08/09/2014 Inside Out North West

Hello and welcome to BBC Inside Out. Why residents are seeing red about

planning decisions. You can't except that you are going to have ` brick

wall in front of you. How fdars tourists can be damaging thd Lake

District Park. the very thing they come to love.

And it is this year's must see stage production. A journey on worldwide

success. How can you adapt ` book that goes all the

First World War, swap sides from the Allied side is

Housing supply in England is struggling to keep up

with demand despite a new l`w to make planning applications simpler.

But building on Greenfield sites is controversial and ` as Jacex Normand

has been finding out ` some North West residents believe the new

guidelines are helping developers more than local communities. It s

the most expensive thing most of us ever buy in our lives.

What people want to do is ptt up the drawbridge and live in their own

little cocoon and forget thd fact that their home was once a new home

When you've been used to looking out over a green field, you can't accept

that you're going to have a brick wall in front of yot.

Pani regulations come into force today. Some say it can lead to a

free for all. Two years on, not everyone hs happy

about how the new rules are working. A report out today by the c`mpaign

for expresses concern about the number

of greenfield approved in the north`west. They say

the current policy is encouraging causing the problem.

It's proven to be a delicate balance for Head Planner

It's her job to recommend which sites should or shouldn't be

developed to the County Planning Committee.

The whole purpose of the localism act was to give people power, not to

stop developments but to actually say yes we'll have developmdnts

It wasn't a legislation to tse a hackney word, for nimbies to say no.

It was actually for them to say yes we'll have this but we'll h`ve it

This is Hartford, a small vhllage in the heart of leafy Cheshhre.

650 new homes have been givdn the go ahead, despite local

They feel the changes have put planning in the developers favour.

They opposed two large`scald developments and are still `ngry

about the decision to give them the green light. This site here is

actually open countryside and it also has the added protection of an

AS LEV which is the area of significant local environmental

value so it means a lot to the people that

However that didn't count whth the development and the devdlopment

It's just the number of properties because this site plus the other

site it bringing 650 houses to Hartford which is increasing our

sixe by 30% ` that's quite ` drastic and very large sort of development.

Rita can see one of the sitds from her back`garden.

And she's worried about the impact on traffic in the village.

Before the changes, objectors had to show that

congestion would be significant as a result of new housing developments.

Now they have to show it wotld be severe, something she believes

Independent transport consultant Michael Kitching has been working

in Hartford with Rita and other objectors.

I asked him what constitutes a severe traffic problem.

And one person's severe may be very different to another.

Nobody wants to see highway safety compromised and it's import`nt to

make sure that emergency vehicles can pass through the area as well.

In terms of the relaxation of the laws if that's how you'd deem

them, are you seeing a shift in opinion really?

I think certainly from our experience the planning

inspectorate seems to be taking a more relaxed view now in terms

of things like walking, cycling public transport and frequency

So maybe the hard and fast figures that we are used to seeing `re being

relaxed slightly and development is being allowed to proceed.

The developer in this case is Redrow.

They deny that the building of 650 new homes in the village will

I suspect that the car movements are going to be

It's a very, very sustainable development it's walking distance to

the railway station so if you work in Liverpool or Manchester ht's

You don't even need a bicycle to get there you can walk therd.

It''s walking distance to the shops, and it's walkable to schools.

There has been opposition to this project, as a developer how

difficult is it to balance that with your needs which is as a business?

Well I mean people don't like change `

but something's got to give in that as there's 1.5 million people on

housing waiting lists at thd moment and we need to build more homes

And I think people accept that, they just don't like it near them.

So there has to be a mind`sdt change really in the countrx.

There have been calls for Britain to stay a green and pleasant l`nd.

granted applications on somd brownfield sites, but they `re just

not moving ahead because thdy may be areas not particularly attr`ctive

and people might not want to live there anyway. And let's facd it

developers aren't going to build houses unless they can sell them.

But Steve Morgan from Redrow disagrees There's a total f`llacy

Actually two thirds of what we do anyway is

on brownfield sites so it's totally untrue to say that builders just

And we don't mind building on brownfield sites at all.

The site we are going to now is a greenfield site

but it's not greenbelt, but it is in a conservation area.

So there is an additional dtty when considering applications.

Fiona Hore is on her way to assess the site to see

She will then make her recommendation to the

So here we are at the start of the site and this is a shte

It's quite a well`planned and well laid out site with the

access coming in off the ro`d and they will keep this green wddge and

there's a good line of trees along here and they will all be protected

Isn't this just an easy target though

because it is a little bit of green space in quite a built up area?

Yes I think you're right, it is quite an easy target.

Developers do things to makd a profit.

If they can minimise their costs upfront then thdy are

going to make a bigger profht on the houses and a lot of people

that think that's a really bad thing but we have to be realistic,

But if you look at it objectively it's

an area surrounded by development and it's the next logical step

and the next logical place for a village like this to dxpand.

You need to keep the village going by bringing

in new blood to get children in the schools and things like that.

It's the way you sustain communities

Fiona estimates 99% of applhcations on greenfield sites are met with

But Rita found as an objector she had limited legal rights.

Yes, and disappointed I think as well,

because the localism bill qtite clearly stated that they were taking

responsibility away from thd man in Whitehall so that communitids can

say how they'd want their community or town to develop in the ftture.

Rita may have lost her fight, but in Tarporley the planning

application has been turned down ` despite Fiona's recommendathons

The developers are planning to appeal but for the time being

at least, residents will kedp their green field.

The new regulations which were brought in to silplify

Although people recognise a growing demand for new homes in the region,

the arguments about where exactly to build them look set to continue.

The second we open the show`homes we sell.

I can't justify and tell solebody who's lived next to a green field

for 40 years that's it's gohng to be wonderful and that are going to

be really happy to have a housing development up against their back

yard because I'm never going to be able to convince them of th`t

It is sad because we have got to think about future generations, and

if we lose all the open countryside, it's going to be a concrete jungle

and future generations are not going to be able to enjoy

We're meant to be writing stories today.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night`Time comes to Salford

The story is basically about him on a detective hunt to find out who

the murderer is but on this journey he discovers all

It's 65 years since an act of Parliament signalled the birth

The first opened in the Peak District and was quickly followed

by nine more including the Lake District here in the North West

Today there are 15 and, despite vast differences in geography,

they've all been very successful and are now facing similar challenges.

They are the picture perfect landscapes.

The distinctive scenery which gives a sense of placd,

inspiring artists, exhausting ramblers and protecting wildlife.

Over six decades, the National Parks have become the

The idea for public access to large tracts of the countryside bdgan

a century or so before it became enshrined hn law.

It was an event in 1932 which is credited as being the catalxst

During the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, 400

people walked onto a privatdly owned rocky plateau in the Peak Dhstrict.

Five were jailed, and the controversy prompted

National Parks are about educating people.

Colin Speakman, a founding lember of the Yorkshire Dales Socidty, has

He believes the mass trespass was a critical moment.

Although people didn't know it at the time, it created a m`rtyr

And I think people were so outraged that these young men were sdnt to

jail purely for walking on the hills, it really set people thinking

and, although it took anothdr 2 `odd years until after the Second World

War before we finally got the legislation we needed,

The Council for the Preserv`tion of Rural England are urging

the Government to create thdse National Parks.

With the fresh clean air coling across the hills and dales.

With their quiet still waters offering

Today, across the North, the five National Parks havd

about a million residents and roughly 50 million tourists a year.

Idyllic sanctuaries for picnics and walks.

To residents, they are both home and workplace.

The authorities which run the National Parks must

They have to conserve and enhance the landscape, the

They have also got to bring in the visitors.

Generally, it's agreed they've done a pretty good job.

But in doing so they've had to walk a tightrope between the needs

On the one hand, visitors bring traffic,

On the other, tourism is vital to the economy and local peopld also

need their livelihoods and landscapes protected.

Steve Tatlock has been a ranger in the Lake District

Originally from Horwich in Lancashire,

His patch covers Langdale, Windermere and Cartmell Fell.

The one who has walk that thghtrope between the conflicts of interest.

So many people in such a delicate area, they can wear away thd very

So we get involved in making the infrastructurd more

sustainable, more robust and find that balance about providing that

without destroying what people come to see is a constant challenge.

So as well as having the technical ability to put that in, somdtimes

you sort of need to draw on your own perception of what looks right.

How do you blend it in with the curves and contours

of the hillside rather than just putting a big motorway throtgh?

So it's that constant balance that we're looking for.

With scenery like this, no wonder properties in the National

According to one national estate agent,

Now those prices stay high because of stringent planning

controls and there's not much in the way of new house constrtction.

Without large scale estates and developments, there's

This is Grassington in the Craven District of the Yorkshire D`les

The cost of an average housd here is around ?200,000.

To buy one with a 75% mortgage you'd need an annual

The average salary here is well below 20,000.

This building site is being developed by a housing charhty

which provides new homes for rent to local people.

Five houses and two flats are under construction

They will go to people on social housing waiting lhsts

The charity says building in a National Park cannot bd done

Working with the community, and the National Park, and the local

So it's quite often that sole of these sites might be in the working

for two or three years before they actually even get to this stage

A lot of the brownfield sites have bden taken

The cost of building in the National Park, because we have to usd natural

materials, you're building puite small sites so economies of scale

So a number of challenges, not problems,

There is a bus stop at the dnd of a long day's hike,

especially when you're wanddring about that last bus home.

When the parks first opened, there were regular bus servhces

But many of those routes have since been abandoned.

Seven years ago, Colin Speakman helped set up DalesBus,

It took on the management of many of the Sunday routes within

the Yorkshire Dales, and has seen passenger numbers treble.

The people who use the buses decide where they'll go, what they'll cost.

We work very closely with rdgular users, local people,

local organisations, the National Park and the bus companies.

So between us because we're all walkers we know what walkers want.

Every year we have a financhal crisis and once again the ftnding

we've had for three years is about to disappear so we're going to

plan a major conference in @utumn bringing everybody together to try

and impress upon Government, regionally and nationally,

And it doesn't cost a lot in the scale of things but without

that kind of money even the volunteers can't achieve thhngs

60 years ago, no`one had cohned the term global warming.

Today, dealing with changes in our climate is a prioritx

This is Rydal Beck high above Ambleside.

A water source which has provided hydro electric power to the estate

Now it's being upgraded, and the surplus power, enough for about 400

It's big engineering in a normally tranquil spot.

I think no matter how careftlly you plan this, there comes a pohnt

when you think, "My goodness me this is very impactful."

Providing we do the restoration works properly,

at the end of it, nature soon recovers and so, providing we limit

the damage, localise it, within a few year's time you won't actually

It says a lot about the Nathonal Parks that in 65 years views

Compare that to the alterathons made to our urban landscapes.

But change is coming and no`one really knows what

The Government hasn't ruled out the possibility of fracking

And the authorities all facd cuts which will see shrinking

The past has always been protected in our National P`rks

Will they continue to be an archive of our natural and cultural

The play War Horse has been this year's must`see production here in

the north`west where it is currently running at the Lowry Theatrd.

Chris Hawkins caught up with the show's director

Marianne Elliott, who has gone from Stockport to worldwide succdss, and

he found out more about her latest hit which is heading our wax.

This film does contain some flashing images.

War Horse tells the tale of Joey, a horse serving on the Westdrn

Its heartrending story and clever use of puppetry has

delighted audiences the world over since it was conceived

at the National Theatre in London by co`director Marianne Ellhott

I genuinely thought this is absolutely crazy.

How can you adapt a book th`t has the horse as the first person

speaking all the way through the story, goes all the way through the

First World War, swaps sides from the Allied side to the Germ`n side?

What is essentially also a kids book,

Yeah, and a puppet being the main character.

The guys who puppeteer Joey are incredibly bonded and unifidd.

They have to be very attuned to each other

Often in rehearsals you just say, "Joey, could you come over here

Where has he been with you around the world?

He's an incredibly travelled horse, so he has been to Berlin,

He's been on a UK tour all around the UK and the USA.

He's a bit big in the cockpht but he seems to be OK on the jotrney.

So will you ever work with animals again?

Marianne was born into theatrical life.

Her mother is the actress Rosalind Knight and her father, the director

Michael Elliott, founded thd Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Here he is speaking to Joan Bakewell prior to the theatre's openhng

A few people since we've bedn in Manchester thought we were here

That our aim was to be in London and to use Manchester as a jumphng off

We are here because we want to be in Manchester as long as profession

finds it rewarding to work xou, the best people will be herd.

As long as the best people `re here, it'll be a very good theatrd.

We wanted the building and the company eventually to become

I think I thought it was very uncool to be into theatre

and I used to complain about them talking shop quite

a lot at home, so I did anything I could not go into the theatre.

Yeah, they did take me to plays and there

I can still remember some of the plays better than sole

But I still didn't really w`nt to have anything to do with it.

I wanted to forge my own wax, and it wasn't really until ly father

died when I was 17 that I started to think maybe I could do this.

I went to university and did drama at university.

And it was at the Royal Exchange that Marianne started her own

When I started there as an assistant,

I loved the fact it was in the round.

I loved the fact it had this huge magical weird hall behind it.

You could see the actors approaching the theatre.

And the audience were so close to the stage.

It meant you could do very hntimate things but also incredibly big,

Marianne was talent spotted and worked at

London's Royal Court Theatrd before being taken on by the National

Theatre, where she has established herself as one of the country's

I love the craft of acting and I see how difficult it hs and I

So I suppose when I'm in a room with actors, that is

My job, I feel, is to encourage I suppose.

We're meant to be writing stories today.

So why don't you write about what happened to Wellington last night?

One of her latest successes is her adaptation of Mark Haddon's book

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night`Time which comes to

It's basically about a boy who is incredibly bright in

And he loves animals more than humans, really.

And he finds his neighbour's dog killed at the beginning of the show,

And the story is basically about him going on a detecthve hunt

Mark Haddon describes Christopher as a boy not with a disabilhty,

It's a story about difference, not disability.

We wanted the audience to sde things through Christopher's eyes.

To feel things through Christopher's eyes.

Our set is basically Christopher's workings out.

It's not a brain on stage, but there's lots of graph p`per

He loves maths and science `nd working things out like a ddtective.

And out of that quite open stage come all sorts of things in

So if he decides he's in thd kitchen one moment and then he is on the

train station the next, the train station just emerges with the actors

Let's just have a moment of quiet and concentration.

It's a little bit dissipated, the concentration today,

which means that we might gdt an injury, so let's just have

You started the snow show in the round in the West End.

What will audiences in the Lowry experience?

because I've worked a lot of theatre in the north`west, is that there is

an immediacy and actually there is a warmth that comes

So I'm sure that they will be able to access Christopher

And I'm sure that they will love the wit.

He's very, very witty, Christopher, so I'm sure that's something they

So where do you go from herd as a director?

I think you just keep trying to push your own boundaries.

We are back next Monday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Next week why millions of pdople are turning their backs on penshons

One thing seems to be coming through loud and clear.

If you're not making provishons for your future now, you could be in for

This summer, war returned to Europe. Somebody's just fired, one of the

rebels and the situation is chaotic. The West faces a new threat from