Episode 5 The Planners

Britain is a green and pleasant land.

But for how long?

We're now getting to a position 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 had the house here,

I'm thinking of building a Berlin wall here, at least six feet high.

So constructors are making plans.

Whoever designed that needs to be shot.

Objectors are making noises.

I've had enough of it for what we've got in this town for councillors.

-The load of

-BLEEP

-they're putting up.

And neighbours are going to war.

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

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

-And nothing happens in the hall?

-No.

-No? Yes? No? Yes?

Thanks for letting us visit. We'll see you on Thursday.

Another British planning cock-up, really.

Planners don't just oversee new construction.

They are also responsible for any changes to Britain's 370,000 listed buildings,

which include landmarks such as Hadrian's Wall,

Stonehenge, and the pedestrian crossing made famous by the Beatles.

In Cheltenham, the Grade II listed Royal Crescent was built in 1806

for upper-class visitors taking in the spa waters.

Its latest owners are about to restore one of the houses

after selling their family home.

If we put this through for planning here,

that wall and that wall will go out.

The Smith family have paid half a million pounds for the privilege.

What we'd like now is a house that we can stay in for years and years

that would fit all the grandchildren!

We saw this house looking really unloved and thought the challenge was to restore it to what it was.

It gripped us.

It's been there 200 years, and maybe it'll be there in another 200 years

-with our family.

-That's so cheesy!

The Smiths have decided to keep it in the family.

It's going to need a steel, anyway, because it's likely to be supporting something.

They've entrusted 22-year-old daughter Sophie

with the job of project managing the restoration.

Picture-framer Dad Chris will be the creative force behind the design.

I doubt if anybody has thought about this property

five per cent of what I've thought about it.

I'd say I'm much more of an expert on this project

than anybody at the moment.

We'll discuss Mima's room, cos that's easy, isn't it?

Walk on!

I've got a huge amount of knowledge and experience.

I do understand buildings and I do try and point people in the right direction.

Karen Radford is the planner with the power to approve or reject the Smiths' plans.

I'm heritage and conservation manager at Cheltenham Borough Council.

And my job is to deal with applications for listed building consent on listed buildings.

I do love architecture. I love history. I love Cheltenham.

I was brought up in Cheltenham, born in Cheltenham,

so I really do love it with a passion.

The person who is responsible

for overseeing that heritage for future generations is me.

It's something that I don't take lightly.

The Smiths have sent their plans to Karen, hoping for a quick approval

as they need to move out of the house they sold.

'People will think we're mad, because it's a ginormous house.

'We're a small family. We're struggling with budgets, like anyone would do.

We haven't got anywhere to live,

so we need it to be done pretty quickly.

But I like to work under pressure.

I feel that great things happen when under pressure.

Get a bit of adrenaline going, so it should pay off, definitely.

The property was last used as a nursing home.

It has ten bedrooms over four floors.

The Smiths are planning to restore it to its Regency splendour

while introducing one big, modern twist.

If I bring you through here, we've got the original kitchen.

It's not going to be a kitchen any more. It's going to be a garden room, or a sun room,

to get as much light in as possible and bring our guests and friends round.

So one of our plans for this

is to put in these bi-folding doors on this elevation here.

These bi-folding doors would then go on to the decking

and serve this nice decking area which we've also put in for planning permission.

We're going to have the big opening across there,

so that the wall comes to the decking,

with glazed panels, to make it as transparent as possible

and look really uber-cool as well.

Together with case officer Martin Chandler,

Karen has to decide whether to authorise the decking

and the demolition of the external wall.

I don't think so.

To put some decking, or balcony, call it what you will, along there,

that whole area, I think it would be unacceptable.

There's a lot of it, isn't there, and it is going to compromise the building.

We might have a party here.

We're thinking of the summertime and that, the romantic way of thinking about it.

Me and my friends sunbathing in our bikinis.

You never know, if we're allowed, we might have a Jacuzzi downstairs as well.

Which would be quite nice!

I think it's one of those applications where obviously the people are eager to move in.

They've got lots of ideas.

In some respects, I think there's a lot of naivety in what they're proposing to do.

From our point of view, we need to be making sure

that they're not compromising the building.

Alterations to listed buildings are allowed if they help to preserve them.

Karen's not convinced the decking does that.

But before coming to a final decision,

she needs to make a site visit.

What will we do there?

'People put in things and you think, "This is just nonsense.

'"This is just silly."

'So I always try and educate people and say,

'"You actually have something really special here

'"and it's part of the history of Britain."'

In England, planners look after the construction of over 100,000 houses a year.

Every five minutes, a new house is completed.

It may be a multi-billion-pound business,

but there is still room for members of the public to have their say in the planning process.

Planner Rebecca Coley is in Rochdale,

where developers want to extend this terrace

and build three new houses on waste ground at the end of the cul-de-sac.

The front of the properties would be here, with a small garden there,

basically continuing the terrace, but with a gap between them.

But the same style of house.

On this side of the site over here, would be a parking area,

five spaces across the top here

with what they show, a space here to allow for turning.

I think the scheme is absolutely fine.

It's recommended for approval by officers.

This kind of site, when it's ideal for housing development,

is really the sort of site we should be seeking to redevelop.

But one local is determined to stop the project.

He has studied the plans for days

and has finally spotted a flaw.

Don't want to be doing with all that rubbish, do we?

Builder Dennis Sutcliffe-Smith

thinks the developer has got his measurements wrong.

So that's ten

to here.

That's five car parking spaces.

This is where...

..the wall of the new houses comes.

So if anybody can turn a car round

in that space from there to there,

I wish them well!

They've got it wrong.

If you put five parking spaces there, none of us can turn round.

So we'd all have to reverse out in the street

with children in the back. That's wrong.

It's a nice, pleasant area and it's a really nice quiet suburb and street.

It will disrupt everybody's lives on this street.

The planners have recommended the scheme for approval.

But objections from Dennis and the residents

mean the final decision will be made by the councillors on Rochdale's planning committee.

It's made up of members of the public who are elected every four years.

-Are you the architect or...

-The resident.

-The resident.

-So where are the parking spaces?

-Here.

-Where we're standing, here?

-Yeah. In this corner, yes.

Do you think you can fit five cars in there? I've measured it out.

You've only got 1.7 metres.

Sorry, a resident can't lobby you on a site visit.

-Please, sir. You have your opportunity to speak at the committee this evening.

-OK.

-Please don't address the members because they may not be able to vote on it later.

-OK.

-No problem.

-They're quite small, anyway. They're not your average-sized parking.

-Yeah.

Dennis has fallen foul of strict planning procedure.

Members of the public can't voice their objections to the committee on site visits.

'Well, I thought that's maybe why they sort of came.

'You know, to look at the area'

and then we could voice our concerns while they're here.

But he's determined to make his voice heard.

So when the councillors meet again at the town hall that evening,

Dennis is fully prepared.

Hello. My name's Dennis Sutcliffe-Smith.

I've got a few concerns about this development.

This is a quiet dead-end street

with seven number houses,

six number with small children.

13, in total, under the age of 11.

There is only just enough room at present to turn a standard vehicle around.

And if you even put one parking space in that area

it means there will be absolutely no opportunity to turn a vehicle around.

This development will make a very small street and an unsafe place for children.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Can you ask the highways officer to come in, please?

I agree.

We need to look at this further and I'd like it deferred, if possible.

OK. So can we defer that, please?

For another highways. Thank you.

The planners will have to return to the site to re-measure.

Dennis has managed to delay the decision,

but will he succeed in completely derailing the development?

At least we've had a deferral.

So we might be able to measure it up properly, this time.

I might have to hold the end of the tape measure for him!

Great architects of the past

have left their ground-breaking designs all over Britain.

In the Scottish borders lives a landowner

who is determined to leave his own mark...

planners permitting.

I think I'm definitely a bit of a romantic.

I think when I bought the plot

I thought, without quite knowing what I was going to do with it,

that I could do something exciting with it.

There's such an obvious house site up there

that anybody seeing it would think this is a good site for a house.

Robert Younger is a solicitor specialising in fishery legislation

and a lover of modern architecture.

He has spent £20,000 commissioning the design of his new modern house.

More than anything, it's a really exciting design of a building.

I think what you notice most strongly about this

is this glazed pavilion that's standing on top here.

I mean, it was exhibited at the Royal Academy, it's had quite a lot of press. People have loved it.

The house may have pleased architecture enthusiasts all over the country,

but will it win over the man who has to give it planning permission?

There is a lot of pressure on the Borders countryside for new housing.

We want to make sure they're in the right locations

in a sympathetic way.

The Scottish Borders council has introduced a commitment

to improve the quality of architecture in the area.

So Robert's application would appear nicely timed.

I'm looking at the centre of the site

to see quite what the impact of the house would be.

Part of the argument in favour of the development

is that it would be a very unusual design,

a brock style hill fort type structure.

There is an intrinsic value in the design

in its uniqueness.

Sir Richard Murphy is the architect responsible for the design.

You get the best of all worlds.

You get your own kingdom, your own little walled garden,

but you also get amazing extensive views from upstairs of the whole landscape.

It's nice to have the two things, really.

I met Prince Charles once at a reception at Holyrood.

I was introduced as a prominent modern architect,

which was like being thrown to the lions. He prodded me in the chest

and said, "I bet you don't live in a house you designed."

I said, "Well, actually, I do, Prince Charles.

"I designed a house for a lady here to rent out,

"and I liked it so much I became the tenant."

Richard has had his projects built all over the world,

but knows just how hard it is to get planning permission in Britain.

I happen to think the system is now completely out of control in this country.

It's a very negative-minded system.

When we stand here in 100 years' time,

and look back at the '70s, '80s and '90s,

we'll look at how insipid and pathetic the architectural contribution was

because of the heavy-handed nature of planners.

Planner Carlos has been inspecting Robert's plot

and neighbouring properties on the other side of the hill.

And something doesn't add up.

Our policy allows for a new house next to a group of three houses.

What I needed to check here, first and foremost,

was whether we, in fact, had three houses.

We have two houses on this side.

And that's where we've got the problem.

We don't have the group that we need

for this to be supported.

It's a wonderful setting.

You can completely understand why someone would want to build a house here.

The difficulty is the policy doesn't allow it to be built

because of where it's proposed.

Since the 1980s,

the Scottish Borders council has placed tight restrictions

on any new homes in open countryside.

We're trying to keep The Borders the way people expect they should be

which is predominantly rural and not scattered with individual houses around every corner.

When the report from Carlos comes in,

it recommends refusal for Robert's stone-built modern house in the country.

It's a situation architect Richard Murphy has found himself in many times before.

What worries me is people always rush to make the safest judgement

which is basically to say no.

If in doubt, say no.

This mentality of stopping things is going to be the end of this country.

-Is it a lack of confidence?

-Yes, total lack of confidence.

It's rejected by planners,

and so the next thing is it goes in front of a planning committee

and they can either reject it out of hand, which I hope they won't,

or, I'm hoping that they will decide to have a hearing.

Because then one has an opportunity of putting forward a point of view.

Well, we'll battle away. You know.

The Scottish Borders council local review body

is due to decide on the modern house in three weeks.

Hopefully, those two words "common sense" will prevail.

Because it is common sense.

Common sense versus dogma.

-We've got dogma at the moment.

-We've got two dogs!

LAUGHTER

In Cheltenham, the new owners in Royal Crescent

are eager to begin restoration

as they need to move out of their family home in two weeks' time.

Lots of people here today, by the sounds of it.

-It starts for real today. It's good.

-Good.

Even though they're still waiting for planning permission,

they've started clearing the property.

Conservation officer Karen Radford has seen their plans

which involve the demolition of some original features.

So she's decided to pay a visit to the house.

Some people think double yellow lines are there to be ignored.

Some people don't park on double yellow lines.

Some people will respect historic buildings.

Some people will ask us a lot of detailed questions

and apologise for wasting our time.

We need to be making sure that they're not compromising the building.

So they've started work on site.

-Hello, I'm Karen.

-Sorry?

-Karen Radford, Heritage and Conservation.

So, Grade II listed building.

Any repair or alteration which affects the character of a listed building requires consent.

So I'm slightly concerned that you've got someone on site.

If you're starting to do the work which requires consent,

-that can be a criminal offence.

-Yes, I know that.

So as long as you're familiar with that. OK.

As the owners face the threat of a criminal prosecution,

work on the site grinds to a halt.

That door would never have been in that position.

It would have been here more.

Karen's first job is to inspect the house and decide which features are original

and which are contemporary and need replacing.

I think that is absolutely hideous.

Whoever put them in committed a criminal offence.

We just don't know who that person was.

I would suggest that you change it.

-If you leave that in there, that may then cause you problems later on.

-Mm.

Chris has come here and he wants this house as close to how it was

when it was originally built.

And he's paying for it, as well. He's not doing anything on the cheap.

And then you get this woman come in and she throws a massive spanner in the works.

Next on the agenda are Chris's plans for the restoration of the house.

So nothing happens in the hall, yeah?

-No.

-No? Yes? No? Yes?

He wants to build a decked area at the back of the house.

To access it, he wants to demolish a 200-year-old wall.

The decking is an issue which I have major concerns with.

You've got a Grade II listed building.

This is a building of national / international importance.

What you're removing is a substantial section of external wall

with a chimney breast.

How can you be arguing that that's preserving the historic character?

What about if we did a smaller section?

Sophie's plan B is to have a smaller opening

and remove the kitchen window instead.

-This window is definitely original.

-Yes.

The loss of that window, it's a two-star listed building,

would not be acceptable.

Great. Thanks for telling us that.

-There's no point in beating about the bush.

-Yeah.

-It just would not be acceptable.

-OK.

-What about below?

-Explain.

-What do you mean?

Could we - this is just thinking quite quickly - below, could we take this section out

and have it so that, if we wanted to,

we could lift this and maybe have some kind of doorway open

so that we could access it?

We're on a raised ground floor.

If the decking is unacceptable, what do you want a door there for?

-We wouldn't have a door.

-Exactly. So let's talk about the decking

-rather than talk about a door and then talk about the decking.

-OK. Decking.

With the main living area on the first floor,

the family want the raised decking so they have access to a light, outdoor space.

I think that's... I think it would look really weird.

Really, really weird.

The thing is, we're reinstating this house as a family home.

I think that developing that into a small balcony would make sense of this area.

-I feel it would enhance...

-Look, it's not something that I'd support.

If you feel strongly about it,

then put in an application and go to appeal.

-That's the way it will be determined.

-OK.

At the end of the visit, Karen has refused permission for the decking,

has said no to knocking down the kitchen wall

and doesn't want the Smiths to interfere with their Regency window.

It's been brilliant you coming along. I think I've gained a lot of knowledge.

I think you need to be very careful about how much more work you need to do

because there's going to be a point

at which you're going to be straying into that area

where you need listed building consent and we'll be here with our enforcement officers.

That's not a situation we want to get into.

We want to see the building refurbished.

But equally, it needs to be done within the legislation

and be done in an acceptable manner.

-So we can only give you the advice and I hope we get revised drawings.

-Thanks for your advice.

Right. Thanks! Bye!

Well, there you go.

I felt like crying. It just hurts a lot.

But I've got to keep the professional speaking.

I've got to understand that they've got a job and they're working within legislation.

But it was an outright no about the decking and the opening.

It was just like, "ouch!" It was pretty painful.

But we prepared ourselves for this meeting.

-We knew...

-We're going to go down fighting!

Occasionally, there are conflicts between what people want to do

and the historic character of the building.

It is always a very difficult balancing act

between saying to people, "We understand that this is your building,

"you've invested in it for your future, for you and your family."

And at the same time we're saying, "No, you need to do x, y and z."

Is anyone tuna panini? Did you order food?

The Smiths are going right back to the drawing board.

We've got a massive fight ahead of us for that.

With only two weeks to go before they have to move out of their current house,

the race is on to get their new home ready on time.

In Rochdale, there are plans to build three homes in a cul-de-sac.

But one local is determined to stop them.

Dennis Sutcliffe-Smith complained that five parking spaces for the new scheme

were too many for the size of the road,

forcing the planners to come and re-measure.

What we've done is, we've just changed the plans round

to show three parking spaces, one for each property,

and the ability to turn round.

You come in, into there, reverse back out, then go out the way you came.

This area will be cross-hatched. No parking.

People would use that to turn.

Yeah? The highway scheme works.

But Dennis is not giving up yet.

Looking into it further, just the disruption it'll cause during construction.

There's going to be tradesmen, there'll be materials delivered.

Building houses is not a safe place for kids to be playing out on.

I understand all that, but we would have to refuse every planning application on that basis.

I'll speak to members whether they think that's appropriate,

but you'll have an opportunity to address the committee.

-When's the next meeting?

-The meeting is on 2nd October.

Rochdale has a shortage of nearly 900 houses

that the planners have to fill in the next five years.

All construction does disrupt the lives of surrounding properties

while it goes on. I completely understand the gentleman's concerns.

But it's not a reason to refuse a planning application.

The planners are happy with the revised road layout.

Any objectors here?

-Yes.

-Could you come forward, please?

But Dennis isn't.

He wants the scheme refused because of the potential danger

and disruption to residents.

I don't see how just painting a few lines on a road is going to work.

Secondly, if planning was passed...

While Dennis is speaking, the planners discuss how best to address his new concerns.

Surely this council should agree

that the safety of the residents should be of paramount importance

and ensure the developer come up with some form of control

to minimise the risk.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Your major objection seems to be the parking and the turning.

Have you no other objections to it?

I don't see how having a construction site at the end of the street

is going to make that a safe place for anybody.

You must understand that construction doesn't go on for ever.

If it went on for a day and there was an accident,

who would be responsible if we've got to reverse out onto a street?

-Can I just bring the planning office in?

-What we can do,

and strictly, this is not a particularly enforceable condition,

but, given that it would address the issue,

is to require that a turning area is retained during the construction period, at the end of the road.

Equating to the turning area as shown on the plans that you have there.

So if we can go for a vote for approval.

-Unanimous.

-OK. Carried. Thank you.

The houses have got permission.

But Dennis's persistence has paid off.

His masterclass in objecting

means the committee have agreed to impose traffic restrictions

during construction.

I've got it deferred. I've had them out on site visits.

So I gave them a bit of a run-around, but not far enough. Not far enough.

The objector definitely came out of that with greater concessions to his objections.

If objectors want the best possible outcome,

I always recommend they come and speak in front of a planning committee

because a planning committee are more likely to respond to that emotive plea.

I'm going to look round tomorrow for some birds in nests

and plant them up them trees!

Then ring the Bird Protection Society!

In the Scottish Borders,

the planners have refused permission to build a modern five-bedroomed house.

But applicant Robert thinks he's got a solution.

His plot of land was once the gateway to this aristocratic estate.

Robert is offering the council the complete restoration of the parkland

if they let him build his house.

It's hard to imagine that this particular landscape

was once extremely grand, manicured.

And all sorts of grand lords and ladies

would have been rattling down this driveway in the 19th century in their carriages.

The proposal that we're putting to the council

is to restore the parkland into its former orientation

and basically, the views opening up and closing as you go down

would mirror the experience of the 19th-century carriage

coming down the hill as you go on your journey down towards Carolside House.

If they give permission, then we have the grounds for restoration.

If they don't, then the obligation is to replant this

and all the public benefits of restoration will be lost for another generation.

Robert's land borders the 18th-century Carolside House

at the bottom of the hill.

Its owner would benefit from having the landscape restored for free.

But the price to pay would be the construction of Robert's house.

In my view, the proposed house is a very ugly structure.

Not something that one would particularly wish to see.

Anthony Foyle has lived at Carolside House for 21 years.

My grandfather started a bookshop in London called Foyles,

which some of you may have heard of.

Both my wife and I have been described as rather 18th century,

although we have both recently learned to use computers!

I have grown up with beautiful things.

And we have an informal taste in design.

I would question whether it's an enhancement to see this proposed house.

It may be unobtrusive, but I don't believe the house is in keeping with its setting.

The Scottish Borders Council review body is about to discuss Robert's new plans.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous!

But it's like exam day.

And I hope they give it proper consideration. But we'll see.

We have a house which would not normally have been given permission.

We have to look as to whether a designed landscape is sufficient

to outweigh policy.

In the Borders, the applicant is not permitted to speak at committee meetings.

So it's left to the councillors to interpret Robert's new plans.

But the debate raises more questions than answers.

I'm assuming that what we're really talking about in base terms

from what it says in the documents,

that there is no money to restore the landscape as things stand.

What are we determining the application of?

The councillors want to know more.

So after a 40-minute debate,

the chairman takes matters back into his own hands.

We cannot proceed to a full consideration of this matter

unless we have information on the value of the designed landscape

and whether its importance outweighs our normal policy.

Thank you. That's been a positive discussion.

Robert's offer has interested the councillors.

They are willing to consider allowing an isolated house

if the restored landscape proves to be a benefit to the public.

They're looking for specific evidence from the forestry commission

and from their own heritage experts

to kind of see the weight of the counter arguments.

The review body will meet again after the landscape experts have examined Robert's application.

I think we live to fight another day.

So that's good.

Stone Cottage, in Cheshire.

Home to self-made millionaire Danny Lees and his Jack Russell, Bertie.

Oh, he's a brilliant dog. I'll miss him when he goes.

He's 13 now.

I brought him home in the front of my shirt from a pub.

I bought him for 50 quid in a pub.

Cracking dog.

Danny made his money making industrial doors

and spends it doing up run-down barns and houses.

That was derelict.

A big sign on the end of it, "Danger, keep out."

Then we turned it into that.

Over about two years, I built that.

That was the downstairs bathroom!

Danny's proudest achievement is his house.

He bought an old stone cottage with amazing views.

Then flattened it.

It was completely derelict. It was ready to fall down anyhow.

We got permission to knock it down and rebuild.

And this is the new house.

Rebuilding Stone Cottage from scratch

meant Danny got things his way.

An old-looking house, with all the modern facilities.

It's in a conservation area.

So they wouldn't let me go much bigger.

So we stuck to the rules but went down below and put a basement in.

It was called Stone Cottage, so I decided to build it in stone.

I just put some nice stone features on the corners to make it look Olde Worlde.

There's a nice feature there. Everybody goes mad for Bully.

And there's my Jack Russell on this end.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

I put my mark on that and every house I've built since I started.

They're just unique to me.

Can't wait to get stuck into this pub and getting cracking with that.

The pub is the Farmer's Arms

in the nearby village of Huxley.

After two centuries,

the last pint was pulled a year ago.

Come on, Bertie.

Danny is selling his house

and spending over a million on this country pub.

He plans to demolish it completely

and build a brand new but "old-looking" replacement.

He even plans to move into a flat above the bar.

You can imagine out here, tables and chairs,

looking over the view having your lunch of a day like today.

A nice steak, half a roast duck.

Olde Worlde food.

You'll have to leave the pies to me. I make the best pies in the world.

This was the restaurant.

It's rotten as a pear.

Look at all the damp in the walls.

We've got to build a new cellar. The cellar's collapsed in this one.

You're better to knock it down and rebuild.

I keep pinching myself, thinking I'm mad.

But I can't wait to get cracking.

Come on. Let's go.

Danny's submitted his plans.

It'll be down to head planner Fiona Edwards

to consider if they're right for the old pub.

He wants to knock it down. You can see there's an existing building here.

It is empty at the moment.

So rather than just redevelop,

tart the existing building up, so to speak,

he's going to knock it down and put a new building in its place

which will be fit for purpose in terms of modern facilities and the kitchen and that sort of thing.

The issue is it's in a conservation area

so we will be consulting with our colleagues in the conservation section.

Obviously their findings will be interesting

and we'll wait to see what they make of the proposals.

John Healey is Cheshire West and Chester Council's conservation officer.

He's consulted on all changes affecting historic buildings.

This is an object lesson as to how it can be done.

Sensitively, really.

Today, he's revisiting a listed barn.

One of the principles of conservation

is to try and maintain as much as possible of the historic fabric.

Here, we've got a very good examples of how you can carefully conserve,

in this case, the timber frame.

Alterations occur to buildings. That's the nature of how buildings evolve.

They don't evolve by total demolition.

In Cheltenham, all building work in Royal Crescent stopped

after a visit from conservation officer Karen Radford.

She rejected plans to build decking at the back of the house.

Lovely Karen.

I've never had a teacher like it, so I can't say that,

but it was the scary teacher in a horrible film.

Owner Chris Smith has revised his plans

and is back to his day job as a picture framer

while he waits for a response.

The decision will be tomorrow.

In a weird way, I'm prepared for anything.

I felt that the decking they were suggesting

was going to compromise all sorts of things.

In order to get to the decking, they needed to demolish quite a bit of the building.

And the decking itself was then going to take up a huge area

of the external space, compromising the basement,

which would then give problems with light and ventilation.

In itself not practical problems that were insurmountable,

but just not appropriate. Really not appropriate.

I understand why people don't want to buy listed buildings.

All we had from Karen was, "No.

"No. No. No. No. No.

"No. Close you down. No."

It seemed to be one of those conversations.

I was exhausted!

Exhausted. It's like we went in for three rounds with Frank Bruno.

But it was Karen!

I'm supposed to be travelling light! But it's not really happening.

The time has come for the Smiths to leave the house they sold

in order to fund the restoration.

We're moving from this house, which is our current family home of 15 years

to temporary accommodation tonight.

I think we're just a weird family and do everything last minute.

Most people are more organised and employ an architect

and get it done the proper way.

I think we like to make a mark on a property and show we've done it and it's us.

-So, we've got these revised drawings.

-We have, yes.

Came in last week, I think, while we were on site visits.

So if we start from the basement up.

The Smiths will have eight bedrooms in the new house,

just as it was when it was built in 1806.

The downstairs will become a self-contained flat

for daughters Sophie and Mimi.

It looks like it's gone.

Yeah. So the decking's been completely removed.

Those applications have been withdrawn.

Yes. Fine. OK.

We backed down completely.

Sod the decking at the moment!

We'll see what Karen says.

We don't want to mess with Karen. And we don't want to be criminals!

I am a little bit scared of Karen!

We do need to move forward, you know?

We're in accommodation

and there's a certain amount of work that needs to be done so that we can live in there.

-Cheers for that.

-Thank you.

-See you.

-OK. Bye.

The decking's got removed, so that's not going to be an issue.

Because they haven't got the decking,

they don't need to remove a substantial section of historic external wall.

So that's all good.

Everything's absolutely fine. Not an issue at all.

Six months after buying their bit of the Royal Crescent,

the Smiths can now finally start to restore it.

Members of the local review panel in the Scottish Borders

are about to decide whether to allow the construction

of architect Richard Murphy's modern house on parkland near Earlston.

It would be great if it happened. If it did, I think everyone would be very excited about it.

It's something to be proud of.

I think it would be wonderful to live here.

I think it would be interesting for the Borders to have the house.

I think it's a plus.

It's not a minus, it's a plus.

And I just hope common sense prevails.

I am the appellant, Bob Younger.

Owner Robert Younger has promised to restore a 19-acre historic parkland

if planning permission is granted.

He's already invested more than £20,000 in the project.

Three years of work all down to this last couple of hours.

It's the penalties, the final 20 minutes of action!

Either we're going to be jumping for joy

or pounding the earth with our fists.

We shall see.

OK, folks.

The planners rejected the project

as a 1980 Scottish Border law put a ban on isolated houses in the countryside.

We appreciate that the applicants seek an exceptional decision

to allow for the house because they plan to restore the site around it.

But we don't think this case is strong enough.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Robert's appeal has escalated to the highest authority in the Scottish planning system.

The Review Committee.

Unlike regular meetings,

the councillors and the objectors are allowed to quiz the applicant.

Why is the house and your, or someone else's occupancy of that house,

necessary in order to protect the landscape?

Yeah, good question.

Having somebody there within that parcel of land,

there is a much greater chance

that it will be looked after, as against being a bit of commercial forestry.

Mr Foyle?

Is it true that the cost of the ongoing maintenance and management

could not be met by this or any future owner of the site

unless this application is allowed?

I'm the owner of the land

and I can tell you right now that's not going to happen.

There is no other circumstances in which that money

is going to find its way into the restoration of the land

other than this scheme.

So it's up to us, poor wee souls that we are,

to make a decision on this.

After the public debate,

it's time for the five councillors to vote on the application.

This is a decision that we make on balance.

And I think on balance I have to take the view

that the officer has got it right.

The first councillor is against.

I think that the link is tenuous.

I think it's a tenuous link to argue that because you have a house there

and are living in it you're in a position to protect the landscape.

I would propose that we dismiss the appeal and support the officer's recommendation.

Two councillors are against.

My slight concern is that we are, in effect, shutting down

any opportunity to create parklands again

with our approach to planning as it stands.

To achieve things, sometimes you have to take risks

and I think that's important sometimes to create nice things.

I vote to support the appeal.

The third councillor is in favour.

I will second Councillor Barbery.

With two councillors in favour, and two against,

the fate of Richard Murphy's design

depends on the vote of Bill White,

a financial advisor and newly-elected councillor.

Councillor White?

I think I've sat on the fence for this a while. My colleagues think I'm still sitting on the fence.

Tying those two together, you've got to have the planning permission for the house to do the works,

I'm not really convinced of that.

So I'll go with Councillor Baird.

So the decision of the planning officer is upheld.

Thank you.

It's the end of the line.

With no more chances to go to appeal,

Richard Murphy's design will not be built.

All architects die bitter, even the ones you think are the most successful.

They've all got drawers of unbuilt projects that they wanted to build.

Yeah, I'm annoyed as a taxpayer

cos here you are having the offer of restoring a historic landscape

at no expense to the taxpayer.

And that's been rejected, as well.

I find that all very disappointing, really.

And very small-minded.

It's just another British planning cock-up, really.

There is a point there to be made that our policy is perhaps a little bit strict.

But the difficulty is that you're trying to balance

the protection of the countryside

with the odd very exceptional house in the country.

It's really not that easy to frame a policy that serves both camps, really.

The project has cost applicant Robert Younger more than £20,000.

For me, in terms of the effort, the life force, the money I've put into this project,

that's the end.

I'll go forward just feeling a bit sadder that we as a generation

have not put something interesting into the landscape.

When people look back at us in the future, what will they think?

In the Cheshire village of Huxley,

the 200-year-old Farmer's Arms is facing total demolition.

Self-made millionaire Danny Lees

wants to flatten it and put a new pub and restaurant in its place.

If they like old-fashioned, the pub's going to be the same.

All oak beams and Olde Worlde countrified.

It'll look as though it's been here for hundreds of years,

not two or three years.

Are you going for a ride in the van now? Are we off?

Are we going to the pub? Come on, let's go.

Over the next eight weeks, Danny's plans are open for public consultations.

If the locals object,

then the case could go before a planning committee.

As far as I'm aware,

we are likely to be the oldest established historical group in the Cheshire area.

But so far, the signs are good for Danny.

Realistically, a building has a natural life.

When it comes to the end of that natural life,

it's important that the conscience is not lost

but the building itself can be another incarnation.

We certainly need a pub in the village.

Every village has to have a pub, to be its heart.

Great. Very needed in the village.

Heather Carr. Sit down, please.

I nearly had a heart attack.

If that works on a battlefield, it'll work in a meeting.

Danny has public support.

But before he can knock down the old pub,

Conservation Officer John Healey

needs to decide if it's worth saving.

It's basically a small cottage which, over the years,

has grown to provide for the local population.

It's very charming. It's very typical, rather than exceptional.

But it's representative of something which is becoming rarer and rarer

and that is something which originated as a public house in the true sense of the word.

In other words, it was a small cottage which served home brew in a domestic setting.

Records suggest part of the pub was once used as a military hospital

during the Napoleonic War.

It's a simple building, but it's been in the heart of the village for centuries.

I think the authenticity is surely a unique selling point

from a business point of view.

The age of the building

and the amount of original fabric surviving internally and externally

is also providing strong justification for the retention of the building.

Unfortunately, there is a mindset here to provide a completely new building.

The place would be sadder for its loss.

John is recommending to the planners that they should turn down Danny's application.

They have six weeks to make their decision, but Danny's preparing for the worst.

If I couldn't take it down, I'd have to put it back on the market again.

Simple as that.

In Cheltenham, after a planning battle that lasted for five months,

restoration plans for Royal Crescent were finally approved by the conservation officer.

Its owners, the Smith family, have realised their dream

and finally become Cheltenham residents.

Let's have a curry and sit on my bed and watch Friends!

Although they've only managed to restore the kitchen so far

and are all sleeping in the basement.

We've moved in. All our stuff is in storage at the moment,

so it's still a bit difficult, but we're very happy to be here.

It feels strange, because when we bought the house, we couldn't see what it would look like.

There was so much that needed doing.

It's really nice. A really nice space.

I think it's going to be great.

Since approval two months ago,

specialised builders and craftsmen have been working to restore original features

and build new ones according to the conservation officer's recommendations.

I can see the end of the road.

Whereas a couple of months ago, I couldn't see the end of the road.

I felt I was the one who knew more about this building

than anybody else.

As we've started the project, we've learned a tremendous amount.

They may have planning permission to restore the house,

but they still see the decking as a missed opportunity.

Initially, we had a hell of a lot of creativity.

We were all guns blazing. We had loads of ideas.

And when we had the site meeting, which was quite confrontational,

the whole dream was crushed.

But there are signs of the Smiths' creativity making a new appearance.

We haven't been defeated yet.

-It's been a big learning process.

-Can I say something there?

-I haven't finished!

-We haven't been defeated by the negative response we had

-in our first...

-I'm grateful for what they've done. I hadn't finished.

It's made us realise we don't want a decking the size we originally wanted.

Dad Chris has designed a new decking half the size of the original one

hoping it would blend in better with their Regency house.

We'd like to present this back to planning

and I think that Karen's going to be very impressed when this lands on her desk.

What we've got is a glazing panel going round the outside here.

Which actually is see-through.

And also, underneath, you can still see the building there.

So if you were at the back of the building, there's not much you'd see of what we're putting into place.

She'll be delighted, I think.

It will be done. Definitely it will be.

It's going to be uber-cool.

Lovely Karen.

Come on, Bertie.

There's a good lad.

In Cheshire, Danny Lees still hasn't got permission to demolish the Farmer's Arms.

But that hasn't stopped him working on the project.

I've got all ten of these out of an old railway station.

They're going to be the beer garden.

Without planning permission, Danny is only allowed to remove the building's roof and fixtures.

The walls will have to wait.

I don't count my chickens before they hatch.

But mark my words, when it is right, we'll get on with it

We're going back a bit Olde Worlde. There'll be nothing modern about that pub.

But it'll be class.

Conservation Officer John Healey has recommended the building be saved.

But with no official historic listing,

the final decision is down to the planners.

He's got quite big living accommodation.

He's basically showing two flats above.

So he's got living accommodation for staff.

He's got predominantly a large lounge and restaurant

and a decent kitchen to serve the restaurant.

So economically, it is important.

It might only create one, two or three jobs,

but in this day and age, it's good to get any jobs created.

And it obviously retains wealth within the borough.

Just because it's survived

doesn't mean it's of sufficient merit to warrant its retention.

So in this instance, we're taking a pragmatic view

and we're going to recommend approval.

This time, Conservation Officer John Healey has been overruled.

It is words, not law. We do take his advice on board.

We don't always agree with him.

I would say 85% of the time we do,

but sometimes we have to agree to differ.

Because we have perhaps a slightly different agenda.

We're about promoting growth, and sustainable growth.

And John is perhaps more about preserving what he considers is good of the past.

Over in Huxley,

Danny wastes no time in pulling down the Farmer's Arms

to the ground.

He's even bought his own digger.

I'm glad they saw sense and let us get on with it.

At the end of the day, it's wasted a lot of time.

I'm only trying to employ people and get stuck in.

At the end of the day, when it's up and running,

it will be an asset for the area.

Danny is recycling all the old bricks and slates

but even so, Conservation Officer John Healey has one less historic building to look after.

It's a sad end to it, really, isn't it?

It's a...pile of rubble.

We have lost a part of the historic environment

of the district.

No hard feelings to John Healey.

If he wants to come down in a few years when I've built it,

there will be somewhere to list! That's a promise.

Next time on The Planners...

locals go ape, when the planners deal with a zoo's application

to expand.

How do you feel?

Appalling.

The whole thing is just fantasy land now.

We're living in an alternative universe.

A scheme to convert a period mansion fails to impress.

I just can't see any justification for taking this one forward in any form at the moment.

Do the locals want this building to be derelict? That will happen if the planners get their way.

And one planner...

This is the site for the proposal for up to 100 homes.

..comes under attack.

I don't think she quite understands the impact of her decisions.

Or maybe she does and she just doesn't care.

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