St Vincents Therapeutic Care Centre is a well established charity based in Cheltenham which provides care for severely disabled adults. They have outgrown a their current premises and Hunter Page Planning has recently gained permission for a new state of the art, low profile 12 bed residential/respite facility and activities centre. Click heading for more info.

Let’s start with the good news…market conditions do not appear to be getting any worse.

On the new homes sales front, developers are reporting steady sales of on average 2-3 plots per month per site; achieved with aggressive pricing and the use of other incentives including part exchange. Down valuations by the mortgage surveyors however remain a big obstacle once a sale has been agreed. Click on heading for info.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has stated that temporarily converting empty shops into social enterprises, local art displays or learning centres will help innovative communities prevent high streets declining.  The suggestion responds to the visible impact of the recession on high streets with empty units in towns and cities nationwide. Click blue heading for more on this article.

On 11th March 2009 planning minister Baroness Andrews announced a number of revisions to the planning appeal system.  The package of amendments is designed to make the process more efficient, proportionate and customer-focused. Click on blue heading for more on this article.

On 5 March 2009 the Government published a response to the Killian Pretty Review outlining plans to decrease the number of planning applications by up to 40%. Housing and Planning Minister Margaret Beckett announced the Government's proposals to review key elements of the planning process, with a view to boosting the economy in the current economic climate. Click on blue heading for more on this article.

With interest rates so low, a planning appraisal is a good way of testing the planning prospects of a site for development potential and is often a good way of identifying sites that are worthy of further investigation.  For a nominal fee, HPP will carry out all the necessary appraisal work to help inform you on the development potential of any given site that you maybe considering for development in the future should it be ready to advance immediately or be considered a strategic option. Click on blue heading for more on this article.