Latest news with #HomesEngland
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Contract signed to transform old Northampton bus station site
An agreement has been signed to transform the site of an old bus station that was demolished a decade Greyfriars development in Northampton will include 1,000 homes, an amphitheatre, shops and 25-acre (10.1ha) site also includes two existing car parks, a disused corn exchange, and a derelict office Northamptonshire Council said the deal would "revitalise a long-neglected area of the heart of the town centre". Ever since Northampton's Greyfriars bus station, labelled "the mouth of hell", disappeared in a huge cloud of dust in 2015, the site has been vacant and agreement that has now been signed means work could be starting soon on a project that will, according to the council, "unlock the true potential of Northampton".The signatures on the document are those of the council and ECF which is a joint venture between the government's Homes England agency and private firms Legal & General and "placemakers" Muse. As well as the bus station site, the regeneration area includes the Mayorhold and Victoria Street Car Parks and the traffic islands either side of the bus is also the Corn Exchange, built in 1851, and Belgrave House - a giant 1970s brutalist office the plans, Belgrave House is set to become a "flexible space for established and emergent businesses". The Corn Exchange is likely to be turned into art and performance space, alongside a new amphitheatre on what is now the West Island.A park is included in the plan, occupying the area which is now Lady's plans include affordable, built-to-rent and student accommodation alongside shops, restaurants and leisure council claims 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs will be created during the construction phase and "over £1bn in economic value" will be "unlocked". James Petter, cabinet member for local economy at the Reform UK-controlled council, said: "The regeneration of Greyfriars will not only revitalise a key part of our town centre but also strengthen our local economy, improve connectivity, and create a more inclusive and vibrant place to live, work, and visit."Sir Michael Lyons, who chairs ECF, said: "Entering a development agreement will enable us to take the next important step in the delivery of this important opportunity."He added that both parties would now "move at pace" to deliver a masterplan for the project. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill
More than 5,000 of the rarest and most precious natural habitats in England are at risk of being destroyed under Labour's new planning bill, according to legal analysis of the legislation. Here are just 10 irreplaceable wild places currently or recently imperilled by development that are likely to face renewed threats if the current wildlife protections are torn up by the government's bill. The best site in Britain for the endangered nightingale, Lodge Hill was made a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in 2013. But the following year it was earmarked for 5,000 new homes – the biggest attempt to build on an SSSI in England since the wildlife laws of 1981 came into force. After widespread protests from ecologists and nature charities, Homes England withdrew its plans and said it would develop just 500 houses on the former MoD land, outside the SSSI. The scrubby, song-filled paradise of dense woodland and grassland is renowned for its bat roosts, exceptional reptile population, rare butterflies, flowers and three species of owl. But in an area under huge housing pressure, the site that was once used for bomb disposal training and is classified as 'brownfield' is likely to be targeted for development once more. The mudflats and coastal meadows of Tipner West are an internationally important place for waders such as black-tailed godwit and dunlin, as well as a wealth of intertidal marine life. As part of Portsmouth harbour and the wider Solent, it is home to 30% of Britain's overwintering population of brent geese. The area is protected not only as a SSSI but also a special protection area (SPA) and Ramsar site – the highest tier of protection. However, in 2019, Portsmouth city council proposed a 'super peninsula' on the site – a large-scale land reclamation project for housing that would have destroyed vast swathes of habitat. After 24,000 people objected, the council withdrew that plan but has continued to push for land reclamation and housebuilding that jeopardises vital intertidal habitats. Under current laws, SPAs and Ramsar sites can be built on only if there are 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest' and no feasible alternatives. If building went ahead, the council would also have to create new mudflats and coastal meadows on a significantly greater scale than the area damaged. Such a high bar has never been hurdled by mere housing, and this spring the government rejected the council's request. The council is now exploring how it can continue its development plans. Sources say housing minister Matthew Pennycook is interested in Tipner West being one of the first developments to happen if the planning bill goes through, when the council will be able to pay into a nature restoration fund and no longer obliged to provide alternative habitats nearby. The Humber estuary has almost every conservation protection going – SPA, SAC, SSSI – while also being a major shipping channel. Remarkably, it's also responsible for 20% of all surface drainage in the UK. The habitats regulations have helped protect its natural functioning for decades, ensuring that docks expansions and sea defence projects don't destroy vital mudflats, sand flats and salt marsh for overwintering birds and declining breeding species such as little terns. Spurn Point, Yorkshire's own Land's End, is a hugely popular national nature reserve whose visitors contribute to the local economy. Planning reforms could disrupt the partnership between port, business and housing interests that has enabled economic development alongside wildlife protection. Further south, the similarly important Wash estuary is threatened by a tidal barrage proposal which says it has funding to pursue a development consent order. Thetford, a rapidly growing town of 25,000 with a 5,000-home urban extension under way, is surrounded by SSSIs, special areas of conservation (SACs) and the Brecks SPA. This unique region of sandy heaths and dry grassland is home to 72 species found nowhere else in Britain. It is of European-wide importance for rare plants, invertebrates and birds including curlew, nightjar, woodlark and stone curlew. Rare and declining species here include turtle dove, goshawk, long-eared owl and lesser spotted woodpecker. Birds such as nightjar and woodlark occur at lower densities in areas surrounded by housing, while heaths close to urban areas suffer from increased fire risk, trampling, disturbance by dog walkers, water pollution from dog fouling, and air pollution from road traffic. At the moment, there are protection zones for the stone curlews with no development permitted within 1,500m of a nesting site. Thanks partly to this protection, populations have increased. Under the new planning bill, however, developers can disregard such protections if they pay into a new nature restoration fund. An ecological assessment of Thetford's local plan said 'the proximity of the Breckland European site's boundary to the edge of the town in most directions remains a fundamental issue to overcome' before further homes can be built. A vulnerable wetland SSSI, the Wolborough Fen nature reserve is home to emperor dragonfly, sphagnum moss and 30 species of bird. It sits beside a major development of 1,200 new homes on the edge of Newton Abbot, which is earmarked to take a huge chunk of new homes planned for the region. Devon Wildlife Trust has warned a new road could jeopardise the wetland. A tranche of the development, for 150 homes, was rejected by planners in December because of concerns about damage to the wetland. Police were called in April when residents accused developer Vistry Homes of breaching the restrictions on its planning approvals. Local people blocked the bulldozers digging close to the nature reserve and the council issued a stop notice to halt the work. Kate Van Dike of Wolborough Residents Association and campaign group Newton Says No said: 'There was no feeling of trespass, just a united sense of [people] having the courage of their convictions. 'The residents will continue to highlight unlawful acts by developers and call out any abdication of responsibility from the local planning authority who have a fundamental duty to protect an ancient and precious woodland, a hidden gem that is rare in the UK, with some species that can be found in only a few other sites in Europe.' Just 2.5% of Britain's ancient woodland – land continuously wooded since 1600 – survives. It represents an irreplaceable combination of veteran trees, undisturbed soils, fungal networks and rare flora. Two separate applications by Quinn Estates for 8,400 new homes, a hotel, rubbish tip, relief road and primary and secondary schools are subject to a planning hearing after Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 'called in' proposals hours before they were set to be rejected by Swale borough council last November. According to Kent Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, the plans entail the direct loss of ancient woodland, local wildlife sites and priority habitats including species-rich hedgerows and traditional Kentish orchards. The developments will also place indirect pressure – from pollution and people – on nearby Cromers Wood and Tonge Mill country park. Vulnerable species that would be directly affected include water vole, otter, yellowhammer, corn bunting, grey partridge and the critically endangered turtle dove. More than 700 local people have objected to the plans, which could sail through under the new legislation. Vast swathes of nature-rich heathland have been lost to housing over recent decades, because it is relatively cheap land and easy to build on. The surviving fragments of the Surrey Heaths – including Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath, Ash to Brookwood Heaths and Chobham Common – have historically been protected as SSSIs. They are part of the Thames Basin SPA, protected by the habitats regulations, which seeks to maintain internationally important bird populations of nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler. All of these species nest on or close to the ground and so are highly vulnerable to people-pressure, especially from dog – walkers. Under current planning laws, new homes close to vulnerable wildlife sites must provide suitable natural green space nearby so new residents don't disturb those sites. Under the new bill, developers will be able to pay to create such green spaces further away – potentially in other counties. Even if wildlife sites are not built on, this risks creating more disturbance leading to local extinctions of vulnerable species. Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at the Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Places like the New Forest and the Surrey Heaths could be threatened by development that no longer has to avoid harm to those specific sites. On the Surrey Heaths, the clear impact the development can have is more people walking their dogs which can impact on birds in the area. Plans to hugely expand Southampton's container port and reclaim land on the New Forest side of Southampton Water were first rejected back in 2004. Doubling the capacity of the port would destroy grazing marshes and mudflats that provide nesting for lapwing and winter homes for 50,000 birds such as wigeon and pintail. The area is an SPA and contains several SSSIs, with Dibden Bay designated for its nationally important collection of invertebrates including 21 nationally rare species. The plans for a 1.85km-long deep quay would have destroyed 76 hectares (188 acres) of tidal foreshore designated as of international importance for birds. Associated roads would also threaten the New Forest national park. After being called in by the government, the then transport minister, Tony McNulty, accepted the planning inspector's recommendation to reject the proposals after a 13-month inquiry. In 2023, owners Associated British Ports refused to rule out another attempt to develop the 500-acre site but said any new planning application was 'many years away'. Under the new bill, mitigating for irreparable damage to protected sites caused by major infrastructure would become much simpler, making schemes such as Dibden Bay much more viable. A mosaic of woodlands that is home to a super-colony of rare barbastelle bats, the Wensum Woodlands has long been threatened by a 3.8-mile dual carriageway that would complete a third ring-road around Norwich. A series of connected colonies, including one of more than 105 barbastelles, live either on the route or close to the proposed road. The area is being considered for designation as a SSSI by Natural England, which has previously designated sites with just 20 or 30 colonies. In 2023, the government committed to paying for 80% of the road scheme, but cash-strapped Norfolk county council announced this year that Natural England's advice on the wildlife impacts meant it could not proceed with the £274m road, and withdrew its application. Landowners and developers have strongly pushed for the road, which they say will 'unlock' land for businesses and housing. The planning and infrastructure bill is likely to revive many such 'zombie' road projects. Earlier this year, Keir Starmer claimed that plans for 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet had been stymied by the discovery of the rare distinguished jumping spider, and blocked by Natural England. 'It's nonsense, and we'll stop it,' said the prime minister. In fact, the prime minister was talking nonsense: the vast majority of the 15,000 homes are being built, but 1,300 homes planned for Swanscombe Peninsula have been blocked. The peninsula – a portion of land on the fringe of the Ebbsfleet garden city project – was designated a SSSI by Natural England in 2021 because of its globally important collection of rare invertebrates. Nearly 2,000 species have been found at Swanscombe, making it one of the most biodiverse places in Britain. The existing planning regime has enabled a compromise, with thousands of new homes being built and the relatively modest SSSI protected. Under the planning bill, even SSSIs could be built upon in exchange for developers paying into the nature restoration fund, administered by Natural England which is both the executor and beneficiary of such schemes.
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘All the birdsong in the world in one sound': England's nightingale haven at risk from planning bill
Nightingales don't sing much during the daytime. So when their clear, pure voices rang out from some brambles in Kent on a late spring morning, it felt as if they were campaigning for their home. Their music has charmed writers from Keats to Oscar Wilde. But over the decades, the little brown bird has had its habitat gradually hacked away because the thick brambles it likes to nest in have little use for humans. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ And now one of its most important strongholds is under threat from the Labour government's planning and infrastructure bill. For the best part of a decade, developers have been eying up Lodge Hill in Kent, where more than 100 singing birds are known to live. The derelict army training camp, which is mostly off-limits to the public though there is a footpath through some of the woodland, is prime brownfield, a 10-minute drive from Strood, which is on the high-speed line to London. In 2017, Medway council proposed 5,000 homes for the area, but the plan was shelved after a survey showed that there were 85 singing birds in the bushes. Since the RSPB's efforts at protecting the site, there are now more than 100. Shortly after this, however, Homes England, a government body, proposed 2,000 homes, then 500. For now, the plans are to build just a few homes on the outskirts of the reserve, rather than on it. That is thanks to a designation (granted after years of campaigning by the RSPB) as a site of special scientific interest by Natural England, meaning that the habitat cannot be destroyed. But if Labour's planning bill is passed in its current form, that protection will vanish; developers will be able to pay to create nature somewhere else in the country to gain permission to build here. And that will be a catastrophe for the nightingales. 'Developers say they can just create some more habitat elsewhere, but that really doesn't work for nightingales,' Joseph Beale, an RSPB conservation officer and nightingale expert, says: 'They won't move somewhere else, they'll just go, we will lose them. Nightingales only tend to set up home when they hear others of their species sing. So they'll fly over, and hear another nightingale sing, and know that means the area is good for nightingales. If this area falls silent, it will stop being used by them, and they won't just set up somewhere new. This is a special area – nature has chosen it – let's just protect it.' There are thought to be just 5,500 or so breeding pairs still in the UK, a dramatic decrease of more than 90% in the last 50 years. This grove is uniquely attractive to the birds because of its use by the Ministry of Defence, which means the woodland has been disturbed by heavy machinery and even explosions, leading to a variety of habitats which are heaven for songbirds. Thick brambles give way to ancient woodland and rare grassland, providing nesting and hunting sites as well as tall trees to sing from. 'They like scrub. They like thickets,' Beale says. 'Unfortunately, a lot of that seems to grow up on land that's been left a little while, like brownfield and formerly developed land, and this is exactly what developers like. So they often fall through the cracks of planning, because they live in this sort of habitat that's a little bit undervalued.' When the Guardian joined the RSPB for a walk around the site, the air was thick with birdsong; immediately identifiable were chiffchaffs, blackcaps, woodpeckers, chaffinches and scores of baby blue tits. In the long tunnel of trees and hedges, walking down the footpath felt like being in a high-rise city of songbirds. And – amazingly – we heard four nightingales. Their complex song cuts through all the rest, their voices are so strong and unwavering. 'It's like all the birdsong in the world condensed into one sound,' says Beale. He has heard the bird hundreds of times, but is just as starstruck on each occasion. The nightingale was once common across England, before its homes were demolished. These days, its meagre population has been squeezed into south-east England, unfortunately, the area with the biggest housing pressure. If the bill is passed, the protection of being a Site of Special Scientific Interest will be meaningless. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ 'It essentially undermines that pretty fundamental environmental principle that you should try and avoid the most precious sites first,' Beale says. 'At the moment even before this law is passed, we're fighting to stand still. You know, we're not even saying, can we have more protections? We're trying to save what we already have, which is the remnants of what we used to have. So we are really worried.' Of the suggestion Keir Starmer should come and hear the nightingales, Beale says: 'It would probably do him some good.' Birdsong recorded by photographer Martin Godwin
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill
More than 5,000 of the rarest and most precious natural habitats in England are at risk of being destroyed under Labour's new planning bill, according to legal analysis of the legislation. Here are just 10 irreplaceable wild places currently or recently imperilled by development that are likely to face renewed threats if the current wildlife protections are torn up by the government's bill. The best site in Britain for the endangered nightingale, Lodge Hill was made a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in 2013. But the following year it was earmarked for 5,000 new homes – the biggest attempt to build on an SSSI in England since the wildlife laws of 1981 came into force. After widespread protests from ecologists and nature charities, Homes England withdrew its plans and said it would develop just 500 houses on the former MoD land, outside the SSSI. The scrubby, song-filled paradise of dense woodland and grassland is renowned for its bat roosts, exceptional reptile population, rare butterflies, flowers and three species of owl. But in an area under huge housing pressure, the site that was once used for bomb disposal training and is classified as 'brownfield' is likely to be targeted for development once more. The mudflats and coastal meadows of Tipner West are an internationally important place for waders such as black-tailed godwit and dunlin, as well as a wealth of intertidal marine life. As part of Portsmouth harbour and the wider Solent, it is home to 30% of Britain's overwintering population of brent geese. The area is protected not only as a SSSI but also a special protection area (SPA) and Ramsar site – the highest tier of protection. However, in 2019, Portsmouth city council proposed a 'super peninsula' on the site – a large-scale land reclamation project for housing that would have destroyed vast swathes of habitat. After 24,000 people objected, the council withdrew that plan but has continued to push for land reclamation and housebuilding that jeopardises vital intertidal habitats. Under current laws, SPAs and Ramsar sites can be built on only if there are 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest' and no feasible alternatives. If building went ahead, the council would also have to create new mudflats and coastal meadows on a significantly greater scale than the area damaged. Such a high bar has never been hurdled by mere housing, and this spring the government rejected the council's request. The council is now exploring how it can continue its development plans. Sources say housing minister Matthew Pennycook is interested in Tipner West being one of the first developments to happen if the planning bill goes through, when the council will be able to pay into a nature restoration fund and no longer obliged to provide alternative habitats nearby. The Humber estuary has almost every conservation protection going – SPA, SAC, SSSI – while also being a major shipping channel. Remarkably, it's also responsible for 20% of all surface drainage in the UK. The habitats regulations have helped protect its natural functioning for decades, ensuring that docks expansions and sea defence projects don't destroy vital mudflats, sand flats and salt marsh for overwintering birds and declining breeding species such as little terns. Spurn Point, Yorkshire's own Land's End, is a hugely popular national nature reserve whose visitors contribute to the local economy. Planning reforms could disrupt the partnership between port, business and housing interests that has enabled economic development alongside wildlife protection. Further south, the similarly important Wash estuary is threatened by a tidal barrage proposal which says it has funding to pursue a development consent order. Thetford, a rapidly growing town of 25,000 with a 5,000-home urban extension under way, is surrounded by SSSIs, special areas of conservation (SACs) and the Brecks SPA. This unique region of sandy heaths and dry grassland is home to 72 species found nowhere else in Britain. It is of European-wide importance for rare plants, invertebrates and birds including curlew, nightjar, woodlark and stone curlew. Rare and declining species here include turtle dove, goshawk, long-eared owl and lesser spotted woodpecker. Birds such as nightjar and woodlark occur at lower densities in areas surrounded by housing, while heaths close to urban areas suffer from increased fire risk, trampling, disturbance by dog walkers, water pollution from dog fouling, and air pollution from road traffic. At the moment, there are protection zones for the stone curlews with no development permitted within 1,500m of a nesting site. Thanks partly to this protection, populations have increased. Under the new planning bill, however, developers can disregard such protections if they pay into a new nature restoration fund. An ecological assessment of Thetford's local plan said 'the proximity of the Breckland European site's boundary to the edge of the town in most directions remains a fundamental issue to overcome' before further homes can be built. A vulnerable wetland SSSI, the Wolborough Fen nature reserve is home to emperor dragonfly, sphagnum moss and 30 species of bird. It sits beside a major development of 1,200 new homes on the edge of Newton Abbot, which is earmarked to take a huge chunk of new homes planned for the region. Devon Wildlife Trust has warned a new road could jeopardise the wetland. A tranche of the development, for 150 homes, was rejected by planners in December because of concerns about damage to the wetland. Police were called in April when residents accused developer Vistry Homes of breaching the restrictions on its planning approvals. Local people blocked the bulldozers digging close to the nature reserve and the council issued a stop notice to halt the work. Richard Daws, an independent councillor on Teignbridge council, and one of those who faced down the bulldozers, said: 'There was no feeling of trespass, just a united sense of [people] having the courage of their convictions. 'The residents will continue to highlight unlawful acts by developers and call out any abdication of responsibility from the local planning authority who have a fundamental duty to protect an ancient and precious woodland, a hidden gem that is rare in the UK, with some species that can be found in only a few other sites in Europe.' Just 2.5% of Britain's ancient woodland – land continuously wooded since 1600 – survives. It represents an irreplaceable combination of veteran trees, undisturbed soils, fungal networks and rare flora. Two separate applications by Quinn Estates for 8,400 new homes, a hotel, rubbish tip, relief road and primary and secondary schools are subject to a planning hearing after Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 'called in' proposals hours before they were set to be rejected by Swale borough council last November. According to Kent Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, the plans entail the direct loss of ancient woodland, local wildlife sites and priority habitats including species-rich hedgerows and traditional Kentish orchards. The developments will also place indirect pressure – from pollution and people – on nearby Cromers Wood and Tonge Mill country park. Vulnerable species that would be directly affected include water vole, otter, yellowhammer, corn bunting, grey partridge and the critically endangered turtle dove. More than 700 local people have objected to the plans, which could sail through under the new legislation. Vast swathes of nature-rich heathland have been lost to housing over recent decades, because it is relatively cheap land and easy to build on. The surviving fragments of the Surrey Heaths – including Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath, Ash to Brookwood Heaths and Chobham Common – have historically been protected as SSSIs. They are part of the Thames Basin SPA, protected by the habitats regulations, which seeks to maintain internationally important bird populations of nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler. All of these species nest on or close to the ground and so are highly vulnerable to people-pressure, especially from dog – walkers. Under current planning laws, new homes close to vulnerable wildlife sites must provide suitable natural green space nearby so new residents don't disturb those sites. Under the new bill, developers will be able to pay to create such green spaces further away – potentially in other counties. Even if wildlife sites are not built on, this risks creating more disturbance leading to local extinctions of vulnerable species. Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at the Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Places like the New Forest and the Surrey Heaths could be threatened by development that no longer has to avoid harm to those specific sites. On the Surrey Heaths, the clear impact the development can have is more people walking their dogs which can impact on birds in the area. Plans to hugely expand Southampton's container port and reclaim land on the New Forest side of Southampton Water were first rejected back in 2004. Doubling the capacity of the port would destroy grazing marshes and mudflats that provide nesting for lapwing and winter homes for 50,000 birds such as wigeon and pintail. The area is an SPA and contains several SSSIs, with Dibden Bay designated for its nationally important collection of invertebrates including 21 nationally rare species. The plans for a 1.85km-long deep quay would have destroyed 76 hectares (188 acres) of tidal foreshore designated as of international importance for birds. Associated roads would also threaten the New Forest national park. After being called in by the government, the then transport minister, Tony McNulty, accepted the planning inspector's recommendation to reject the proposals after a 13-month inquiry. In 2023, owners Associated British Ports refused to rule out another attempt to develop the 500-acre site but said any new planning application was 'many years away'. Under the new bill, mitigating for irreparable damage to protected sites caused by major infrastructure would become much simpler, making schemes such as Dibden Bay much more viable. A mosaic of woodlands that is home to a super-colony of rare barbastelle bats, the Wensum Woodlands has long been threatened by a 3.8-mile dual carriageway that would complete a third ring-road around Norwich. A series of connected colonies, including one of more than 105 barbastelles, live either on the route or close to the proposed road. The area is being considered for designation as a SSSI by Natural England, which has previously designated sites with just 20 or 30 colonies. In 2023, the government committed to paying for 80% of the road scheme, but cash-strapped Norfolk county council announced this year that Natural England's advice on the wildlife impacts meant it could not proceed with the £274m road, and withdrew its application. Landowners and developers have strongly pushed for the road, which they say will 'unlock' land for businesses and housing. The planning and infrastructure bill is likely to revive many such 'zombie' road projects. Earlier this year, Keir Starmer claimed that plans for 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet had been stymied by the discovery of the rare distinguished jumping spider, and blocked by Natural England. 'It's nonsense, and we'll stop it,' said the prime minister. In fact, the prime minister was talking nonsense: the vast majority of the 15,000 homes are being built, but 1,300 homes planned for Swanscombe Peninsula have been blocked. The peninsula – a portion of land on the fringe of the Ebbsfleet garden city project – was designated a SSSI by Natural England in 2021 because of its globally important collection of rare invertebrates. Nearly 2,000 species have been found at Swanscombe, making it one of the most biodiverse places in Britain. The existing planning regime has enabled a compromise, with thousands of new homes being built and the relatively modest SSSI protected. Under the planning bill, even SSSIs could be built upon in exchange for developers paying into the nature restoration fund, administered by Natural England which is both the executor and beneficiary of such schemes.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘Bridge to nowhere' costs council £50m
A council has spent £50 million on a 'bridge to nowhere' after running out of money to make the connecting road. Lincolnshire county council has confirmed its latest budget falls short of the estimated cost to complete the planned Spalding Western Relief Road. The bridge, completed last year and crossing over the East Coast Mainline, was built as part of the £110 million project to ease traffic on the A16. But aerial pictures show the route comes to an abrupt stop, and the project will not be finished until at least 2030 because the council cannot afford to complete it sooner. In its 2025-26 budget, the authority has earmarked £27.7 million towards building the southern section of the road, but this falls short of the estimated cost of £50-£60 million. A spokesman for the council said: 'Construction of the north section of the Spalding Western Relief Road was completed in October 2024. 'In the approved 2025-26 council budget, there is currently £27.7 million earmarked towards building the southern section of the road in the future. 'However, the current estimated cost of building this section is between £50-60 million, which means external funding will be needed. 'That is why we are continuing to work closely with South Holland district council to identify funding opportunities, including remaining in touch with Homes England. 'In addition, no funding has yet been allocated or secured for the middle sections of the relief road as these are intended to be built in the long-term.' The council also said the northern section of the relief road had opened up land allocated for housing in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan, an initial 1,100 homes. It also said a new roundabout had already unlocked land for housing on either side of the railway and a significant start had been made on-site, with these homes soon to be added to the available housing stock.
