Special Report - Built Environment

Sep 14 2006 North East Vision

Farmer reaps rewards of planning expertise

A farmer says he can look forward to a secure financial future after an 11th hour intervention by planning experts. Nigel Robson grew up at Castle Hill Farm near Crawcrook, in the Tyne Valley, where his father was the tenant farmer, rearing beef cattle and sheep and growing root crops.

Mr Robson, 44, has continued to farm there for the past nine years. He expanded into plant hire and bought the property from his landlord two years ago.

More recently, with financial pressures mounting, he decided to sell the 19th Century five-bedroom farmhouse and outbuildings for development.

However, the plan looked to be heading for disaster because an early design scheme failed to meet with approval from planning officers.

Mr Robson said: "It was getting desperate because I really had to get planning permission. Time was running out. The bank could have come along at any minute to call in their loan and tell me to sell the property as it was."

Land agent George F White brought in planning consultants from Blackett Hart & Pratt who managed to rescue the scheme, which has now been given the go-ahead by Gateshead Council.

The development allows for the buildings to be converted into one three-bedroom, two two-bedroom and two single-bedroom homes.

Rod Hepplewhite, a planning consultant with Blackett Hart & Pratt, said: "Barn conversion schemes nowadays are rarely straightforward, and this development was a lesson in what is and what is not acceptable when it comes to developing rural properties.

"The original scheme was going nowhere and a number of significant revisions were required, including deleting an unsympathetic extension and revising the design details so the conversion retains the rural character and appearance of the farmhouse.

"By revising the plans, providing more detail, improving the presentation and negotiating with planners, we were able not only to get the application through but also to get planning permission within our eight-week target."

Mr Robson will remain close to the farm as he is planning to convert a nearby property in which to live.

He said: "Once the bank heard that BHP was on board, they were happy to give us more time to alter the plans.

"They have designers in-house as well as planners like Rod who know what information councils need, which made the whole process more efficient."

He added: "I have some sentimental attachment to the farm. I grew up here with my brother and sister. My mum used to sell eggs at the door and she died when I was 17. But it's time to move on and I'm just glad that it's all resolved."

Castle Hill Farm is being marketed later this month by George F White, tel: (01388) 527966.

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Finding ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions

The UK property industry could be criticised for not keeping up with its European neighbours when it comes to considering the consequences on the environment of building work.

Half the greenhouse gas emissions in this country can be attributed to the energy used in the building, occupation and operation of buildings, according to Government figures.

Buildings are major consumers of energy, and it's something that has not gone unnoticed by legislators.

The new EU directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings came into force early this year.

Although not yet fully implemented in the UK - we, like other member states, have a three-year window, which started in January, in which to implement certain provisions of the directive - its principal objective is to reduce emissions from buildings by improving energy efficiency.

The directive introduces a method for calculating energy performance of a building, which will be used throughout the EU.

However, member states will be able to specify the minimum energy standard of new and existing buildings in their countries.

The directive is likely to have a significant impact on developers and property investors.

If you are the seller, every time a new or existing building is sold or let you must show an energy performance certificate, no more than ten years old, to the prospective buyer or tenant.

The three-year window will allow certification schemes to be developed and time for the accreditation and training of sufficient personnel to undertake the energy performance assessments.

Developers are going to have to be more mindful of energy efficiency from the outset, for example by providing more, higher quality insulation and energy-efficient glazing.

They will also have to consider the energy used during the construction process.

Here, the message has to be greater use of more sustainable products.

For example, a UK-based company is recycling the ash output (traditionally a waste material) from coal-fired power stations and re-engineering it into sustainable products for the construction industry.

The construction industry must also consider minimising the amount of waste produced from building sites, due to the implementation of the Landfill Directive and the landfill tax that it imposes.

As the pressure to reduce landfill grows, landfill taxes are inevitably set to increase.

Developers, therefore, will be reluctant to dispose of contaminated land via landfill and will be faced with the challenge of finding alternative ways to remediate such land in situ.

On the up side, the recent Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) Green Value Report, which considered green buildings in Canada, the US and the UK, concluded the market value of a building may well be linked to its `green' features.

The study indicated `green' buildings are not only likely to provide healthier places to live' and be more productive workplaces, but they are also likely to command higher rents and prices, attract tenants more quickly, reduce tenant turnover and cost less to operate and maintain - factors that will undoubtedly be taken on board by property investors in the future.

Adam Wood is a member of the property team at Blackett Hart & Pratt in Darlington. For more information, contact him on (01325) 466794.

On page 5:
Breaking new ground in the construction industry plus SHG is building big changes to develop better communities