Latest news with #BNG
Business News Wales
5 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Hugh James Planning Team Marks 'Transformational' Year of Growth
Top 100 UK Law Firm Hugh James is marking a 'significant milestone' in the evolution of its planning practice. Since the appointment of Alex Madden as Partner and head of planning and environmental in July 2024, the planning team has grown in both size and scope. The firm says it now has new clients, complex projects, and key hires under its belt. 'It's been an action-packed 12 months,' Alex said. 'We've supported the firm's commercial property team on standout deals like Rockwool's new manufacturing base at Peddimore and Pobl's land acquisition at Cardiff's Plas Dŵr. We've also facilitated critical conversations around housing delivery in Wales, including a roundtable with Lee Waters MS focused on unlocking social housing.' The team now includes Senior Associate, Hannah Mannion, who specialises in energy and renewables, and soon to be assistant solicitor Ben Bowen who will qualify in September 2025. The team's growth over the past year has significantly boosted their capacity to support the firm's national housebuilder client base across both contentious and non-contentious work, it said. The introduction of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for certain developments, updates to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – including the new 'grey belt' classification – and proposed legislative reforms via the Planning and Infrastructure Bill all signal an increasing demand for commercial planning advice, said the firm. Further changes are in the pipeline, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publishing a working paper proposing reforms to site thresholds in the planning system to better support housing delivery across different types of sites and launching a consultation on proposed reforms to planning committees. Defra is also consulting on BNG implementation for NSIPs and minor, medium and brownfield developments. Alex believes these developments only underscore the importance of having a strong, agile legal team in place. 'Our expansion means we're not just meeting our clients' needs – we're anticipating them,' he said. 'We're now able to offer a cradle-to-grave service that ensures continuity, clarity and strategic input at every stage of a project. That's a win-win for clients new and old.' The team is advising on significant residential schemes in the South West. These include the landmark Selwood Garden Community comprising 1,700 homes, a major mixed-use development of around 400 units at Nailsea within the Green Belt, and a residential-led scheme at Trull delivering 125 new homes. Recent client wins include Wain Estates, Wain Homes, and Land Value Alliances. This strategic growth reflects Hugh James' wider vision for its planning and environmental team, and delivers on the ambitions set out when Alex was first appointed, the firm said. 'We knew that planning and environmental law was becoming a bigger priority for our clients,' said Alex. 'That's why we invested in building a market-leading team, and now we're delivering on that promise.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Environmental rules reviewed for small housebuilders
Environmental rules that force developers in England to improve wildlife habitats could be eased under government plans to make it easier to build homes on smaller sites. The government is reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, under which builders must compensate for the loss of any nature on housing developments. Ministers say they are are considering how costs can be reduced for smaller housebuilders whilst also delivering habitats for wildlife. The proposals are part of a package of housing reforms to be set out by the Labour government on Wednesday. Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner wants to simplify the planning system to speed up house-building on smaller sites. There are plans to ease BNG requirements for minor developments of up to nine homes and give trained planning officers rather than councillors the power to approve them. Ministers have also suggested exempting sites of between 10 and 49 homes from a tax to fund the removal of unsafe cladding. The government said smaller firms had seen their market share shrink since the 1980s, when small- and medium-sized builders delivered 40% of the country's homes. "For decades the status quo has failed them and it's time to level the playing field," Rayner said. "Today we're taking urgent action to make the system simpler, fairer and more cost effective, so smaller housebuilders can play a crucial role in our journey to get Britain building." The Conservatives said they had been pushing the government to do more to support small businesses. Shadow secretary for local government, Kevin Hollinrake, said Labour was "stripping councillors of the right to vote on local planning applications, concreting over green belt and withdrawing support for first-time buyers". He said Rayner would bring "higher taxes and less say over development in your community". Ministers hope these policy changes will help them reach the government's stated aim of building 1.5m new homes in England by 2030. Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) figures released in March suggested housebuilding would fall short of the 1.5 million target, even with planning reforms previously outlined earlier this year. The government argued that further reforms not factored into the OBR forecast would help it reach the number. Last year saw a record low for housing projects granted planning permission in England, with just over 30,000 projects given the go-ahead. The difficulty of hitting the house-building target has brought the impact of BNG into sharper focus. BNG became a mandatory part of the planning system in England in February as part of the 2021 Environment Act. It means sites have to be assessed and housing developers must commit to delivering a 10% net improvement in biodiversity that lasts over a 30-year period. Last month, the Home Builders Federation said the BNG had placed a "disproportionate burden on small and medium-sized home builders". "The home-building industry has embraced BNG and is committed to both increasing housing supply and protecting and enhancing our natural environment," Neil Jefferson, chief executive at the Home Builders Federation, said. "However, if we are to increase supply alongside these new requirements it is vital to address emerging barriers to implementation, such as the insufficient resourcing of local authorities, shortage of ecologists, and inadequate national guidance." But the Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of conservation groups, urged the government not to "turn back the clock to the days of damaging development". Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: "Exempting small sites would mean almost three-quarters of developments face no requirement to compensate for nature loss - let alone enhance it. "These changes could leave the Biodiversity Net Gain system dead in the water and, with it, the government's main guarantee of nature-positive planning." The government is launching a consultation reviewing BNG and alongside this, is investing £100m in loans to help smaller house-building firms. Environmental building rules 'a challenge' Government to fall short of housing target, figures suggest New rules may take unfinished housing sites off developers
TECHx
20-05-2025
- Business
- TECHx
Nokia, Reflex Expand Broadband Reach in South Africa
Home » Africa » Nokia, Reflex Expand Broadband Reach in South Africa Nokia has announced a new collaboration with Reflex to improve broadband access and quality across South Africa. The deployment aims to deliver faster and more reliable connectivity through a wider network of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Reflex is expanding its network to accommodate more subscribers while lowering operational costs. The company is also reducing energy usage and space requirements. This development is part of a broader strategy to modernize and scale Reflex's infrastructure. Nokia revealed that Reflex will deploy its advanced Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) solution. This upgrade uses the Nokia 7750 Service Router (SR-1) platform, enabling faster ISP onboarding and a better broadband experience for users across the country. According to the announcement, Reflex's network will now benefit from: More efficient use of space and power Future-ready infrastructure for continued expansion South Africa is experiencing rising demand for high-speed broadband, especially due to increasing digital adoption in both urban and rural areas. However, many regions remain underserved. Nokia reported that replacing Reflex's legacy BNGs with its scalable solution will help bridge the digital divide. The upgrade will empower ISPs to extend services to more communities nationwide. The company emphasized the role of scalable and sustainable networks in supporting South Africa's evolving connectivity needs. Toni Pellegrino, Managing Director for South Africa and Head of Network Infrastructure for Southern and Eastern Africa at Nokia, stated that neutral host models are key to solving connectivity challenges. He said that Reflex can now onboard multiple ISPs and subscribers with less equipment, reduced energy use, and lower upfront investment. This shift supports a more inclusive and sustainable digital future. Charles Castle, Commercial & Sales Executive at Reflex Carrier Solutions, highlighted the company's commitment to a carrier-grade Tier 1 network. He added that Reflex, as a value-added Nokia reseller, trusts Nokia's technology enough to deploy it in its own core network. Castle explained that by integrating Nokia's 7750 SR-1 and Carrier-Grade NAT, Reflex adds capacity and intelligence while cutting complexity, space, and power needs. He stated the result is a secure, scalable platform with high-speed performance and consistent uptime. ISPs using Reflex's VISP offering can now launch new services within days instead of months. Reflex's deployment of Nokia's technology is set to optimize operations and expand broadband reach across South Africa. The move supports a more inclusive digital economy and strengthens connectivity nationwide.
BBC News
16-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sunderland dog walking field plans dismissed at appeal
Plans for a bookable dog walking field have been thrown out at appeal over biodiversity in August 2024, Sunderland City Council refused an application to change the agricultural land off Back Lane, near Penshaw Monument in Sunderland, into a "secure dog walking field".Council officers had ruled the plans would "constitute inappropriate development within the green belt", and the applicant subsequently lodged an planning inspector did not agree with council planners on green belt issues but said proposals would not "suitably" maintain a government-mandated "biodiversity net gain". Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a policy which aims to create and improve natural requires developers to "make sure development has a measurably positive impact on biodiversity, compared to what was there before," the Local Democracy Reporting Service planning inspector said even if the applicant had created new habitats, the continued use of the area by dogs and their owners would mean BNG would not be maintained over appeal decision report continued: "The proposal would fail to demonstrate that the necessary BNG could be suitably maintained." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Ilkley Moor habitat bank launched to boost nature recovery
An area of land on the edge of Ilkley Moor will become a "habitat bank" to conserve wildlife and attract new 140-acre Keighley Habitat Bank, between Silsden and Riddlesden, will restore fields previously used for sheep grazing to their natural state - with meadows, scrub and woodland. The project is being run by Environment Bank, which sells land to developers to offset the environmental impact of their construction said it hopes to create new habitats that support a variety of species found in the local moorland, including otters and badgers as well as nesting birds like curlew, cuckoo, lapwing, and grey partridge. Two areas of mature Scots pine woodland within the habitat bank will be improved to encourage greater ecological connectivity across the will be managed using sustainable, low-intensity grazing techniques with sheep and cattle, mirroring traditional land stewardship practices, Environment Bank said. Part of the habitat bank sits within flood zones along Holden Beck, providing an opportunity to enhance natural flood mitigation in the area, it added. Cameron Chester, the senior ecologist leading on Keighley Habitat Bank, said: "This is a really great site located at the edge of the beautiful Ilkley Moor. There are some really ecologically valuable habitats here already, including upland fen and waxcap grassland, and the opportunity to enhance those and the site as a whole is really exciting."Last year, biodiversity offsetting was introduced into the planning process across gain planning permission, developers must demonstrate a 10% net gain in biodiversity. This has led to schemes such as Environment project is designed to support both organisations that need to meet a statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement and those who want to contribute voluntarily. The Keighley Habitat Bank is one of almost 40 BNG sites from Environment Bank's national network, created and managed by its team of ecologists in partnership with rural is due to be added to the national biodiversity gain sites register in September. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
