IHBC NewsBlogs

The Scottish Government (SG) has announced that more than 500,000 acres in Scotland are now in community ownership, following new powers for communities under land reform. 

The Scottish Government writes:

More communities across Scotland are benefitting from the ownership of land.

Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham has announced that more than 500,000 acres in Scotland are now in community ownership – breaking the half way mark on the million acres target set in 2013.

Ms Cunningham said:  ‘Land is one of our most valuable assets and land reform has already delivered significant benefits to rural and increasingly urban communities across Scotland.  Land ownership by communities has been going from strength to strength and there are some impressive examples of community buyouts throughout the country especially in the islands, including the Pairc Trust in South East Lewis that has helped us reach the half way mark in our ambition to ensure that one million acres in Scotland are in the hands of communities and working to the benefit of all.’

‘The 28,000 acres in the Pairc Estate community buy out, for example, will help to reverse a century of population decline by providing additional local jobs, more affordable good housing, and better community facilities to improve the quality of life for all local residents.’

‘We remain ambitious, and today’s milestone marks only the half-way point on our journey to ensuring that one million acres moves into community hands – but it is an encouraging and important step forward in our land reform journey.’

‘It is also only part of our wider and on-going programme of reform across Scotland. A land rights and responsibilities statement and a Scottish Land Commission will follow. We will also support landowners to better engage with communities and will shortly begin to implement the act’s agricultural holdings provisions, helping tenant farmers.’

‘Together these steps will begin to ensure that land in Scotland delivers benefit for everyone.’

View the press release

Westminster Council has introduced new powers which are designed to address issues faced by neighbours in areas where basements are being constructed, including a new basement levy and a dedicated ‘subterranean squad’ as part of revisions to the Westminster Code of Construction Practice.

A new ‘subterranean squad’ of basement nuisance busters launched on 1 September in Westminster, the first of its kind in the country.

The noise, dust and traffic impacts of basement development have had a big effect on local residents, who will now have a group of dedicated council officers to contact.  This innovative new service will be funded by a levy on those building new basements, ensuring the resources are in place to actively monitor and enforce against un-neighbourly builders.

That levy is being drawn as part of the council’s new Code of Construction Practice, which clearly sets out best practice for building sites such as basements. The code will also be rolled out over the coming months to cover larger developments in the city.

Cllr Robert Davis, MBE DL, Westminster City Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Built Environment, said: ‘We are sticking up for local residents, many of whom have found the explosion of basement development in recent years hellish.  It is right that those who want to build basements should contribute to this new service, which will work to help mitigate the negative impacts.  Westminster City Council supports the right kind of growth and is not against all basement development, but they must be carried out in a way that is considerate to local residents and the environment.’

Over the last 5 years Westminster City Council has received on average 150 applications each year and has seen a trend towards more ‘iceberg’ basements where homeowners dig down two or more storeys.

New rules include planning controls limiting basements to a single storey and no more than 50% of total garden land.

The new ‘subterranean squad’ will:

• take a degree of oversight and control, for example making sites coordinate their deliveries and reduce the cumulative impact on residents
• check that developers are keeping neighbours informed for instance via newsletters or site meetings
• enforce stricter working hours so as to avoid noisy works at inconvenient times such as Saturday mornings
• provide a point of contact for residents with complaints – with the power to enforce against overly noisy sites under statutory powers
• monitor the level and impacts of traffic to sites
• also police development sites of over 10 residential units, or over 1000m2 commercial floorspace

As a final resort Westminster City Council could use its powers relating to the duty to keep traffic flowing on the highway, for example by limiting the number of licences on a street at any one time.

A residential basement scheme will cost around £8,000 on average; tthe new charges will cover the cost of delivery of the service based on hourly rates.  The largest developments will be charged around £30,000.

The new powers will only apply to basements which gained planning permission from August 2016 onward, and other major development schemes from September.

View the press release

An application for coal extraction works along an area of designated natural coastline in North East England has been called in by the Secretary of State.

View a BBC News article about the plans

View a copy of the call in decision letter

The Cultural Protection Fund is now open for small grants (up to £100K) and large grants (more than £100K) applications.

The British Council writes

The Fund is designed with applications from UK organisations in mind, but any organisation is eligible to apply. Grants are available to applicants working with local partners in one or more of the Fund’s target countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.

There will be separate application processes for small and large grants. For large grants there will be two rounds of funding per financial year, and small grants will run on a rolling basis with quarterly decision meetings. All applicants will be asked to complete an online expression of interest form in order to confirm eligibility, before being invited to complete an online application form……

….All applicants will need to provide a clear project plan and timeline, evidence of demand, delivery capability, detailed project costs and information on how risks will be managed and monitored. Project evaluation will be a key requirement of all grant awards.

In the current round, organisations can apply for grants of up to £3 million for projects focusing on the protection of cultural heritage at risk due to conflict. The maximum amount of funding available to applicants will be subject to review at the end of each funding round.

Timeline

Large Grants; April 2017 award

• Call for Expressions of Interest: opens 1 September 2016, closes 28 October 2016
• Deadline for application forms: 19 December 2016
• Applicants notified in April 2017

Small Grants programme

• Small grants applications will be available from 1 September 2016
• Decisions will be made on a quarterly basis in December, March, June and September
• Applications received before mid-October will be considered at the first decision meeting at the beginning of December

If you have any questions, or would like to be added to our newsletter, please email us on culturalprotection@britishcouncil.org.

Read more….

For background see the NewsBlogs

The controversy concerning the ‘garden bridge’ in London were brought forward for debate within the House of Commons on 7 September, members debated issues including the landscaping of the public realm, costing and procurement and the transparency of discussions around the bridge.

View the Hansard Parliamentary papers on the debate

The Welsh Government (WG) has introduced a new initiative which is designed to make land be more friendly to pollinator species, protecting and enhancing the local environment, in an initiative believed to be the first in the world.

The Welsh Government writes:

Friends of the Earth Cymru has joined Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths in welcoming ‘Bee Friendly’, a brand new scheme which seeks to help all pollinators by creating a nation of Pollinator-Friendly communities and organisations.

Bee Friendly is aimed at communities and community organisations, schools, public bodies, town and community councils, businesses, universities and colleges, places of worship and many other organisations, all around Wales.

The Four Goals of Bee Friendly are:

• Food – providing pollinator-friendly food sources.
• Five Star accommodation – providing places for insect pollinators to live.
• Freedom from pesticides and herbicides – committing to avoid chemicals that harm pollinators.
• Fun – involving all the community and telling people why you are helping pollinators.

Lesley Griffiths said: ‘I am pleased to offer my support to the launch of ‘Bee-Friendly’. While the focus of the campaign is very much on encouraging people to get involved in an enjoyable way there is a serious message too.  Pollinators are in decline and this risks our capacity to produce food, timber and fibre.  By participating in the four Bee Friendly themes we can protect pollinators and deliver multiple economic, social and environmental benefits for local communities.’

Friends of the Earth spokesperson Bleddyn Lake said:  ‘Once again Wales is leading the way in environmental initiatives.  We know that bees and other pollinators are in trouble due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.  The good news is that we can all help. The launch today of the Welsh Action Plan for Pollinators Taskforce’s Bee Friendly initiative is a fantastic step forward and something we can all get involved in whether it is in our schools, in our communities, places where we work or worship, anywhere!’

The Cabinet Secretary added:  ‘This is the first national scheme of its kind in the UK and probably the world so let’s get buzzing and make Wales the most Bee Friendly nation in the world.’

The launch of ‘Bee-Friendly’ took place during the Wales Biodiversity Partnership Conference, in Bangor University.  Details on how to get involved in ‘Bee Friendly’ will be available shortly on the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website.

View the press release

View the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has issued its second State of the UK Public Parks report shows that there is a growing deficit between the rising use of parks and the declining resources that are available to manage them.

The HLF writes:

Based on four surveys of park managers, independent park trusts, park friends and user groups, and the general public, the findings show that while parks are highly valued by the public and usage is increasing, park maintenance budgets and staffing levels are being cut.

Without urgent action the continuing downward trend in the condition of many of our most treasured parks and green spaces is set to continue.  Whilst new ways of working and generating income are showing potential, more support, shared learning and collaboration is needed to support those that manage public parks.  Therefore, this research calls for collaborative action to deliver new ways of funding and managing public parks to avert a crisis.

For more details see:  State of UK Public Parks report (PDF, 9.51 MB)

COTAC, the Council on Training in Architectural Conservation, has launched its refreshed and updated website, including new content, at cotac.org.uk.

COTAC Chairman Ingval Maxwell OBE said: ‘We are delighted to have this new accessible and mobile-friendly update of our well-established web resource.’

‘We have also taken the opportunity to add new links, such as to the new BIM4Heritage network, which ties back to our 2011 conference, and subsequent events, as well as taken the opportunity to post new material on our most recent conference, on ‘Connecting conservation’.  So if you were not able to join us in Cowcross Street last year, be sure to check out the fascinating presentations now available on line.’

‘The job for the new COTAC does not end here of course, as we’ll soon also have a fully operational news page to keep our global and national network fully informed of what’s happening!’

COTAC writes:

Established in 1959, COTAC is currently registered as the ‘Council on Training in Architectural Conservation’, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Its founding principles lie in the recognition of the need for specialists to properly specify and oversee work involved in repairing and conserving historic buildings and churches.’

‘Over the years it has successfully, persistently and influentially worked to lift standards, develop training qualifications and build networks across the conservation, repair and maintenance (CRM) sector. The refreshed website continues that approach. Undertaken by IHBC Enterprises for COTAC, the site is now accessible through a full range of platforms and its launch completes one of COTAC’s key Business Plan objectives.

The site freely offers a considerable amount of relevant conservation related information and guidance. This includes a unique digital bibliography, presentations and reports from its annual conference series, and a gateway to its understandingconservation.org website. This related facility will continue to be readily available as a COTAC on-line personal learning resource for those wishing to develop and further their conservation knowledge and skills. Developed in accordance with the ICOMOS Education and Training Guidelines, all of COTAC’s accessible online facilities have a broad national and international relevance.

For more on COTAC see the links from the new site at http://www.cotac.org.uk

The IHBC’s Wiki-based platform developer, Designing Buildings Wiki, has offered its own take on Building Design’s renowned celebration of the dismal, the Carbuncle Cup!

DBW writes

On 7th September, Building Design awarded the dubious honour of the Carbuncle Cup for 2016 to London’s Lincoln Plaza high-rise development.

The Carbuncle Cup is an annual architectural prize awarded to ‘the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months’. A shortlist is compiled from public-voted nominations, and the winner decided by a panel of critics.

Lincoln Plaza’s victory makes it the fifth consecutive year that London has received the award.

Lincoln Plaza is located in South Quay, neighbouring Canary Wharf, and was developed by Galliard Homes and designed by the firm BUJ Architects.

The precise location was one of the factors in the panel’s decision, with them criticising the developer’s marketing commentary which sought to describe the tower as being situated in the more prestigious district of Canary Wharf.

The tower is characterised by its irregular stacked-box form, jutting rectangular balconies and Tetris-like coloured aluminium cladding. The panel described the tower as being:

‘…a putrid pugilistic horror show that should never have been built. In its bilious cladding, chaotic form, adhesive balconies and frenzied facades, it exhibits the absolute worst in shambolic architectural design and cheap visual gimmickry.’

It joins the ‘illustrious’ pantheon of ‘crimes against architecture’ such as the Walkie-Talkie building, Woolwich Central, and Strata SE1. See an overview of previous winners here.

Find out more about carbuncles on the IHBC’s NewsBlogs by searching at https://newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk/?s=carbuncle

Read the article at Designing Buildings Wiki

On 13 July, Geraint Davies MP introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the Commons to make provision for the safeguarding of standards of environmental protection derived from European Union legislation after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, while it is expected to have its second reading debate on Friday 28 October.

The UK Environmental Protection (Maintenance of EU Standards) Bill 2016-17 expands upon those areas of environmental protection with respect to water, air, soil, flood protection, and climate change. 

Summary of the UK Environmental Protection (Maintenance of EU Standards) Bill 2016-17:

A Bill to make provision about the safeguarding of standards of environmental protection derived from European Union legislation, including for water, air, soil, flood protection, and climate change, after the withdrawal of the UK from the EU; and for connected purposes.

read more….

The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster report highlighting the urgency of major works to the building – to avoid major issues and ensure that Parliament can keep being a working building –seems to have secured the Prime Minister’s (PM) support to back plans for MPs to move out of the Houses of Parliament for at least six years as part of a £4bn restoration project.

The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal project writes:

In its report the Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster has concluded that the Palace of Westminster ‘faces an impending crisis which we cannot responsibly ignore’. There is a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace.

The Joint Committee of MPs and Peers has also concluded that the current ‘patch and mend’ approach to maintaining the Palace is no longer sustainable and recommends that a major programme of works is now essential and that Parliament must enable the next stage of urgent and vital preparatory work to go ahead so as to minimise costs and reduce further risks.

The Joint Committee, co-chaired by Chris Grayling MP and Baroness Stowell of Beeston, was appointed in July 2015 to consider a range of options and make recommendations on the best way to protect the Palace and to maintain it as a working parliament.

The Palace has not had a major renovation of its mechanical and electrical services since it was built in the mid-1800s, leading to a substantial and growing risk that a catastrophic event such as a major fire, or incremental system failures, will lead to the building being uninhabitable.

The Committee concluded that the lowest risk, most cost-effective and quickest option to undertake these essential works would be for all MPs, Peers, and staff to move out of the Palace temporarily in one single phase. However, the Committee recommends that, first, Parliament should establish a Delivery Authority to develop a full business case and prepare a final budget for Parliament’s approval. The next, detailed preparatory stage will ensure that taxpayers, as well as Government and Parliament, can be confident the final proposal is the most cost-effective and will be deliverable before the final go-ahead is given for the works to start during the 2020 Parliament.

The Committee’s main conclusions and recommendations are:

• That a clear decision on the next steps is needed now. The report contains a draft Motion recommending that a Sponsor Board and Delivery Authority be established as soon as possible. Once established, the Delivery Authority will produce the detailed business case which will then allow the final budgets to be set.
• Subject to further feasibility work, value-for-money assessments and validation by the Sponsor Board and Delivery Authority, the Committee concluded that the best decant solution for the House of Commons would be a solution based around Richmond House and the House of Commons’ Northern Estate. The best decant solution for the House of Lords would be the establishment of a temporary Chamber and supporting offices in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.
• The programme will present significant opportunities to engage with small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the United Kingdom, especially those with specialist skills in the heritage and conservation sector. The Sponsor Board and Delivery Authority should consider how apprenticeships and other training schemes could be delivered as part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme, in order to increase capacity in this area and to provide a lasting legacy of skills.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Co-Chairman of the Committee, said, ‘We must not spend a penny more than is absolutely necessary, but this is now an increasingly urgent problem. We can’t put off the decision to act any longer if we are to protect one of the most important and iconic parts of our national heritage. The next phase of work, to be conducted by the Delivery Authority, will be vital in ensuring that Parliament has a fully costed and tested plan for conducting the work, before being asked to give the final go-ahead for the works to start.’

Committee member and Committee spokesperson, Chris Bryant MP, said: ‘All the evidence points to having to move out of the whole Palace simultaneously. That is the lowest risk, most cost-effective and quickest option.’

read more….

For information on the PM’s backing see UK Construction Week news and view the report on the UK Parliament website.

Explore the palace and the planned works

The new Neighbourhood Planning Bill has been brought forward, and aims to speed up housebuilding delivery, introduce new simplified compulsory purchase powers and strengthen and clarify conditions relating to protecting heritage assets in planning applications.

Government writes:

Measures in the new Neighbourhood Planning Bill will support more housebuilding and provide more local say over developments the Housing and Planning Minister has announced.

The Bill will speed up and strengthen the popular neighbourhood planning process by simplifying how plans can be revised as local circumstances change and ensure that plans come into force sooner once approved by local people.

Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell said:  ‘The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that we need to build more homes and this Bill is the first of a number of measures to deliver on that.  We have already built more than 900,000 homes since 2010 and now this Bill will help speed up delivery of the further new homes our country needs and ensure our foot is still firmly on the pedal.  We’re also going further than ever before to speed up neighbourhood planning which puts power in the hands of local people to decide where development gets built.  There will also be a simplifying of the compulsory purchase order process to make it clearer, fairer and faster. Compulsory purchase is always used as a last resort but can be essential in delivering big and complex schemes.  The process can be unnecessarily uncertain and complex. Measures in the Bill will clarify the process which is currently based on a patchwork of statute and case law and make the system fairer for all parties.’

‘Further Bill measures will ensure that planning conditions which require developers to take action before work starts are only used where strictly necessary, but in a way that ensures important heritage and environmental safeguards remain in place, so that once a developer has planning permission they can get on and start building as soon as possible.’

Read the press release, access the House of Commons Research Briefing Neighbourhood Planning and find out more about the text of Bill and stages.

The House Builders Federation has called for more collaboration to help address skills issues and improve payment issues.

The House Builders Federation (HBF) writes:

Greater collaboration between house builders and their subcontractors is essential if the industry is to address its skills shortage and continue to increase output in the coming years a new report reveals. ‘The case for collaboration in the supply chain’ goes on to say that providing subcontractors with better visibility on future work; prompt payment; and sharing training resources will help enable them to grow and so increase industry capacity.  The report is the first major piece of work to be undertaken for the new Home Building Skills Partnership (HBSP), a pan industry body set up by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Home Builders Federation (HBF) in June to ensure the industry has the skills it needs to deliver.

Whilst housing output has increased by around one-third in just two years to around 155k homes a year, following five years of general decline, we are still some way short of the estimated 230k homes a year required – meaning tens of thousands more skilled workers will be required. With the industry reliant on subcontract labour, the report says that to achieve this, house builders need to shift from a ‘procurement’ to a ‘development’ approach to its supply chain.

The report is based on research conducted with 20 large UK housebuilders and 204 subcontractors, who in total employ up to 150,000 workers. It reveals that:

• Two thirds of subcontractors want to grow through house building
• Builders and subcontractors have mutual objectives – profitable work, positive reputations, safe and productive sites
• 57% of subcontractors are planning to increase direct employment in the next year
• Only 50% of subcontractors are confident they can meet house builders needs
• Critical shortages include ground workers, plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, roofers and painters
• Without greater collaboration supply chain capacity increases will be limited

The report goes on to make a series of recommendations. These include for:

• Housebuilders to give greater visibility to their future pipeline of work at regional levels; to reduce the half year and year end pressures; pay promptly; make the training infrastructure they have in place available for subcontractors; consider mandating subcontractor training.
• Subcontractors to proactively engage with house builders and the HBSP over workloads, recruitment and training.

The report calls on the HBSP and CITB to take the recommendations in the report forward and develop solutions that will lead to increased cooperation and more joined -up training processes that will allow the industry to grow, and in particular, increase the number of apprentices.

Speaking at the report launch, John Tutte, chair of the HBSP said: ‘The industry faces a huge challenge in the years ahead as it looks to attract and train the people required to build the homes the country needs. The relationship between homebuilders and subcontractors is absolutely critical in terms of how the industry recruits and delivers and it is imperative we work more closely together. The report provides some key insight into how we can collaborate more effectively to deliver improved training processes and ultimately increase capacity. We will now work closely with industry stakeholders to act on the recommendations as part of our wider drive to tackle the skills challenge we face.’

Steve Radley, Director of Policy at CITB, said: ‘This research provides new insight into homebuilding supply chains and how they work, which is a critical first step to tackling the skills challenge in homebuilding. The new partnership and the evidence it has brought together offers the best opportunity in years to foster much closer working in the sector, which will improve skills, help companies become more productive and cost effective, and ultimately help us build the homes we need.’

read more…. and download the report

Inverclyde Council’s bid to demolish 430 flats on a Port Glasgow housing estate was based on ‘flawed’, ‘inadequate’ and ‘tainted’ engineer’s assumptions, a judge has ruled.

A new report by Sheriff Derek Hamilton has decided in favour of property owners and landlords at the dilapidated estate who fought the local authority over its plans to bulldoze the site.

The 91-page judgement highlighted a succession of inconsistencies in the evidence provided by building expert David Turnbull, who compiled two reports which the council relied upon in order to issue nearly 300 demolition orders at Clune Park.

Sheriff Hamilton concluded in his ruling that Mr Turnbull’s evidence was ‘unscientific, speculative and selective’, saying: ‘I find it surprising that he could reach his conclusions, and also maintain them in his second report, without ever having been inside any of the properties, or having been on the roofs…. He accepted that early on he came to a conclusion as to the reasons for the cracks in the buildings, and he looked for evidence to support his conclusion. I believe his approach was flawed…  It was based on inadequate inspection of the properties and an initial erroneous conclusion as to the roof structure, and to the extent and pattern of the reinforcement steel.’

Inverclyde Council writes:

The judgement from the Sheriff is a disappointment. It was made on the evidence presented and the council will now consider the detail of these findings and make a decision on the next course of action. This decision applies to six appeals and the sheriff has rightly pointed out that there is no agreement that any decisions will be binding on the other appeals which are currently sisted, or held in abeyance in court.

This decision by the sheriff is not the conclusion of the Council’s commitment to resolve the appalling housing conditions that exist within the estate.

Clune Park has not become a better place to live over the course of these appeals. The buildings at Clune Park have not improved over the course of these appeals.  Private landlords at Clune Park have not carried out any dedicated programme of building improvements or works on the buildings within their control.

The Council has a statutory duty to ensure that all sub-standard housing in Inverclyde is either improved to an acceptable standard or demolished. The Council is also required to carry out regular surveys to ascertain the current standard of houses in the private sector in Inverclyde. All of the information available to the Council, including further surveys of the Clune Park area since this case was heard, supports the Council’s position that these properties suffer from major structural defects, are in significant disrepair, lack basic amenities and ought to be demolished.

Residents and those with a positive interest in the area should rest assured that Inverclyde Council is committed to the long term regeneration of the Clune Park estate. We cannot stand by and watch Clune Park deteriorate even further with the poor housing conditions and appalling social problems which have subsisted in the long term in this area.’

read more….  and see the article in Scottish Housing News

On September 4 a hand built model of London, created by the artist David Best and Artichoke Creative Company which resulted in creative learning and construction opportunities for school children across London and young people gaining CSCS cards, was floated in the Thames and lit on fire, commemorating the 350 year anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

Artichoke writes:

This spectacular finale will see an extraordinary 120-metre long sculpture of Restoration London floated onto the River Thames and set alight in a dramatic retelling of the story of the Great Fire. The vast representation of the 17th-century London skyline has been designed by American artist David Best, working in collaboration with Artichoke. The project has involved months of learning and participation work with young people across several boroughs adjacent to the City of London: Camden, Hackney, Islington, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. Hundreds of schoolchildren have taken part in integrated drawing and history workshops in schools across these boroughs, and designed decorative panels to be included in the final piece.

The panels will go on public display in August in each of the five boroughs before being brought together on the river and assembled into the structure. LONDON 1666 also offers young Londoners not in education, employment or training, a potentially life-changing opportunity to take part in the construction of the piece, and to experience a unique and collaborative working environment. Through workshops, placements and volunteering, young people aged between 16-24 years old from Camden, Hackney, Islington, Southwark and Tower Hamlets, will receive an introduction to the construction and creative industries, and the opportunity to gain a CSCS certificate and further employment qualifications, leaving a legacy of skills and partnerships and providing inspiration to help transform their lives.

View a video of the artwork, see the BBC’s iWonder and read the press release

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has requested further information from Chelsea Football Club over the impact of its plans for a new stadium at its Stamford Bridge site on the nearby grade 1 listed Brompton Cemetery, well known for wildlife that includes a number of bat species.

Read the article in the Evening Standard

New analysis from Civitas shows that Councils have granted enough planning consents to meet the government’s target of one million new homes by 2020, but developers are failing to build on them, disproving the point that the planning process is undermining efforts to increase the supply of new homes.

The report shows that the number of homes approved for development has far exceeded the number of starts every year for the past decade.

Daniel Bentley, editorial director of Civitas, said: ‘Local authority planning departments have been under enormous pressure in recent years and are frequently blamed by developers for holding up housebuilding.’

‘But what these figures show is that councils are issuing planning permissions in greater numbers than at any time for at least a decade. The bigger problem, and what lies at the root of our housing shortage, is that landowners and developers are not getting approved sites built out quickly enough.’

‘The answer to this must lie in changing the incentives for landowners and developers, including the imposition of contractual obligations that ensure residential development proceeds within a certain timeframe.’

‘This in turn will mean giving local authorities much greater bargaining power in negotiations with builders over new developments.’

The main points from the analysis are:

• Planning permission has been awarded in England for 2,035,835 housing units between 2006 and 2015. That is an average of 204,000 new homes a year – an annual rate sufficient to meet the government’s housebuilding target for this parliament of 1 million homes by 2020.
• Starts recorded by the government during the same 10-year period numbered only 1,261,350, however: an average of just 126,000 a year. This means that there have been 774,485 more permissions than starts, equivalent to 77,000 a year for the period.
• This shortfall  has been growing wider over the past five years. A significant increase in the number of planning permissions granted since 2011 has not been matched by a comparable increase in starts or completions.
• In the past two years (2014 and 2015), 500,956 units have received permission, in line with the 250,000 homes a year that most housing economists think England needs as a minimum. In neither of those two years did recorded starts get above 140,000, however, little more than half of what has been approved.
• Last year (2015) there were 261,644 homes permitted for development – but just 139,680 recorded starts. This is a deficit of 121,964, the biggest by far over the 10-year period analysed and almost twice the level it was in 2010

Read more and download the report

Local Gov UK article

The Port of London Authority and the Marine Management Organisation have formed a new management agreement.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) writes:

The ‘Thames Concordat’ is a new set of principles both organisations will follow in cases where both the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port of London Authority (PLA) have a regulatory remit. It aims to limit duplication for businesses seeking to carry out development in the Thames.

Under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) the MMO regulates activities in the marine area. This includes the tidal area of rivers such as the Thames. The PLA has a statutory responsibility for navigation, hydrodynamics, promoting the use of the river and for licensing works and dredging.  The Concordat applies to areas where there is duplication between the MMO’s and the PLA’s statutory responsibilities. It covers from the PLA’s seaward limits in the Outer Thames Estuary to its landward limits at Teddington Lock (the Tidal Thames) and tidal tributaries.

Staff from the MMO and PLA will follow five key principles when considering applications for development in the Thames where both organisations have a regulatory remit:

• provide a single point of entry into the regulatory system for seeking consent for development
• establish a single lead authority for coordinating the requirements of Environmental Impact Assessment Directive or Habitats Regulations Assessments
• act on available opportunities for coordinating, dispensing or deferring regulatory responsibilities
• communicate the likely evidence requirements of all authorities as early as possible in the consent process
• coordinate the advice provided to applicants across their respective organisations.

The agreement continues the closer working between the two organisations with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs considering delegating powers under the MCAA from the MMO to the PLA.

Shaun Nicholson, head of marine licensing at the Marine Management Organisation, said:  Since the MMO vested in 2010 we’ve continued to develop the marine licensing process which has resulted in a quicker turnaround and improved experience for applicants.  This agreement is a blueprint for setting out the more streamlined way in which we want to work in regulating activities in the Thames in future.

Jim Trimmer, PLA director of planning and environment said:  We are pleased to introduce the Thames Concordat, which marks a step forward in developing more efficient regulation on the River Thames.  We look forward to further efficiency improvement through the Thames Tideway Tunnel project and ultimately the delegation of marine licensing powers to the PLA.

The Thames agreement is a tailored version of the Coastal Concordat which was launched by Defra in Autumn 2013. Through the Coastal Concordat the MMO other regulators are improving co-ordination on coastal developments. The Concordat aims to enable sustainable growth in the coastal zone and reduce cost and delay for businesses.

View the press release

A £40 million fund which is designed to spread the social, economic and cultural benefits of tourism outwith London has been launched.

Government writes:

Towns and cities from across England will benefit from a £40 million fund to deliver new tourism outside London and ease travel around Britain, helping visitors from abroad as well as Brits holidaying at home to explore the wealth of tourism opportunities across the country.  The announcement comes as we go into the August bank holiday – the perfect time to enjoy the world class attractions the UK has to offer.

The first grants from the £40 million Discover England fund have been awarded to projects and organisations in different geographic areas to join up and create offers that can attract tourism outside of London.

Funding will go on projects to shine a spotlight on some of the country’s great cultural and sporting assets, from music festivals to championship golf courses and our world-class cuisine. This investment in tourism and support for local businesses will ensure that Britain remains a world beating destination for visitors from across the globe.

2015 was a record-breaking year for UK tourism – with over 36 million overseas visitors spending £22.1 billion. The tourism industry and the Government are working hand in hand to build on this success to generate more investment and jobs right across the country.

The Government has also today, Friday 26 August, published its Tourism Action Plan which includes a series of new initiatives and measures to help Britain out-compete other major tourism destinations, welcoming more international visitors than ever before and see more ‘staycations’ as Brits holiday at home.

The new initiatives include:

• Making travel easier with a new GREAT tourism rail offer, including five new easy to book rail itineraries to help tourists seamlessly travel around the UK. The Government in association with VisitBritain and the Rail Delivery Group will launch a competition for five pairs of people to road-test the itineraries.
• Addressing the industry’s seasonal nature through a flexible apprenticeship scheme that allows training to be completed over 16-18 months rather than 12, with breaks included.
• Cutting red tape with sensible regulation by changing licensing to allow B&Bs to offer a welcome drink, and modifying vehicle licensing will allow B&B owners to pick up visitors from train stations.

This work is supported by industry partners including a £10.2m partnership between VisitBritain and Expedia to market Britain abroad to key markets including USA, Germany and France.

View the press release

The Welsh Government has released a call for entries for the annual St David Awards which recognise achievements in various categories, including culture, by October 21.

The Welsh Government writes:

Now in their fourth year, the St David Awards acknowledge the achievements of people the length and breadth of Wales. They were created to recognise the great deeds and contributions made by people from all walks of life.

The team tasked with the difficult job of drawing up the shortlist for each of the eight categories nominated by the public includes CBI Wales Director, Emma Watkins, and Peter Fuller, who won last year’s bravery award for stopping a horrific machete attack in a supermarket in Mold.

The St David Awards categories are Bravery; Culture; Enterprise; Citizenship; Innovation and Technology; International; Sport; Young Person and the First Minister’s Special Award.  Winners will be presented with their awards hosted by Welsh television presenter, Angharad Mair and world-renowned rugby referee and St David Award winner Nigel Owens at a glittering ceremony at the Senedd on 23 March 2017.

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said: ‘Day in, day out, groups of people and individuals are going the extra mile to make a difference to someone else’s life, overcoming adversity and achieving truly inspirational things.  Wales is full of fantastic people doing exceptional and extraordinary things. Why not give them the recognition they deserve, show them you care and appreciate their tireless work and endeavour. Nominate them for a St David Award.’

Speaking about the awards, referee Nigel Owens said:  ‘It’s great that there are nights like this to show appreciation to everybody in all levels of society. I’m looking forward to be a part of the ceremony and to meet all the fantastic people from all backgrounds, who are the life blood of our communities. These are the people who make Wales special’.

Uzo Iwobi, Chief Executive of the Race Council Cymru, said:  ‘I am absolutely delighted to be invited to serve on the St David Awards Committee and looking forward to working with colleagues to select the worthy citizens of Wales.  These individuals are the very best of the best and will be seen as role models to others in the community. This will be an exciting year, so please nominate people in your communities.’

The Advisory Committee members are:

• Emma Watkins – Director CBI Wales
• Chris Davies – Chief Fire Officer Mid & West Wales Fire Service
• Uzo Iwobi – CEO Race Council Cymru
• Dr Paul Thomas – Chair, Sport Wales
• Peter Fuller – Bravery Winner 2016
• Sioned Hughes – Chief Exec Urdd Gobaith Cymru
• Rhian Burke – Citizenship Winner 2015 / Founder, 2WishUpon
• Catrin Pascoe – Editor, Western Mail
• Dr Phil George – Chair, Arts Council Wales

To nominate someone for a St David Award visit www.stdavidawards.org.uk by midnight on the 21 October 2016.

View the press release

The CITB have raised concerns with the proposed apprenticeship changes, highlighting that there may be a cut in funding by up to 30%.

Steve Hearty, Head of Apprenticeships at CITB, writes:

‘The Government’s proposed funding bands for framework apprenticeships raise real concerns for the construction industry.

‘We support the new, employer-designed standards, because we think they will improve the quality of apprenticeships, and it is encouraging to note that Government state these will be funded at a higher rate than those recently published. However, no standards for construction have yet been approved and we are still working under the existing frameworks system and may well continue beyond 2017.

‘Even with the sector beneficial STEM increases to funding the Government’s proposed funding bands will cut funding for construction apprenticeships by between 20% and 30%.  We are concerned that training providers could stop training or they could ask employers to make up the shortfall in cost, which might deter firms from taking apprentices on.

‘We have shared our concerns with DfE and will be doing formally through the formal consultation process that closes on 5 September. Employers can do the same.’

View the press release