[asktheplanner]

Hi Everyone
A friend told my about this forum and I'm joining mainly out of professional interest.  I'm a town planner.  I know, I know, not the kind of person you want to be friends with, if some of your posts are to be believed   I'm a nice planner, honest, and I work very hard to take the unnecessary pain out of the planning process.

I live in rural South Lanarkshire and spent many years working in a rural planning department.  As a planning consultant, my work is varied and I'm always looking for fresh ideas on the planning system.  I look forward to getting involved in discussions and will be more than happy to throw in some advice and dispel any planning myths.

[arborexplora]

Hello and welcome

I too am new to the forum but am becoming quickly addicted, there are many interesting posts.

You may be the very person to answer a thread I started last week.

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=17017.0

I work as an Arboricultural Consultant with most of my work being planning related, pre-development reports, implication assessment etc. The information for me is pretty clear on permitted development rights for dwellings however throw agricultural land in there and it gets all fuzzy
On a smallholding or farm where does the dwelling stop and the agricultural land begin?

 

[Dan]

Hello and welcome from rainy Carnoustie. 

Definitely room for a tame and friendly planner on here, I'm sure there will be plenty of advice sought. 

On a smallholding or farm where does the dwelling stop and the agricultural land begin?

We faced exactly that when putting solar panels on our barn - needed a planning application ultimately, and although we did it ourselves and got there in the end there wasn't a lot of information freely available.

[pikilily]

Ha Ha, do you come with a thick skin and a hard hat ?? 

Its good to have a variety of expertese on the forum.... perhaps you will learn as much from us as we will from you. We may even convert you to a smallholder, in the meantime......You had better get studying on all the regional variations, cos there WILL be plenty for you to contribute!! So, big welcome from Tayside!
Emma T

[robert waddell]

hello anway    but i think the posters have got it wrong     this newbie could be on our side if there are sides at all  i can see lots of questions but not much money going your way 

[HappyHippy]

Hello from me, also in South Lanarkshire (Lesmahagow to be exact)
Welcome to the forum & expect lots of questions 
Karen.

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome from monsoon Carnoustie

I worked with planners in Clackmannanshire Council and found them a decent bunch - mind you, I never needed any planning consents for personal projects.

[faith0504]

hi and welcome from moray 

[deepinthewoods]

hello from cornwall, and the best of british luck to you.

[Sandy]

Hi and welcome from Clackmannan, we had plans passed and nice the planner was too, BUT now we have changed our minds as the cost of the build is too much and would not add to the house value!!!!!
We all have our jobs and if there were no planners the place would be a mess!!! Welcome

[goosepimple]

Hello asktheplanner, I'm an architect as is my OH - I know, I know, I do try to take the pain out of building but as I tell everyone, it's like having a baby (I'm female) painful enough to kill you but in small enough doses not to...a professional hello to you, nice of you to join.

[lachlanandmarcus]

I dont mind planners really! Even tho we are halfway through restoring a GradeB (scotland) listed building !

The only thing that is unfortunate is a tendency for some people/businesses locally to be able to get anything they want passed even if it is pig ugly, with the accompanying bribe (sorry section whatever it is contribution :-)) whereas the Joe Bloggs find it a LOT harder. And there is a lot of massive housing estate in the countryside with business attached proposals which are presented as  'local business plus a minor enabling development....' :-)))

But on the whole, given some householders appalling taste and constant tendency to cut costs and corners, I think the planners are a definite necessity!!

[robert waddell]

what used to be a bribe or considered to be a bribe (brown Manila)     is now classed as planning gain  based on the size of the development this can be small to contributing to the new school that is planned for in ten years time

[goosepimple]

Oh dear, look what you've started asktheplanner.....remember everyone planners decisions are based on 'criteria' and not 'personal opinion'.....the trouble is joe bloggs often takes things into his own hands and the works are not always checked by the planners after they are built and they get away with it....and usually the architect gets the blame for bad architecture - while I'm on that subject a so called Architectural Designer, Architectural Technician or Architectural Services ARE NOT ARCHITECTS!!!!!!Grrrrrr!!!!!!!But that's for another day....

[janeislay]

Hi asktheplanner - my daughters are both in South Lanarkshire and my dad in Lesmahagow - what an amazing place that is !  No traffic lights, no yellow lines, free for all jolly safe sort of place !  One daughter is being threatened by two new windturbine mega sites - what do you feel about them ?