BBC's The Planners Are Coming

[HarryFossettsHat]

First episode (of 8) to air this Thursday (11th September) at 8pm GMT. BBC1.

I'm sure it'll be a riveting watch and available on the BBC iPlayer - should you be able to get access to it. I will record it onto my magic telly box thing and then see if I can fathom a way to get it online without breaking too many broadcasting laws...

 

[Maister]

Seems like there was mention of the series somewhere else on Cyburbia quite a while ago. Even if we don't get to see it maybe you or some other Brit could provide a review. Is it a comedy by chance?

 

[JNA]

Press Release about this TV show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/06_june/01/planners.shtml

 

[HarryFossettsHat]

Seems like there was mention of the series somewhere else on Cyburbia quite a while ago. Even if we don't get to see it maybe you or some other Brit could provide a review. Is it a comedy by chance?

As far as I can work out it's a fly on the wall documentary type programme. I'm out on a wroks do in the evening but will report back at the earliest possible opportunity. For some reason I'm not expecting it to portray 'us' in a good light - probably as buffoons or loveable idiots.

EDIT: updated press link for the show here

 

[Dan]

If any of our UkOGBaNI Cyburbians can get the show into a standard multimedia file format (mpg, avi, etc), I'll find a way to make it available on Cyburbia.

 

[Veloise]

As far as I can work out it's a fly on the wall documentary type programme. I'm out on a wroks do in the evening but will report back at the earliest possible opportunity. For some reason I'm not expecting it to portray 'us' in a good light - probably as buffoons or loveable idiots.

EDIT: updated press link for the show here

I'm envisioning the cast of Are You Being Served? in a municipal setting.

(Google it, kiddies!)

 

[Maister]

As far as I can work out it's a fly on the wall documentary type programme. I'm out on a wroks do in the evening but will report back at the earliest possible opportunity. For some reason I'm not expecting it to portray 'us' in a good light - probably as buffoons or loveable idiots.

EDIT: updated press link for the show here

HFH, do you think it would be possible for you to find out the names/places of employment or even contact information (email?) of the municipal employees featured on the show? If so, could you PM me?

 

[Veloise]

And it's not just buildings that come under the control of Planning Departments, it's things like mobile phone masts as well. In a conservation area, [a citizen] tries to rally her community to save it from the relentless march of new technology.​

"I don't have to watch it. I lived it." --Pee Wee Herman

 

[boiker]

If any of our UkOGBaNI Cyburbians can get the show into a standard multimedia file format (mpg, avi, etc), I'll find a way to make it available on Cyburbia.

I'm sure that the show will generate torrents of laughter and intrigue.

 

[imaplanner]

It sounds quite dreadful.

 

[dandy_warhol]

It sounds quite dreadful.

don't be a git.









;-) hfh, did i use it correctly?

 

[imaplanner]

don't be a git.









;-) hfh, did i use it correctly?

I have no idea what a "git" is. But I'll try not to be one ;-)

 

[Dacta]

HFH, do you think it would be possible for you to find out the names/places of employment or even contact information (email?) of the municipal employees featured on the show? If so, could you PM me?

Hello,

I work at one of the places of employment involved in the series which is the London Borough of Barnet Planning & Building Control Departments. Two other London Boroughs were involved, though im not sure which. One of the people featured tonight works in the Planning Department here.

 

[Maister]

Hello,

I work at one of the places of employment involved in the series which is the London Borough of Barnet Planning & Building Control Departments. Two other London Boroughs were involved, though im not sure which. One of the people featured tonight works in the Planning Department here.

Excellent! There are many American planners who are eager for the opportunity to ask their colleagues in the UK about their experiences with that production. The show, as you probably know is being broadcast on BBC 1 tonight - we're trying to figure out a way to make the shows viewable for folks on Cyburbia.

Dacta, check your email.

 

[PlannerGirl]

Welcome from a planner in the Washington DC area

 

[pavel38]

Whoever the guy was from Barking & Dagenham that appeared on tonights show was, in my opinion, a disgrace to the planning permission.

Firstly he turns up to visit customers wearing a bluetooth earpiece, which immediately suggests to the person he's visiting that he couldn't give a damn. Secondly, he breaks all the principles of confidentiality by actually encouraging a complainant to enter into private land when he is going in to tell the owner/tenant that he's breaching planning control, thereby potentially causing a physical confrontation.

Having run enforcement teams for many years, if any of my staff had ever done that I wouldn't let them go on site again until they had further training because his behaviour was a liability to the Council- . It's when I watch programmes like this I realise how poor the quality of planning staff is in this country and why I'm fortunate to now work for a planning consultancy. It's a real shame that the vast majority of LPA planners are just happy to collect their salaries and have no passion for the subject.

 

[The One]

Yeah....

Whoever the guy was from Barking & Dagenham that appeared on tonights show was, in my opinion, a disgrace to the planning permission.

Firstly he turns up to visit customers wearing a bluetooth earpiece, which immediately suggests to the person he's visiting that he couldn't give a damn. Secondly, he breaks all the principles of confidentiality by actually encouraging a complainant to enter into private land when he is going in to tell the owner/tenant that he's breaching planning control, thereby potentially causing a physical confrontation.

Having run enforcement teams for many years, if any of my staff had ever done that I wouldn't let them go on site again until they had further training because his behaviour was a liability to the Council- . It's when I watch programmes like this I realise how poor the quality of planning staff is in this country and why I'm fortunate to now work for a planning consultancy. It's a real shame that the vast majority of LPA planners are just happy to collect their salaries and have no passion for the subject.

Did I mention I'm available at any time for a mere £100,000;-) When and where do I need to report mate?

 

[Dan]

Download Episode 1 (for those outside of the UK)

For those outside of the UK who don't have access to BBC downloads:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/mkf07r

The Planners Are Coming: Episode 1

New series looking at building planning processes aims to help householders, take wrong-doers to task and save our surroundings from ill-judged developments.

A disabled pensioner is shocked to discover that she has no legal right to stop the car garage behind her East London flat building and blocking her view. With the help of her son she fights to save her garden oasis.

In North London Senior Planning Officer Fabien Bernard-Gaudin finds something being built without planning permission. When he arrives on site he discovers that, amazingly, the proposed nine flats are finished and about to go on the market. Calling in the Planning Enforcement Team may mean the developers have to undo all their hard and expensive work and they won't do that without a battle.

It is not just buildings that come under the control of planning departments, but also things like mobile phone masts. In a conservation area, Meenal Mehta tries to rally her community to save it from the relentless march of new technology.

Broadcast on: BBC One, 8:00pm Thursday 11th September
Duration: 30 minutes

Whoever the guy was from Barking & Dagenham that appeared on tonights show was, in my opinion, a disgrace to the planning permission.

Firstly he turns up to visit customers wearing a bluetooth earpiece, which immediately suggests to the person he's visiting that he couldn't give a damn. Secondly, he breaks all the principles of confidentiality by actually encouraging a complainant to enter into private land when he is going in to tell the owner/tenant that he's breaching planning control, thereby potentially causing a physical confrontation.

I saw that, and just thought it was just a difference in planning practice in the UK. In the places where I've worked, when there's been a complaint about a possible zoning or site plan violation, the identity of the party making the complaint is kept confidential.

It seems like planning enforcement in the UK, as depicted on the show, is reactive. Then again, the series might not be as interesting if they showed cases of proactive enforcement.

 

[HarryFossettsHat]

I haven't had chance to watch the programme yet as I was out last night, although I will be catching up with it today.

I would just like to pull pavel up on this though:

It's a real shame that the vast majority of LPA planners are just happy to collect their salaries and have no passion for the subject.

I don't think the vast majority are just happy to collect their salaries. In my experience of LPAs, both working for an LPA and currently in the private sector, I have encountered many many LPA planners with vision and drive to make things better in their authority areas.

 

[waterloowarrior]

episode 2: Sept 22 03:10 or Sept 25 20:00

Charles Wright believed that a house built on his parents' land within the Greenbelt would never be allowed, so he turned a wood cabin into his home sweet home without any planning permission. But Planning Enforcement Officer Brian Taplin and Braintree Council have caught up with him.

If Charles can't prove that he's lived there continuously for the past four years, then his house in the country could be demolished.

Landscape designer Diarmuid Gavin never shies away from controversy and his design for a garden pavilion for a luxury block of flats has the neighbours up in arms. They worry that the peace of the suburb will be destroyed by wild parties but Diarmuid thinks they are just being difficult for the sake of it.

In another garden, Head of Enforcement at Brent Council, Tim Rolt, discovers a shocking case of what's known in the trade as 'beds in sheds' when he goes to demolish an illegally-built garden extension.

 

[HarryFossettsHat]

last night's episode was mysteriously pulled at the last minute...

 

[Dan]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6kcbci

The Planners Are Coming: Episode 2

Charles Wright believed that a house built on his parents' land within the Greenbelt would never be allowed, so he turned a wood cabin into his home sweet home without any planning permission. But Planning Enforcement Officer Brian Taplin and Braintree Council have caught up with him.

If Charles can't prove that he's lived there continuously for the past four years, then his house in the country could be demolished.

Landscape designer Diarmuid Gavin never shies away from controversy and his design for a garden pavilion for a luxury block of flats has the neighbours up in arms. They worry that the peace of the suburb will be destroyed by wild parties but Diarmuid thinks they are just being difficult for the sake of it.

In another garden, Head of Enforcement at Brent Council, Tim Rolt, discovers a shocking case of what's known in the trade as 'beds in sheds' when he goes to demolish an illegally-built garden extension.

Broadcast on: BBC One, 8:00pm Thursday 25th September
Duration: 29 minutes


IMHO, this is must-see TV for North American planners, because it shows some very different code enforcement techniques than what we're used to.

Spoiler

British code enforcement officers tear down buildings and plant lawns! In the US, depending on the jurisdiction, fines and leins will be levied; a property owner may even be jailed if they do not resolve their violation, although it's rare. A municipality may contract with a demolition or cleanup crew as a last resort -- I had a contract with a towing company for junk car extraction in one town where I worked; it was the most common property maintenance issue -- but enforcement action certainly isn't as it is depicted on The Planners are Coming; "we sent you a violation notice and you didn't address it, so we're doing it for you."

 

[Planning Fool]

I've been enjoying the series. It's interesting :-o to see the similarties and differences in the way things happen in England.
Please keep the episodes coming.

Thanks!

 

[Dan]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/m5nvdu

The Planners Are Coming: Episode 3

It's not just residential buildings that come under Planning Department control. Enforcement Officer John Ayres is called to an industrial site where a wood recycling operation has sprung up without warning. Local workers are complaining that the dust it produces is a health hazard and they're worried that the huge piles of wood and chippings could spontaneously combust. While the site operators and the local council argue over whether it's operating legally, a mysterious fire suddenly breaks out.

Wood piles of a different kind come under scrutiny when Tree Officer Anne Currell is alerted to an Atlantic Cedar that has been savagely attacked by a chainsaw-wielding man. The tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order and if Anne can track down the culprit, they could be facing a fine of up to 20,000 pounds.

Vigilant neighbours complain about a house that has simply disappeared. First-time developer Jeremy Morris might have got permission to convert a semi-detached house into flats, but somehow the entire house has been demolished and he has no permission to rebuild. If the Planning Committee refuses his application, his career as a developer may come to an end.

Broadcast on: BBC One, 8:00pm Thursday 2nd October
Duration: 29 minutes

 

[waterloowarrior]

Thanks Dan! I've been enjoying the series quite a bit. I guess development control and enforcement are better suited for TV than policy planning :-D

 

[Dan]

Thanks Dan! I've been enjoying the series quite a bit. I guess development control and enforcement are better suited for TV than policy planning :-D

Knowing a little bit about the British planning system, and the types of incidents that are covered on the show, I don't think a US/Canada version would translate well. The show is really centered on planning enforcement, and not the greater planning process.

In the US, at least, when a project gets planning approval -- usually administrative, such as for a shed, pool or single family house, but often approval by a planning commission for larger projects, depending on the municipality -- a building permit is required. At every stage in the building inspection process, the structure and site are visited by an inspector, are compared to the approved plans. Builders and developers must call the municipal or county building department to schedule inspections at various stages in the development process; they cannot proceed without a particular stage being "signed off", and skipped stages can be costly. For instance, neglecting to have a plumbing inspection completed before drywall is put up, can cost a builder thousands of dollars, since they'll usually be required to pull the drywall off so the plumbing can be inspected.

Any discrepancies are usually caught by the building inspector, who refers the developer to the planning agency for plan revision. "Red tagging", or shutting down work on a project or part of it, will occur if there is deviation from the approved plans. Building permits must be posted in a visible location, and building officials make regular rounds, so if there's construction taking place at a site where building permits aren't posted, it's caught very early in the process.

There are a few parts of the US where building permits and inspections aren't required; usually libertarian-leaning frontier towns in Alaska or the remote West.

In the UK, at least watching the show, it seems like there's no building inspections; these almost-finished buildings that don't get planning permission or which deviated greatly from the approved plans are a surprise to the planners. The UK planners, from a US perspective, seem like part current/development review planner, part zoning manager, and part code enforcement officer.

 

[HarryFossettsHat]

Dan - In the UK there is a need for all buildings to be checked by Building Control officers before they can be signed off/progressed to the next stage of construction. These checks occur regularly - e.g. to check foundations are correctly provided. In essence they check build quality, and cross-reference plans provided by the developer with the approved plans held by the Planning Department. Building Control officers are a seperate entity to Development Control officers and Planning Enforcement officers. Usually there are good communications between them all, however in some instances buildings will escape or slip through the net - e.g. erected very quickly before enforcement officers can action any notifications from Building Officers that things may not be as approved.

Very rarely do these instnaces occur, I guess that in places such as the London Boroughs where the pressure to develop is immense, the desire of unscrupulous developers to 'play the game' is greater, and hence highlighted in this series.

Also, many local planning authorities are grossly understaffed and inspection of cases by Planning Enforcement officers can be delayed for some time in some circumstances.

Not trying to defend the system - it has its flaws - but just trying to relay the situation 'on the ground' in the UK, away from the 'sensationalism' of the series!

Oh, and dandy_warhol yes, that was the correct usage of 'git', bang on china.

 

[Planning Fool]

Has episode 4 aired yet?

 

[HarryFossettsHat]

It aired on Thursday. The programme has been thrown about about in the scheduling (i.e. dropped for a couple of weeks without a seemingly good cause). I haven't had chance to watch it yet.

Dan - can you lay your hands on it for those that side of the Atlantic?

 

[Dan]

Has episode 4 aired yet?

It did, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere. Here's a synopsis from the BBC Web site:

Series looking at building planning processes.

Planning permission isn't needed to put a shed at the end of a garden, but if it has a bathroom and a bed in it, it's a different matter. In North London the death knell sounds for an unlawful building, as the council decides they've had enough and it's time for direct action - much to the owning family's distress. Will the head of enforcement, Tim Rolt, be swayed by their sit-in protest and give the building a reprieve, or will he make sure it's demolished there and then?

A few miles away, another enforcement officer, John Ayres, is busy. Not only is he in hot pursuit of a disappearing developer who is flouting planning laws, but he's also investigating complaints about an outbuilding that's being used as a home. Ayres thought he'd seen it all before, but even he's shocked by the living conditions of a woman and her child, and calls in reinforcements.

In Essex, an elderly couple fight their neighbours' extension plans, fearing that they will put them in the shade.

It appears that episodes 5 through 8 haven't aired. I'm guessing The Planners Are Coming was canceled.

 

[Planning Fool]

I'm guessing The Planners Are Coming was canceled.

No love for the Planners? What a surprise!