.

I have to say that my objections at the time, well, they were subjective.

I didn't like it. And I have to say I still don't like it.

I do think that, yes, they have gone away

and they have had a look at the cladding because we all said,

as one, "Gosh, that is horrible."

But they have come up with grey again.

It still gives me that impression of a workhouse. I'm sorry.

I certainly don't like the cladding.

Not for the heart of Chester and a main route into Chester.

I don't like that at all and I will be voting against it.

APPLAUSE

As with the last meeting, the committee seem to be railing

against the modern design but one councillor is still keen to speak.

We can't keep on going back and saying,

"Oh, well, now we wouldn't develop it like that."

Now, we probably wouldn't build houses that have got black-and-white

facades and pretended to be Tudor when they were actually Victorian.

So, you know, we have to move along and we have to develop things

that are of our time.

I feel, Chairman, that we have to make a decision.

We have to actually be brave and say,

"We need to do something with this site.

"It cannot just be left in the state it is now."

Therefore, I am going to actually say,

"I think we should actually approve these recommendations

"and this application." Thank you, Chairman.

Arguments for and against the proposal

from the eight-member committee.

All those in favour of the approval of this application subject to

all these conditions et cetera, please show.

Two, three, four, Chairman.

Those against.

One, two, three, Chairman.

Any abstentions?

One, Chairman.

That motion is passed.

Four votes to three.

This time, it's a victory for the developers.

Now it looks as if we are going to end up with two prison blocks

in a slightly different shade of grey than before, when it was refused.

The people that pass them, they don't have to live with them but we do.

They go off and do something else and we have to live with them

for the rest of our lives.

It was a good outcome. I was really pleased with that.

It took a bit of a leap of faith for the members to actually

decide to go along with

that contemporary design.

I think, you know, when we all do go back in 15 years' time,

I think people will look at our building and say,

"Actually, I think they could have been a bit more radical.

"You know, I think they could have done a bit more."

I am hoping in, you know, 60 or 100 years' time, the great

and the good of that time will look back and say,

"You did a good job with the Leadworks."

I'll try and be around to see it but I doubt it somehow.

Next time on The Planners...

We might have a party here.

Me and my friends, you know, sunbathing in our bikinis.

..restoration ideas are put to the planners for approval...

I think it would look really weird.

It would be really, really weird.

I felt like crying. It just hurts a lot.

..in Rochdale, an objector finds a flaw

in the plans for a new housing scheme...

If anybody can turn a car round in that space, from there to there,

I wish them well.

..and Scottish planners get caught between a futuristic house

and an objector from a different era.

Both my wife and I have recently learned to use computers.

So, it is up to us,

poor wee souls that we are, to make a decision on this.

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