Monthly Archives: November 2024

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8 Nov 2024

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Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 21 October

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6 Nov 2024

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Planning rules have failed to link new homes to public transport, report finds

A decade of planning rules designed to create housing connected to public transport routes has achieved nothing, a report has found, with millions of people in new homes still dependent on cars to get to local amenities.

Peter Walker www.theguardian.com 

The study by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) looked at more than 1.6m homes given planning permission in England from 2012 to 2021, finding that while major housing developments are supposed to be designed around transport infrastructure, this has not happened.

On average, across all the developments studied, it was twice as fast to reach the nearest hospital by car than public transport.

For other amenities such as schools, GPs, employment centres and town centres, car travel was 1.5 times as quick. There had been virtually no progress across the decade, the study found.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which governs planning decisions across England, is explicit that new developments should be located to prioritise easy use of public transport, or walking and cycling, with sites chosen to help this.

The RTPI is calling on ministers to look at what changes can be made as part of the consultation process about the revised NPPF, which aims to create 1.5m new homes during this parliament.

The report, compiled with data from LandTech, a property information company, found that cycling came closest in convenience to a car, taking on average 1.3 times as long to reach such destinations, while noting that this was not an option available to everyone.

While there were significant differences between regions, even in London it still took on average 1.3 times as long to reach major destinations by public transport than in a car.

Across England as a whole, 96% of the new homes studied were no more than 20 minutes’ drive from a town centre, but this was only 66% for a 20-minute trip on public transport and 47% for a walk of the same distance.

Victoria Hills, RTPI chief executive, said: “It is essential that planning policies truly serve communities by creating environments that support health and sustainability. Planning should work for the people it impacts, ensuring communities flourish in healthy, well-connected places.

“To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past decade, the new NPPF must prioritise housing development in areas that reduce car reliance, bridge regional accessibility gaps, and support genuinely sustainable, vibrant communities. The time for policymakers to act is now.”

Among its recommendations, the report suggests more investment in public transport; seeking to release development sites closer to existing transport infrastructure such as train stations; and disincentives for driving such as higher parking fees.

The proposed new NPPF has already been criticised by some councils for imposing targets for new housing, which they say are completely unrealistic for their area, both in terms of what can be built and, in some cases, the amount of homes needed.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “New homes must serve the needs of their communities and through our proposed NPPF we will create more opportunities for walking, cycling and public transport.

“Alongside our planning reforms we will work closely with councils, developers and local communities to deliver more sustainable transport links and infrastructure to support new housing.”

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3 Nov 2024

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Cranbrook – Construction firm ordered to remove sales centre

Cranbrook sign (image courtesy: Daniel Clark/LDRS)

EDDC says it was put up without planning permission

www.radioexe.co.uk

A construction firm in an East Devon town is being asked to remove a building it installed.

Taylor Wimpey’s sales centre, which was recently installed in Cranbrook town centre has been given a notice that requires the permanent removal of the building.

The enforcement notice requires that the building is removed and that the site is returned to its former condition within 3 months.

Cllr Todd Olive, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning, said:

“We are acutely aware that the residents of Cranbrook want to see a vibrant town centre that includes a range of facilities.  We also know that residents want to see a better balance between the emphasis placed on house sales by the developers and the provision of community infrastructure. 

We want to see further shops coming forward at this prominent high street location.  It is deeply frustrating that Taylor Wimpey chose to go ahead with the installation of their sales centre that will block this objective. 

These works were undertaken without planning permission.  The developers were advised before going ahead that planning permission was required and that the proposed site would be unsuitable.

The Council acted swiftly to write to the developer requesting that the building and associated flags and signage were removed by the 25th October.  This was not complied with and the issuing of the enforcement notice represents the beginning of formal action. 

The future of Cranbrook town centre is of critical importance for the success of the growing community.  The Cranbrook Plan anticipates a vibrant, self-supporting town centre that includes a range of uses and activities to draw people in.   With the imminent completion of the supermarket, high street shops and children’s nursery, the town centre is now starting to take shape.  The Council will also shortly be considering a masterplan for the ongoing development to the town centre.”

Chairman of Cranbrook Town Council, Cllr Les Bayliss, added:

“Cranbrook Town Council agrees with East Devon District Council and supports the action that they have taken.”
 

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2 Nov 2024

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Dramatic photos of the Sidmouth cliff fall at the end of last week appear in National Newspapers today

Thousands of tonnes of earth crashed to the ground at the end of last week just under Peak Hill leaving one of Sidmouth’s magnificent properties teetering on the brink. 

Cliff path diversions have been put in place.

Only now are photographs emerging today in National Newspapers showing the true scale of the fall.

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2 Nov 2024

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‘It won’t wash’: Environment secretary’s bid to cosy up to water pollution protesters backfires

Is Labour, at heart, an urban party? – Owl

The environment secretary has caused a backlash among groups demanding an end to the pollution of rivers by water companies after a direct appeal ahead of a demonstration backfired. The intervention by Steve Reed, who wrote to activists saying they could trust him with forging change within the water industry, was met with anger by campaigners who said he was avoiding the key issue – that water privatisation has failed.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

In his letter to members from the 130 groups taking part in the March for Clean Water on Sunday, who include Surfers Against Sewage, the GMB union, the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB, Reed said he shared their anger about record levels of sewage pollution. He wished them a well-attended march and said he looked forward to working with them towards a shared ambition of cleaning up rivers, lakes and seas for good.

But since Labour took power, Reed has ruled out what many who will take to the streets are calling for: the return of the water industry to some kind of public ownership. In making the decision to rule out public ownership, using existing powers available to him under the special administration regime, he was accused of relying on flawed analysis paid for by water companies.

In the letter, distributed by the march organisers River Action, Reed said the independent commission he set up, along with the water (special measures) bill going through parliament, would start the change needed in the sector.

Some campaigners criticised Reed’s attempt to claim allegiance, saying he had failed to address deep-rooted problems in the privatised water industry in England, where ownership has become concentrated in a web of private equity, foreign investment and pension funds.

Becky Malby, of Ilkley Clean River Group, said Reed should use his existing powers to take failing water companies into special administration. She said the public would not tolerate paying increasingly large bills to companies that remained under criminal investigation by the Environment Agency for suspected illegal sewage dumping and the financial regulator Ofwat.

Ash Smith, of Windrush against Sewage pollution, who is scheduled to speak on Sunday, said attempts to win over the marchers would not wash. “Steve Reed is trying to own the march by supporting clean water,” said Smith. “But there is massive public support to end the scandal that privatisation has brought. His refusal to face the facts and to rely on water company-funded fiction about costs is setting captive bill payers up to bail out private equity and keep the unforgivable exploitation going on for another five years.”

River Action said it had concerns about Reed’s repeated references to the need to promote economic growth within the sector. “Our polluted water bodies do not need economic growth,” a spokesperson said. “They need effective and uncompromising environmental protection and regulation. As we can see with recent developments at Thames Water, the financial model of the water industry is unravelling fast and in some cases broken beyond repair.”

Matt Staniek, of Save Windermere, said Reed’s intervention was a weak attempt to pacify public anger. “The government is clearly failing to enforce existing laws and continues to allow private equity to profit at the expense of bill payers and the environment,” he said. “They are proposing measures that fail to address the core issue – that privatisation has failed.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “We share the public’s concern about the health of our waterways, and it is encouraging to see so many people actively engaged in this important cause. This government is committed to cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas and has wasted no time in acting.”

The spokesperson added that the new bill would hold companies to account and ensure they met the high standards the public rightfully expected. “This includes strengthening regulation to ensure water bosses face personal criminal liability for lawbreaking, and giving the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met,” they said.

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1 Nov 2024

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Value for Money Tsar linked to string of overspends

Owl – speechless!

The government’s new Value for Money chief has headed up several big projects that went massively over-budget.

Jennifer McKiernan www.bbc.co.uk

David Goldstone has previously worked as a top executive on the London Olympics, Parliament’s restoration and HS2 high speed rail.

He will now head up the government’s new Office for Value for Money (OfVM), external, advising Chancellor Rachel Reeves on “how to root out waste and inefficiency”, according to the Treasury.

Downing Street defended his appointment, saying Mr Goldstone is a “highly experienced public sector leader” with a “track record of working on complex high-value programmes”.

Asked if he represented value for money, a Number 10 spokeswoman said “yes”.

Reeves announced his appointment saying it’s “vital that we are driving efficiency and reducing wasteful spending” and his role would “help us realise the benefits from every pound of public spending”.

However, responding to the Budget on Wednesday, Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage said Mr Goldstone had “served for many years on the board of HS2, which I would suggest is the very opposite of value for money”.

The resurrected high speed rail project, HS2, had an initial budget of £38bn in 2009, but is now expected to cost at least double that.

Mr Goldstone’s LinkedIn page lists a position on the HS2 board from January to June 2012 and again from 2024, where he is a Treasury nominee, although he does not appear to have been in post in the intervening years.

He was the finance and programme director of the  Government Olympic Executive, delivering the 2012 London Olympics that cost three times as much as expected, coming in at £9bn.

Mr Goldstone was also chief executive of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal project and was mauled by MPs last year for receiving a £168,000 bonus, external, despite delays costing about £100m a year in maintenance costs.

Speaking to LBC, Conservative leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch said there should not be a need for an office to determine value for money.

She said: “We are constantly trying to solve problems with more quangos, more bureaucrats, more politicians. This is not how you deliver growth.

“We should be able to determine value for money within the civil service itself.

“If they cannot do that, then I have no confidence that an Office for Value for Money will know how to do that either – that expertise should already be in the Treasury.”

The OfVM will have a team of 20 civil servants working under Mr Goldstone, who is expected to stay in post for one year, with the “possibility of extension”, according to the Treasury.

Mr Goldstone’s salary is understood to be about £950 per day for an average of one day a week’s work – a total salary of roughly £50,000 a year.

When it was put to Treasury minister Darren Jones that the OfVM salary would be worth £250,000 if he were full-time – significantly more than the prime minister is paid – he told LBC the “rate of return for the improvements… will be far, far greater”.

Jones added: “We can’t expect people to work for free.

“Actually, the day rate for David is, on a benchmark basis, competitive.”

The Treasury has been contacted for comment.

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1 Nov 2024

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Planning applicatons validated by EDDC for week beginning 14 October