Comments for Planning Watch UK

Comment on Feltham Lakes – Concorde Village fiasco hits the headlines by JP69

JP69 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:13:27 +0000

Profitable Group are on the Monetary Authority of Singapore investor alert list, and are also being investigated by the Commerical Affairs Department in Singapore. There is a site called Victims of Profitable Group which details at least 50 people who believe they have been cheated and there are many more who have given up.

Chelgate state on their website that Chelgate Executive Chairman Terence Fane-Saunders has years of experience working in international markets, including Africa, advising a variety of governments, firms, and individuals on ethical issues and reputation management.

I wonder what Chelgate feel now about supporting a scheme that is so obviously designed to extract money from investors without giving any returns at all. Do Chelgate believe that was fair and eithical when they supported this scheme ? Did Chelgate make any effort to look at the background of the company they were propping up with their claimed relationships to key individuals in the British Government ?

Everyone involved with supporting these schemes including PR Companies, Law Firms, and TV companies like ESPN should be ashamed and should speak out.

Comment on Towns and Cities – UK Carbuncle awards 2010 by andrew

andrew — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:50:52 +0000

So. the highland capital is condemned by an arbitrary panel of a architects who slag of the nature of two buildings in particular. Now, yes no one will argue that the former HIE building the tourist information building opposite are eyesores. But it was architects who designed them! Also, Tulloch own Rok . What that has to do with the town nomination on this list is baffling ! As for Bill Bryson a american slagging off a town far older than any American settlement don’t make me laugh. his opinion isn’t to be taken too seriously. Finally how can the look of a building be blamed entirely on a council’s planning authority not the architects fault ? of course not ! pass the buck folks !

Comment on Profitable Group fail again in Colchester by Steve

Steve — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 07:40:19 +0000

The Profitable Group site at Nafferton has now also been the subject of a freedom of information request. The council has stated it also has no chance of development.

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/profitable_group_nafferton_land

Nafferton will NOT be identified as a village for future development -
principally because of its proximity to Driffield which has more services
and facilities. If this approach is confirmed then there will be NO
allocation of housing land in the village. The Council’s LDF includes an
Allocations Development Plan Document (again available on the website)
which is out for consultation with potential housing sites identified -
however as Nafferton is not a village identified for development the
Allocation DPD does not consider ANY potential residential sites in the
village. The future status of Nafferton as suggested in the LDF has
changed since 2005, and indeed since the Council’s own Smaller Settlements
Development Plan Document of Oct 2006 when Nafferton was still identified
as a “market village” where limited development would be permitted.

Comment on Architects and designers include highland capital in nominations for 2010 carbuncle awards by Helen Hamilton

Helen Hamilton — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:15:27 +0000

Certainly it is sad to read this about our city, but, I have to agree it has become an ugly, poor and dirty looking city centre, full of charity shops, pubs and drunks. The Council should have made the clean-up of the buildings a priority over badly done expensive paving and ugly sculpture.
The condition of the roads and pavement surfaces all around the city are in a disgraceful and dangerous state of disrepair. This is due to the cheap method of re-surfacing, using a thin layer of tar sprinkled with grit, which has proved to be false economy, and, the constant badly done patching. This all adds to the look of impoverishment Inverness now has.
Come on Highland Council, get the basics right.

Comment on Feltham Gravel Pits Hounslow by Peter B

Peter B — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:56:40 +0000

Green Belt housing scheme promoted by footballers leaves investors in the red

Investors from the Far East have been left without a penny gain in four years after putting money into a “get rich quick” property scheme promoted by two former England football players.

While Profitable Group, the Singapore-based property company behind the scheme, has made at least £47 million from the deal, nothing has yet materialised at the site – not even a planning application to build a single house.

The two former footballers, now living in the Far East, used their celebrity status to market the scheme on television across south-east Asia in 2006.

Profitable changed the name of the tract of land from Lower Feltham Lakes to Concorde Village for the purposes of the marketing drive.

But no development can take place unless a planning inspector can be persuaded to overrule the site’s green belt status against the wishes of Hounslow council, the local planning authority, which firmly opposes building there.

More here……….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertynews/7436428/Green-Belt-housing-scheme-promoted-by-footballers-leaves-investors-in-the-red.html

Comment on West Lothian Council Sleaze charge alleged by Julie Burns

Julie Burns — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:15:29 +0000

These councillors are out for their own interests and need to be stopped. The honest people of West Lothian should stand up and fight against this corruption. They are mocking the people whilst lining their own pockets!

Comment on Donald Trump using bully tactics, claims Aberdeenshire estate resident by Jim

Jim — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:20:21 +0000

Mr Trump plans to build 950 holiday apartments as part of this development. Do we really need these bearing in mind the curse of holiday homes which has blighted many small coastal and other communities. We need affordable homes suitable for first time buyers who have been priced out of the market not more holiday homes. Also the profits should be kept in Scotland for the benefit of the Scottish people. After all, the profits will have been earned by the efforts of the Scottish people so they should benefit from them.

Comment on Donald Trump using bully tactics, claims Aberdeenshire estate resident by Mark

Mark — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:53:28 +0000

Let him make his golf course smaller. He should not be allowed to remove any homeowner just because he wants to build a golf course. This is not a basic need therefore he should look at other sites. He just wants to take the best views for his pocket.

Comment on Feltham Gravel Pits Hounslow by Sheila Scott

Sheila Scott — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:58:42 +0000

It seems to me that Feltham as a whole has had enough houseing DUMPED on its land to cover the requirement placed on it by the NIMBY M.P.s.
I like Feltham.
I live in Feltham.
PLEASE leave this areas Green Belt alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment on Feltham Gravel Pits Hounslow by Dan O

Dan O — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:31:40 +0000

Note the above request has been updated with the following statement from Hounslow council. Not reported in the local press but very clear I think

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/position_on_green_belt_and_lower#incoming-24693

Hounslow’s attitude to Green Belt land development is clearly set out in
its statutory development plan, made up of the Unitary Development Plan
(UDP, 2003) and the London Plan (2008). Policy ENV-N.1.2 of the UDP
states a general presumption against inappropriate development (this
term is explained in the policy criteria) within the Green Belt and
states that it will not permit such development, except where very
special circumstances can be demonstrated. This approach is consistent
with the London Plan, which outlines the intention for London’s growth
to take place within its existing urban boundaries and without
encroaching on open space. The approach to development in the Green Belt
set out Hounslow’s development plan reflects national Planning Policy
Guidance (PPG 2) on Green Belts. These documents are available online by
following the weblinks at the end of this email.

Relating to the attitude to development at the site at ‘Concorde
Village’, the approach described above would be applied and an applicant
would need to present very special circumstances if development were to
be allowed. It should be noted that a planning application for this site
has not been submitted to the Council. Given that the Council has
evidence that it can meet its development needs (for both housing and
commercial/ industrial uses) for the foreseeable future and the housing
targets set out in the London Plan (which have been established on this
basis) by developing existing urban land that is not designated as Green
Belt or open space, it is very unlikely that planning permission would
be given for development on this site.

For information, the Council is in the process of producing a new
statutory development plan, the Local Development Framework, which is
gradually replacing the UDP. The main element of this will be the Core
Strategy, which will cover Green Belt designation and policies, and will
undergo a second phase of consultation (preferred options or preferred
strategy stage) early in 2010. The Core Strategy will be informed be a
review of the Green Belt boundary, which will identify and deal with any
anomalies in the Green Belt whilst ensuring the integrity and permanence
of the Green Belt is maintained, as outlined in the London Plan and PPG
2. There is no expected change (although reliance should not be placed
upon this) to the strategic approach to Green Belt set out in the London
Plan and PPG2, and the review of Green Belt boundaries together with the
assessment of any proposals to build on the Green Belt will be made in
this context. We do not anticipate the need to make any exception to
this policy to accommodate the borough’s expected growth.

In response to your request for a copy of all communications received
and transmitted relating to this site, please find attached 38 such
documents (these will be attached to three consecutive emails).