Property: Cottage charms
By SUE FIELDMAN
THE reputed birthplace of Bob Fitzsimmons, world heavyweight boxing champion in 1897, is one of the 100 or more properties to be auctioned by the Bristol and West between 18-20 October.
The house (right) at 61 Wendron Street in Helston, Cornwall, has a guide price of 55,000-70,000 and a blue plaque in honour of Fitzsimmons.
It will be auctioned at the Alverton Manor Hotel, Truro, on 19 October, at 3pm.
Ferryman's Cottage (left), at Noss Mayo in South Devon, is to be auctioned on its own by Strutt &amp; Parker (0392 215631) on 26 October.
The two-bedroom cottage needs refurbishment but it is in a superb location, in the middle of woodland owned by the National Trust and overlooking the River Yealm.
The guide price is 150,000.
Property: Forward Planning: Making Proposals: Influencing the decision-makers: Allison Flight fills in the background to a planning application
By ALLISON FLIGHT
THE planning system is designed around the idea that people should have a say in what happens to their immediate surroundings.
But how do you find out about whether a planning application has been made in the first place?
Whether you are proposing or opposing an application, what is the best way to influence the decision that is eventually made?
Finding out about an application: Under section 28 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 the planning authority  usually the local council  is supposed to advertise certain planning applications in the local newspaper.
The proposals covered are development in a conservation area, works to a listed building or which affect the setting of a conservation area or a listed building, and developments in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The planning authority also has to advertise locally any proposals involving large buildings (those more than 20 metres high), or any ' unneighbourly uses'  such as a casino, scrap yard, cemetery or slaughterhouse  and put up a notice on the site itself.
Some local authorities publish a list of all their new planning applications in the local paper.
Often they circulate these lists to local conservation and amenity groups, residents' associations and subscribers.
Ring the local planning authority to find out.
When the council receives a planning application it often consults people who might be affected such as neighbours, other residents and community groups.
The consultation process usually takes the form of a letter describing the application and inviting you to come and look at a copy of the application and any drawings submitted with it.
There is no legal obligation on the council to carry out any specific consultation process.
However, if the authority concerned has a code of practice dealing with consultation and fails to carry it out, the Local Government Ombudsman may find the authority guilty of ' maladministration '.
The planning department of a local council keeps all current planning applications on a register which is available to the public.
As a result of recent changes in the copyright laws, if you can not see the application at the council's offices then you can ask the planning department to send you a copy of the application and the drawings.
But this can be expensive, so find out first.
If there is a particular site for which you want to be kept informed of any future development, you can ask the planning department to tell you if it receives an application affecting it.
How to comment on a proposal: When you make observations on a planning application you should only comment on planning grounds.
This will exclude many issues which are probably important to you personally, such as the fact that a development will reduce the value of your property or spoil your view.
The council will take a number of factors into account when making up its mind whether to give a development the go-ahead.
These will include: Does the scheme comply with the policies contained in its local plan?
Is the proposed use compatible with the surrounding area?
Will there be enough parking provision and will the development cause traffic problems once it is complete?
The design of the building, particularly its bulk and size.
Any loss of daylight or sunlight to adjoining properties.
These matters will be looked at before a firm decision is taken.
The council can negotiate with the applicant in advance to ask for changes to the scheme and these can result in new drawings being submitted.
Be careful: if you were asked by the council to comment on the original application, it may only inform you of these new drawings if you specifically ask.
If you are particularly worried about a proposal, it may be possible to make an appointment with the appropriate planning officer for a meeting, either in the council offices or on site, so you can explain your objections in person.
The planning officer is an employee of the council who handles the application up to the point when it is put to the planning committee, made up of elected councillors, for a decision.
He or she will usually make a recommendation to the committee about what its decision should be, but it does not have to follow this advice.
There is a set time allowed for the council to receive comments on an application.
This varies but it will be stated in the consultation letter.
If you have not had time to object, contact the planning officer and ask for extra time.
He may agree, and he is often the one who decides what issues will be dealt with and when.
The committee may only meet once a month.
All comments should be in writing and these letters are made available to the public when the case is decided.
If the council receives a large number of letters about a development, this will give it an idea of the strength of feeling involved and it is much better than a petition.
Many councillors take the view that it is easy to drum up names for a petition although you may have more impact if, say, the petition is restricted to immediate neighbours of the development.
Nevertheless, just because a lot of objections are received does not automatically mean an application will be refused.
If the development is large or controversial, it may be worth forming an action group to give local opposition a focus.
If you are applying for planning permission yourself, include a letter stating the planning merits of your proposal and also any personal circumstances you think are relevant  for example, that you are building an extension for an elderly relative.
If you think your application will be unpopular (such as a mini-cab office or a bed and breakfast hostel), you can ask the council for a ' personal ' or ' limited period ' planning permission, so the council can review the situation at a later date.
How the planning committee makes up its mind.
When the council has considered all the factors involved, the case will either be decided by the chief planning officer under delegated powers (if it is a minor or uncontroversial issue) or it will be decided by the elected councillors at the planning committee meeting.
To influence the decision in your favour, contact the planning department to find out whether an application is to be heard at committee or dealt with under delegated powers.
If the case is going to committee you are able to see the agenda and relevant background papers three working days in advance of the meeting, which will be held in public.
This right is given to members of the public under the Access to Information Act 1985.
If there is an application you feel strongly about, find out the names of the councillors on the planning committee from the planning department or ' members' secretariat' of the council.
Write a letter stating your objections or support for the application and send a copy to every member as well as the chief planning officer.
Contact your ward councillor and try to interest him or her  even if they are not on the committee they may be able to influence the councillors who will take the decision.
They may also be able to tell you some of the preferences of those councillors, which can make a big difference to how you lobby them.
The actual meeting will be open to the public.
Sometimes a limited number of people will be allowed to address the councillors for or against a proposal at the meeting.
This is fixed in advance.
Often there is a limit on numbers and it works on a first-come-first-served basis.
Talk to the planning officer beforehand.
Whether an application is dealt with by the council in committee or under delegated powers, you should receive a letter stating the outcome of the case if you submitted comments.
Property Update: Priory status
By ALLISON FLIGHT
ONE of Norfolk's oldest houses, a twelfth-century converted priory at Horsham St Faith, five miles outside Norwich, has come up for sale through the Prudential (0603 761600) for 350,000 The house's rarity is reflected in its Grade I listed status.
There are only about 550 Grade I listed properties in Norfolk, more than 400 of which are churches.
The 10-roomed priory was converted into a house in Tudor times, and has medieval wall paintings, including a larger-than-life size crucifixion scene and a 30-ft long series of paintings dealing with the priory's foundation, thought to be among the finest in Europe.
Property Update: Tenants' protection
By ALLISON FLIGHT
SHELTER has called for urgent legislation to protect people buying their homes on ' rental purchase '  a form of credit.
In a report, Rental Purchase: The Case for Change, the housing pressure group says that people buying properties on rental purchase schemes  common in the north of England for cheaper property  should be protected as if they were assured tenants under the Housing Act 1988, and landlords should be responsible for all repairs.
Property Update: Skye's the limit
By ALLISON FLIGHT
THREE small estates and three separate cottages on the beautiful Knoydart peninsula opposite the Isle of Skye, for sale through Frank &amp; Rutley (031 225 7105), will appeal to lovers of the wilds of Scotland.
Prices for the cottages start at 35,000 and for the estates at 85,000.
All the properties overlook the sea and there is a small village nearby; the harbour has a pier with a regular ferry service too and from Mallaig.
Nevertheless the peninsula is remote  there are deep sea lochs on either side, Loch Nevis (meaning Heaven) to the south has a mild protected climate, Loch Hourn (meaning Hell) to the north is far less hospitable.
Property Update: Sheltered slump
By ALLISON FLIGHT
SALES of sheltered housing units are falling because older people can not find buyers to purchase their existing properties.
The Retirement Care Group, a company which specialises in managing retirement schemes, estimates that more than 4,000 sheltered properties are on the market and that builders have cut their original forecast of 12,000 units built this year back to about 8,000 as a result.
Property Update: Grape chance
By ALLISON FLIGHT
AN unusual opportunity has come up to buy an English vineyard.
Three Corners Vineyard (below) at Woodnesborough near Sandwich, in Kent, produced nearly three tons of Siegerrebe, Ortega and Reichensteiner grapes this year.
It is up for sale because its owner, Lieutentant-Colonel Charles Galbraith, plans to retire.
Property Update: Chimney sweeps
By ALLISON FLIGHT
FOR those baffled by a smoky or cracking chimney, a new free booklet may be able to offer some help.
It has been produced by CICO, the chimney linings service, and describes how a chimney works, the typical problems it will suffer from and then offers various solutions.
Property Update: Small works
By ALLISON FLIGHT
IF you are contemplating home improvements, it is worth using a builder covered by the Building Employers Confederation's guarantee scheme for small works.
The BEC has just doubled the amounts covered by its scheme.
Protection where the BEC builder is employed by the customer (known as a standard contract) is being increased from projects worth 500-40,000 to those worth 500-100,000.
If the builder is employed by an architect or contractor working for a client (known as a supervised contract) the upper limit for cover is being increased to 125,000.
Property Update: Witty ad winner
By ALLISON FLIGHT
THIS week's winner of our Witty Ad of the Week competition, Mrs Terry Jones, has concocted a fine recipe for selling her London flat.
The resulting dish, which appears on page 49, sounds filling rather than delicious, and should in no circumstances be flipped.
Mrs Jones wins a free three-week insertion for her advertisement, plus a bottle of champagne.
The competition runs for another two weeks, so time is running out if you have a house or flat to sell and want to enter.
Property: Houses that are going, going, gone: Fed up with trying to sell, more people are auctioning their home instead.
Andrew Bibby reports
By ANDREW BIBBY
IN THE small Devon town of South Molton, Julie Widlake is waiting with anticipation for Friday 20 October.
She and her boyfriend have had their future planned for some time: they want to start farming in a nearby village, where they also intend to build a bungalow.
First, they have to sell their present house, a two-bedroom cottage in the centre of the town.
As is the case almost everywhere else, the market in Devon is depressed and selling has not been easy.
So instead of waiting indefinitely for a buyer, they have decided to try selling their house by auction.
It comes under the hammer at 2.15pm on the 20th, at the Barnstaple Motel.
' We accept that we might not get very much for it, but on the other hand we could get more, ' says Julie Widlake.
' We've been waiting to move for a long time, and we need the money to build the new house. '
Their South Molton cottage (guide price 44,000-46,000) is one of more than 20 lots to be put up for sale at the Barnstaple auction by Bristol and West Property Services, and one of more than a hundred which the building society subsidiary will be auctioning in eight West Country venues over a three-day period.
Bristol and West claims these auctions will help to bring some action to an otherwise slow market, and says it was overwhelmed by the response from people wanting to sell in this way.
Auctions certainly speed up the house-buying process.
Once the hammer has fallen, the successful bidder for a house must exchange contracts immediately and pay a deposit.
Completion normally takes place four to eight weeks later and there is no opportunity for second thoughts.
As the Bristol and West explains, if a bidder does not sign the contract, the auctioneer can sign on their behalf.
' From the vendor's point of view, the house is actually sold once a successful bid is made, ' says Graham Harrison, director of Bristol and West Property Services.
' Many people have suffered from sales falling through and from house-buying chains, and some of our vendors feel that now's as good a time as any to sell. '
From the purchasers' point of view, auctions can also be attractive  if slightly nerve-racking as you wait for bidding to start for the house of your dreams.
The problem is that normally potential purchasers have to incur the expense of undertaking surveys and arranging mortgage finance, without any idea whether they will be able to afford the final selling price.
Not surprisingly, several estate agents report difficulties at the moment in attracting enough serious bidders.
' With an auction, you've got to be certain that at least two buyers are there who can commit themselves, and the difficulty is that buyers who can proceed are few and far between, ' said David Phillip, a director of Yorkshire estate agents Dacre Son and Hartley.
Bristol and West hopes that by arranging collective auctions it will be able to overcome this problem.
It is also guaranteeing mortgages at 1 per cent below the normal interest rate, for endowment or pension-linked policies, on several of the houses up for sale, an interesting and innovative service for would-be bidders (mortgage surveys will already have been undertaken for these houses).
The building society will be staffing a mortgage desk at each auction, and says buyers could arrange finance there and then, subject of course to proof of income and status.
Obviously, however, Bristol and West hopes to hear from interested people in advance  if only so it can gauge the likely demand for each property before the auction starts.
' We're trying to smooth the path for purchasers, and streamline the system, ' says Graham Harrison, pointing out that live telephone bidding will also be available for those unable to attend.
Holiday homes and commercial property have been included among the lots to be auctioned.
Although collective property auctions take place regularly in London (often primarily for investors rather than house-hunters), in country areas the more typical auction will be just for one house, and as likely as not will take place in a nearby pub or village hall.
In fact, country auctions are often the nearest many villages get to live theatre.
' The locals come for the entertainment, and to see who's buying into their village, ' observed one auction-goer.
Pub landlords are usually only too happy to provide free accommodation.
' It's very exciting and gets the adrenalin going, ' says David Phillip, whose firm usually undertakes auctions in the Otley area.
Only certain types of property normally come to auction, however.
Traditionally, country cottages and houses which have unusual or unique features or are in need of a lot of renovation may be auctioned, if only because valuation is likely to be difficult.
Sometimes, too, houses have to be sold by auction to satisfy the legal requirements of trustees or executors (auctions provide adequate proof that the property has been sold at the going market value, and protect trustees from future claims of negligence).
Less happily, but for the same reason, repossessed houses are often auctioned.
Anyone considering selling by auction needs to be aware that the costs involved will be higher.
Advertising costs and any expenses incurred in hiring premises are normally passed on by the estate agents to the vendor, whether or not the auction results in a sale.
In addition, agents may charge slightly more commission than usual for a successful sale.
In Bristol and West's forthcoming auctions, a set fee of 375 plus VAT will be charged to everyone entering property to sell, with its usual agent's commission (about 2 per cent plus VAT) charged on top when sales are made.
' We accept that we could lose the money we've paid to go to auction, but that's a risk we're prepared to take, ' says Julie Widlake.
The secret of a successful outcome depends partly on setting the right reserve price, a task the auctioneer undertakes in conjunction with the seller.
Normally, the reserve is set only days or hours before the auction, when the agents will already have a good indication of how much interest has been shown.
Too high a reserve price can mean no sale, and disappointment all round.
' You need to understand what your clients' expectations are beforehand, ' says Graham Harrison of Bristol and West.
Agents and their clients may also have the dilemma of deciding whether to accept any offers made prior to the auction.
Inevitably they do not always get it right.
Peter Crowther, managing director of a Leeds business centre, recently bought two semi-detached stone cottages in Bramhope, on the outskirts of Leeds, at an auction in the village pub.
His successful bid was for 190,000 although he had made a higher prior offer which had been turned down.
On the other hand, sometimes the drama of the auction and the competition between bidders can have the opposite effect.
Another recent auction in Leeds saw a run-down stone farmhouse without water or other amenities finally fall under the hammer for 330,500.
' Success is by no means guaranteed at auction, ' says Graham Harrison.
' In a tough market you need to get the programme right, the price right and have a little bit of luck. '
Bristol and West Property Services (0272 294271) has produced a brochure covering all eight West Country auctions.
