Budget statement – more GPDO changes

As I have noted before, George Osborne loves to include planning announcements in his budget statements. Today’s written budget statement (published to coincide with the Chancellor’s budget speech in the Commons) promises a review of the General Permitted Development Order. After so many amendments over almost 20 years since it was first published in 1995 it certainly needs it. Dare one hope that some of the more opaque drafting to be found in parts of the Order might at last be clarified?

A number of us have noted that recent additions to the GPDO do not grant an automatic right to carry out permitted development, but involve a prior approval procedure which I described the other day as “planning permission-lite”. It seems that the government has recognised this, and intends to make what amounts to a three-tier system of planning consents a permanent feature of the planning system.

As the budget statement puts it, there are already and will continue to be, first, simple permitted development rights for small-scale changes, then prior approval rights for development requiring consideration of specific issues, and then planning permission for larger scale development. I am not convinced that there is likely in practice to be any significant difference between the second and third kind of consent so far as the applicant is concerned. There will still be hoops to jump through and the possibility of applications being turned down, with the consequent time and expense of going to appeal. I drew attention the other day to the wide discretion that LPAs would appear to have in practice to refuse prior approval of barn conversions, even though they now come (at least in theory) under the category of ‘permitted development’.

In addition, further extensions of permitted development rights are proposed. The government is going to consult on further changes of use to residential use, for example from warehouses (B8) and light industrial structures (B1(c)). They are also considering extra PD rights for commercial premises to allow the expansion of facilities such as car parks and loading bays within existing boundaries (although only “where there is little impact on local communities”, which suggests that this will be one of the changes that will be subject to a prior approval procedure).

One other idea that emerged from the Budget Statement was the suggestion that for people who want to build their own home, the government will consult on creating a new ‘Right to Build’, giving custom builders a right to a plot from councils, and a £150 million repayable fund to help provide up to 10,000 serviced plots for custom build. It will be interesting to see how what appears in effect to be a ‘reverse-compulsory purchase’ concept will work.

© MARTIN H GOODALL

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The new boat looks complete

Finally, the windshield is completed.  My wife encouraged me to have a metal windshield frame, but now that it is done, she says that the wood looks better than a metal frame.  But she thinks that it should have been taller.  I considered the height, angle, and fore-aft placement of the windshield when designing it; both from an esthetic and functional aspect.  Unless you make the windshield quite tall, the upper edge of the frame is in your field of vision.  Tall would have not fit the esthetic I desired; most of the time I expect to be viewing ahead over the top edge of the windshield.  I had an extra cushion made for the captains seat to raise the line-of-sight.

And the upholstery is completed.  The seats are separately removable, allowing access to the fuel tank under the front seats and access to the battery and storage behind the rear seats.  A person could do their own upholstery, but it is not an area I have any expertise in; so I contracted it out.  And the bimini top with full enclosure panels is complete as well as a travel cover.  Looking over the amount of detail in all those panels, the variety of materials required, and the expertise involved, I am glad to have it done professionally.  Bringing the boat home, I had to drive through a spring snow storm; the boat and cover were wet and dirty when I arrived at our garage.

The boat is still not done, but we are in the home stretch.  I need to bundle and strap the control leads, electrical wiring, and fuel lines in place.  There is one slight scratch in the paint to touch up.  I need to get the boat inspected by the State of Colorado to get a Hull Identification Number (HIN) for licensing.  Then we will be on the water.  Here in Colorado, the scenic mountain lakes arent warm enough for boating until June.  We may end up towing the boat to lower altitudes for a longer boating season.

       

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Resting on its waterline displacement

If my wife were sitting in the forward seat, the boat waterline would be about exactly where I painted it.

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New from Sage CLICK

Sage CLICK = Precision Click/Pawl Design

Completely Redesigned from ground up

Sage, the fly fishing industry leader, brings performance and cosmetic upgrades to the much-loved CLICK reel series. Ideal for trout anglers, the CLICK is lightweight and durable.

“Using our engineering team’s prowess, the CLICK reel has upgrades that will certainly make it the go-to reel for trout anglers,” says Kurt VanWyck, VP of product design. “We believe that reel design is the marriage of art and science, and the CLICK is a clear example of an aesthetically beautiful reel that functions at our demanding standards in all conditions.”









The enhanced CLICK features a 40 percent increase in arbor diameter creating a larger palming rim for more control and quicker line retrieval. The concave arbor design provides greater reel strength and line capacity. The fully machined 6061-T6, aerospace grade aluminum is cold forged and tempered for superior strength and rigidity. The hard anodized surface provides protection and corrosion resistance. There are three reels in the family with the CLICK 0/1/2, 3/4/5 and 4/5/6 available in lime, stealth, and bronze. Available August 2015.

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NEW Korkers K 5 Bomber Wading Boot

Built to withstand hardcore use! NEW Korkers K-5 Bomber

Gorge Fly Shop has been a Korkers Boot dealer for almost a decade. Theres good reason Korkers has remained in our shop and in the wader bag of many anglers. First Id like to mention comfort. Korkers boots are comfortable hiking style boots. Our Korkers customers always mention this in feedback. Second, Versatility! The ability to swap a sole to meet different conditions is unlike any other wading boot on the market. Third, Durability! Korkers boots are tested tough in the Great Northwest and trust me if they can survived here they will handle anything you can put them through!

K-5 Bomber Features

• Traction: OmniTrax® Interchangeable Sole System adapts your traction to any fishing condition.
• Support: 5-Ply Fit System locks foot in place for a comfortable and secure fit.
• Fit: Combination of friction-free rolling lace guides and locking lace cleat provide a customized bi-zonal fit.
• Fast Drying: Hydrophobic materials = faster dry times which lessen the chance of spreading invasive species.
• Internal Drainage: Water flows thru internal channels then out mid sole ports, removing excess water and weight.
• Durability: Enhanced mid sole, triple layer synthetic upper, protected stitching, 3D molded toe and heel cap.
• Sizes 7 -15 full sizes only
• Weight: 3 lbs 6 oz (per pair, size 9)
• Height: 8.5 inches

Korkers Buyers Guide

1. Generally wading boots should be sized one size over your street shoe size.
2. Korkers K-5 Bomber wading boots can be purchased with two different sole combinations.

• ($199.99) - Comes with two pair of soles - Kling-on and Felt
• ($219.99) - Comes with two pair of soles - Kling-on and Studded Kling-on

More Sole Options

Korker AlumaTrax
Nothing grips like aluminum so when extreme traction is needed reach no further than AlumaTrax. Best part is the more they gain wear the stickier they get!

Studded Felt
Studded felt gives you the best of two worlds, Felt sticks good on slippery rocks and studs give them that extra measure to cut the slime and find something solid to stick to

Studded Rubber

For demanding situations such as mossy rocks, slimy boulders, slick logs and ocean jetties reach for the studded rubber. Big 7mm carbide tipped studs are replaceable if you dare think you could wear them out!

Visit our Korkers page for More Korkers Boots and Sole Options

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Roof Rafters The cabin takes shape

When we disassembled the Hollister chicken coop, we got a bunch of beautiful old 1x12 redwood siding, a shitton of corrugated metal, a handful of old dimensional redwood 2x4s, and finally, a dozen or so roof rafters, complete with birdsmouths.

True they were old and some were a little worse for wear, rotted at the ends or showing signs of termites, but most were quite usable.

This is an awesome diagram with much of what you need to know about roofs in general. Terms youll need for our shantyboat roof are common rafter, ridgeboard, birdsmouth, eave, gable end and gable end stud, ladder, collar tie, and rafter tie (also called a ceiling joist).

I sorted the good rafters from the marginal. The usable but marginal ones I treated with CopperGreen Clear and cut off the bad parts.

Since our shantyboat is smaller than the original chicken coop, I cut the rafters down to size, decreasing the overall length as well as the length of the eaves. I carefully cut the angle where they met in the center and re-cut the angle of the birdsmouth.

I laid them out on the floor of the barn, and used a temporary plywood collar tie (leaving a slot at the top for the ridgeboard) to keep everything from going wonky while I struggled to secure them into place.

With some ridiculously awkward effort, I got the two end rafters up supporting the ridgeboard.

Then one by one, I installed each of the rafter pairs.

Finally, I added a permanent collar tie to each of the inside rafter.  I suppose soon I will have to add a ladder to support the gable overhang and a fly rafter.

At the end of the day, for the first time, I was able to see the shape and size and height of this crazy boat.

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New from Sage ONE Trout Spey

ONE Trout Spey = Ultra Light Two Hand Rods specifically for trout chasers

Sage ONE Trout Spey

The ONE Trout Spey rods are designed specifically for two-handed casting and swinging flies for trout. These ultra-light Spey rods are delicate enough to protect small flies on light tippets yet are powerful enough to cast modestly weighted streamers on light sink tips. The Super Plus cork mini-Spey fore and rear grip complete these two models. These ONE models will retail for $1050 and will be available August 2015. 

“Anglers looking for ultra-light rods and rods made specifically for chasing trout with a Spey rod, now have the just that in the world-class design of the ONE rod family,” says Sage chief rod designer, Jerry Siem.

Sage builds on its successful ONE family of fly rods with the addition of the LITTLE ONE and the ONE Trout Spey. Both new rod families utilize Konnetic Technology®, Sage’s exclusive rod technology that allows for slimmer blank profiles with maximized strength and energy transfer without sacrificing line speed, responsiveness, and accuracy.

Notes From George Cook

The new One Trout Spey features the One Rod Story-line bringing premium performance through the Konnetic platform to the Small Spey World (2109-4, 3110-4).  We recently had the good fortune to put the 3110-4 to the test on Alaska’s Kenai River taking rainbows to 22”.  These rods are perfectly matched with RIO’s Skagit MAX Short (Swing Game), small sized Switch Chucker’s, along with the brand new specialized Skagit Trout Max (Some Swing Mostly Streamer Strip), and Small Scandi Tapers.  Whether you find yourself swinging a soft hackle on the Deschutes or Madison, a fall quest for Sea run Cutthroat in the Pacific Northwest or swinging streamers for Trout both near and far you have your tool in the ONE Trout Spey.

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