“Don’t let environmental risks halt the growth of Smart Cities”

Landmark to address delegates at Cities Convention, 22-23 April 2015,

Altitude London in Millbank Tower

As ‘City Growth Sponsor’ of the forthcoming Cities Convention, Landmark Information Group will be delivering a talk that reviews the role environmental due-diligence plays in supporting the growth of smarter, sustainable cities and infrastructure.

The Cities Convention, which is CPD-event hosted by BRE, invites delegates from local government, town planners, engineering firms, architectural practices and building services organisations, to address and debate a range of issues related to urban development and assesses ways in which cities can become smarter, more efficient and ‘greener’ using smart solutions, technology and data.

Chris Loaring, Commercial Manager for Argyll Environmental – a Landmark Information Group company – will be discussing the challenges of redeveloping brownfield sites. This will include how to identify, analyse and resolve potential land issues, from contaminated land and flood risk through to ground stability, to ensure potential risks do not halt the planned growth of smart cities or related infrastructure.

Comments Chris Loaring: “Managing environmental risk in property portfolios, or land assets, is a real challenge, particularly for established urban areas where new planning applications and development are more likely to centre on brownfield sites.   At Landmark, we have access to the most comprehensive environmental and property data in the UK, and as such, provide a range of risk assessment services to help those involved in managing urban growth uncover any environmental risks at the outset to appropriate steps, potentially leading to remediation, can take place to facilitate development.”

Adds Amanda Brackey, Head of Conference at BRE: “The aim of the Cities Convention is to unlock solutions that are available today to help shape and form the cities of the future.  By bringing together a diverse group of professionals, the event will help inform and provide examples of innovation and best practice, which are geared towards making cities smarter, more efficient and environmentally prosperous.”

As ‘City Growth Sponsor’ of the Cities Convention conference, Landmark Information Group, which is the UK’s leading supplier of digital mapping, property and environmental risk information, will be available to meet delegates and provide demonstrations of its environmental reporting, analysis and mapping solutions, and to showcase the breadth of Landmark’s national land and property ‘big data’ datasets.

For more information regarding the Cities Convention, visit www.citiesconvention.com

Brownfield Gets The Green Light

With the Government issuing new guidance to councils regarding the use of Local Plans to safeguard against ‘urban sprawl’ on green areas surrounding towns and cities, we have seen a swathe of news related to the availability of brownfield sites that are prime (or already set) for future redevelopment.

The Homes and Communities Agency has said that councils will play a key role in highlighting appropriate brownfield land, and as such want to see permissions in place for homes on over 90% of suitable brownfield land by 2020. This could potentially create up to 200,000 new homes whilst at the same time also protect our green belt land.

According to a recent survey by property consultancy Daniel Watney, their data indicates that approximately 25,000 acres of brownfield land currently exists across the UK, which could be utilised for around 466,000 new homes.   This was based on 45% of council data, meaning that there could potentially be land for up to a million homes if all council land was taken into consideration.

We are already seeing industry land owners starting to take into account their land use, with National Grid pledging to free-up unused industrial land for redevelopment. 24 sites have already been earmarked for building, which includes removing disused gasometers. It is estimated that in the first 10 locations alone, approximately 7,000 properties could be developed across 84 acres of brownfield land.

Here at Landmark, we have seen this focus on brownfield growing over the past 18-months, as more and more organisations work together on identifying ways of remediating brownfield plots and rejuvenating them back into local communities.

Our environmental data and historical maps are able to provide a clear picture of exactly how the land has been used through the years, enabling thorough site assessments to be conducted so the correct remediation can take place prior to development.  

Recent enhancements to our Envirocheck Analysis tool give the ability to now see historical land use of a site overlaid with present hazards and environmental data.  This gives the ability to view potential sources, pathways and receptors together to gain a more comprehensive understanding of risk on a site and to execute a better phase 1 report. 

As such, brownfield land should not be feared for what might lie beneath the surface, but instead it is an opportunity for land that may have been affected by industrial or commercial usage in the past to be given a new lease of life, for future generations and communities.

Envirocheck Analysis - reveals the hidden secrets of an area or plot of land

Planning - positive or negative?

Planning can sometimes seem to be a subjective topic, but changes to your local environment could positively or negatively impact your quality of life and value of your property.

The planning system in this country is in a constant state of flux and the current government introduced the Localism Act in November 2011 with the aim of devolving more decision making powers from Central Government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.  The Act covers a wide range of issues, but has had the effect of introducing a number of new concepts and procedures into the planning system which prospective purchasers and developers of land need to be aware of.  Equally, lenders and financial institutions will want to see a good and marketable title to property in case they need to enforce their security.  Where there is any planning risk and potential liabilities, the current market conditions mean that lenders tend towards cautiousness. 

Simultaneously there are regional issues in some parts of the country relating to energy and infrastructure.  For example, the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project would travel through the countryside affecting a number of properties and raising queries about compulsory purchase and potential impacts on value.  Similarly, there have been contentious renewable energy projects, such as solar farms, wind turbines and the possibility of “fracking” development which all prove controversial to local communities. 

Every transaction is different and the requirement of purchasers and their solicitors will also vary according to the circumstances and local planning policies.  The Government has used these initiatives to streamline planning policy in an attempt to stimulate growth.  There have also been changes to legislation, not only via the Localism Act but also the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 and various changes to regulations to allow more flexibility within the planning system.  For example, developers can now seek the re-negotiation or discharge of affordable housing planning obligations in Section 106 Agreements in order to make development viable.  Under the previous legislation, five years needed to pass before a formal request to vary planning obligations could be made.

There are also regulations which affect permitted development rights which now circumvent the need to seek specific planning consent for certain changes, although sometimes the fine print will still need to be scrutinised to examine effects on issues including highways, flooding and contaminated land. 

The keystone of the Government’s current planning policy guidance is the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which was published in March 2012 and supplemented recently by an online resource known as the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). 

The law and guidance is now underwritten by an “inherent presumption in favour of sustainable development” but taken together all of the above changes mean that there may be radical differences to communities brought about by the planning system which can impact on residents very swiftly, affecting quality of life and the value of property.  It is therefore imperative to make the appropriate searches to understand the impact of planning applications on a local area, in conjunction with the local planning policies and the changes to national law and guidance. Taking one specific example, the number of new homes that have been granted planning permission increased by 25% in England in the 12 months following the publication of the NPPF.

Potential purchasers therefore need to consider not only what development has been granted approval, but what applications may also be pending and the prospect of future development as allocated in local planning policy documents. Many local plans are still in the draft stage and the Government has been clear that the NPPF and the presumption in favour of sustainable development takes precedence until councils have finalised these plans. 

Making clients aware of local planning activity must be a fundamental and essential part of every due diligence process, whether this is conducted on behalf of a potential developer, prospective purchaser or a lending institution.  The subtleties of the planning system are such that, notwithstanding the fact that there is an increasing amount of information available freely on the internet and online, expert knowledge is needed to assess and to identify the relevant issues.  Local information about amenities and demographic trends may also be essential to ensure that property purchasers are buying in full knowledge of the property, likely development in the area and any existing planning constraints.

Although the above is intended as an overview of the issues which surround the planning system in this country it is clear that specific and detailed advice may be required where there is any doubt about the issues which may arise or the means of identifying potential issues.  

Author: David Brammer, Partner and Head of Planning at SGH Martineau LLP

OS Terrain® 5 and Terrain® 50 data now available on Promap

Data provides small and mid-scale height data for landscape and infrastructure

We've introduced Ordnance Survey’s Terrain® 5 and Terrain® 50 height datasets in our Promap digital mapping and data tool.  The datasets provide national coverage and enable land, property and environmental professionals to access detailed modelling of significant landscape and infrastructure features.

The OS Terrain® data is available in a range of 2D and 3D formats to suit different GIS and CAD applications. It is ideal for a range of uses including Line of Sight planning, Right to Light analysis, landscape visualisation and fly-through sequences, planning and development applications, wind/solar farm location planning, environmental and geological analysis and flood/weather modelling and associated risk assessment.

The Terrain® 5 and Terrain® 50 products are captured from the same source data that is used to produce other OS mapping and data products.  OS Terrain® 5 is a mid-scale height dataset that includes detailed modelling of significant landscape and infrastructure features such as road, rail, quarries and lakes.  OS Terrain® 50 is a small-scale height dataset that is ideally suited to landscape visualisation and analysis over large areas. Both are designed to be interoperable with other OS digital datasets such as MasterMap® Topography Layer and VectorMap® Local.

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director at Landmark Information Group said: “Introducing the OS Terrain® 5 and Terrain® 50 height datasets on Promap provides our customers with the ability to analyse height and contours of the UK’s contours, landscape and infrastructure.  It is ideal for a wide range of uses, from planning applications through to environmental analysis and much more, and is available for rapid data delivery and in a wide range of ready-to-use formats.”

Both datasets are available as a set of contours, along with spot heights and mean high and low watermarks, as well as a gridded Digital Terrain Model (DTM) representing the bare ground surface. The DTM product is also available as a 3D PDF that allows visualisation of the bare earth model without the need for additional processing or specialist software.

For more information visit:  http://www.promap.co.uk/maps-and-data/height-data/os-terrain

Instantly access UK-wide planning data and gain valuable insight into your local area

We’ve relaunched PromapIQ to make it quicker and easier for you to access property and planning information.  You can gain valuable at-a-glance overview into planning applications, listed buildings and other points of interest within a 250m radius of your site or extending out to 5km of your site for free before conducting a full enquiry.

PromapIQ is a comprehensive UK database of planning applications, listed buildings and points of interest and provides you with a quick and simple way to search, view, interact and gather crucial property and planning information.

PromapIQ  provides access to:

·         over 8.3 million planning applications

·         the average of 14,000 new planning records that are processed every week

·         over 400,000 Listed Buildings

·         over 3.9 million ‘points of interest’ features, including over 735,000 commercial services; over 390,000 retail and eating out sites; 207,500 education and health sites; over 415,500 manufacturing and production sites, and more

Accessing PromapIQ is easier than ever.  While reviewing your data within Promap, simply click the ‘View in IQ’ button by the planning applications, listed buildings and points of interest overview information.

Investing in Local Communities: How Landmark’s Promap supports Gentoo

Promap Testimonial:

Gentoo is made up of a group of companies that include divisions operating in care and support services; construction; design, build and maintenance; environmental sustainability; solar panels and specialist glass; and property rental and sales.

Its overall ambition is to improve the lives of the people, communities and the environment in which it operates. This is achieved by investing in people, the planet and property, in what it is calling ‘the Art of Living’.   As a ‘profit for purpose’ organisation, Gentoo uses any profits from its commercial activity to reinvest back in towards achieving this.

In 2011, Gentoo Group reached its tenth anniversary. During this time it has invested over £500 million into homes and communities.   In the same year, almost 10 per cent of new homes in the north east region were built by Gentoo, and in Sunderland it accounted for 66 per cent of them.

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Bill Fairley, Architectural Technologist at Gentoo:

“As a Group we are continuing to invest in the local community, which includes the creation of new affordable housing schemes in and around Sunderland and the North East region.

As part of our development and investment plans, it is important for us to be able to precisely plot parcels of land that we are looking to buy.  By doing so, it is then possible to develop accurate architectural schemes that are used for the planning and development process.

We rely on Landmark’s Promap service to access all the maps we need.  The process is simple.  

Via Promap it is quick to identify the area of land in question. Once highlighted, we can order the Ordnance Survey MasterMap that we want and in lots of varying formats.  We typically work in DXF or DWG format and, once selected, the map is downloaded from Promap and ready for immediate use."

"The Promap site is very simple to use and gives us everything we need to create the first stage architectural schemes for our planning applications, as well as land registration purposes.”

Spring Summit 2014

As a reseller of Landmark products for more years than I care to mention, I always look forward to getting together and socialising with the folks that provide my reports. It sadly doesn’t happen very often due to geography so to say that I leapt at the invitation to their Spring Summit is probably not an exaggeration.

Especially when it would bring me to the stunning Heythrop Park Resort in the Oxfordshire countryside, with amazing views, beautiful gardens and classic architecture. Not to mention an immediately warm welcome from the Landmark reps tastefully bedecked in matching corporate shirts, top brass included.

Any event that starts with lunch is a winner and after an informal sit-down buffet it was down to the meat of the day, the speakers.

The first talk by David Brammer of SGH Martineau on various aspects of planning law, while interesting, was not really aimed at my side of the business but I’m sure other delegates found plenty to take away from it.

Of more use to me was Andrew Wiseman’s insights into the working practices of solicitors and how we can target our services to their needs. Nothing earthshattering: they want things made easy for them and delivered cheaply. Who doesn’t? But sometimes it takes someone to spell out the bleeding obvious.

They also need products that will help them fulfill their due diligence commitments and chatting with the good people of Landmark reinforced to me that we’re in good hands on that score. They really have their finger on the pulse, delivering relevant information now but also looking to the future to ensure that the right reports will be available when needed. From Mr Wiseman’s presentation, not to mention headlines about fracking, it’s obvious that the Energy & Infrastructure reports will very soon become a vital part of the conveyancing process.

Rounding out the afternoon was a left field guest speaker in the form of a former SAS officer who gave us a fascinating personal insight into the special forces rescue of soldiers taken hostage in Sierra Leone.

If that was the meat of the day, there would be drink aplenty as the opulent, and decidedly less corporate, main part of Heythrop Park House played host to an informal evening reception. 

This was a particular highlight for me, meeting and mixing with fellow resellers - especially equally long standing companies like Jordans, STL, Geodesys and York Place - trading gossip and business cards and putting faces, not to mention personalities, to people either only known by name and reputation or usually only interact with via email.

The Landmark team certainly know the right balance between professionalism and friendliness. I left on Friday morning, with plenty to think about and new professional friendships to build on.

Since that was the Spring Summit, I postulated whether there’d be an Autumn Summit. Sadly sore heads were unable to give me a coherent answer.

Author: Philip Lawrence

L&A Agency Services Limited

Spotlight on New Planning Guidance Highlights Importance of Rigorous Land Evaluation

The latest facet of the government’s focus on simplifying planning in order to stimulate the construction industry has placed a spotlight on the importance of land evaluation as part of the planning process. New Planning Guidance for contaminated land / land remediation, released by the Department for Communities and Local Government, emphasises the importance of undertaking thorough desk-based research into potential risk from contamination as part of the planning process, in order to help speed up planning approvals.

When carried out, efficient rigorous research can have a tangible impact on the speed of planning process and also accurately inform the land remediation process, ultimately helping deliver developments more quickly than if thorough due diligence isn’t undertaken during the early stages of planning.

David Mole, Business Development Director, comments: “With activity in the construction industry now at a three year high*, the government’s focus on stimulating the industry appears to be working; improving the planning process is a key factor in continuing to drive this growth. While we welcome the new guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government, it does fall short in some areas and we therefore support the EIC contaminated land working group in their suggestions to the DCLG that certain amendments are made, including up-weighting guidance and improving terminology specific to industry professionals and including reference to relevant external guidance.

“The provision of poor quality, inaccurate reports can greatly delay the planning process and incur unnecessary costs for clients, which ultimately can have a very real impact on the wider economy, both regionally and nationally.

“It is therefore critical that consultants use a reliable system for their reporting. Our site-specific desktop search, Envirocheck, relied upon by land and property professionals, is the source of environmental information, including current and historical mapping and makes a tangible difference to our clients in terms of delivering reports of the very best quality in a timely fashion. More-over land and property professionals are now using web-technology such as Envirocheck Analysis in their workflow processes delivering improved accuracy and time saving benefits when analysing historical mapping as part of their land appraisal studies.”

The Envirocheck Report is the industry standard desk study information service, providing professionals with fast and highly accurate environmental site assessments. Envirocheck delivers site-specific information with access to comprehensive Ordnance Survey current and historical mapping. The historical maps in the Landmark database exceed 1 million map files from 1840 to present day sourced from Ordnance Survey, Trinity College (Dublin) and the Royal Geographical Society.  The collection of Ordnance Survey maps is supplemented with RAF historical aerial photos and Russian Military Cold War mapping of the UK.  The Envirocheck Report offers a flexible solution by allowing professionals to choose the detail they need depending on their project requirements.

For more information, visit www.envirocheck.co.uk. 

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* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23549550