IHBC NewsBlogs

The BRE Trust, in collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Constructors (WCC), have announced the 2016 Royal Charter International Research Award, to help constructors of any age group undertake a unique study focussed on a topical issue or challenge related to the construction industry, with a closing date of October 28.

The BRE Writes:

Aimed at constructors of all age groups, the award funds an individual to undertake a unique study focussed on a topical issue or challenge related to the construction industry.

This year the focus is on an innovative study relating to the digital built environment. Potential subjects include connected homes and communities, BIM, the internet of things, smart infrastructure, smart cities, big data and the human and societal issues of a digital built environment. Proposed studies should also include an international dimension.

The winning applicant will receive £7,000 towards the cost of their study and the digital publication of their work by the BRE Trust. A summary of the final report will also be included in the Constructors Journal, the publication of the WCC. The award will be presented at the WCC Awards Dinner in February 2017.

‘The BRE Trust and WCC created this award to encourage individuals in the sector to come forward with new knowledge and ideas that help us address current challenges in construction,’ says Guy Hammersley, Director of BIM, ‘Digital is one area that construction currently lags behind on so some fresh innovative thinking is needed, we look forward to getting some great submissions’ 

For further information on how to apply please contact Matthew Barker at BRE, Matthew.Barker@bre.co.uk. The deadline for applications is Friday 28th October 2016. 

Read more….

Find out more about the Research Award

For the BRE see http://www.bre.co.uk

For the WCC see http://www.constructorscompany.co.uk/

As The Economist Intelligence Unit has released the latest report outlining the ‘livability’ of 140 cities worldwide, The Planner reports that Manchester is deemed more livable than London.

The Economist Intelligence Unit writes:

The latest findings of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Ranking – which provides scores for lifestyle challenges in 140 cities worldwide – show that although Melbourne has retained its crown as the world’s most liveable city, liveability has deteriorated in 29 of the 140 cities (20 per cent) surveyed over the last 12 months.

The decline is largely a result of heightened fears over terrorism with more than 1,000 reported attacks in 2016 so far, with incidents in France, Turkey, the US and Belgium being the most high profile. Factors such as social unrest in many US cities due to the deaths of black people in police custody, tensions in Eastern Europe and Asia and the ongoing civil wars in Ukraine, Syria and Libya have compounded the decline.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability rating, part of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an individual’s lifestyle across five broad categories of Stability, Healthcare, Culture and environment, Education and Infrastructure.

Read more….

Read the article in The Planner

A new fund for England and Wales which is designed to improve rail facilities, including reopening old stations, has been announced.

Government writes:

Rail passengers across England and Wales are set for better journeys thanks to a £20 million pot to fund new stations, announced today (26 August 2016) by the Department for Transport.  The next round of the new stations fund will provide up to 75% of the cost for construction of new stations or to reopen previously closed stations. The funding will improve access to the rail network and create new travel, employment and housing opportunities.

It follows on from an initial round of funding, which has already made a major difference to passengers’ journeys, with new stations at Newcourt in Devon, Pye Corner in Wales and Lea Bridge in London, and stations at Ilkeston near Derby and Kenilworth near Coventry in the process of being delivered.

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said:  The new stations fund is a great example of how our record investment in the railways and work with local authorities and industry is delivering better journeys for passengers.

Through this fund, passengers will benefit from new connections and faster journeys, making it easier to get to work and visit friends and family. It will also provide a major boost for local economies and support the delivery of local housing developments.

Norrie Courts, Director of Stations at Network Rail said:  The new station funding stream represents an important part of our railway upgrade plan to improve Britain’s railways, delivering real and visible improvements for passengers. The first round of the new stations fund helped deliver Pye Corner, Newcourt and Lea Bridge and is in the process of delivering Ilkeston and Kenilworth.  These are important stations for passengers who rely on the railway every day, and the announcement of additional investment to undertake a further round of new stations is welcomed.

Organisations such as local authorities, and train operating companies keen to boost local growth are all being encouraged to submit bids.

The schemes already completed as part of the first round have made a major difference to the local area, allowing homes to be built, connecting towns and boosting the economy. Just last month, construction began at Kenilworth – one of the largest towns in England without a railway station. The re-opening of the Kenilworth station, which closed in 1965, will allow residents easier access to Coventry and Birmingham but also help bring in shoppers and visitors to this historic town.

The deadline for bidders for the second round of funding is 18 November 2016 with an announcement of successful projects expected to be made early next year.

View the press release

More information on the fund and how to apply can be found on the Network Rail website

The Scottish Government has launched a new eBuildingStandards system, aiming to help save time and money and assist applicants in streamlining the process of application.

The Scottish Government writes:

A new eBuildingStandards system that streamlines applications through one web portal has launched.

eBuildingStandards follows the launch of the improved ePlanning service in January, and signals the latest development in streamlining public services in the digital age. This new service makes it quicker and easier to apply for building work both on individual home improvement projects and for larger commercial developments.

The portal enables:

• The electronic submission to local authorities of building warrant applications and completion certificates
• Electronic payment of associated fees directly to the local authority
• Submit digital copies of supporting documentation, eliminating the need to print and post.

Together, the two portals offer applicants and local authorities an opportunity to save in cost and time with every application made online. This could see savings of over £73 million over the next 5 years to customers and local authorities.

Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart, said  ‘In today’s world we know that customers want to engage digitally with local and central government.  The drive to expand to eBuildingStandards came from customer feedback. We listened and responded to this and will continue to do so. This is our second eDevelopment service, following on from launch of the refreshed ePlanning service earlier this year.  The new service went live as planned, and has already been a clear hit with customers. In its first week, over 500 applications were submitted – exceeding our predictions.’

Mr Stewart also highlighted the role played by Scotland’s 32 local authorities in helping the Scottish Government to deliver this service:  ‘This shared commitment and strong sense of joint ownership has enabled challenges to be overcome as a collective. This really is a fantastic example of local and central government working together to deliver something special. And over the coming months we will continue to work with our partners to drive forward with further opportunities for digital transformation.’

Robin Presswood, Head of Economy, Planning and Employability Services, Fife Council, said: ‘Online applications have significant customer benefits. They are simple, save applicants time and money and are delivered to us swiftly, so enable us to start considering applications sooner.  The new eBuildingStandards.scot portal provides an easy-to-use way to submit applications for building warrants, completion certificates and other related forms.  As a pioneer and early adopter of ePlanning, the ePlanning service launched in January 2016 has already helped us to further drive business efficiency, improve performance and increase community engagement. The eBuilding initiative is another step forward in ensuring that Fife Council is best placed to meet the needs of businesses and increase sustainable economic growth.’

Eugene Mullan, Architect and Director of Smith Scott Mullan Associates, said: ‘As architects, we operate in an almost entirely in the digital information world. It is important that we are able to interact efficiently and effectively with our clients and local authorities in submitting documents such as building warrant applications. As with the new ePlanning service, we welcome the eBuildingStandards initiative and see it as an opportunity to improve the efficiency of this process.’

View the press release

Historic England is seeking to improve its understanding of what England’s historic environment receives from the European Union, and organisations are invited fill in a short survey to help provide an important baseline from which to identify the impact on business and to plan for the future, with a deadline of Friday 16th September.

Duncan McCallum, Policy Director at Historic England, writes:

Following the decision that the UK will leave the European Union, many sectors are seeking to identify with accuracy the contribution that the European Union makes to them, and which may not be available in future. This information will provide an important baseline from which to identify the impact on business and to plan for the future. The historic environment sector is no different and to better understand the role the EU plays in the management and protection of the historic environment in England we are asking for information from those in the sector who derive, or have derived support from the EU. This survey seeks to gain an understanding of the levels of grant funding, the possible impact of any restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as any other concerns partners might have. We will use this information to shape the advice we provide to central government.??We are seeking views at an organisation level (not person by person) and so we would be grateful if partners could be aware of that and co-ordinate responses where appropriate. Please note that responses should relate to activities in England only.

We would be extremely grateful if you could take the time to prepare a response before Friday 16 September 2016.

If you have any questions relating to this survey then please feel free to contact Owain Lloyd-James at Owain.lloyd-james@historicengland.org.uk?? 

Historic England is also in the process of commissioning a different piece of work to produce an overall figure of how much in cash terms the historic environment sector receives.

See the survey at  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CDL5MKQ

The Environment Agency has launched a new project which aims to investigate historic water features and develop a comprehensive map which will assist in the protection of the Calder Valley area, while if you have information about any historic water infrastructure, land drains, ponds or any other assets which you think could be used to manage flooding, please let the Environment Agency know.

The Environment Agency writes:

The Environment Agency is appealing for help from historians, landowners and communities in the Calder Valley to help produce a detailed map of old land drains, goits and mill ponds to determine whether they could be brought back into use to aid the fight against flooding.  The valley is known to have an extensive network of historic field drains and industrial water infrastructure and the Environment Agency is keen to tap into local knowledge to pinpoint exactly where it all is.

Andrew Coen, the Environment Agency’s lead engineer for the Calder Catchment, said:  ‘A number of local people and landowners have asked whether we can make use of the large network of historic but now redundant water infrastructure which was built in the 19th century to power local mills.’

‘Although we have a lot of information about the Victorian water infrastructure, there will undoubtedly be features which have not been mapped but which are still known by local people. Some of these could be significant in helping us to work out whether they could be upgraded and used again manage flood risk in the valley.  We are also keen to learn more about existing and historic land drainage systems so we can better understand the role they have now and the role they might have in the future to help reduce flooding.’

‘As well as identifying the locations of the old water control structures and drains, the Environment Agency is seeking details of their depth, size and condition.’

Andrew added:  ‘We would like to build a comprehensive map of this surviving infrastructure and the local knowledge of landowners, farmers, historians, hikers, builders and members of every community in the Calder Valley will be essential in helping us to gather the data we need.

It is not currently known how much, if any, of the area’s historic water infrastructure could be potentially re-used to manage flood risk or whether the benefits of bringing certain parts of it up to modern standards would be cost effective.’

Following last December’s devastating floods in the Calder Valley, the Environment Agency was asked by the Secretary of State to put together a detailed Catchment Plan to manage and reduce the risk of flooding in Calderdale over the next 25 years. The plan has been put together by the Environment Agency, its partners and the community through a series of workshops over the summer. The plan will be published in full in October.

Creation of a map of the historic water infrastructure which may contribute to future flood risk management is just a part of this far reaching and complex piece of work.

If you have information about any historic water infrastructure, land drains, ponds or any other assets which you think could be used to manage flooding, please let the Environment Agency know.

View the press release

Building Design has revealed the shortlist for the Carbuncle Cup 2016, with six buildings being highlighted.

Wikipedia writes:

The shortlist of six was announced in August 2016, selected by a panel of judges consisting of Building Design editor Thomas Lane, architect and architectural critic Ike Ijeh, author, architect and Building Design columnist Ben Flatman and the LSE’s director of estates Julian Robinson

The six shortlisted are:

• One Smithfield in Stoke on Trent- RHWL Architects
• Poole Methodist Church extension- Intelligent Design Centre
• Sheffield University engineering faculty -Twelve Architects
• Saffron Square, Croydon- Rolfe Judd
• Lincoln Plaza housing tower-  BUJ Architects
• 5 Broadgate- Make

Read more….

View more information at BD Online

View an article about the Carbuncles in DeZeen magazine http://www.dezeen.com/2016/09/01/carbuncle-cup-2016-worst-building-uk-architecture/

With the success of Team GB in Rio 2016 and the Paralympic Games due to start, sport is on the mind of many, but did you know that Town Planning was once within the Olympics?

Mark Thackeray, , a Consultant at Walsingham Planning, writes for ‘Planning and Building Control today’ to discuss the case for greater recognition of planning and placemaking.

Mark Thackeray writes:

‘…. The year is 1932, the place is Los Angeles, the event is town planning… the winner, ahead of a dangerous Dane and a battling Belgian, was John Hughes of Great Britain for his work on a sports stadium and leisure centre in Liverpool.

…1932 was an Olympic year when, as you won’t recall, Team GB did not exactly cover itself with glory. John Hughes’ gold was one of only five that we achieved (town planning, men’s 800m, men’s 50,000m walk, coxless pairs and coxless fours if you want to know), so maybe his efforts deserve a belated ‘thank you’ (if you’re listening, Claire Balding).

Read the article at Planning & Building Control Today

The National Trust has published its Annual Report, which records income rising above £500m, apparently for the first time.

Income in the year to the end of February is up 5.7 per cent from £494m last year, with the main increase coming from an £18m increase in member income.  Total expenditure rose to £540m – the second year the trust has spent more than it earned, as part of a drive to fix a £300m backlog of conservation costs.

But the trust’s financial position remains extremely healthy. Despite a £120m pension deficit, its total assets are £1.13bn, and its unrestricted reserves are £230m – almost six months’ expenditure. 

The reports also confirm that the trust has changed its governance structure following a consultation last year.  It is reducing the size of its council form 52 members to 36, and reducing the number of council members on its board of trustees.

Read the more and download the Report

Read more in Civil Society new

The Guardian has featured a pictorial review of ‘How London might have looked’, a visioning strategy that could be used to inspire local groups to think about their own places, ‘how they might have looked’, or ‘how they might yet look’!

The Guardian writes:

The London skyline has been saved from some questionable designs over the years – including a massive stone pyramid in Trafalgar Square. Thankfully none of these grand schemes ever got off the drawing board, says Ian Mansfield.

For centuries mankind has built mighty monuments dedicated to their endeavours, and while today we may lean towards huge infrastructure projects as opposed to war memorials, the exuberance, and on occasions ridicule, they engender can still excite the public imagination.

Over the years, many grand schemes have been hatched that would have transformed the face of London. Engineers and architects planned to solve society’s ailments and built a new urban utopia.

Though we might shudder at what was planned by men with ideas as lofty as their finances were shaky, they were often motivated both by personal gain and a real vision for a better society.

From schemes to improve transport to grand monuments memorialising mighty deeds, these are some of the unbuilt plans that could have changed how we look at London today.

Features include:

• Straightening the River Thames
• Flying into the Isle of Dogs
• The Victorian skyscraper
• A cable car for North Greenwich
• Central London monorail
• High Paddington
• The democratic tower
• Trafalgar Square pyramid
• Britannia Triumphant

Read more….

IHBC members working in Scotland and those who took the opportunity to visit Orkney with the Annual School will be interested to learn that the Scottish Government have announced that new legislation which is aiming to address the needs of island communities will be progressed, with an islands bill being brought forward.

The Scottish Government writes:

Legislation to empower Scotland’s island communities is to be progressed, Islands Minister Humza Yousaf announced today.  The proposed Islands Bill will be shaped by the findings from the recent consultation and will be brought forward during the next 12 months – within the first year of the new parliamentary session.

Speaking from the Western Isles where he was meeting local producers and community representatives, Mr Yousaf said:  ‘Our islands make a significant contribution to Scottish life from both a cultural and economic perspective. As such, I am immensely proud to be able to announce that I am bringing forward an Islands Bill less than a year after my predecessor launched the Government’s consultation on potential provisions.  We have placed the aspirations and needs of our island communities at the centre of our empowerment agenda. Drawing on the work of both the Island Areas Ministerial Working Group and the consultation findings, the Bill will provide lasting benefits for all our island communities for generations to come.

‘I believe that this demonstrates our strong and continued support for our island communities and our desire to deliver quickly on the election promises set out in our manifesto. I now look forward to working with the various island communities and representatives in bringing this into effect over the next year.’

Read more….

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded the historic home of horticulture, the Royal Horticultural Society Wisley Garden, a project planning grant aiming towards the restoration of the garden as a learning garden, with works to the original laboratory and lecture facilities and digital collection access for the nationally important collection.

The HLF writes:

The ‘home of horticulture’ will restore an historic laboratory, secure the future of its incredible specimen archive and create new space and learning opportunities for visitors of all ages.  A specimen collected by Charles Darwin on the Beagle and a piece of lavender dating back to 1731 are just two of more than 100,000 plant and insect specimens in RHS Wisley’s nationally and historically important collection.  Many of these treasures are now set to be cleaned, restored and put on display for the very first time. Virtual visitors will be able to access the collection as records of some of the plants and insects will be shared digitally.

The garden’s historic laboratory will also be brought back into the heart of Wisley’s story. Dating back more than two centuries, the building houses old botanical labs, the original lecture theatre and a Herbarium. The project will restore these features and open up part of the building as an art gallery and museum space.

The project will revive Wisley’s original purpose as a learning garden.

A new Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning, complete with atrium and events space, will be built to house collections and share learning with visitors and researchers.  Three new ‘Future Gardens’, exploring themes of Gardens as Nature Reserves, Health and Wellbeing and a World Kitchen Garden, will be created next to the Centre.

Stuart McLeod, Head of HLF South East, said: ‘Wisley is such an important site in the history of plants and gardens – a superb setting for some rare and fascinating plant specimens along with thousands of books, artefacts and photographs. This project will help build on the traditions of the place to reach out and attract new visitors and ensure people come here to learn about and enjoy horticulture for many years to come.’

RHS Garden Wisley has been awarded £212,000 to develop project plans and will apply for a full grant of £4.8million at a later date.

Read more….

West Oxfordshire District Council may be developing a new garden village; it has submitted an expression of interest to DCLG relating to a site near Eynsham (which is not currently in the Local Plan).

West Oxfordshire District Council writes:

West Oxfordshire District Council has submitted an ‘Expression of Interest’ to central government to create a locally-led Garden Village.  An area just off the A40 and to the north of Eynsham is the location specified in the Expression of Interest.

Although it was necessary to specify a location as part of the bid, doing this does not represent a fully agreed commitment to the site. Currently there is no planning permission on this site and it is not included in the Council’s previously submitted Local Plan.

Cllr Warwick Robinson, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning said, ‘The Government’s call for locally-led garden village submissions is potentially a huge opportunity for us and one that could bring significant benefits. The demand for housing is very high locally and we are also committed to responding to the huge housing need identified in the City of Oxford, a substantial amount of which cannot be accommodated within the City’s own boundaries.  However, I must stress that, at this stage, this Expression of Interest submission is not binding in any way. Even if we are successful, it will need to sit alongside our Local Plan, which is not yet finalised and is subject to public consultation in the autumn. It will then be examined by the Planning Inspector as part of the Local Plan hearing in February 2017.’

West Oxfordshire District Council made the Garden Village submission at the end of July and is expecting to receive central government’s decision in the autumn.  If the bid is successful, and if the location is agreed through the Local Plan process which in itself will include further public consultation, the Garden Village will make a major contribution to meeting identified housing and economic needs. It would bring in funding to help deliver around 2,200 high quality homes by 2031; these would include self-build, key worker and starter homes.

The Garden Village would be its own distinct settlement with its own facilities including transport links, science / business park, schools and community resources.

Read more….

A Grade II* listed building is the first temple to receive Grants for Places of Worship (PoW) scheme, the Taiwanese Fo Guang Shan temple is just off Oxford Street in London and will be using development funding to work towards major building repairs.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) writes:

Only a few minutes away from the bustle of Oxford Street is London’s Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Temple, a sanctuary from the stresses of everyday urban life.

The well-established Taiwanese temple, which also runs the charity International Buddhist Progress Society UK, currently attracts 18,000 visitors per year.

London FGS Temple is a Grade II* listed building and active centre of Buddhist worship and teaching. However, building damage has placed the temple at risk and restoration is crucial to get it back in working order again.  Luckily, after a successful application to HLF, London FGS Temple became the first ever temple to receive HLF support under the Grants for Places of Worship scheme. Development funding of £33,500 has recently been awarded to help London FGS Temple progress plans to apply for the full earmarked funding of £209,300.

The HLF grant will support restoration work to the eastern roofs, replacing damaged bricks and rebuilding the high level masonry of the temple, originally designed by Gothic architect William Butterfield in 1868.  Alongside the restoration work, there will be a programme of community activities and events including archive research into the history of the building and a photography exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fo Guang Monastery.

Applying the Fo Guang proverb of ‘offer confidence, offer joy, offer hope, and offer convenience’, the London FGS Temple will also be hosting singing, dancing and meditation classes and educational tours available to the public.  Venerable Miao Shiang, Head of London Fo Guang Shan Temple, said: ‘It was fantastic news when we heard that our grant application had been approved by HLF. This news was received very well by everyone at the Temple. Our board of directors and trustees thank the HLF for the grant and are extremely grateful for the support. We look forward to working with HLF on this project.’

Stuart Hobley, Head of HLF London, said: ‘The Fo Guang Shan temple has been a part of London’s community for over 24 years and provides a rich programme of events and activities for all to enjoy. The temple is currently in need of urgent repair work and thanks to National Lottery players, this crucial restoration project will now be able to preserve the heritage of the temple, keeping it up and running and accessible for all.’

Read more….

Read more about the Temple

The Stone Specialist reports that more gravestones have been pushed over by vandals as around 50 stones were knocked over in Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s cemetery at North Sheen in London on Saturday night, 13-14 August.

In a statement on 15 August the Council said:

On Saturday night in North Sheen Cemetery there was an act of vandalism where a number of memorials were pushed over and in doing so a small number were cracked / damaged.

The police are currently investigating the incident and have had a scenes of crime officer at site taking finger prints from the memorials affected.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has arranged for a memorial mason to attend site this week with a view to re-setting those memorials pushed over and repair those that were damaged.

Cemetery staff are currently recording the number of those memorials that are affected and will be writing to the grave owners advising them of the vandalism and that steps are being taken to remedy the vandalism.

Read the article at The Stone Specialist

The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales has noted the work of Surrey’s Youth Support Service in helping young people to gain carpentry skills, which involves works at the historic Brooklands Museum in Weybridge and handcrafted items to benefit patients in the NHS.

The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales writes:

Lord McNally, Chair of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), visits Surrey’s Youth Support Service to find out how carpentry helps steer young people away from crime. 

At The Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Surrey’s Youth Support Service is using a ground-breaking approach to help turn around the lives of troubled young people in the county.  The service works closely with a number of local organisations to deliver restorative justice schemes which are having a positive effect on the community.

The approach, used in cases of lower-level offending by under-18s, has reduced reoffending rates by 18 per cent.  One scheme involves young people taking part in carpentry workshops, often with no prior experience of carpentry. They make a range of wooden items for the benefit of the community or victims of crime and gain job skills in the process.

The Youth Support Service works with projects including where young people are using their new-found carpentry skills to make activity equipment to improve dexterity for patients who have had a stroke or suffer from dementia. They also make handcrafted wooden memory boxes for parents whose babies have died. These are given to the neonatal intensive care unit where they are made available for bereaved families. 

At the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge young people are making wooden crowd barriers for the motoring and aviation museum similar to those used at the site’s motor racing circuit in its heyday.

Lord McNally. Chair of the Youth Justice Board, said:  Surrey’s innovative approach to youth offending is clearly helping to divert young people away from crime.  The Youth Justice Board, working through local youth offending teams and services, continues to play an important role in promoting restorative justice across England and Wales; and I am delighted to see how Surrey’s work has enabled many young offenders to make amends to the victims of their crime while doing something positive for their community.

Linda Kemeny, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement, said:  Our approach is helping to steer young people away from crime while keeping costs down for the taxpayer and our team was very pleased to welcome the chair and chief executive of the Youth Justice Board to Surrey to show them first-hand the ground-breaking work we are doing.

View the press release

More information on Brooklands Museum

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has raised concerns over the proposed method of assessing infrastructure requirements in a response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) consultation.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) writes:

The ability to unlock large housing developments should be made an explicit criterion in assessing infrastructure, the RTPI said in its response to a National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) consultation.

This is an opportunity for the government to use infrastructure to help solve the housing crisis, bridge the north-south divide in England and tackle climate change. Our approach would ensure infrastructure acts as a catalyst to unlock large scale housing, jobs and economic growth.

The RTPI is concerned that a method of assessing infrastructure ‘need’, based only on existing patterns of demand would risk continued investment in London and the South East at the expense of other areas.

In its response to the NIC’s consultation on how infrastructure should be assessed and prioritised, the Institute proposes a ‘feedback loop’ methodology whereby the Commission’s proposals for national infrastructure would invite matching plans from local authorities and developers for major housing growth. These plans would then be fed back into the original needs assessment, allowing the Commission to prioritise and fund infrastructure that would unlock housing.

James Harris, RTPI Policy and Networks Manager, said: ‘This is an opportunity for the government to use infrastructure to help solve the housing crisis, bridge the north-south divide in England and tackle climate change. Our approach would ensure infrastructure acts as a catalyst to unlock large scale housing, jobs and economic growth.’

In its response the RTPI also called on the NIC to:

• Assess the impact of different infrastructure plans on the shape and density of the built environment.
• Factor in existing plans and aspirations for local and regional infrastructure, from local government, Local Enterprise Partnerships and private companies, by appointing commissioners with explicit responsibilities for the nations and English regions.
• Examine options for tackling the serious levels of water stress expected in Greater London, the South East and the East of England given their high household growth projections.
• Look at the potential benefits of devolved flood defence spending to combined authorities, and planning for flood risk over an 80-100 year time period.
• Consider the impacts of infrastructure proposals on natural resources and the environment, through an ‘ecosystems approach’ in the assessment.

The UK Government tasked the NIC with identifying the country’s long-term infrastructure needs, creating a strategic infrastructure vision over a 30-year period and making recommendations for how identified infrastructure needs should be met through the publication of a National Infrastructure Assessment.  The NIC’s remit covers the UK; although Scotland and Wales have similar national commissions. The RTPI has called for the NIC to work in conjunction with these bodies to ensure a joined-up approach.

View the press release

The helpful interactive tools published by Planning Portal in England which explain permitted development (PD) rights are to be relaunched, using new technology and fully responsive interfaces which mean they work on all devices.

Planning Portal writes:

The current Planning Portal interactive houses have been with us since 2008.  They were ahead of their time, but the technology they use is now out of date and critically, can’t be viewed on mobile devices.  Given that mobile and tablet usage continues to grow and the rest of our site is completely responsive to different screen sizes, it’s time to upgrade them.

So for the last few months we’ve been working on new improved interactive guides, using technology which can be seen on all types of device, including all Apple and Android ones, and is responsive to different screen sizes.  We’ve taken the opportunity to improve the integration between the houses, the mini guides and the site content, making it easier for users to find what they want more easily.

We’ve also taken a fresh, modern approach to the design, using an illustrative style which research tells us makes it easier for users to relate to their own homes.

Much as we loved the old houses, we’re really excited about the new ones and hope you will be too.  They’ll be live next Wednesday, 31^st August on the English site, but you can see a sneak preview of the new homepage below.

We’re moving house….interactive house in fact!

Additional properties and areas are to be covered by safeguarding regulations of the proposed HS2 route.

HS2 writes:

Safeguarding is an established part of the UK planning system and ensures that land identified for major infrastructure is protected from conflicting development.  The update follows a number of changes to the route that were agreed when the House of Commons Select Committee scrutinising the bill considered legislation to build phase one of HS2, between the west midlands and London. HS2 Ltd, the company designing and building Britain’s high speed railway, has contacted the residents that are directly affected by the revisions.

The improvements to the route, made public during the Committee process, will mean fewer properties are affected by HS2. These changes include a 1.6 mile extension to the deep-bored tunnel under the Chilterns – preserving almost 30 acres of woodland while reducing the scale and duration of local construction activity.

The new directions also cover the realignment of the route near Lichfield to allow the railway to pass under the A38, the West Coast Main Line and the South Staffordshire Line rather than run over them on viaducts and make two crossings over the Trent and Mersey Canal. There are a range of other smaller changes to the route. As well as protecting the land required for HS2, safeguarding directions trigger statutory compensation arrangements for affected homeowners.

This means that owner-occupiers within safeguarding who qualify can apply to the Government to purchase their property and cover some additional costs. In addition to this statutory compensation, a range of discretionary property schemes are in place that go well beyond what is required by law, these include measures aimed at people affected by HS2 who live outside the safeguarded area.

View the press release