21st March 2008, 10:57 AM
I appreciate the stuff about S106's and conditions on original planning apps etc. But that kind of misses the point. The cases where Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) are the greatest threat are where they are being retrofitted to older and existing properties, especially in Conservation Areas (often historic cores of settlements) and in residential gardens excluded from adjacent or encircling SAMs. In these cases there would be no requirement for a planning application for a GSHP and without applying article 4's to remove PD rights we would not even be aware that the work was being done. It is common to remove PD rights in Conservation Areas for essentially aesthetic reasons using article 4's - I would suggest that the careful application of this measure for archaeological reasons is now upon us. GSHPs are now permitted development, Article 4's allow the removal of PD rights in designated areas. Roll on April 6th.