Bbc New Program: Plan It, Build It

[Tired of Waiting]

BBC new program: Plan It, Build It.

Broadcasts:

BBC One - Daily at 11:45

Repeat on BBC Two - Daily at 07:50

10 daily episodes, hence 2 weeks, started yesterday, Monday morning.

Already on iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b039sg4d

(I haven't watched yet, I'll watch later.)

Episode 1 of 10: Growing Pains

Duration: 30 minutes

Which of us hasn't longed for a little more living space? An extra bedroom, a big open-plan kitchen, a luxury en-suite bathroom... But how difficult is it to add an extension?

We all know it takes money, determination, and a well thought-out master plan. But there's one more crucial thing - before we can turn our domestic dreams into reality, we need to get permission from the Planners.

So what innovative and interesting ideas are British homeowners coming up with to increase their living space? How much are they putting aside to pay for their extensions, and how often are planning applications refused by the planners? And crucially, how much can we add to the value of our homes by adding extra floorspace?

This series follows homeowners across the country as they Plan it, Build it.

Planners are being inundated with applications from families desperate to increase the sizes of their homes. The Arnolds live in East Dulwich and have a small son, with another baby on the way as well. They desperately want planning permission to open up their kitchen and turn their home into the perfect family friendly living space. However this involves filling in their side return - something that might adversely affect their neighbours' outlook. They have a budget of 60 thousand pounds - how much extra space will that buy them?

It is not just families with new babies who need more space. More and more young adults are financially unable to fly the nest and need extra room in their parents' homes. Ed White wants to create a suite for daughter Hannah. Ed's got an impressive model railway, which runs like clockwork - but when it comes to planning approval, everything is coming off the rails.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Tired of Waiting

[TheCountOfNowhere]

The BBC might as well open an estate agency and building firm.

[zugzwang]

'Scrap It, Bulldoze It' would be an idea better matched to the mood of national decline but that lacks an uplifting element so the BBC will never go for it.

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Plan It, Build It. - Sounds more like extend it and pretend it.

More gardens built on, more destruction of vegetable patches and wild life.

More shoddy patching up of properties that are structurally past it.

A huge quantity of the UK housing stock is Victorian era and as such have NO insulation in the walls or floor and are expensive to run, many of these old properties are also damp as they have no damp course. Never mind though, we will just rent these out to the next generation as they are not worthy of modern well designed and insulated homes.

When we sold our first house, I was a little perplexed at how the house across the road sold for £5k more than ours, upon closer inspection their house had a substantial extension that would have cost £££ to build.

On the whole "And crucially, how much can we add to the value of our homes by adding extra floorspace?"

You will be making a loss outside London., but I daresay like everything else in the UK the entire program will be based in London, be about londerners extending their damp basement flat into the garden for £500k.

Would love to see a program where regular folk can build their modest dream home for under £150k in various parts of the country without fighting planners and NIMBYS.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Gone to Ireland.

[ticket2ride]

Looks like the Arnolds live in a 3 storey house worth about £750k. They have 1 child, with another on the way. They don't need more room. He even admits they have enough bedrooms. But she wants a bigger kitchen to show off to her mumsnet friends.

They're not easy to like, these people, are they?

[righttoleech]

Disgusting filth.....and the HUTH propaganda continues.

[ccc]

So Bbc2 has hammer on repeat followed by this. Then for late morning you get the opposite way around.

They are not shy with their bias.

[Venger]

Dominic Littlewood: Welcome to the trendy London suburb of East Dulwich. Farmland until the mid 1800s the Victorians built terraced houses here to attract the emerging middle classes. Badly bombed during the war the area fell into decline but now it's most definitely on the up.

It ticks all the boxes, good schools, green parks and grand neighbours in Dulwich Village. Young well off families fight over limited housing stock and prices reflect the high demand. A typical terrace here will set you back a cool £530,000. (Valuations Summer 2013).

Fighting to pay super high prices, taking advantage of teaser rate jumbo mortgages, unconcerned about value or tapering or end of teaser rates. Escaping the renting dead money situation and 'just wanted a home'. HPC hero victims.

The Arnolds bought their house in 2006 and prices in the area have gone up on average £50,000 since then. A bigger house could cost over £700,000 now so it makes sense to extend.

Of course it's worth so much more. Given non-owning HPCers lobbied for 2 years in 2008-2009 how 2004-2007 buyers had been victims of media / banks / predatory lending ect.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Venger

[SuperChimp]

Would love to see a program where regular folk can build their modest dream home for under £150k in various parts of the country without fighting planners and NIMBYS.

Planners and NIMBYS are not the enemy.

[OurDayWillCome]

Apparently, people in their early 30's are choosing to stay at home with the parents. Is this rubbish deliberately trying to wind up anyone with an ounce of common sense!

[Tired of Waiting]

Plan It, Build It. - Sounds more like extend it and pretend it.

More gardens built on, more destruction of vegetable patches and wild life.

More shoddy patching up of properties that are structurally past it.

A huge quantity of the UK housing stock is Victorian era and as such have NO insulation in the walls or floor and are expensive to run, many of these old properties are also damp as they have no damp course. Never mind though, we will just rent these out to the next generation as they are not worthy of modern well designed and insulated homes.

When we sold our first house, I was a little perplexed at how the house across the road sold for £5k more than ours, upon closer inspection their house had a substantial extension that would have cost £££ to build.

On the whole "And crucially, how much can we add to the value of our homes by adding extra floorspace?"

You will be making a loss outside London., but I daresay like everything else in the UK the entire program will be based in London, be about londerners extending their damp basement flat into the garden for £500k.

Would love to see a program where regular folk can build their modest dream home for under £150k in various parts of the country without fighting planners and NIMBYS.

+ 1 !

I watched episode 2 last night (on PVR, couldn't bother with iPlayer for episode 1).

Very basic stuff, very small extensions, on tiny plots. BBC's very patronising tone, like BBC's worst, like in "The One Show" or "BBC News at Six".

On the other hand, those two couples seemed happy with their lot, somehow! Sad. Though they are happy! I'm (actually) confused now.

They could have so much more, for much less money, but they don't know it, so... they are happy! Ignorance is bliss, eh?

.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Tired of Waiting

[VeryMeanReversion]

To add a bedroom and new lounge, my experience was:

Plan something sensible

Get refused

Plan something else sensible

Get refused

Appeal

Get refused

Learn about permitted development, the many loopholes (avoids planners) and prior case law regarding appeals

Plan something smaller

Get approved

Use permitted development to make it much larger (CLOPUD process)

Get approved (since application is decided on a legal basis rather than a planners opinion of local policies)

Time to deal with planners = 30 months

Time to build = 6 months

What an complete waste of time. There were no objections to my original application, just a refusal to allow a 3-bed house outside the village envelope to become a 4-bed. Apart from the odd horse and tractor driver, no-one would have seen it anyway.

I ended up with something that doesn't look as good as the original proposal and cost more.

[Tired of Waiting]

(...) There were no objections to my original application, just a refusal to allow a 3-bed house outside the village envelope to become a 4-bed. Apart from the odd horse and tractor driver, no-one would have seen it anyway.

(...)

Why they don't allow "a 3-bed house outside the village envelope to become a 4-bed" ??

What is their alleged reason behind that rule??

[VeryMeanReversion]

Why they don't allow "a 3-bed house outside the village envelope to become a 4-bed" ??

What is their alleged reason behind that rule??

It was originally intended to maintain a supply of small homes in the countryside. The planners said 3-bed is small, 4-bed is not.

Rather than allowing new small homes to be built, they want existing homes to stay small. So really, its a policy to maintain the value of large homes in the countryside.

Extracts from the particular policy is below :

Policy HG/6 Extensions to Dwellings in the Countryside

Extensions to dwellings in the countryside (i.e. outside development frameworks, as shown on the Proposals Map) will only be permitted where:

The proposed development would not create a separate dwelling or be capable of separation from the existing dwelling;

The extension does not exceed the height of the original dwelling;

The extension does not lead to a 50% increase or more in volume or gross internal floor area of the original dwelling;

The proposed extension is in scale and character with the existing dwelling and would not materially change the impact of the dwelling on its surroundings;

In exceptional circumstances, material considerations may justify an exception to criteria ( and ©, for example, dwellings with a very small original footprint which do not meet modern living standards.

[Tired of Waiting]

It was originally intended to maintain a supply of small homes in the countryside. The planners said 3-bed is small, 4-bed is not.

Rather than allowing new small homes to be built, they want existing homes to stay small. So really, its a policy to maintain the value of large homes in the countryside.

Extracts from the particular policy is below :

Policy HG/6 Extensions to Dwellings in the Countryside

Extensions to dwellings in the countryside (i.e. outside development frameworks, as shown on the Proposals Map) will only be permitted where:

The proposed development would not create a separate dwelling or be capable of separation from the existing dwelling;

The extension does not exceed the height of the original dwelling;

The extension does not lead to a 50% increase or more in volume or gross internal floor area of the original dwelling;

The proposed extension is in scale and character with the existing dwelling and would not materially change the impact of the dwelling on its surroundings;

In exceptional circumstances, material considerations may justify an exception to criteria ( and ©, for example, dwellings with a very small original footprint which do not meet modern living standards.

Everything is so insane.

Quite disheartening.