A stark illustration of the potential value of gaining planning permission. – Owl

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

The site of a hugely controversial new business park on the edge of a Devon village has been placed on the market. Former farmland in Sidford, earmarked for the Sidford Business Park, has been put on for sale for £4m.

The plans divided the village and had been refused by East Devon District Council because of concerns over dangers from increased HGV traffic through Sidbury and Sidford as a result of the development. There are also worries about the visual impact, as it is in an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.’

But a planning inspector overturned that decision on appeal – one that was described as “basically a two fingers up to the Sid Valley”. A reserved matters application for the details and design of the business park scheme was approved earlier this year.

The scheme was set to see 8,445sqm of employment space built on the outskirts of the village and create 250 new jobs. But now, it seems that it may not go ahead after all, as owners Tim and Mike Ford are selling off the land at Two Bridges Road.

It is understood the pair have decided instead to focus on improvements to the existing Alexandria Industrial Estate in Sidmouth, instead which they own. A planning application for a new access road to make getting in and out of the site easier has been submitted.

The 8,445-square-metre site in Sidford, where some flood improvement work has already been completed, is being marketed as an ‘oven ready’ brownfield site. While it has planning permission for employment use, the sale brochure says that the access is most likely to be suitable for Residential use.

It states: “The owner of the site is a fourth-generation employment land owner of another employment site in Sidmouth. This other site, known as the Alexandria Industrial Estate, is now determined by the owner to be the best location for further employment investment. The proceeds from the sale of land at Sidford will assist employment investment in this alternative location.

“Consequently, the land at Sidford is now offered as an exciting opportunity to an investor who can quickly engage with the Local Plan Review by making appropriate representations. The site is to be sold via an informal tender and offers are invited to be placed on an Option or Subject to Planning basis by February 10, 2023.”

Construction businesses are going bust at their fastest rate in a decade, driving the number of company insolvencies to its highest level since the financial crisis.

Gurpreet Narwan, business correspondent news.sky.com

Rising material costs, staff shortages and plummeting consumer demand are weighing on businesses, forcing them to squeeze their margins to unsustainable levels.

Official figures show that in the second quarter of this year, company insolvencies in England and Wales reached their highest quarterly level since the third quarter of 2009.

In the first half of the year, the Insolvency Service recorded 10,717 company insolvencies.

The construction sector accounted for a fifth of these with 2,094 businesses going bust.

The industry had 1,048 insolvencies in the first quarter of the year, which marked its highest level since the same quarter in 2012.

The industry, which accounts for around 7% of the economy, is especially vulnerable to rising inflation because businesses often operate with slim profit margins.

Construction materials typically account for between 20-25% of the cost of most building projects and the price of core materials, including timber and steel, have rocketed over the past year.

According to figures compiled by the business department, the cost of steel bars rose by 17% in the year to October.

The cost of blocks and bricks has risen by 18% and timber is up 19%.

A recent report by the Federation of Master Builders found that the vast majority – 90% – of its members have been hit with higher costs over the past year.

They are also battling with shortages of key staff, including labourers, carpenters, joiners and bricklayers.

In a sign of the economic malaise plaguing Britain, builders said they were struggling to pass these costs on as clients were pulling projects and refraining from commissioning new ones.

Local builders most vulnerable

Smaller, local builders are especially vulnerable as they are less able to benefit from economies of scale so are more exposed to sharply rising costs.

Mark Wigley, managing director of Osprey Homes, a small-to-medium sized housebuilder in Hertfordshire, said: “It makes the viability of certain projects very difficult, in as much as we have to assemble our financial appraisals well in advance of bidding for new land and that generally takes a minimum of 12 months.

“House prices are not increasingly in line with the costs of our material increases.

“So as a result, the developers are really carrying a lot of additional costs that we’re finding it very difficult to absorb within our day to day business.”

He warned that smaller businesses were at the sharp end of the crisis because they are less able to benefit from economies of scale.

“If we’re not careful, then houses will just be built by the big PLCs who are only really interested in these massive development sites,” he said.

“So these little infill plots, where we are able to demonstrate high quality, will just cease to exist.

“We employ a lot of people within the construction industry and the wider economy.

“So the ripple effect of anything that happens to our industry is quite significant.”

Another twist in the district heating saga – Owl

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Heat network customers need action now to protect them from the potentially devastating consequences of unregulated price rises and reliability issues, an expert has warned. It is likely that district and communal heat networks won’t be regulated by Ofgem until at least 2024, leaving householders facing another two years of catastrophically high bills whilst the cost-of-living crisis continues. In addition, householders who face issues of intermittent supply of their heating and hot water will remain at the mercy of their provider to find a solution, with no option to seek redress from a regulator.

This news comes after recent supply problems have arisen in Exeter with the E.ON district heat network that supplies the new build town of Cranbrook and surrounding areas. A recent problem has arisen with the valves situated in the heat interface unit within many of the properties served by the network resulting in numerous customers in Exeter being left with no, or very limited, heating and hot water for close to a week.

Dr Catherine Caine, from the University of Exeter Law School, has called on the Government to take action now to help those affected.

Heat networks have the potential to deliver up to 20 per cent of heat to homes in the UK by 2050 and could deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions. However, the sector is currently unregulated which means that the consumers of heat networks can be paying much higher prices for heating systems, which may have also been poorly constructed and which they do not understand. Some bills have risen as high as 700 per cent since April 2022.

There are more than 14,000 heat networks in Great Britain, approximately 2,000 of which are district heat networks and 12,000 are communal heat networks. Combined, these serve around 500,000 households.

Heat networks provide hot water to residential and commercial buildings and remove the need for gas boilers to be installed in individual buildings. Consumers do not receive protection regarding the price that they pay and are often poorly informed about what their heat network is and how it differs from a traditional gas boiler.

Under the Premiership of Boris Johnson, the Energy Bill was introduced in Parliament which, if enacted in law, would appoint Ofgem as the regulator of the sector. Under the Bill, heat network suppliers would be held to a nationally recognised standard when they install and commission their heat network. The Bill also included proposals for consumers to receive clearer information. However, since the recent changes in Government progress on the Energy Bill appears to have been put on hold.

Dr Caine said: “Over summer, progress on the Energy Bill looked very promising, but the half-a-million residents living in homes supplied by heat networks are still supplied by a monopoly that is unregulated – without the ability to switch suppliers. It is very unfortunate that the Energy Bill has been put on hold. The plans for the regulatory framework going through Parliament need to be implemented as soon as possible, and certainly before future systems are constructed so as to ensure these problems do not hinder the positive impact that heat networks can have in the UK.

Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton & Honiton, Richard Foord has called for the Government to publish the findings of their review into the usage of Airbnbs and short-term holiday lets. There are over 8,000 properties across Devon listed on Airbnb and the number of UK listings grew 33% between 2017 and 2018.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com 

There are concerns about the growing size of this market at a time when many local people are struggling to find an affordable place to live. The Government held a review into the growth of short-term tourist accommodation in June – but has yet to publish the findings.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, Mr Foord criticised the ‘unrestricted growth’ of this market. He called for the Government to both publish the review’s findings and act upon them to support local people.

Speaking after the debate, Richard Foord MP said: “Here in the West Country our communities are being put under pressure by the growth of short-term holiday lets. There are more than 11,000 short-term lets, such as Airbnb, in Devon alone – and this is affecting local communities.

“I have many constituents contacting me about their difficulty finding local homes to buy or rent, and they find it galling just how many properties are being snapped up as holiday homes or investment opportunities. Earlier this year there were just three homes available in all of Honiton for private rent. It’s clear to me that we need more affordable homes for local people, not more Airbnbs and short-term lets.

“The Government said it would carry out a review into short-term lets months ago, but disappointingly has not yet published the findings. I simply don’t see what they are waiting for. They should publish the review in full as soon as possible, and act upon its findings to ensure our towns and villages can continue to thrive – without local people being priced out of their own community.”

South West Water (SWW) have confirmed that water has since been restored to areas of East Devon after locals reported more than 24-hours without water. Residents in Axminster and Tiverton faced hours without water over the weekend after a number of pipes burst, and some locals in Seaton say they still do not have water access.

The taps might be running dry, but given the rain we have had, you can bet that the Combined Sewer Outfalls (CSOs) will have been pouring freely into our rivers and into the sea. Strange smells in Exmouth? – Owl

www.devonlive.com

Some locals reported they had no access to water for 36 hours after the pipes burst. A statement from SWW said the company had been working “through the night” to restore water, and had delivered bottled water to residents without water.

Jane, from Seaton, told Devon Live: “I don’t know how many are affected. There is a care home in Seaton without water. “

She continued: “They’ve given different reasons at the moment; one was a burst pipe, another was a pumping issue. We don’t know what is going on but it’s a bit much.”

Jane says she has been unable to shower due to the water issues. She said: “I’ve tried to ring SWW but it was a two-hour wait. When is it going to be fixed? There are elderly and vulnerable people involved. “

A resident in Honiton said they were unable to “drink water, flush the toilet, or shower” from around 10pm on Sunday, December 18. According to the SWW Twitter account, a burst pipe on Saturday (December 17) meant residents in Seaton lost water – this was followed by a second burst pipe which extended the loss.

A statement from SWW, released today (Monday), said water has since been restored to Axminster, though customers may experience a drop in water pressure while “water recharged the system”. The company said “extreme weather conditions, with temperatures moving quickly from -6 to 11 degrees” put pressure on pipes, leading to bursts.

A South West Water spokesperson said: “We know that some customers in Tiverton and Seaton are experiencing disruption to their water supply. We have worked hard all weekend and through the night to restore supplies to customers in Axminster and water is now restored, but customers may experience low pressure while water recharges into the system.

“The extreme weather conditions, with temperatures moving quickly from -6 to 11 degrees, did put our network under pressure and our team are responding very quickly to find and fix bursts. We thank customers for their patience while we work hard to restore all customer supplies.”

From a correspondent:

People with annual tickets won’t get a refund.

Stagecoach says it will happen on MOST routes but does not specify which ones.

Cuts to routes mean that people who used to take one bus now take 2-3 so unlikely to be a saving for them.

(A comment has already pointed out that you first have to find your bus.)

Another correspondent becomes inspired to write a “Carol” for our times.

(Owl enjoys these contributions immensely. Thank you.)

Below is ‘A Christmas Jingle’ to be sung to the tune of ‘Santa Claus is coming to town!’

LAND DEVELOPERS ARE COMING TO TOWN!

You better watch out
you better not cry;
you better not pout,
I’m telling you why –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They’re making a list
they’re checking it twice –
It matters not whether you’re naughty or nice –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They pinpoint those found sleeping –
they avoid those wide awake;
without a five-year housing plan
‘You’re toast – for goodness sake!’

They’re raising a glass
To profits galore –
They really don’t care
If you’re needy or poor –
Land Developers are coming to town!

They’ll build on your green spaces;
High rise is in their scope –
Alas, there’s no protection –
because ‘The Council’ just can’t cope!

You better watch out –
it’s really quite scary –
A Farringdon new town (?) –
Build, build, build in Clyst St Mary –
Land Developers are coming to town!