
Plans for 300 new homes in Reigate approved
Simon Buckingham, Park Lane Residents Association chairperson, said his group had objected to the plans for more than five years.He said the development suffered from a "woeful inadequacy of local healthcare provision".Details of the layout across the 14.9 hectare site are yet to be determined - but it is expected the tallest buildings could reach up to four stories in height.Savills said the homes would go a considerable way to helping the council meet its housing targets.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I lost £97,000 to a scammer. Before you judge me, here's the unexpected - and tragic - reason I fell for it... and how it changed my life forever: SARAH GRACE
It was the dead of night when I made the devastating discovery. Combing frantically through the flurry of emails I'd received from a financial services company and trying to work out how I had got into such a mess, I suddenly realised the address was slightly different to the one on the website. An email to the legitimate firm that morning confirmed my worst fears; I had lost £97,000 to a gang masquerading as investment brokers.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
IAN WILLIAMS: Ministers blinded by Beijing's cash cannot see their dangerous folly
The warning from America is stark: selling Thames Water, Britain's biggest water and sewage business, to a Chinese company would be a 'national security threat' – or as Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, puts it, 'stupidity on stupidity'. That the Labour government cannot see the dangerous folly of handing China control of the capital's water supply – a necessity for 15 million people – beggar's belief. It is only four months since the Chinese owner of British Steel was accused of trying to sabotage the company's blast furnaces, potentially to undermine UK production and increase reliance on imports from China. There have been multiple warnings about the need for vigilance in the face of industrial scale Chinese cyber espionage as well as influence operations to undermine our democracy. The world is becoming more dangerous – to a large extent because of China's behaviour. Yet ministers seem unable or unwilling to see beyond the cash – seemingly oblivious to the risks that come with inviting China into sensitive corners of the economy. Ministers are reportedly preparing to take struggling Thames Water into temporary public ownership, with Hong Kong-based CK Infrastructure (CKI) a leading contender to then take it over. CKI already has investments in British firms, including UK Power Networks, Northumberland Water and Northern Gas Networks. It also has a 65 per cent stake in UK Rails, which leases rolling stock to Britain's railway companies. Surely this is reason for caution, especially as relations with China deteriorate and Beijing seeks to exert greater control over CKI's parent company, CK Hutchison Holdings (CKH). The US government has raised the alarm over CKH, which controls ports at either end of the Panama Canal, because Washington fears the firm could hand China control of the vital waterway. In March, CKH agreed to sell the ports to an American-led consortium, but the deal has effectively been vetoed by Beijing, which has threatened CKH's business interests in China unless it takes on a partner closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party. CKH is headquartered in Hong Kong, which for a long time was a relatively autonomous place for business, free from the heavy hand of Beijing. No more. Hong Kong is now darkly repressive – as the trial and pending prison sentence of 77-year-old pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, a fierce critic of China, will surely attest. Burner phones and throw-away laptops are commonplace for visiting foreign executives, fearing surveillance. Companies based in the former British colony cannot escape laws that oblige all Chinese firms do the Party's bidding on demand when it comes to issues of 'national security' – an infinitely elastic concept in China. As Beijing deepens its partnership with Russia, underwriting the Ukraine war, and grows increasingly hostile to the West, its 'Trojan horse' investments look dangerous and foolhardy. Selling Thames Water will be the first big test of the Labour government's 'China audit', which was supposed to forge a more coherent policy with this rising power. That followed disastrous decisions to invite firms linked to Beijing into sensitive industries, such as nuclear power and advanced telecoms. They were reversed only after political outcry – and American pressure. Sir Keir Starmer now claims to be trying to balance security concerns against economic opportunities. To sell Thames Water to a Chinese company would show how little he has learned.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as another Cadbury favourite is hit by shrinkflation
Cadbury has sparked fury among shoppers after cutting the number of Brunch bars in a pack just less than a year after a previous bout of shrinkflation by the brand. Multipacks of five oat, raisin and chocolate treats now only have four in the boxes - but are still being flogged for the same average price of £1.50. It means the breakfast bars are essentially 20 per cent worse value. The controversial move comes 11 months after the weight of a bar was reduced from 32g to 28g. Consumers took to social media to rage about the new adjustment. One said: 'Cadbury chocolates are shrinking in size & quality is dropping — paying more for less is not sweet at all.' A second said: 'So you redesign the box of your Cadbury Brunch Bournville Dark Chocolate Cereal Bars and make it all bright and snazzy, but you then shrink the number of bars per box from 5 to 4 and think it's ok to charge the same price for it? Highway robbery!!!' Another said: 'Almost like companies intentionally do that so people have to buy two boxes at a time for their child to get one every day in their lunchbox.' A fourth fumed: 'These companies like to be sneaky and reduce package sizes and change ingredients behind our backs.' Cadbury owner Mondelez has been contacted for comment. It previously said it was 'continuing to experience significantly higher input costs' across its supply chain, according to The Sun. Cury Wurly bars have become one of the latest victims of shrinkflation as multipacks have shrunk from five to four - but the price has remained the same. The shrunk packs of the Cadbury's bar are being sold for £1.40, even though the bigger size cost the same only a few months ago. The change has been blasted by sweet-toothed shoppers online, causing some to vow to never buy the chocolate again due to the sneaky corporate tactic. Packs of Fudge and Freddo have previously gone down from five to four bars, and Dairy Milk Little Bars are reduced from six to four. Meanwhile, bags of Crunchie Rocks, Bitsa Wispa and Oreo Bites have all shrunk from 110g to 100g. However, they are still being sold at major retailers for the same price - £1.75. As well as Cadbury, other notable confectionary brands such as Nestle's KitKat and Terry's Chocolate Orange have suffered from shrinkflation.