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Plans to turn former Exeter police station site into housing

Plans to turn former Exeter police station site into housing

BBC News5 hours ago

Plans have been submitted to knock down a former Devon police station to build more than 800 homes for university students and local people. The plans for Exeter's former police station, on Heavitree Road, would see the demolition of the existing buildings, with them replaced with a "mixed-use" development of purpose-built student accommodation and co-living spaces.Co-living refers to a development of small, affordable apartments with some shared facilities. The buildings to be knocked down also include the former magistrates' court on the site.The latest application was a revised and redesigned version of one previously rejected by the city council.
That application was refused in February 2023, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) says.If passed by the city council, the development would have 414 co-living units and 399 units for students. Would-be developers said the revised plans addressed and resolved the key concerns raised.
'High-quality development'
The development's overall impact had since been reduced, they said, creating "a high-quality development that better aligns with the character of the area".Instead of the previously proposed two large buildings, the new design features seven smaller ones, which are lower and take up less space. The blocks would now be between four and six storeys high, with the tallest ones on "less sensitive" parts of the site.The new plans include a new public route through the site, as well as measures to minimise disruption to the environment, including more than 150 new trees being planted.

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UK-wide 2021 census data published for first time
UK-wide 2021 census data published for first time

Western Telegraph

time23 minutes ago

  • Western Telegraph

UK-wide 2021 census data published for first time

Many details from the census have already been released, revealing a wealth of population information about the country's nations, regions and local areas. But a complete picture for the whole of the UK has only now been published. The delay in producing a set of UK-wide statistics is due to the unusual circumstances in which the 2021 survey took place. A census of the population has been held regularly since 1801, typically every 10 years and on the same day across the UK. The 2021 survey was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, however. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the census occurred as planned on March 21 2021. But in Scotland it was postponed for 12 months because of the impact of the pandemic, eventually taking place on March 20 2022. This meant that, unlike for previous censuses, data had not been collected on the same date across the whole of the UK – and therefore Scotland's data was not directly comparable with that for the other nations. A woman completes the 2021 census online (Danny Lawson/PA) To solve this problem, the UK's statistical agencies have come together to create a full set of census numbers with a shared point in time of March 21 2021. Scotland's 2022 census data has been adjusted to create notional estimates for 2021, which have then been combined with the actual 2021 totals for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The three agencies involved – the Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency – describe it as 'a solution that is conceptually simple, pragmatic, and creates numbers for a consistent time point'. The new figures show for the first time how key population trends such as religion, ethnicity and marital status compare in the four parts of the UK. For example, while 80% of the population of Northern Ireland on census day identified as Christian, the equivalent figures for the rest of the country are much lower, at 46% in England, 44% in Wales and 40% in Scotland. Some 17% of people in Northern Ireland said they had no religion, rising to 37% in England, 47% in Wales and 50% in Scotland. The proportion of people identifying as white was highest in Northern Ireland (97%), followed by Wales (94%), Scotland (93%) and England (81%). England has the highest proportion of people identifying as Asian (10%), then Scotland (4%), Wales (3%) and Northern Ireland (2%), while the figures for people identifying as black were 4% for England and 1% for the other three countries. There is less variation in the proportion of people who were married or in a civil partnership on census day, with 44% for Scotland and Wales, 45% for England and 46% for Northern Ireland. The figures for people who are divorced or who have had a civil partnership dissolved range from 6% in Northern Ireland to 10% in Wales, with 8% for Scotland and 9% for England. Census results are used by a range of organisations including governments, councils and businesses, and underpin everything from the calculation of economic growth and unemployment to helping plan schools, health services and transport links. Planning is already under way for the next UK census, which is due to take place in 2031.

We live in town building Britain's NUKES where mysterious ‘explosions' go off – we fear we're targets for war on UK soil
We live in town building Britain's NUKES where mysterious ‘explosions' go off – we fear we're targets for war on UK soil

The Sun

time28 minutes ago

  • The Sun

We live in town building Britain's NUKES where mysterious ‘explosions' go off – we fear we're targets for war on UK soil

TERRIFIED villagers living in the shadow of Britain's top-secret nuclear weapons site say they feel like 'sitting ducks'. Residents in the sleepy village of Aldermaston, Berkshire, have spoken of their fear after hearing "mysterious explosions" from the neighbouring nuclear weapons facility AWE. 16 16 16 Living next to the Automatic Weapons Establishment - where the UK's most powerful bombs are designed - feels like being "on the front line", according to locals. They say their village would be targeted in the event of a nuclear or terrorist attack and have called on the Ministry of Defence to provide them with greater protection. The Sun can exclusively reveal that the state-owned site has agreed to launch a new emergency text alert system after mounting pressure from panicked neighbours. It comes after years of "mystery explosions", blaring sirens, and rumours of hazardous experiments behind the razor-wire fences – just yards from family homes. Business owner Kerry Thomas was one of the first to sign up to the text service that is due to come into operation in the next fortnight. The 45-year-old told The Sun: 'Everyone in the village was sent a letter by AWE telling us they wanted to share more communications with locals residents about what was going on at the site. 'We were invited to join a text service and the plan is that they will keep us posted about anything that is going on there, such as any planned security drills, or unusual events in and around the complex. "I think it is a great idea because it will stop people worrying or speculating every time they hear the sirens going off. "To be fair to AWE, they do seem to want to engage with the local community. 'I know they donate money for public events here in the village and they have hosted regular village hero award ceremonies. 'They have always worked with the village, rather than against it." Kerry admitted the growing global tensions and hostilities raging in the Middle East has made her nervous about hostile forces targeting her home town. Nuclear strikes, secret bunkers for Royals, & massive cyber attacks… how Britain is secretly bracing for war with Russia She said: 'Sure, we are right in the firing line here, but you have got to carry on living your life as best you can. "It was the same when the West was bombing Iraq years ago. 'There was a heightened risk of attack here, but we tried to go out about our lives as normal. 'Despite the extra risk associated with living somewhere like here, it's still a wonderful place to live." Kerry continued: "I have lived with what goes on here all my life, so it's all I know really. "You grow up knowing that if there is ever a nuclear war, we will be among the first to be hit. "We are in the middle of such beautiful countryside, yet really close to Reading and London. "I wouldn't live anywhere else.' She said she understands the need to invest extra billions in our defence capabilities and believes it is "money well spent". She added: "The UK has to keep up-to-date with modern nuclear technology. 16 16 "The way the world is now, it is simply a necessary evil. "We have to be well equipped with the best nuclear weapons in order to protect ourselves. "I wish it wasn't necessary, but in reality it is. "I try not to worry about it anymore and despite what people say about living next to a nuclear site, none of us here glow in the dark.' The government's recently-announced £15bn replacement for Britain's nuclear arsenal is being designed at the site. Earlier this month, Labour's John Healey became the first defence secretary to visit the AWE site since 2018. He told how Labour was making a generational decision to support expensive weapons that he hoped would protect the UK. He said: 'We've got a government recognising that we need to invest now if we're going to be able to maintain our strength of our independent UK nuclear deterrence in the decades to come. Labour's previous leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was heavily opposed to nuclear weapons. Operations have begun to scale up at Aldermaston with the initial phases of work on the new warhead under way. About 1,500 employees have joined AWE in the past year, bringing the total number of workers at the state-owned company to 9,500. Building surveyor Chris Robinson, 65, suggested that the text notifications did not go far enough to safeguard locals. 16 16 He called for the installation of an Israeli style defence shield like the Iron Dome at the 750-acre facility. He said: "I recognise that we need to have a strong nuclear capability because that is the only thing that is going to ensure world peace. "The existence of the concept of mutually assured destruction is ironically what keeps us all safe. "But I would like to see some kind of Iron Dome-style protection for the area because at the moment it feels like we are sitting ducks. "The AWE site would be a prime target for terrorists and we need to be better protected here." He recalled the recent break in at RAF Brize Norton by Palestine Action yobs in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire as he called for greater measures to be put in place. Chris added: 'You only have to look at the break-in down the road last week to see how easy it is for someone who is determined enough to get into these complexes. 'Can you imagine the damage someone could do if they were to get inside the base at AWE with explosives strapped around them? 'I worry that idiotic leaders like Donald Trump are making the world a less and less safe place. "That kind of reinforces the need for all countries to have the best nuclear bombs because that international nuclear deterrent is what keeps us all safe in the end. 'I've never been inside the base but I hate the look of it from the outside. "It has lots of very ugly buildings. It's a shame they don't screen it a bit better with trees. 16 16 16 'It does feel a bit weird that I'm living right next to a nuclear plant, but I guess it's got to be somewhere." Components for Britain's nuclear warhead – known as Holbrook – are designed, tested and built at Aldermaston. The warheads themselves are largely assembled at the nearby Burghfield site, before being transported by road to Coulport, in Scotland. The assembly process is completed there and the Trident missiles, with their British warheads, are loaded on to submarines at nearby Faslane. Aimee Kirkpatrick, 20, who has lived in the village all her life, told how regular practice drills often send the villagers into a frenzy. She explained: 'Almost every week, sirens will go off at the base. "It's very scary for those of us who live here because we never know if it's a practice drill or the real thing. 'If a nuclear bomb is ever going to be dropped on the UK, and I hope to God it never is, I'd much rather be right underneath it when it lands than die painfully over time from the fall-out. 'I accept we live somewhere that's going to be a prime target, but my life is here so I don't want to move away.' Aimee, who works at a local pub while studying for a marketing degree, said many of her friends from school are now apprentices at AWE. She said: 'They love working there because the company is actually a really good employer. "The pay is good and they're learning interesting stuff. 16 16 16 "One of them is involved in nuclear physics, which must be a pretty cool apprenticeship to be doing.' The new nuclear device, called Astraea, will not be ready for deployment until the 2030s or 2040s. It will be designed at Aldermaston, principally using small test explosions, which are then extrapolated by an onsite supercomputer to simulate a nuclear blast. Its explosive power is not yet known, though independent experts think it will probably be more than the 80-100kt Holbrook, and possibly closer to 475kt, a benchmark set by the most powerful US warhead. For comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which killed between 70,000 and 140,000 people (estimates vary widely), was 15kt. 16

B&M's £1 pantry staple will banish flying ants from home – as ‘tens of millions' of insects to swarm UK in just DAYS
B&M's £1 pantry staple will banish flying ants from home – as ‘tens of millions' of insects to swarm UK in just DAYS

The Sun

time43 minutes ago

  • The Sun

B&M's £1 pantry staple will banish flying ants from home – as ‘tens of millions' of insects to swarm UK in just DAYS

THE B&M pantry staple that will keep pests out of your home, as experts warn this year's Flying Ant Day could be one of the biggest in recent years. This handy hack offers a low-cost, toxin free way of keeping the pesky insects away ahead of pest control experts' warnings. 2 Ground pepper can be used to deter ants from your home and is available for £1 at B&M. A study from Vanderbilt University says that ants have 400 smell receptors which allow them not only to smell their immediate surroundings, but also play a role in their communication and navigation. That is why putting down strong scents like pepper can help to deter them, as it will overload their receptors. Cheap trick to keep your home pest free There are a couple of different ways that you can use the pepper deterrent. The easiest is to simply sprinkle it in areas where you typically see ants in your home. However, you can also use it to mix up a makeshift bug spray, offering a cheaper alternative to forking out on insect repellent. By mixing one measure of pepper to ten measures of water you will create a spray which can then be used throughout your home. A Texas A&M University showed that water with pepper is more likely to kill ants than water alone. Where to spray the ingredient in your home However, be careful not to spray it near where your pets might be, as it could cause irritation to their respiratory system or cause an upset stomach. Pest control experts are anti a significant surge in flying ant activity this year, as a result of the ideal combination of altering wet and warm weather. Biggest flying ant day in recent memory This summer's particularly high humidity is perfect for swarming. Experts have suggested that year's Flying Ant Day - the annual mating flight where millions fill the skies in synchronised displays - could be one of the biggest in recent years. Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, told Manchester Evening News: 'While flying ants may disrupt your picnic, barbeque, or pub garden pint, they play a vital role in the ecosystem.' He added: "This natural event, when vast numbers of winged ants, known as alates, take to the skies at once in search of mates from other colonies, could be one of the most prolific for years." Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.

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