Episode 8 The Planners

Britain is a green and pleasant land - but for how long?

We're now getting to 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.

I've had e-bloody-nough of it with what we've 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.

Nothing happens in the hall, yeah?

No? Yes? No? Yes?

Thank you for letting us visit. And we'll see you on Thursday.

Another British planning cock-up, really.

Over the last two decades, wind farms have

appeared on the landscape with increasing frequency, as a

result of the Government's drive to hit renewable energy targets.

With subsidies available to developers,

applications go to the planners wherever the wind blows.

OK. Here we are.

And in Berkeley Vale in Gloucestershire, former New Age traveller Dale Vince

has applied for permission to build the county's first wind farm.

Of any given part of Britain, you find very few places where wind turbines can actually work.

Because there are so many constraints on windmills, it just rules out most of the land.

At 120 metres, the proposed turbines will stand taller than Big Ben.

The first one will be in this field. It starts there,

and it runs in a straight line of four, parallel to the railway line.

They're very graceful, elegant structures.

They coast around in the wind. They're actually wonderful

pieces of engineering, and almost pieces of art in the countryside.

But applications to build wind turbines are often

met by fierce local opposition, and it's the planners who get

caught in the middle of disputes that can last for years.

These applications are really contentious when they come in.

To some extent, I think my team think I'm picking on them

if I ask them to do one, you know, who's been the bad boy this week

gets the next wind turbine application.

I think to some extent what you've got to look at is beauty

is in the eye of the beholder. To some people, this is new

technology and new architecture, but to some other people the fact

that they rotate distracts the eye and takes away from the natural beauty,

and it depends on which direction you come from as to whether or not they're beautiful or hideous.

Applicant Dale Vince started his turbine business after

living in a caravan which he powered with a mini turbine.

Since then, business has boomed,

and his company is now the UK's biggest alternative energy

supplier, with a turnover of more than £46 million a year.

Dale Vince is a bit of a local legend. He's self-made,

he's taken over quite a lot of employment in the area,

his main headquarters are here. He's probably one of the largest

employers in the area, so the community do know him.

To say things about Dale, people know who Dale is.

It's getting to be Madonna territory, where he's known by one name.

Dale's application to build Gloucestershire's first wind

farm has been in the system for two years.

Rejected at first, Dale has now launched an appeal.

If he wins, the turbines will be built less than a mile

away from the village of Stinchcombe.

Now the residents have formed a campaign group to keep Dale

out of the Vale.

It was claimed by Ecotricity and Dale Vince

that they had done a survey and they had found

that two thirds of people

in the area were quite happy about

turbines and would be perfectly happy to have them near them.

So we wanted to demonstrate straight away, "Look, we're

"a village of 300 people. These people are prepared to turn out and to just demonstrate,

"hang on - you've got it wrong. This local community

"does not want two turbines, although you're trying to claim that two thirds of people do."

News of the appeal has spread further than Stinchcombe village hall.

Leading the protests against the wind farm...

Morning.

..is a man whose family have lived in the Vale for 900 years - Mr Berkeley of Berkeley Castle.

12th century, the castle. This is the oldest part, built in 1117.

The castle is the oldest in England to be continuously owned

and occupied by the same family.

We'll keep going up.

Now a tourist attraction, it has played host to numerous battles,

and was the site where King Edward II met his end.

That's my wife with her dear hound.

I wake up in the night screaming my head off,

and my wife says, "What's the matter?" "Wind turbines," I say!

That nearest hill on the escarpment is Stinchcombe Hill,

and these wind turbines will be just this side,

about half a mile from here, 350 feet high, four of them,

and they'll show up like sore thumbs from here, of course.

I think it's our duty to try and prevent them from coming,

and if they do come, you can be quite certain, the applications will pour in for more,

more and more and more, and this Vale will end up a moonscape,

nothing but whirling dervishes, as I call them, all down this vale.

The turbines will be considered at the highest level of appeal -

a public inquiry.

The planning inspector is due to come to the area soon,

and he has agreed to visit Berkeley Castle before he makes his decision.

People living in this vale come here because of its beauty and quietness.

It's an oasis, and if one can use one little

bit of influence one's got to prevent these things happening, so be it.

Every year, planners deal with over 200,000 applications for home improvements.

In Winsford in Cheshire, Steve and Juliette Yates

are in the process of settling into their new home.

There wasn't a great deal that needed doing.

It's not like it needs extending or anything.

We just like the space, you know.

And I like this big lounge,

front to back, plenty of space for all the family.

The couple traded in a small two-bedroom cottage for this

detached townhouse at the end of the cul-de-sac.

We paid 195,000 for it, for five beds.

Sizable rooms and all.

-Yeah, all the bedrooms are sort of double bedrooms.

-Yeah.

The couple knew they had a bargain,

but there was one major drawback.

This is why it was so cheap.

The garden gets plenty of sun,

but a large part of it is at the top of a 20-foot cliff.

-Apparently, the builders advertised it as "gently sloping rear gardens", yeah?

-Yeah.

The previous owners bought the house off plan and received

compensation when they discovered the true nature of "gently sloping".

Steve and Juliette weren't put off when they viewed.

They had a solution.

Me being the builder I am, I set to work and I built the staircase.

We like to have barbecues, we like to have parties,

and I just want to attack this and get it done and make it neat.

Joiner Steve has completed half of the two-flight staircase to

connect the house to the upper garden.

But he's had to down tools.

We had a letter from the local borough, telling us to stop work.

We've been told, because of the height of the structure,

we need to go down the planning route.

On this new estate,

the original planning permission made it clear that any

structures around the houses would need separate permissions.

Planner Phil Davis is considering the Yateses' staircase.

With this particular development, everything that people

do on these properties now requires planning permission.

That comes from small extensions, even the

hardstandings on the properties. Any additional ones, those

also require planning permission. So they're quite restricted, really.

Hi, Mr Yates.

-We'll take a few photographs and see the impact of it...

-Be my guest.

..on your neighbours, and then I'll be gone. All right, then? Thank you.

Phil needs to see if the staircase is overlooking any of the neighbours.

I'm not asking for an extension. I'm just trying to get the place tidied up.

This would have been done now.

You cannot see into the neighbour's dwelling, which is the main thing.

Had it been a situation whereby you could get clear views

into the kitchen and lounges and bedrooms,

well then, realistically, this would be a problem then.

Whoa! Got me at the end.

The next stage is for letters to be sent out to

everyone in the close to see if they have any objections.

If we don't get planning permission,

I just need to go back to the council and ask them what can

they suggest for me to be able to tend my garden to make it look nice.

I'm hoping it's going to be OK. Obviously, the neighbours may

have their concerns about it. We've got quite a long way to go yet, yeah, yeah.

As towns and cities grow, the surrounding agricultural land

becomes a prized target for developers.

On the edge of Cheltenham, tenant farmer Peter Newth rents Starvehall Farm,

a 30-acre plot which he uses to graze his herd of Dexter cattle.

Come on, then!

Come on, then!

There's two calves born this week.

They don't mind the weather.

They don't eat a lot of feed, they're quite a natural grazer,

and that all ends up in the beef,

which you can actually taste the flavours in.

The farm is surrounded by housing,

and is an obvious site for developers.

If planning permission is given for building,

the value of farmers' fields can increase tenfold.

The lie of the land is changing.

I used to work for an abattoir called FMC in Cheltenham.

That used to keep me in quite a bit of work,

and Gloucester Market used to keep me in a bit of work,

but now FMC is Waitrose, and Gloucester Market's B&Q.

The nation's planners are under pressure to permit enough new

housing to cope with a growing population.

If they don't hit their target for new homes,

developers can push for more land to be released for building.

We have very little land that's available for development.

If you look at the map of Cheltenham, it's pretty well

full of either developed land or commitments.

So a site like Starvehall Farm does stand out as being the next

site to look at.

The land at Starvehall Farm is one of the largest remaining green field

sites in Cheltenham.

Gloucestershire County Council own the land,

and following budget cuts, they plan to sell the whole site.

It will be up to the planners who work independently

at Cheltenham Borough Council to decide whether or not the land is suitable for development.

When I first came to Cheltenham, I came across Starvehall Farm and I thought how unusual it was

to find a farm in a suburb of a town like this - it was quite remarkable.

It's a long-term survival from the time when the County Council

invested in farmland and let it to tenants, I think probably

early in the 20th century, and it just hasn't been developed.

Despite local opposition,

the County Council have instructed a team of architects to design

a housing estate to be built at Starvehall Farm.

If the planners allow the development,

the architects estimate the land would be worth £50 million.

This drawing shows a master plan for the site, for Cheltenham.

380 separate dwellings is a large scheme,

we haven't had anything of that size for some years.

The scheme has already attracted hundreds of objections from

local residents, who don't want to see the green fields concreted over.

I can't imagine that you could allocate places in Cheltenham

where it could expand without having people saying,

"Well, we don't think that's the right place - put it somewhere else."

The farmer's submitted an objection, he objects to the loss of his farm.

Obviously, it's his livelihood, he is actively farming it at the

moment. That's a consideration, it will go into the balance.

We feel as planning officers that this is a suitable site for housing.

It's also a suitable site for farming,

but housing is rising above farming in terms of priority.

Whilst Rob believes the site to be suitable for building,

he will not make the final decision.

He has to put his recommendation to the planning committee,

made up of local councillors.

One of the longest-serving members is Barbara Driver.

That was when I was mayor, and I did, in the arcade in town, I did

a Cheltenham's top talent for my Mayor's charities, and we hired a Del Boy lookalike,

and he wanted to swap one of his watches for the Mayor's chain.

Sitting on the planning committee is a more serious business.

With land in such low supply in Cheltenham, there is pressure

to approve unpopular applications in order to hit housing targets.

Cheltenham last year grew by 5,500 people.

They've got to live somewhere.

I don't want to see building on the green belt,

but where are we going to put people?

Where are they going to live?

You've got to balance it between what we all like at the moment

and what the world is coming to.

If Barbara and her colleagues allow the housing estate

when they meet in a few weeks' time, then tenant farmer Pete won't

just lose his land, he'll lose his home too.

It's my livelihood, it's 40 years of my life, so I'd be sad to see it go.

I feel very vulnerable now,

not knowing where I'm going to be this time next year.

In the Berkeley Vale in Gloucestershire, the proposal

to erect four wind turbines has been stalled by local opposition.

It's not the first time that residents have fought this battle -

the initial application was turned down two years ago,

but now green energy developer Dale Vince has appealed.

Planner Phil Skill has to compile a report

and refer the case to the planning inspector.

This is one of the views that is going to be

critical for the enquiry and the inspector.

He's looking at the views here

and across the estuary.

Morning, gentlemen.

Hi.

-Enjoying the view?

-Yes.

-Good.

As you can see, it's looking out over the Forest of Dean and Wales in the far distance.

And that's what the inspector's being asked to look at to see whether or not

he believes that is harmful to the AONB, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

which we are stood in, but the wind turbines are just outside of.

The application is of particular concern to wind farm objectors Russ and Jill Holloway,

who live just half a mile from the proposed wind farm site.

The setting sun would be going down

immediately behind these turbines.

If they're moving - setting sun, flicker -

it's just going to destroy all the beauty of those sunsets.

Anybody with a slight mental instability -

my family claim I'm going that way -

I feel I could well be one of the first to be affected by the flicker.

Since learning about the appeal,

their campaign group have raised more than £10,000

to pay for a lawyer to take on the turbines.

We'll certainly fight this to the end. We're not going to give up now.

We'll just carry on until we win.

With the planning inspector due to visit the area in just

a week's time, Russ and Jill's anti-wind farm

group are preparing for battle.

Dale can afford a team of specialist lawyers to work on his behalf,

so he's putting some of his energies into his very own football club.

Whilst Abramovich bankrolls Chelsea through gas and oil,

alternative energy has paid for Forest Green Rovers,

and what could be the world's first organic pitch.

After nearly 20 years of trying to build windmills

and having those same old tired arguments

over and over again, it's been fantastic

to be involved in something so completely different. It's like the old adage,

a change is as good as a rest. This has been a big change and a big rest.

As the wind farm proposal is at the appeal stage, the inspector will

have the final say as to whether Dale's turbines can be built.

The objectors are preparing for his arrival.

Andy and I and Jill have been round the route a couple of times

seeing everybody and getting their permission to come onto their land, and if they're not

going to be there, whether it will still be OK, and some of them positively wanted to really

say something to the inspector. I'm not sure whether they can or not, but he probably won't want to hear

what they want to say, but he might have a job to stop some of them.

If the inspector allows the wind farm,

then the electricity generated could make millions for Dale.

So he's invested a lot in the appeal.

I think we probably spent a couple of hundred thousand pounds

in the run up to the appeal,

and I imagine the appeal is costing 100, £150,000, something like that.

It's not cheap, it's not quick, um...but there it is.

We're very confident that it's a good place to do it,

that it will stand any scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on its neighbours,

and very strongly, if the views are that

if we can't build the wind turbines here at Berkeley Vale,

there isn't anywhere in Gloucestershire where we could build them.

As far as I'm aware, there's only two or three households that are not with us on this one.

Mr Vince wants to be a good neighbour to us all,

and if he's not a good neighbour, he'll walk away.

But he can see there's a lot of good neighbours here who would like him to walk away.

It's not uncommon for people who are against wind energy to -

using a football metaphor - play the man and not the ball.

The ball is the issue -

does wind energy work? Do we need it? Is climate change real?

The man is Ecotricity or me, so people will say, "Yeah, they're only in it for the money,"

and this, that and the other. That's playing the man, not the ball.

He's a very clever marketeer and he's putting forward the green credentials.

But there is a lot of money in wind turbines.

The arguments will be played out in front of the inspector,

who will decide the fate of the wind farm.

In Winsford in Cheshire, the staircase that could connect

Steve and Juliette Yates' house with their elevated garden is on hold.

Tools are on the floor there, waiting.

-21st of August.

-When it happens.

Sheds and other structures need planning

permission on the estate, which is built in a former quarry.

"Installation of stairway, rear access." Ah! Public comments.

Oh, here we go.

Neighbours have had a chance to see the plans online,

and some of them aren't happy.

There was a couple of guys up there, I think, and then suddenly, that appeared,

and with our neighbours, we decided we'd actually put in a objection.

You know, if they grant permission on that,

it'll be setting a precedent for the site.

All sorts of structures could appear around the perimeter of this quarry.

I'm sure the council will ask them

to take it down. I think there'll be an enforcement order on that.

"I asked the council to have the structures removed immediately.

"Aesthetic look of the whole road, it's my back garden."

David knows all too well what is and isn't allowed on the estate.

When he bought his house, there was an unauthorised

wall in the back garden.

The wall was that high, right the way along here.

I knew there was an enforcement order on the property when I bought it and we had to take the wall down.

You have to be careful with your structures here.

Silly...just...yeah, pen to paper. Nothing better to do.

Two other neighbours have also written to planner Phil Davis

objecting to the plans.

But their opinions won't necessarily be a reason for the stairs to

be taken down.

If one person writes in with a very valid concern and we believe that

to be an unacceptable compromise, we would refuse the application.

If 100 people or 1,000 people wrote in with reasons

that were not real valid concerns in a planning application, then that

application would still get approved.

It's not really the volume that matters.

If we believe a property is compromised by what someone

is going to do, and we thought that compromise was unacceptable,

we would still refuse it even if no-one wrote in about it.

The Yateses' planning application has so far cost them £300,

and three months without access to their elevated garden.

Phil has now made his decision.

"Grants permission for the above development to be carried out."

Oh, that's good.

Brilliant!

Party!

The planners have ruled the stairs won't mean the neighbours

lose their privacy.

All that's been approved up there is just that staircase. I mean, if, in the future, they were

to come back wanting sheds, decking, or other structures up there,

they would have to apply for planning permission for those.

The Yateses will finally be able to complete their stairs and reach the garden.

They've complained, I've gone through the planning permission

and the decision's now been made, so...

And I win, that's all I can say - I win.

-Yeah. I'll sharpen my chisels!

-SHE LAUGHS

When buildings are used for both commercial

and residential purposes, it falls to the planners to strike a balance

between protecting the residents, and allowing business to thrive.

In Portobello, near Edinburgh, the promenade's newest block is home

to nine modern apartments, and just one business, the Beach House Cafe.

We came into this business

not having a clue about what we were doing,

never having done anything like it before,

and this is the result.

We have returning customers, which is the best kind of customer. They like the coffee, they like the food.

Our heart and soul is in the cafe

and we put everything we can to make it right.

Now Jonathan has bought the flat next door,

as he plans to extend his cafe.

There is potential to increase our turnover, quite significantly.

There are an awful lot of people here and we feel we can do a better job

if we've got a bigger cafe, more staff, more equipment and everything else.

It will be up to planner Paul Devaney to assess

whether the cafe's expansion plans are acceptable.

The blue line shows the existing extent of the premises

in terms of the covers, the servery area and the toilet facilities.

The proposal would involve knocking through into this area

which is outlined in red,

which is round the existing flat which would be incorporated in,

to form an extended area,

and that would give additional seating, as we can see here.

It's pretty much doubling the footprint of the existing cafe.

The planners have to judge the impact that the expansion

will have on the other residents in the block, and above the cafe,

the modern apartments are home to some very house-proud residents.

Edinburgh has many, many flats of this size that we could have

moved to, but they don't have a view like this.

It's definitely a million-pound view, I think, that you never tire of.

-Well, this is Helen.

-And that's Morna.

We sometimes give people a terrible shock,

because they don't know there's two of us.

We don't always dress alike

but if we happen to like the same thing, we buy it.

Might be a different colour of the same style,

but if we like it, we buy it.

All the residents have received copies of the cafe's proposal, and

the Mulgary twins are particularly concerned about the plans.

We were imagining it was going to be a bigger cafe as it stands now,

same sort of thing. Exactly the same sort of thing.

But when you look at the plans, we see something different.

As the cafe is in a residential block,

they can only offer a limited range of food,

because smells from cooking could disturb their neighbours.

The restriction means they can't take full advantage

of their prime location on the promenade,

but to cook their own food, they'll need a ventilation system.

This element of the proposal involves the formation of two

stainless steel flues, which will run up this end elevation of the building

and go through the parapet, so that they're about 900 mill above the roof level.

Unless the cafe is allowed to expand

and start cooking their own food, their business can't grow.

But all the residents in the block have objected to their plan,

and leading the protests are the Mulgary twins.

Portobello is a conservation area,

-and this building is sort of 21st century.

-22nd century!

Not 19th century! And the feature of it is that it has no pipes.

Given the number of objections, where there are more than six,

it means the matter will now have to be referred to a committee.

'We're worried, because this chimney thing is going to be within

'18 inches of the bedroom windows.'

After studying the application, the twins have used silver foil

and their craft skills to show the position of the proposed flues.

I don't think this is quite to scale.

It might be a little bit broader.

Our building is going to be definitely spoiled by this thing

that is going to suddenly appear like some wart on a beautiful face.

In Cheltenham, the planners have received an application to develop

the town's last remaining farm into a new housing estate.

Peter Newth has lived at Starvehall Farm for almost 40 years,

but since the planning application went in,

he's had to start looking for a new home.

These are only about three weeks old, they're still on the milk.

The county council have no obligation to find him

alternative farmland, but fortunately,

they do have one other farm that is currently available.

So it's 88 acres of mainly pasture,

but it is advertised as a mixed farm.

I've got to do something now to sort of make things happen.

If I don't do anything, I don't think anything is going to happen.

It'll just be, end of the lease, goodbye.

The proposed housing estate is so large that it wouldn't just

take up the land at Starvehall Farm, it would also mean building on

part of the adjoining recreation ground, much to the dismay

of the local dog walkers.

He's Tokky, he's seven years old,

and he's Zeus, King of the Gods.

And he's six months old.

Of course they love coming over here playing, and there's regular people.

Some go round in a group, it almost looks like Crufts sometimes.

-This is Monty.

-And this is his favourite field.

We know when there's a new dog in the field.

We've used it daily, but now we're going to lose all that,

should the permission be granted.

We are short of areas like this to just let the dogs

run around, and it is nice to have it on your doorstep.

So it would be a shame to build on here, really.

The proposal to build on the recreation ground next

to the farm has riled local residents,

and more than 500 people have lodged their objections with the planners.

Taking on their fight is local councillor, Dave Prince.

Local residents know, and I, as their local representative,

we need houses.

The area needs houses, the town needs houses.

So I'm not in the camp that, "We don't want development."

While Dave is fighting for the recreation ground,

he accepts the farm may go.

Pete, unfortunately, will lose his farm

if Starvehall Farm is built on. We sympathise with him, and you can

see now, he's got horses in his field.

Unfortunately, there will be casualties along the way.

What we've got to do is to minimise these casualties.

And we don't want this built on. To us, that would be the casualty.

It doesn't build itself, green, open space, it's here.

You build on it, it's gone.

Everywhere is open, the only thing I would say,

when you go into the workshop, at the end, if you use the side door.

The front doors are locked. But go have a mooch and come back with any questions.

Thank you.

On the other side of the county, Pete is assessing the new farm,

to see if it would be suitable for his animals.

I see a considerably good sized field. I think this is the boundary.

There's a map here, isn't there?

With a shortage of agricultural land available to tenants,

Pete is not the only one interested.

More than 50 other farmers have come to look around. The farm will

go to the applicant who scores highest on the council's list

of criteria, and 52-year-old Pete is not confident about his chances.

I'll probably score very low on the points thing, cos of my age

and my lack of agricultural education through colleges.

I've never been to agricultural college because my father taught me

all I need to know about farming. It's in your blood, basically.

But it's got to be done fairly, and if there's a 30-year-old that's

put a lot of work and time and effort into it, and I come along,

if I was on the judging panels, I wouldn't give it to a 52-year-old

over a 30-year-old.

But something will turn up, I'm sure of it. Something will happen.

The application for the housing estate will be considered

by the planning committee in a few days' time.

Ahead of the meeting, head planner Rob Lindsey has to publish

his team's recommendation.

The officers are happy with the application as it stands,

and that's why we're recommending approval.

There are hundreds of objections to the scheme on all sorts

of different subjects.

It has stirred the emotions of the local community,

and what has stirred it more than most is that they're being ignored.

By putting these invitations through people's letter boxes,

it is hoped to galvanise the local community,

not as they need much galvanising, because the local residents

are all concerned about what is going to happen.

And I'm sure on the day of the planning committee,

we'll have a good attendance there.

It will be a lively debate, I think.

We've had cases in the past where there's been cheering and booing

and placards being waved in the public gallery.

So, it could be lively.

What we hope from filling the chamber with local residents

is that it may well put a little bit of pressure on some

of the planning committee members to think long and hard

about the way that they're voting,

and they're not just voting with the officer's recommendation.

The committee will meet in a few days' time,

to determine the application for the biggest new housing development

to hit Cheltenham for more than a decade.

In the Berkeley Vale, the fate of Gloucestershire's first wind farm

is now in the hands of one man - planning inspector, Richard Thomas.

Now, those houses down there are very similar, but I don't suggest

that we go down there, but we have arranged for you to view from here.

Local councillors rejected the application to erect

the turbines two years ago,

but the inspector has the power to overturn their decision.

Today, he will view the proposed site from dozens of different

locations, but whilst they're out and about,

no-one is allowed to lobby the inspector.

I'm here just to look.

If there's anything particular you want me to look at...

It's best to walk to the bottom...

Can I just ask you not to make any particular remarks in terms of

positive or negative, that's for the inquiry. I'm just here

to look today. If there's anything you want me to look at

in particular, please do so.

The tour of the area has been organised by the anti-wind farm group,

but as the process has to be impartial, representatives

from Dale's company, the council

and the Campaign to Protect Rural England have all come along

to make sure there's no lobbying.

The point is, Inspector, you're looking up. The turbine tops

are higher than where we are now.

They tend to be recessive...

-You're beginning to give evidence.

-Yeah.

-Well, it's not evidence...

-Point made, then.

If there's anything you want me to look at in particular,

-otherwise...

-Just the general vista and how it will be spoiled

-by the turbines, basically.

-Right.

I think they sort of run parallel along the side of our property...

It's difficult to see, isn't it?

I'm trying to get an indication of the impact

of the proposal on the view.

The appeal process is a little more familiar

to green energy entrepreneur, Dale.

Almost half of the 53 turbines he's built in the UK

were initially refused consent by the planners.

This is the first windmill that I built, 16 years old this year,

it's the first and still the only turbine in Gloucestershire. I used

to live just over there by the tree line in my trailer, with my little windmill.

Getting planning consent for this was quite a challenge,

it was very early, early '90s, wind energy was quite new,

seen as a bit fringy, a bit hippy, wasn't very well understood.

The local people that were against it claimed it would interfere

with TV signals, ruin house prices, everything but turn the milk sour.

Nearly 20 years later, we're facing the same

kind of crazy claims, when all people have to do is get in the car,

come up here, have a look and listen for themselves -

see how quiet these things are. Job done.

Despite Dale's confidence that his turbines will be good neighbours,

many local residents are determined to persuade

the inspector to say no to the wind farm.

-Hi, Russell.

-Objector Russ Holloway intends to take full advantage

of the inspector's visit.

Picked a nice day for it.

Yes, very lucky today. Very lucky indeed.

Who was this prepared by?

-Save Berkeley Vale.

-Right.

-It hasn't been objected to...

Just to give you the perspective.

Sorry, it's not part of the evidence that's before me,

-so I can't listen to fresh evidence.

-Just to give you a perspective

-of where they're going to be.

-Fine. I'll rely on the evidence

that's been put before the inquiry, I think.

Thank you very much anyway.

He didn't want to look at our photo.

-No, well, that's evidence, isn't it?

-Yes.

There were a lot more that wanted to be visited

that we couldn't fit in with the timescale.

-Had to be...

-They're running late now,

and it's probably going to get later as time goes on, particularly

if they are going to go on the battlements of Berkeley Castle.

We had this whole problem in the 1960s.

The Central Electricity Generating Board wanted to put up

a line of pylons.

And my father and I took it to the House of Lords and we won the day.

We shouldn't have things like this in this vale.

I don't know how he's planning this, but I shall probably have words

with him about my views on these particular wind turbines.

Right.

This will give you some idea of how high we are.

I mean, the blades of the turbine will...

be above the skyline.

Mm.

Mm.

It's quite spectacular.

Amazing.

-It's interesting, in the 1960s...

-Would...

-I'm sorry.

Sorry, I was just going to say,

I can't listen to any fresh evidence...

No, no, I know. No, no. You can't, I know!

Well, um...

Can we offer you a cup of coffee or something? It's not bribery!

But to help you on your way.

We've just had lunch, thank you, we're just on our way now.

The inspector will now have to consider the case made by lawyers

from both sides, before delivering his verdict.

We'll win the battle, we always won our battles as a family

and we'll win this one.

On the Edinburgh coastline,

the Beach House Cafe's application to extend the premises and install

a new ventilation system has caused quite a stir with the neighbours.

As everyone who lives in the block has objected,

the Edinburgh planning committee have been drafted in to adjudicate.

Made up of councillors from a range of backgrounds,

including an electrician and a retired air stewardess,

they have the power to make or break applications.

They bring all the cakes and soups and things in

and have them delivered.

-They don't cook on the premises?

-No, they've got restricted cooking.

They don't have a flue at present

so they need that to be able to do the full range of cooking.

The committee are due to hold a public meeting,

where they will consider the concerns of the cafe's neighbours.

If they allow the expansion, the cafe owners will be able to employ

more people, and offer a wider range of food to their customers.

So there will actually be two slim metal flues,

to try and reduce the impact, cos obviously you don't really want

a huge flue going up the building.

We need businesses like this in Portobello, that's the balancing act, isn't it?

Portobello will just crumble if we don't have businesses like this.

My main concern is the ventilation systems for the cooking facilities,

where that goes and how much impact that has on someone's living.

Upstairs on the second floor,

the Mulgary twins are preparing for the impending planning meeting.

They've abandoned their silver foil illustrations of the flues

and have decided to make a full-scale replica.

We thought it would be a good idea to make a mock-up of the two tubes.

175mm. Because most people have no idea of what is proposed.

Downstairs, cafe owners Jonathan and his wife Sarah

are preparing their side of the story for the committee.

Whilst there are objectors from the flats upstairs and three or four

neighbours from around about,

we've in fact got 400 signatures and letters of support,

which we'll be submitting to the councillors for tomorrow's meeting.

So if the diameter is that,

the circumference will be, old school maths...

-Pi D.

-Pi D.

-But then we have to get the calculator.

Yes, calculator.

The objectors have been taking what we want to do

and extrapolating it several times over.

We think they've chosen to lose the plot.

One slim tube.

THEY CHUCKLE

At the planning hearing, the councillors will decide

if the cafe extension can go ahead in the face of local objections.

The planners have recommended approval,

but the objectors will be given a chance to put their case.

Ever prepared, the Mulgary twins have brought their props.

I'd like to make clear that my sister and I represent

the view of all the residents in the flats above the cafe.

We have no objection to the cafe being extended

with the present restrictions

on cooking, but we do object to the type of cooking that requires

an industrial flue to be attached to the building.

Two slim stainless steel tubes will not be conspicuous.

That is the size of the tubes.

And it may well be, bigger tubes will be necessary.

We therefore ask that the subcommittee grant the application,

but only with the present cooking restrictions.

-MAN:

-Thanks very much.

After reading the reports and hearing from the twins,

the committee agrees to allow the cafe to extend

into the neighbouring flat.

OK, can I thank you very much for your contribution?

But then it comes to light that they are powerless to grant permission

for the ventilation flues. The exterior walls are jointly owned,

so for Jonathan and Sarah to install the flues, they'd need permission

from all the other residents in the block.

The council subcommittee decided that the cafe would be restricted

to the present type of cooking, and if they wanted to put the flue up,

they had to get our consent, which will never be given, of course.

Yes, as Lady Macbeth said, "That day will never come!"

They're going to allow us to grow the cafe,

but within the current restrictions.

Back to microwaves and soups and bain-maries and the like.

We're happy we got an even better solution than we thought

we would get. This is better.

And we're happy for Jonathan and Sarah too

-because they can get on with their cafe.

-Yes.

So we're really quite happy.

We hope they see sense and don't try anything else.

-Happy families.

-Happy families.

Yes.

The application to build more than 300 houses on a farm and recreation

ground in Cheltenham has been referred to the planning committee.

Are you going away for Christmas, Barbara?

-No, I'm going away for New Year.

-To America?

-California.

The elected councillors will have to decide

if permission should be granted in the face of local opposition.

It's one of the biggest ones I can remember, and I've been on 13 years.

I don't know about you, but...

It is a very large planning application,

it's very, very controversial. We've got four speakers now,

we did have three. Three against and one in support -

and guess who the one in support is? The applicant!

Unfortunately, in planning you're always going to upset somebody,

whether you say yes or no.

With the planning meeting looming,

Pete still doesn't have anywhere to move to.

He decided not to apply for the farm he recently viewed,

fearing that he didn't stand a chance of getting the lease.

If permission is granted for building at Starvehall Farm

then Pete won't just lose his land, he'll lose his home too.

I've known it since 1976, I've farmed it with my father

and farmed it myself.

You get used to it, don't you, you know?

Since I might not have a farm,

I'll have to keep myself occupied somehow.

Despite the weather...

Oh, my wordy, wordy!

..planner Rob Lindsey wants the committee

to look at the site, as the original plans have been amended.

With so much opposition to the scheme,

the architects are now proposing to leave a small section

of the recreation ground as open space.

All we're going to look at is an imaginary line!

I hope it's worth it.

Right, could you stand there? Thank you.

As there are no markers pegged out on the field, Rob has come up

with an unorthodox method of demonstrating the new building line.

The two human pegs represent a line averaging that point there.

I've only seen one... Hang on, where's the other human peg?

-Down there.

-Down there?

-Oh, there! OK.

-Across the field.

Those two pegs represent a line between the corner of that house

and Rushy Mews, which is cutting that boundary there.

Right, I think that's all I need to show you here, if you've had enough?

Yes? THEY LAUGH

-Thank you.

-OK.

What we are doing is trying to strike a balance

between the objectors' interests and the interests of the developer.

And we feel that with some open space retained,

that it will be a viable proposal.

Whilst the dog walkers would get to use a smaller section

of open space, the entire farm will still be built on

if planning is granted.

It would be nice to know what was happening.

I've got a lot of clearing up to do if I've got to get out from here.

And I've also got to earn a living at the same time.

But I believe there's a planning meeting tonight.

Everyone on the council is quite confident that it's going to go through.

But, er, we shall see.

Tonight, the planning committee will decide if the housing estate

that would replace Pete's farm, and most of the recreation ground,

is acceptable.

The first application is for land at Starvehall Farm.

First speaker is Colonel Bob Stark, in opposition to the application.

We welcome the change to this application,

but two major issues remain.

It's a very big application for Cheltenham,

it's the biggest we've had for 15 years or so in terms of

the number of houses proposed at once and the issues being thrown up

by the application.

The revised scheme hasn't actually tempered the opposition.

So, yeah, for Cheltenham it's massive.

We further request that you direct the applicant

to properly consult with our community

and return to your committee with revised designs that would

truly help Cheltenham meet its need for new housing. Thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Can I please ask the gallery to refrain from any audible comment

or applause? We understand your concerns about this development,

it's amply demonstrated by the number of people that are here.

And I'm afraid that if it happens again, I will have to call for

the gallery to be cleared. LAUGHTER

I now open it up to debate by members.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

This site was identified by the borough council as being

the sixth most important amenity site

out of 119 around Cheltenham

and should be given appropriate protection.

Now we're told it's not required and suitable for development.

It is not just nimbyism -

a lot of people from outside the area are saying, "Save this."

We as councillors have been given a responsibility to take some

unpalatable decisions, especially over housing for our children

and especially over affordable housing.

If we are going to protect the green belt,

we are unfortunately going to have to look at sites like this.

No other members indicating, so we'll go to the vote.

All those in favour of refusal...

-Four.

-That is four.

All those against refusal...

-Ten.

-That's ten.

That is approved.

The successful application means that whilst a small section

of the recreation land will be kept,

the whole of Starvehall Farm will be lost to the new estate.

CHATTERING

It's the end of the road for me. Complete end of the road for me.

I think it was done for financial reasons, no other reason,

because the council are short of money.

Changing from an agricultural use to suburban development

is very radical indeed.

And it's very sad for him at a personal level.

It's part of what happens in towns as they develop,

changes do take place, don't they? Some of them quite far-reaching.

Sometimes you feel a bit frustrated that people are cross

with the decision that you've helped make.

I'm sorry about it,

but you've got to keep it in your mind

you're trying to do your best for Cheltenham and the community.

In Berkley Vale, the planning inspector's decision

on the wind turbines is due.

Green entrepreneur, Dale Vince, appealed against the planners'

original refusal. Local residents Russ and Jill Holloway

are hoping it'll be dismissed.

I've got an e-mail from the planning inspectorate.

And it just says, "Covering letter - I enclose the decision." I'm now...

Oh...

..opening on the decision.

Appeal...

"Decision - I dismiss the appeal."

Ahhh!

That means we've won.

That really does mean we've won.

Oh, gosh, that is fantastic.

Russ!

Do you want to know the result?

-Really?

-We've won!

-Oh!

-Fantastic. Well done.

-We've done it!

What a star. I must say, I reckon it's down to you.

Shall I go and put the flag up on the flagpole, with some bunting?

For Dale, the decision means the 15-year wait to build a wind farm

in his home county must continue.

We think it's a big missed opportunity for the people

of Stroud district.

Nearly 15% of homes could have been powered by this wind farm.

And at the same time, we've got to wonder

if this isn't down to a change in planning policy from the Government.

I think the inspector got the message,

when he went on the roof of the castle,

this wasn't the right place for wind turbines.

They may try elsewhere in the vale.

My only warning is that

I will fight anything that I think

will be obtrusive in this vale.

Anyway...

-Cheers, everybody. Well done to everybody, really.

-Cheers.

I would hope it was the end of it, but you never know with Dale Vince.

The energy crisis is going to bite us.

Within a few more years there will be another change in planning

policy for renewable energy and for windmills in England.

And, as Arnie said, we'll be back.

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