In a time where house-building targets are increasing, is enough being done to transform empty properties?

Reporter Elli Hodgson spoke to property developer, Barry Upton, and chartered town planner and surveyor, Dr Robert Wickham, about how the planning system has gone “too far” and what changes are needed.

The Save the Children charity shop in Union Street, Maidstone, never reopened after the pandemic

The Save the Children charity shop in Union Street, Maidstone, sat vacant for more than three years, gathering dust and sitting lifeless, before it was put on the market and snapped up by developers looking to restore its charm.

The once thriving store had been visited by Princess Anne in its hey-day, but was shut during the pandemic and never reopened.

Unlike other shops on the street, when the green light was given to welcome shoppers again, it remained closed, much to the despair of its volunteers and customers.

That was until KentOnline uncovered there were no plans to reopen it, all the while precious donations remained trapped inside.

Highlighting the issue prompted the charity to do something pro-active with the premises, it went up for auction, and when it sold, there were hopes the Grade II-listed building would be put to good use again.

The charity store sat empty for years with donations inside

Developers Barry Upton and Gary Peters had a vision to turn it into a residential cottage, akin to a previous project on a listed home a few doors up the road.

But the pair say that since last November they’ve had to navigate a range of difficulties, which they say form part of the wider picture of just how challenging it is to get a development over the line.

Barry, who has run Kent Development Projects Ltd for 22 years, had applied to change the property from a shop to a home and put forward plans for an extension at the back to make it more “liveable and habitable”.

But he says planners at Maidstone council didn’t like the extension and said “no” to all of it, so they were soon back to the drawing board.

“By the time they turned the first application down, six months had gone by. We were hoping to finish the whole job in six months, but we hadn’t even put a shovel in the ground. It was getting to be a severe embarrassment to us,” he said.

Developers Gary Peters and Barry Upton say red tape in planning is halting the development of dilapidated homesThe finished product of a previous renovation to a cottage in Union Street. Picture: Gary Peters

After urging the conservation officer to take a fresh look at their plans and asking for advice on how to make it more acceptable, the ball began to roll again.

Four weeks later it was approved, and the work could finally begin, but Barry feels the planning process has become a “bureaucracy in its own right”.

As a developer, Barry says this process of submitting a plan, then it being refused, can be repeated multiple times, with many planners taking a backseat approach where they refuse without clear reasons or input on what is acceptable from the start.

He said: “People are desperate for houses. There must be thousands of properties in this country. I know around Maidstone there are lots crying out to be developed – why aren’t they being developed? Planning.

The old sign on the Save the Children charity shop in Union Street, Maidstone

“We’re the most severe planning operation in the world, we’re more heavily planned than anybody else.”

While Barry notes that while planning regulations were set up with “honourable intentions” to stop cowboy builders, cheap jobs and to ensure good building standards were maintained, he believes it has spiralled into a web of red tape.

He said: “I don’t feel as a developer I count in any way. I regard sometimes, that I am one of the enemy.

“Developers need to be treated as members of the community with a job to do. Our job is to build houses and develop old properties. It is not to be stopped at every turn.”

With this red tape comes a reluctance from developers to take on listed properties, which Gary says are usually in the “worst condition” or have been left for “years and years”.

Bags of stock filled with clothes and shoes in the Save the Children charity shop in Union Street

And as a result, Barry says there are hundreds of other plots like the former Save the Children shop which are crying out for development.

Empty, wasted and forgotten — but with so much potential.

Looking to the future, Barry would like to see a much tighter timeframe on decision-making.

He thinks the planning department could consider issuing a special licence to developers who meet a certain criteria, to reduce the individual inspection of every plan and make the development timeline more efficient.

He also thinks payment for an application should be made once a decision is made, not before, to move things along.

Dr Robert Wickham is a land economist, chartered surveyor and chartered town planner and says planning has been a “major problem” holding back the country’s economy.

Dr Robert Wickham says the planning operation needs revolutionary change

He explained how, in the 1970s the development plan – now known as a Local Plan, which guides how land should be used in an area and sets out what types of buildings should be allowed and where they should go – became the main guide to planning decisions.

By law, decisions should follow such plans unless there is a good reason not to.

However, he argues this approach has two big problems. One is the world economy changes all the time, so the development plan cannot keep up.

While another is that planners cannot know everything that might affect future businesses or individuals. This means the policies in the plan quickly become out of date, yet are still treated as the most important factor in decision-making.

Cheeseman’s Cottage, Seal Chart, near Sevenoaks, has been vacant for around two years and needs modernisation. Picture: Robert Wickham

In practical terms, Dr Wickham said the number of small builders had decreased “very considerably” by about 60-70% over the last five years.

For example, of late he says there has been an inhibition on any development that might cause any change in flooding patterns.

He said: “The problem is all these special interest groups, quango and similar set up, that support and advance a particular theme, it might be flooding, it may be nature studies, ecology, and they are very strong on their presentation and they’re hammering on government doors.

“But the silent majority, who are the customers of the builder and the producers, whether it be of homes, of workspaces or any other amenities, they don’t have a voice.

Cheeseman’s Cottage, Seal Chart, near Sevenoaks, has been vacant for around two years and needs modernisation. Picture: Robert Wickham

“They don’t have a voice, the silent majority, and that is what is underlying the frictions and problems.”

Dr Wickham says that although everyone wants to see nature respected and that some sites should be set aside for primarily ecological reasons, it shouldn’t mean that every site should increase the biodiversity by 10%.

He explained how calculations regarding biodiversity are “expensive” and on a small-to-medium site can cost around £30,000 to £40,000.

“In other words, before you put a planning application in for a 100-house site, your cost to consultants has probably been £200,000-£300,000.

“That is why the chances of the government achieving the building rate they are aiming for is non-existent.”

Cheeseman’s Cottage, Seal Chart, near Sevenoaks, has been vacant for around two years and needs modernisation. Picture: Robert Wickham

Looking to the future, the planning expert believes there needs to be emphasis on the “positive”, meaning that working towards approving the development is “number one”.

He said: “It’s got to be a revolutionary change in the system.”

Highlighting just one planning battle, he tells the tale of Cheeseman’s Cottage in Seal Chart near Sevenoaks which is a Grade II-listed property which has sat vacant for two years after the resident who had lived there all his life died aged 98.

He explains it has no washing facilities on the first floor and needs modernisation, but attempts to discuss the matter with Sevenoaks council were repeatedly refused.

But without open communication, applications so far had been unsuccessful, until it went to appeal, and the inspector explained that while he did not entirely agree with the council, he didn’t like aspects of the first-floor alterations, so another scheme needs to be put forward.

Dr Wickham said: “This is typical of the planning situation we now face.

“Probably the house will be vacant for four years, which could be resolved in six months with simple conversations but that is the situation now reached in the planning system.

“So it’s vacant, just a home sitting there. Someone would love to modernise it, so we’re battling with more applications, another appeal. Sevenoaks council don’t want to know – they are delighted to keep it empty.”

All the while, Sevenoaks council says it is “always happy to work” with potential applicants through its pre-application planning service, which provides information about how its policies will be applied to proposals.

It explains this process identifies potential problems and how they can be addressed before submitting a planning application.

A Sevenoaks council spokesperson said: “The service is well used, but in the case of Cheeseman’s Cottage, the applicant chose not to use it.

The developers restored a listed cottage into a beautiful home. Picture: Gary Peters

“Applications for planning and listed building consents at Cheeseman’s Cottage were refused by us on January 22 on the grounds the applicant had not provided sufficient supporting information, and the proposal would cause harm to the significance and historic fabric of the building.

“Following an appeal, the planning inspector ruled the appeal should be dismissed in part and allowed in part.

“The applicant’s application for costs was refused by the planning inspector as we had not acted unreasonably by refusing the application.

“The planning inspector also said it would have been appropriate for the applicant to have discussed the scheme and submission requirements via our pre-application planning advice service before lodging the application.”

Maidstone council declined repeated requests for interview and to comment regarding Mr Upton’s concerns about the planning system.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for a comment.