Planning is split into two parts: Forward Planning, and
Development Control.
Forward Planning comprises policy, research and transportation
functions.
Development Control comprises two service units:
The Major Sites service unit deals mainly with proposals within
the Council's designated Arc of Opportunity.
The Whole Borough service unit deals mainly with all other
development control functions, including all other applications,
and all appeals, enforcement and heritage matters.
Each unit is led by a Service Unit Manager: Victoria Geoghegan for
Major Sites, Peter Rose for Whole Borough.
Administrative and technical support staff supplement all parts of
the planning service.
Staffing
Planning services are based at East Ham Town Hall Annexe.
The lead officers are:
Seema Manchanda - Head of Physical Regeneration &
Development
Vivienne Ramsey - Head of
Development and Building Control
Ian Fines - Head of Forward Planning
Mike Heraty - Head of Regeneration Projects
Victoria Geoghegan - Service Unit Manager, Development Control
(Major Sites)
Peter Rose - Service Unit Manager, Development Control (Whole
Borough)
Karen Dennis - Business & Central Support Manager
Regeneration Services has some 90 permanent members of staff.
Significant numbers of temporary appointments also supplement
permanent posts.
Current challenges
As economic activity in the capital moves relentlessly eastwards,
the borough is facing ever-increasing pressures for development.
New infrastructure, new businesses and thousands of new homes have
begun to transform the landscape. Driving forward the development
of the borough are our planning and regeneration services.
Planning and regeneration services in Newham are central to our
overall vision for the Borough. This states that, 'By 2010 Newham
will be a major business location, a place where people choose to
live and work.'
Our Unitary
Development Plan, adopted in June 2001, is reflective of this
vision and provides the framework through which our planning
services are directed and through which our vision is to be
realised, principally in the borough's Arc of Opportunity.
Our Arc of Opportunity extends from Stratford to the River Lea then
down the Lea to the Thames and eastwards to Beckton including the
former Royal Docks. It is the area where most of the Borough's
major development sites are concentrated. The sites include:
- Stratford City. A multi million pound
scheme centred on the new Stratford international station providing
a new shopping centre, offices, hotels, residential development,
schools and a range of community and leisure facilities. The
station opens in 2006/7 and development will be phased over the
following 15 years or so.
- Olympics 2012. The site is west of Stratford
City extending to the Lea and is mainly within Newham. This area
will be the focus of a very high level of investment, funding
regeneration for residential, commercial, leisure and open space
uses plus support facilities.
- Other development sites along or near the
Lea. These are a series of large underused sites
which we are happy to see redeveloped. These are likely to provide
significant residential communities which will also require
planning of adequate education, health, open space and community
services.
- Canning Town. Work will start in the next
couple of years and extend over a 15 year period to provide new and
refurbished homes as well as a new market and a Sainsbury's
supermarket, offices, better tube/bus/rail links and revised road
layouts.
- Developments in and around the Royal Docks.
Whilst many sites around the former Royal Docks have already been
developed with residential and offices schemes, and with
developments by East London University, ExCel Conference Centre and
City Airport, several major development sites remain. There is a
current application for an international Aquarium and some 4,500
residential units at Silvertown Quays opposite the Excel centre.
The University will be providing more accommodation for students as
well as extra teaching space and more residential sites are to be
built, as well as an expansion of City Airport. All this
development will benefit from an extension of the Docklands Light
Railway (DLR) from Canning Town to Silvertown via the Airport and
then under the Thames to Woolwich.
- Developments to the south of the Docklands Light
Railway extension and fronting the Thames. These are a
series of large sites which are vacant or contain general and
special industries as a legacy from when the docks were fully
active. In many ways this is the area of greatest challenge in
terms of ensuring there is sufficient industrial/commercial space
of the right type and size for the borough's needs in the future as
well as providing residential uses, shops, open space etc. to
create lively and viable communities as part of the overall
regeneration.
- New river crossing. There is to be a new
bridge across the Thames from Beckton linking in with the A13 and
A406 (North Circular Road) to the east end of the London Borough of
Greenwich near its boundary with the London Borough of
Bexley.
In addition to addressing these particular major development
pressures, a range of other day-to-day development pressures are
experienced across the borough.
Whether it's Stratford City, or just a single storey rear
extension, our aim is to respond through an efficient and effective
development control service. This means meeting the standards set
by the government's' Best Value Performance Indicators.
For the year 2003/2004, we determined over 1400 applications. Of
these, 75% of 'Major' applications were determined within 13 weeks
(the required standard is 60%), 77% of 'Minor' applications were
determined within 8 weeks (the required standard is 65%), and 82%
of 'Other' applications were determined within 8 weeks (the
required standard is 80%). We were also successful in defending 74%
of its decisions against appeal.
Planning in Newham is not for anyone seeking a quiet life. But it
is for anyone seeking to help manage real change in a dynamic urban
environment, for anyone seeking to make their own contribution
through a forward-thinking professional service, whilst developing
their own skills and experience, and for anyone seeking to make a
difference.
Contact details
Regeneration Services
London Borough of Newham
Town Hall Annexe
330-354 Barking Road
East Ham
London E6 2RT
By telephone:
020 8 430 2000
By fax:
020 8 430 2901 |