Alan Ambrose

That brings back very bad memories of steam tables and 'thermo'.

Ah, presumably something like this: https://www.anglianpumping.com/product/pressure-vessels/200-litre-accumulator Remember GWS accumulators operate on a 60% volume to use ratio meaning a 300 litre vessel gives 180 litres of powerful water before returning to mains flow.

No, don't believe so. I'm guessing it has the usual rubber bladder (?) - so the difference between fully stretched bladder and fully relaxed bladder ( 😀 ) may be a smallish fraction of the total tank size. 1/4 maybe? I'm guessing the manufacturer could tell you.

BBC reporting new targets compared to old: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c878ppdexl3o

I'm thinking that some SEs expect to work at quite a slow pace. I asked for 3 or 4 for quotes for basement design. After a couple of weeks a couple got back to me. One quote was a one liner and more or less said 'around £5K maybe' (I forget the exact figure) but without much sense of what would be delivered for that. I chose the one that actually got back to me with a somewhat thought out quote. I assumed the ones that didn't get back to me were not interested. Letting the others know, one said 'oh, I didn't think you were in much of a rush, so I haven't replied yet'. So, could just be that your expectations are very different from their expectations.

Yeah quite, it wouldn't be the first time an LPA has taken advantage of someone dying. I'm interested in seeing the terms. Annoys me that central government make some laws (BNG exclusion for self-builders) and then local government finds a way round those laws.

Hmmm, I'm not as optimistic as you re the move to give planning officers more power. There's loads of blatant 'decision based on single person's opinion alone' there already and this will empower the planning officer's even more in that regard rather than having a check and balance.

The government are fairly fond of cliff edge ‘now you’re f….d’ rules. This kind of thing needs to be stopped both in the private sector but especially in the public sector.

Next suggest write to the head of planning explaining the situation. Attach copies of the statements and asking for his/her intervention. Suggest all this on paper with recorded delivery.

One useful thing to do would be to ask the architects for a formal letter to you or (even better) a witness statement saying what they received from the LPA and when (re CIL) and what they communicated to you re CIl and when. Also ask the LPA for similar for their communications re CIL, this time as a witness statement. Also prepare a witness statement for yourself re comms with architect & LPA while it’s fresh in your memory. This s.b. purely factual and as detailed as possible and contain copies of the written comms or your detailed description of any verbal comms. This step should focus everyone’s attention. Also ask both parties for the contact details of their lawyers. Don’t offer yours up yet though.

>>> And then they emailed my architect on 2 occasions, basically reminding them that their client needs to submit the forms. I never got those emails from the local authority or my architect. That's right, the LPA should have emailed you directly and/or sent you a letter. It's not rocket surgery for the LPA to add the client themselves to the email list, is it? Because ... the architect's work might have concluded with the planning process and/or the architect might have forgotten to tell their client. If they want to hold you liable, then they should have told you. I think that's also (at least part of) a reasonable defence in law. And since email gets lost, accidentally deleted etc. then the LPA should have emailed and sent you a 'signed-for' or properly couriered letter.

The fast way is to find a nerdy but practical teenager who knows how to use ping, netstat, arp etc and the basics of router UIs and how DHCP works.

>>> Is it so fundamentally broken I think it is - the LPAs have way too much power. In particular they can delay for ever and most planning judgement is just personal opinion - which varies with the case officer, the day of the week, the weather etc. The rules need to be slashed by 50% or more for self or small housebuilders. And both the LPAs and the Inspectorate mislead the governement and the public with the way they mis-report their stats. An architect friend tells me that if the French equivalent of an LPA doesn't make up its mind by the state-imposed deadline, then the application is automatically allowed. Here, delay is routinely used as an LPA negotiating tool.

>>> CIL isn't nationwide - not all councils implement a CIL, so it is in fact a choice That's a good point - so how would a self-builder know unless the council had told you directly? And a good point about the MP etc - it might just be legal, but it's pretty nasty, immoral and unjust for the LPA to try and exact this penalty. 'Community' indeed, legalised mugging more like. Also, it's worth asking the architect to sort it out with the LPA as they both need to have an ongoing relationship. Amazing what can be done if the will is there - I once had Barclays and the HMRC agree to sort out a tax problem that Barclays had caused by being stupid. Oh and the local paper of course. Councils don't like to be seen as money grabbing bullies.

Do these reduced penalties not apply: https://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/info/20798/community_infrastructure_levy_cil/1207/cil_surcharges Yes, I appreciate this is Warwick, but the text refers to the CIL Act.

You could find out what the 'settlement boundary' looks like if it is a 'settlement' - villages are, odd clusters not so much. If it's in, that's a big help.

>>> Before you go, it might be useful to sift through the Minutes of the relevant Committee. Noted, I'm going tomorrow. A bit more info on Leeds: https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/four-planning-staff-at-met-arrested-over-suspected-bribery-offences-09-12-2024/

Oh the old 'how do I mate this with that' game. I've spent many jolly hours in DIY sheds holding two white plastic components in my hands with a quizzical look. Helps if you're good at jigsaws. Stick to one quality brand if it's you that's choosing. Otherwise good luck 😁.

We’re increasing the network capacity to cope with lower demand? 🙂

Live with it for a month or so and see? Of course you can change it but presumably with a 500 unit? We’re happy with ours so maybe it’ll grow on you?

You can only ask and it’s helpful if your previous experience was positive. Cost of planning fees is minimal compared to build cost. Get your pre-app in asap.

>>> The generation capacity (the power) at the peaks is also down So, we don't need to build out the transmission network at all?

>>> We can’t use the simplified method, as we can’t claim blow through and the patio doors blow it for one room. I must have missed than sentence before. I started using PHPP only for Part O, ‘cos standard method doesn’t allow adjustment for low G glass or external blinds. I was able to show that those elements alone would solve any overheating problem easily. So, calculations aside, maybe one or both of those factors would solve any practical overheating problem? Or brise soleil or eaves overhang of course.

For the 1st two graphs - does that mean that usage has gone down but become more peaky? Are we not expecting usage to go up, or is that the effect of home PV?

Yeah suggest normal calc should work fine for you. >>> Our BCO has agreed that we can use PHPP to demonstrate that our design won’t overheat and thus is ok with part O. Assume that’s not LA BC? Possible to tell us who? BTW walked past your plot the other day, great location.