Street shopping centre to be demolished for retirement flats
Churchill Living said the development was "in a sustainable location" and would deliver "tangible benefits" to the local community.Planning permission was granted subject to a number of conditions, namely, that construction should begin no later than three years after the decision and the home should be for over-55s only.
Churchill developed the Riverain Lodge retirement apartments in Taunton town centre. It secured planning permission in 2024 to deliver a similar development on a former police station site in Wells.A spokesman for Churchill Living said it was "frustrating" the application had to be decided at appeal despite "overwhelming community support" for the development.They added it was "good news" for people living in and around Street as people moving into retirement housing will "unlock second-hand, family-sized homes" for others. "Retirement housing in town centre settings are shown to bring about increased footfall and expenditure in local shops and businesses," they added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
MP removed from New Zealand parliament in heated debate over Palestinian recognition
New Zealand parliamentarian Chlöe Swarbrick was ordered to leave parliament on Tuesday during a heated debate over the government's response to the conflict in Gaza. An urgent debate was called after the centre-right government said on Monday it was weighing up its position on whether to recognise a Palestinian state. Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would recognise a Palestinian state at a UN conference in September. Swarbrick, who is co-leader of the Green party, said New Zealand was a 'laggard' and an 'outlier' and the lack of decision was appalling, before calling on some government members to support a bill to 'sanction Israel for its war crimes'. The bill was proposed by her party in March and is supported by all opposition parties. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick. Speaker Gerry Brownlee said that statement was 'completely unacceptable' and that she had to withdraw it and apologise. When she refused, Swarbrick was ordered to leave parliament. Brownlee later clarified Swarbrick could return on Wednesday but if she still refused to apologise she would again be removed from parliament. New Zealand has said it will make a decision in September about whether it would recognise Palestine as a state. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been strongly critical of growing international moves to recognise a Palestinian state. 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it,' he said earlier this week. 'This canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful. But it's not going to change our position.' Netanyahu went on to claim Israel was 'actually applying force judiciously, and they know it'. Foreign minister Winston Peters told parliament that over the next month the government would gather information and talk to partners, which would inform cabinet's decision. 'We'll be weighing this decision carefully rather than rushing to judgment,' Peters said. Along with the Green party, opposition parties Labour and Te Pati Maori support recognition of a Palestinian state. Labour parliamentarian Peeni Henare said New Zealand had a history of standing strong on its principles and values and in this case 'was being left behind'.
Sky News
40 minutes ago
- Sky News
Police ordered to consider revealing ethnicity of suspects
Police should consider disclosing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high-profile and sensitive cases, new national guidance says. Coming into force today, it says there must be a policing reason to release the information, such as where there are high levels of disinformation, if it will improve public safety, or if it is significantly in the public interest. A Home Office spokesperson told Sky News they will support the new guidance by authorising the release of relevant accompanying immigration information if appropriate. The change comes after two men charged over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton were reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, sparking protests. Warwickshire Police did not confirm the immigration status, leading to Reform UK accusing them of a cover-up, something the force strongly denied. Responding to the row, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said last week she wanted police to be more transparent, and that new guidance was being worked up. 2:41 How high-profile cases sparked debate When considering what information to release, police must consider contempt of court laws which aim to give defendants a fair trial, as well as media guidance from the College of Policing. Until now, the media guidance said once a suspect has been charged, police can give out information such as their name, date of birth and address. It did not mention anything about ethnicity, nationality, or immigration status. The Southport murders committed by Axel Rudakubana last July led to speculation about his ethnicity and immigration status, fuelling riots in many parts of the country. While the details were not initially released in that case, when a car ploughed into crowds celebrating Liverpool's Premier League win earlier this year, Merseyside Police were quick to say the suspect was a white British man. In the Nuneaton case, Reform leader Nigel Farage said retaining the "basic and sober facts" was "a cover-up that in many ways is reminiscent of what happened after the Southport killings". Warwickshire Police said officers "did not and will not cover up such criminality", and followed national guidance. How will new guidance work? The new guidance says it is at the discretion of the police force to decide whether to release ethnicity and nationality details, and that they must consider the ethical and legal implications. It says it is not the job of police to verify a suspect's immigration status, which rests with the Home Office. The advice has been developed by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, in consultation with the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, the NPCC lead for communications and media, said: "We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain. "We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels. "Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest." 3:31 'A chilling message' The guidance is interim, and will be considered as part of a wider review of the College of Policing's authorised professional practice for media relations later this year. Chief constable Sir Andy Marsh, the college's CEO, said officers will continue to police "without fear or favour". But the guidance is likely to provoke backlash from anti-racism campaigners. Last week, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants warned that revealing ethnicity and migration status would "send a chilling message: that some people are inherently more 'suspect'". 'Public trust requires transparency' A Home Office spokesperson told Sky News they welcome the new guidance, adding: "Public trust requires transparency and consistency from the authorities that serve them." They added: "The public, and police forces themselves, want greater clarity on when, why and how information is released and the legitimate and compelling reasons it may need to be withheld. "The Home Office will support that effort by authorising the release of relevant accompanying immigration information in future cases, where it is appropriate to do so, and where the police have requested it. All cases will of course take account of consultation with the police and CPS. "The government also asked the Law Commission at the end of February to speed up the elements of its review around the law of contempt in relation to what can be said publicly ahead of a trial."
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Small boat migrant 'gives step-by-step guide on how to cross the Channel' on TikTok from his four-star hotel - then urges others to 'risk their life and spend their money' on the illegal journey
An illegal migrant has shared a 'step-by-step guide' on how to cross the Channel on a small boat before telling others to 'spend their' money making the illegal journey. The man shared videos of his journey on TikTok, gaining nearly one million views, as he boasted about entering the UK illegally. Known as Alexandra420, he shared videos of himself on the small boat before live streaming in an asylum hotel. There, he told followers he was in 'the best place' while broadcasting from his free accommodation near Heathrow Airport. Alexandra left Calais at around 4am on Saturday, The Sun reported. He first shared a 13-second clip from the middle of the Channel, which showed a French lifeboat alonsgide which was also full of migrants making the dangerous crossing. In a second clip, he shared a video of himself grinning in an orange jacket and pointing to the sky. He then showed the boat as it was surrounded by huge freight ships, set to the theme tune of US drama Prison Break. It comes as the number of small-boat migrants reaching Britain under Labour passed 50,000. Keir Starmer was slammed for 'incompetence' over the handling of the Channel crisis, with the soaring figure a clear indication of the lack of a plan since he axed the Tories' Rwanda deportation scheme on his first day in power. Former Labour home secretary Jacqui Smith blamed the Tories, claiming: 'What is happening is the result of the last government.' Yesterday, Reform Leader Nigel Farage criticised the Prime Minister on social media. He wrote: 'As I predicted 5 years ago, unless we deport illegal migrants the invasion will be huge. 50,000 since our weak Prime Minister took office and there is no sign of it stopping.' Alexandra was one of more than 400 arrivals on Saturday and was taken in by Border Force officials to be processed in Kent. He was then taken to the four-star Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow, where he started live streaming to his followers. In the stream, he gave viewers a tour of his room, with two single beds and an en suite bathroom. He said: 'This is dedicated to those haters who were happy thinking we either drowned or ended up dead.' Alexandra later claimed the boat he illegally travelled on began to deflate halfway through the journey and would have sank if Border Force officials had not rescued them. He said: 'It was dangerous. Our boat sank. It was punctured. The water came from the inside of the boat. 'On the other side, three people pumped the water. If the British boats hadn't come in an hour, we would have been in trouble.' Despite nearly facing serious danger, he encouraged others to pay the people-smugglers to risk the dangerous crossing. He said: 'I risked my life, I spent my money, I came. Your country is not your mother. 'Those who want to come, this is the best place. Don't be stingy. Your country is not your father, that you are so stingy. Live your life. 'Tell your four friends to come. Why are you so stingy? Being stingy is not good for God. You see, I risked my life! Why don't you come? My wish was to come to this hotel and live. I came here just for this.' He claimed that after being told about the risk of deportation, he told officials 'I will commit suicide. Alexandra finished his video by spinning on his chair and shouting 'welcome to London'. The Government's 'returns deal' with France appears to have done little to deter those determined to get to Britain, with the latest total including more than 1,500 arrivals in the seven days since the 'one in, one out' scheme launched. Official figures revealed there were 474 arrivals on Monday alone, bringing the total since the general election on July 4 last year to 50,271, despite the Prime Minister's promise to 'smash the gangs' behind the trafficking trade. The milestone was passed seven months earlier than under his Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak. Baroness Smith – who is now an education, women and equalities minister under Sir Keir – said: 'It is a completely legitimate claim to say that what is happening is the result of the last government that chose to focus on gimmicks with the Rwanda scheme.' Asked if the crossings were not Labour's fault, she insisted that the Government was taking responsibility now, but added: 'I don't believe it is our fault that it was enabled to take root in the way in which it has done by a government who failed to do what was necessary at that point. 'The last government enabled this hideous criminal activity to really get its roots into Europe. There was a lengthy period at the time in which the criminal gangs... behind this had the opportunity to have this operation set up and really embedded. 'And that's the task that this Government now has – to deconstruct that.' However, her attempt to evade responsibility was met with incredulity. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'The Government has confirmed 50,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel in Labour's short time in power – the worst crisis in our history. 'Labour has surrendered our borders, and the consequences are being felt in our communities, from rising crime to shocking cases of rape and sexual assault by recent arrivals. Labour has scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos, leaving the British people to foot the bill.' Labour scrapped the Tories' Rwanda asylum deal – designed to deter migrants from crossing – as one of its first acts, pledging instead to 'smash the gangs' by boosting law enforcement. However, small boat numbers are soaring, with 27,029 arrivals this year, up by 47 per cent on the same point last year and 67 per cent on the same point in 2023. Since the start of the crisis in 2018, 178,167 migrants have reached Britain, with only about four per cent of them removed. A Home Office spokesperson told The Sun it is unacceptable 'to promote the criminal services of people-traffickers or for social media companies to allow it'. The Home Office has been contacted for further comment.
