Planning experts at Ibbett Mosely are celebrating after helping win an appeal against an eco-burial site next to a leading independent girls’ school in Kent – and possibly making planning history by calling on a psychologist to give evidence.

Around 10,000 bodies could have ended up next to Combe Bank School in Sevenoaks, which includes a Palladian Mansion House built in the 1720s and historic park and gardens. Evidence was put forward to The Planning Inspectorate that the burial site would be psychologically damaging to the pupils. ‘Substantial weight’ was attached to this and the harm the burial site would pose to the Grade 1 listed building as well as the local conservation area.

Ibbett Mosely Senior Partner Dr Robert Wickham has been involved in more than 1,000 inquiries over 40 years and it is the first time he has called upon a psychologist to give evidence.

Dr Wickham said: “In terms of established practise, the psychological impact of a development on local people or residents has been touched on in one or two cases but, as far as we are aware, it’s the first time the concept of amenity has been extended to a mental concept.”

There was a huge public outcry and unanimous objection with more than 1,000 people in opposition to the burial ground proposals. Over 30 people, including local, district and county councillors, residents, parents and a pupil, spoke in opposition at the public inquiry.

David Prentis, the Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, also supported the case made by the school that a burial site should not be allowed next to a historic building and gardens as well as concluding that “there is an unacceptable risk that the proposals would result in material harm to the wellbeing of pupils of Combe Bank”

Dr Wickham believes that the Planning Department at Sevenoaks District Council is at fault for not turning down the application at the earliest opportunity and for not realising the impact of the development.

“The application was dealt with at delegated level and not at committee which is flabbergasting when you consider the historic nature of the adjacent site. Even more surprising is the fact that the council did not advance any major planning objections to this horrible proposal – only an objection regarding its long-term management. It was a massive failure by Sevenoaks District Council,” he said.

The land next door to Combe Bank School, which is owned by Baron Deschauer, is adjacent to playing fields and on land rising away from the school. If the burial site had been agreed, hearses would have driven through the school campus several times a day and burials would have taken place in front of the children.

Jacquie Andrews, Deputy Senior Partner of Ibbett Mosely who specialises in town planning, led the objections to the scheme on behalf of the school and gave town planning evidence at the public inquiry. Psychologist Dr Lynne Jordan was brought in to give evidence in relation to the potential psychological impact of such a proposal on pupils, staff and others involved in the day-to-day activities associated with the school. Interestingly, mid-way through the inquiry proceedings, the developer offered a sum of £25,000 to pay for psychological services for pupils over the next five years. “This failure by the council has not only led to huge worry and stress for the school’s teachers and pupils as well as local residents, but it has also cost Combe Bank School a great deal of money – not forgetting the taxpayers’ money that has been wasted as a result of time spent on the inquiry and appeal,” Dr Wickham explained.

Combe Bank School Headteacher Mrs Jane Abbotts said: “We are extremely grateful for the assistance of Ibbett Mosely in stopping the burial site next to the school. They prepared our case and made sure we were fully prepared for the appeal.”

Ibbett Mosely Senior Partner Dr Wickham has had over 40 years’ professional experience in planning and compensation including local government service and lecturing. He specialises in the presentation of cases in the role as advocate at planning and associated inquiries.

Best known for its residential and commercial property services, Ibbett Mosely offers a complete range of integrated property services, from selling, letting and property management to planning consultancy and design, surveying, architectural services and town planning. The award-winning company also owns an auction house in Sevenoaks specialising in furniture, antiques and fine art, and also runs land and property auctions.

Ibbett Mosely, which has been operating for more than 100 years, has offices in London, Sevenoaks, Otford, Borough Green, Westerham and West Malling and has some of the UK’s most experienced chartered surveyors and town planners on their team.

Ibbett Mosely can be contacted on 01732 452246. For an auction catalogue or for information regarding future auctions please contact 01732 456731 or go to www.ibbettmosely.co.uk. You can also view images of the lots and get more information on Ibbett Mosely’s Facebook page.

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For further information or to request and interview contact Suzi Christie at Blueberry PR on 01435 830031 or e-mail suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk

A Sussex architectural and planning expert is celebrating after getting permission for another contemporary, sustainable dwelling in the county. Determined consultant Glenn Moore of Pevensey-based GM Moore Associates successfully fought to gain approval for The Coach House, near Pevensey. His comprehensive and very persuasive planning statement outlined how the proposed dwelling had been designed to respect and work with the landscape of the Low Weald.

The Coach House, which is on an unusual sloped site in Stone Cross, Pevensey, East Sussex, is the third extraordinary eco house that Glenn has secured permission for in the last year, including a round house. He has also had a string of other successes for other projects, many involving listed buildings.

Glenn said: “My clients approached me with a clear vision of their requirements. They specified that they wanted a new house that would be sustainable, open plan and work efficiently as a family home on the unusual sloped site, making use of but not impacting upon the existing pond. I was delighted to be able to secure permission for them and help make their dream a reality.”

The development was justified by highlighting that The Coach House would be adding to the much-needed housing stock of Wealden and that, as the site is already in residential use, it would not be harmful to the greenfield area and would be beneficial to the community.

A spokesperson from the council commented that: “The design of the property has been carefully considered and will have no detrimental impact on the surrounding area. The new dwelling makes good use of the plot to achieve commendable levels of sustainability.” Glenn went on to explain that the house will be as eco as possible: “The design embraces new technologies to reduce carbon emissions and incorporates renewable sources for heat and energy. The aim is that the house will be constructed to meet standards required for accreditation as a sustainable and passive house.”

A key feature of the ambitious design is the way it cuts into the land. On approaching the dwelling from the north it will have the appearance of a modest bungalow yet, from the southern side, two stories will be visible. It will be slightly built out over the pond, influenced by traditional stilt houses. The design has a ‘V’ shaped footprint and is positioned to take maximum advantage of the surroundings and to achieve greater solar gain. The subterranean parts of the design will enhance the insulation of the property and the large amount of glazing to the Southern side allows for light and heat to penetrate from the sun.

“This will be an energy efficient home that makes use of cutting-edge technologies and design, maximising the use of the available land, pond and position embodying sustainable principles and passive design. There will be solar panels located on the pitched roof, a heat-recovery system and underfloor heating supplied by a heat pump and coil system located in the pond. The pond will be an attenuator for water run-off and act as a balancing pond,” Glenn explained.

The simplistic, open-plan design allows for a free-flowing living arrangement and makes the house into a ‘life-time home’. The post and lintel construction, along with the extensive glazing, will allow walls to be moved and the property to evolve with its occupants and meet their changing lifestyle demands. There is also space included within the design for the addition of a lift at a later date, if required.

GM Moore and Associates www.gmassociates.co.uk is based in Pevensey, East Sussex, and provides a range of design, planning and technical services that include extensions and refurbishments to period properties, conversion of barns and oasts and construction of new buildings using traditional methods and materials in new and innovative ways.

For more information telephone Glenn Moore on 01323 888013 or e-mail glenn@gmassociates.co.uk

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Press enquiries: contact Suzi Christie Blueberry PR on 01435 830031 or e-mail suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk

Business tenants and corporate landlords can find common ground, says Simon Murphy, property management partner at leading law firm Taylor Vinters Whether a retailer, an e-retailer or a MegaBox store – space has got to be rented somewhere and business is tough right now. If you are struggling to make the rent, orders are slipping and you’re not sure you are going to make your next payroll, then it’s time to ask:

What kind of help can you get from your landlord? Many retailers are facing the pinch, with Game the latest in a long line of high street chains to go into administration. Landlords can sometimes help to prevent their tenants descending into administration if they are prepared to accommodate some realistic requests from the tenant, so as to keep their investment values and occupancy levels up. The landlord may be prepared to re-gear the lease, if rent levels have fallen. If done on the basis of an exchange of side letters (i.e. on a personal basis for the current tenant) so that there is no effect on rent review, then this is sometimes an easier pill to swallow for the landlord. Landlords can be more flexible with tenants concerning improvement works. Where there is an internal only lease with a service charge, significant capital works can be delayed so that payments required of the tenant can be kept to a minimum. Where underletting of part is prohibited by the lease, but the tenant does not require all of the space, landlords can be persuaded to be more flexible. This works provided that any underletting is excluded from the security of tenure provisions of the landlord and Tenant Act – so that the landlord doesn’t end up with an undesirable tenant at the end of the lease.

If you’re having trouble persuading your landlord to agree to re-gear, it may be appropriate to offer personal guarantees or a rent deposit if you can stretch to it, so that the landlord has some security in relation to the reduced rent. There is simply no point in the Landlord agreeing to a reduced rent from a tenant who does not have the ability to even pay the reduced rent. The key to all negotiations, as one would expect, is reasonableness. Although landlords (but probably not landlords in Cambridge) are likely to be prepared to be flexible in order to keep their tenants, they are not likely to want to affect their investment value, unless there is some likelihood that the reduced rent will be paid, and that the tenant will remain solvent and will comply with the tenant’s covenants under the lease. What can the landlord do to maintain asset values? In order to maintain investment values, it’s clearly important to retain tenants, especially those that the market perceives to have good covenant strengths. However, as indicated, there is no point in retaining a tenant whose covenant is very weak. If you suspect that your tenant is insolvent, or is likely to become insolvent in the next couple of years, it is important that you make sure that the property is as re-lettable as possible. While tenants are likely to want you to put off major capital works during the hard times, it’s essential that premises are not allowed to get into disrepair and become harder to re-let. Make sure your leases contain the right to enter and carry out repairs, so that if the tenant is not complying with its repairing covenants, you can enter the property, undertake the work yourself, and charge the tenant the costs as a debt. If there is a strong likelihood that your tenant will become insolvent, it is important that you exercise this remedy as soon as possible, to give yourself the maximum chance of recovering the debt from the tenant. If you do re-gear, and you are unsure whether your tenant will have the ability to pay even a lower rent, make sure that you get a substantial rent deposit, to cover default. If your tenant does go into administration, make sure that if the administrator uses the premises for the purposes of the administration, and trades from the premises, they pay all of the passing rent due and owing. Even if the administrator vacates the premises, remember that while the tenant in administration is liable under the lease, the premises are nil-rated for business rates purposes. It is often better to obtain permission from the administrator to remarket the premises, and hold keys, without this amounting to a surrender and/or forfeiture of the lease, so that you are not liable for void business rates, on top of unpaid rent. The lease can then be surrendered with the consent of the administrator when and if a new tenant is found. If your premises is too large for the current market, take advice straight away on the sort of tenants likely to take on the capacity, and if it looks like there are no suitable tenants for the property, get planning advice from the local planning authority so that a strategy for redevelopment can be put in place sooner rather than later. Simon Murphy is a property management partner at Taylor Vinters. He manages a team of dedicated property management lawyers who advise on all aspects of commercial, residential and agricultural property management issues. Simon advises on a wide range of property issues from lease renewals, possession claims, service charge disputes and dilapidations claims, to advising on rights and liabilities affecting freehold land and adverse possession. Founded in Cambridge, and now with offices in London and Singapore, Taylor Vinters employs more than 220 highly qualified staff to offer a broad range of legal services to private, commercial and not-for-profit clients.

Fascias (the horizontal flat band below the roofline which the guttering attaches to) and soffits (the underside of the fascia) and soffits are essential to preserve the roof structures of your home, especially during winter. Traditionally fascias and soffits were made from timber, so with perpetual exposure to the extreme British weather conditions, they begin to rot.  This deterioration exposes you and your family to the health risks of woodworm, vermin infestation and damp.

The good news is that revolutionary replacement UPVC fascias and soffits are   inexpensive, when compared with the far greater expense in the long run of rectifying structural damage caused by damp. Therefore, capping over existing fascias and soffits, which might appear to be a cheaper short cut, isn’t worth the risk. Capping accelerates rotting as moisture from the condensation generated by the rising heat from your home is trapped in. In contrast, replacement UPVC fascias and UPVC soffits are innovatively engineered to provide the required ventilation to your roof space.  Also UPVC fascias and soffits are fully guaranteed, where as there is no guarantee on the timber structure the replacement uPVC fascias and UPVC soffits are attached to, again making capping a financial risk.

Thanks to pioneering technology, uPVC Building Products such as fascias and soffits are fully weather resistant and therefore maintenance free! Never again will you have to face your fear of heights to climb your ladder, or incur the expense and inconvenience of hiring scaffolding to begin sanding and painting your wooden fascias and soffits. Manufactured with a ten year guarantee though likely to last three times as long, a quick wash with warm soapy water is all the up keep your UPVC fascias and soffits will require to remain pristine! We told you UPVC fascias and soffits are great…!

Sustained investment in research and progress has resulted in fascias and soffits being designed for maximum energy efficiency. Installing uPVC fascias and soffits will minimise your carbon foot print and lower your heating bills, which is welcome news in view of the well publicised ever increasing fuel costs.  UPVC fascias and UPVC soffits are also fully recyclable for good measure!

In addition to structural protection, UPVC fascias have been designed with aesthetic appearance in mind and so will also rejuvenate your home, whether modern or traditional in style. The colour selection includes black, white, cream, red, blue and green, along with pine, oak, walnut, rosewood, teak or mahogany realistic wood grains. Combining coloured  fascias with white soffits is also a popular, smart look, as is colour coordinating uPVC fascias with your windows and Rockdoor doors. To ensure UPVC fascias complement your home, they are available in a choice of three shapes; square fascias for a boxed effect, Bullnose fascias with a rounded edge or Ogee fascias with a bevelled edge for a sculpted finish.

When people nostalgically utter “they don’t build them like they used to” it’s true … UPVC fascias and UPVC soffits outperform timber in every way. Modern technology has successfully combined incredibly durable structural preservation with eliminated maintenance time and reduced energy bills, whilst retaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance. With UPVC fascias and soffits bringing so many advantages, all for an affordable price, what are you waiting for…?

For more information please visit www.fasciaexpert.co.uk

Flat to rent Aberdeen? Room to rent in aberdeen this is a fantastic new way to advertise your property free, not only is the site easy to use its unique to Aberdeen. Our goal at irent is to offer an easy to use solution to renting your property, whether it’s a room to rent in Aberdeen or a house to rent in Aberdeen iRent Aberdeen offers a quick and easy solution to lease your property in Aberdeen.

The property listings are presented in a clear format. So if you are looking for flats to rent in Aberdeen, or just looking for rooms to rent in Aberdeen, Irent Aberdeen will help you find the property you are searching for so start your search for the perfect Rental in Aberdeen with Aberdeen’s only city specific rental portal iRentaberdeen should help you with your rental needs

Whether you are looking to advertise your property in Aberdeen or looking for a house to rent in Aberdeen or flats to let in Aberdeen or even a room to rent in Aberdeen Irent will deliver the people or the rentals in Aberdeen you are looking for.

Our mission statement is to deliver the most user friendly experience for anyone looking to rent in Aberdeen or advertise a rental in Aberdeen and provide free advice and trends within the Aberdeen rental marketplace.
So when you want to advertise accommodation in Aberdeen we should be able to get you the enquiries to require to get the perfect tenant in to you rental in Aberdeen from high quality rentals in Aberdeen to bedsits to rent in Aberdeen they are all here. We have spent months developing the website to make sure it’s the best available and market leading and we feel it already is at that point however this is just the start there are lots of new and exciting developments about to go live on the site within the next few months that will evolve the Aberdeen rental market and the way people search for that Flat to rent in Aberdeen or search Houses to rent in Aberdeen.
The mobile version of the site will be the first to go live later this month so there will be no need to download any apps our site will simply detect with device you are using and serve up either the desktop site or the mobile site. We also have a site designed. To work with the apple iPad, again this will a first in the property rentals in Aberdeen marketplace, then aim is always the same to make your experience the most relevant and user friendly as possible.

Manchester’s former Royal Eye Hospital on Oxford Road, a landmark institution in the city, has been rebranded as Citilab by office space provider Bruntwood. The University Of Manchester boasts Europe’s largest clinical academic campus and the updated 100,000 sq ft building is at its centre, with confirmed pre-lets including NHS organisation TRUSTECH, The Manchester College and The Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charity. A key aim of the new centre of excellence is to house bio health companies developing services and products for medical patients. It features wards built especially for clinical trials, networking areas and biomedical laboratories. “The science agenda and growing our customer base in this sector are important parts of Bruntwood’s growth plans,” said Bruntwood chief executive Chris Oglesby. “We are delighted to announce the new name, Citilab, alongside welcoming new customers to our portfolio. We are looking forward to working in partnership with them and supporting their plans.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, is also very pleased with the scheme, saying that the development was extremely important for the city as it supports economic growth and creation of jobs. Mike Deegan, chief executive of The Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, expressed his excitement at the plans and said the organisation was looking forward to developing new treatments there. TRUSTECH develops cutting-edge services and products to improve national healthcare, while The Manchester College will use its space for medical training. The building was formerly a dedicated ophthalmic hospital, specialising in teaching, surgery and outpatient care. The original red-brick building is grade II listed and was built in the early 1800s beside Manchester Royal Infirmary and St Mary’s Hospital. Its hospital services were transferred to the new Royal Eye Hospital.

Bruntwood is well-known for its transformation of landmark buildings into contemporary commercial spaces, having created some of the most popular function rooms Manchester has to offer for hire. The company also provides facilities such as serviced virtual offices. Website: http://www.bruntwood.co.uk/.

As national private sector social housing provider Orchard & Shipman are awarded registered provider (RP) status by the Tenants Services Authority (TSA) [30th March 2012], the company sets out its robust strategy to deliver homes across the south east during its first year of operation.

Once the reserve of public sector organisations, a shift in Government policy that now backs for-profit providers has been welcomed by Orchard & Shipman, a move that the company hopes will realise increased access to long term housing that supports sustainable tenancies, and that goes some way to reducing the current shortfall of homes.

Orchard & Shipman homes is the new divisional company the group has set up to operate as a registered provider, but as they are already one of the largest providers of temporary accommodation for homeless families they are well placed to draw on experience of providing good quality management.

As Director of Orchard & Shipman homes; Samantha Male has been working closely with Local Authorities to ensure the model of supply set out by the company goes some way to meeting the demands of the market, she said;

“We have already established strong links with private investors who are diverting their interest to social housing, the result of capital investment will guarantee them long term annual yields, and furthermore the RP status affords them the security that we have the backing of a the TSA.
She added; we are confident in our ability to deliver additional supplies of housing, as we have a proven track record through our core business where we partner with over 14 local authorities offering rent models that deliver value for money at the same time providing a hassle free management service to private landlords”.

Orchard & Shipman homes will generate its supply through a combination of new developments and, purchasing properties from the open market. The group already has links with property investors, developers and land owners through its land and new homes division and will further build on these to meet its strategic targets.

Orchard & Shipman are an unusual if not unique company in that their approach combines the positive caring aspects of the social housing market with the commercial disciplines of the private sector; the company believe that RP status will support them in delivering more to residents.

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Notes to editor

Orchard & Shipman is the only national provider of private sector leasing (PSL) and is the biggest private initiative and the second largest provider within the sector. Operating throughout England and Scotland, their current portfolio comprises over 4,500 units under management, housing over 5,500 families each year. Committed to providing well managed, high quality housing solutions for local authorities and private landlords, the company is a member of the Communities and Local Government Department’s Homelessness Strategy Delivery Group. Commended by Central Government as an exemplar of best practice in tackling homelessness. Orchard & Shipman lease properties from private landlords for between 3-10 years guaranteeing the rent and providing a property management service that includes searching for tenants, managing the legalities of leases and co-ordinating maintenance and repairs.

The company partners with over 14 local authorities including; The London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Ealing, Bromley, Hammersmith& Fulham, Brighton & Hove City Council, Bedford Borough Council, South Gloucestershire and The City of Edinburgh Council. www.orchard-shipman.com

For further information on Orchard & Shipman plc please contact: Claire Aspinall T: 01895 208883
E:claire.aspinall@orchard-shipman.com

Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant in Manchester has only just been opened but already it has attracted quite a few media headlines.

The first ‘Jamie’s Italian’ to be opened in the North-West is located on King Street in Manchester and has been referred to by many as the ‘King of King Street’.

But after renovating the building, builders found an abundance of safe deposit boxes in the basement which had been left there from when it used to be the old Midland’s Bank building.

Containing a number of different things, the deposit boxes are said to have held well over £1 million in ‘lost treasures’ with things ranging from old tapes by Joy Division and New Order to gold, jewellery and even a gun.

Bank of England officials were alerted to the safe deposit boxes however, the ‘Naked Chef’ didn’t get to keep anything as all of it was sent off to the Treasury.

The restaurateur’s new eatery is spread over three floors, the middle being on mezzanine flooring which is where the old Clerk’s offices used to be. It’s safe to say that this will be a one of a kind, unique eating experience.

Perhaps you’re looking to get a mezzanine floor fitted in your office to expand the working space? If you are then you should pay a visit to Spaceway, an industry leader when it comes to glass office partitions and mezzanine floors.

A specialist in historic roofing restoration, Martin-Brooks is revolution an innovation that will allow for solar panels to be installed on a lead roof.

The Sheffield based firm got called in by solar panel installers C-Changes on the advice of architects Smith and Roper. They were called in to help a project which was taking place on a Grade I listed church near Chesterfield.

Martin-Brooks are one of Yorkshire’s largest roofing contractors and they have a rather strong regional presence in both flat and pitched roofing in the UK. They also employ over 60 highly skilled professionals and it’s this workforce that has been called in as a part of the project as they have worked on other sensitive heritage projects.

This new project though, posed a new problem for the roofing contractors. The building in which they were working on had a lead roof and the challenge for the company was to stop the solar panels from being damaged when the lead expanded and contracted when the temperature changed.

Luckily for the church, one of the only churches in the country to be granted permission to have solar panels fitted on the grounds of structural suitability, Martin-Brooks had a solution. They used a system which was developed by a company called the Lead Sheet Association. The system uses some special lead ‘pods’ which have expansion packs which then help to overcome the problem.

There are a number of problems, structural and others which a number of churches experience. One problem could be the fascias on the roof of the church.

Fascias are problem areas on both houses, churches and a number of other buildings so if you need to replace the fascias on your home then you should get in touch with Fascia Expert. A leading online retailer, you won’t go wrong if you get in touch with them.

A property auction service has been launched by leading chartered surveyors and estate agents Ibbett Mosely as an alternative to conventional buying and selling.

Six lots will be going under the hammer at Ibbett Mosely’s own auction rooms in Argyll Road, Sevenoaks, on 12th April including plots of land, renovation projects, commercial and ‘move in’ condition properties.

The company has had its own furniture and fine arts department for 75 years, with auctions held on a monthly basis, and the decision to expand into property comes after a surge in interest from people wanting to sell at auction.

Ibbett Mosely’s Auctioneer and Valuer Alan White said: “We’re really excited to be launching this new service. Auctions can present great opportunities for astute buyers and investors to secure a dream home or good investment away from the regular property buying market.” Property auctions are becoming increasingly popular as a result of programmes like ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ and a way for sellers to gain the best possible price for their property.

Alan added: “Buyers and sellers also have the benefit of a quick and uncomplicated sale, knowing that once the hammer falls the contract is legal and binding and you don’t have the uncertainty associated with selling a property in the conventional manner.”

The first auction will take place at Ibbett Mosely’s auction rooms in Argyll Road, Sevenoaks, on 12th April. Doors open for registration at 10:30am and the auction starts at 12 noon. Lots are already being taken for the second auction on 5th July. Best known for its residential and commercial property services, Ibbett Mosely offers a complete range of integrated property services, from selling, letting and property management to planning consultancy and design, surveying, architectural services and town planning. The award-winning company also owns an auction house in Sevenoaks specialising in furniture, antiques and fine art, and soon to include property.

Ibbett Mosely, which has been operating for more than 100 years, has offices in London, Sevenoaks, Otford, Borough Green, Westerham and West Malling and has some of the UK’s most experienced chartered surveyors on their team.

Ibbett Mosely can be contacted on 01732 452246 or 01732 456731 for an auction catalogue or for information regarding future auctions or go to www.ibbettmosely.co.uk You can also view images of the lots and get more information on Ibbett Mosely’s Facebook page.

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For further information or to request and interview contact Suzi Christie at Blueberry PR on 01435 830031 or e-mail suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk