Latest news with #affordablehomes
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- Business
- BBC News
Stowheath Training Day Training Centre demolition can go ahead
Demolition work to make way for new homes on the site of a former primary school and training centre in Wolverhampton can go ahead, council officials this month plans for 150 affordable homes on the old Loxdale Primary School in Bilston and Stowheath Day Training Centre in East Park were scaled back to 89 after detailed investigations showed the full extent of the ground have now been told they can knock down buildings on the Stowheath site and do not need planning permission for demolition of Wolverhampton Council announced in November it had been awarded £1.4m in government funding to help prepare the two sites for new homes. It has since awarded a near £3m contract to fill mineshafts and clear up the two sites for the housing plans. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Training centre demolition can go ahead
Demolition work to make way for new homes on the site of a former primary school and training centre in Wolverhampton can go ahead, council officials say. Earlier this month plans for 150 affordable homes on the old Loxdale Primary School in Bilston and Stowheath Day Training Centre in East Park were scaled back to 89 after detailed investigations showed the full extent of the ground conditions. Developers have now been told they can knock down buildings on the Stowheath site and do not need planning permission for demolition work. City of Wolverhampton Council announced in November it had been awarded £1.4m in government funding to help prepare the two sites for new homes. It has since awarded a near £3m contract to fill mineshafts and clear up the two sites for the housing plans. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Affordable housing plans scaled back Affordable homes scheme to get £1.4m boost Related internet links City of Wolverhampton Council
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
$1 homes set to change Sydney landscape
The Minns Government has launched a 'pattern book' of pre-approved house designs intended to provide an accelerated pathway for the approval of new low-rise houses. Homes built following the eights designs in the pattern book will only take 10 days to get approval and will bypass much of the council red tape that's contributed to significant housing backlogs. The designs range from terraces, townhouses and manor homes and will cost $1,000 to use, but the NSW government has promised to charge just $1 for those using the designs over the first six months of the program. A media release announcing the designs revealed that these charges will help those building new homes bypass an estimated $20,000 in fees for custom architecture. The announcement follows the launch of an international pattern book design competition in 2024, with the state government endorsing eight designs for families, young people and downsizers. NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister of Planning Spaces Paul Scully revealed that the designs were aimed at accelerating the development of affordable and sustainable housing. Each design will be adaptable for different family sizes and housing needs, including different room formations and layout. The government claimed in the release that this would help create vibrant diverse communities. Each design purchase will come with a complimentary Landscape Pattern to help new homeowners design gardens. 'This Pattern Book is about giving people more choice, faster approvals and affordable, high-quality homes – whether you're a young person trying to get in, a family needing more space, or a downsizer looking to stay close to the community you know,' Mr Minns stated in the release. 'This is a practical step to make the housing system fairer – and make sure NSW remains a place where the next generation can live and thrive.' The delivery of homes through the pattern book is further supported by the Minns Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms aimed to make terraces, townhouses and manor houses broadly permissible across NSW.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Pattern book' house plans could be approved in 10 days
New homes picked from pre-approved designs could be ticked off for construction in 10 days in another bid to accelerate house building in Australia's most expensive market. In what the the NSW government has called its "pattern book" of low-rise designs, eight terrace, townhouse and manor house plans are available and will be heavily subsidised to encourage market activity. It will give people that have been locked out of housing due to rising costs and a planning system that made it too difficult to build homes the chance to live in communities, the government said. Premier Chris Minns has previously declared war on red tape and blamed a sluggish planning system for his state's poor progress on nationally-agreed housing targets. NSW is committed to building 377,000 new homes by July 2029 but data has consistently shown it is on track to fall well short. Master Builders Australia data released in 2024 found the state would come closer to building 300,000 in that timeframe. "For too long, too many people in NSW have been locked out of the housing market by rising costs and a system that made it too hard to build - we're changing that," the premier said. "This Pattern Book is about giving people more choice, faster approvals, and affordable, high-quality homes – whether you're a young person trying to get in, a family needing more space, or a downsizer looking to stay close to the community you know." Planning Minister Paul Scully said the pattern book took the guesswork and delay out of home building, with the pre-approved designs "cost-effective" and "high-quality". The designs will be available for $1000, but heavy government subsidies mean they will cost just $1 per pattern for the first six months. The government estimated the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if developed through an for Sydney planning policy manager Estelle Grech said the plans were proof density can be "both beautiful and attainable". "It isn't an abstract rezoning. It's practical, design-led guidance that shows how you can get more bang from your block, build beautiful homes and help solve Sydney's housing crisis," she said. "While these designs may not appear everywhere overnight and are more likely to be a slow burn, they set a strong benchmark for what's possible when it comes to low-rise development." A NSW Productivity and Equality Commission report released in 2024 made several recommendations to boost housing supply, including zoning well-located areas for higher density and cutting apartment design requirements. One of the government's signature planning policies involves the blanket rezoning of land around metro stations and existing transport hubs for higher-density housing.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Housebuilders' £100m offer after probe ‘definitely looks dodgy', Parliament told
An agreement by seven housebuilders to pay a record £100 million to help fund affordable new homes after an investigation into concerns they shared commercially sensitive information 'definitely looks dodgy', Parliament has been told. Critics at Westminster suggested the developers made the offer to halt the investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) 'into potentially illegal collusion … that could have inflated house prices'. They argued the Government should insist on the watchdog completing its probe. Assurances were also sought that the housebuilders at the centre of the inquiry would not be involved in building the affordable homes funded by the payout, which would see the firms 'simply get their money back'. The CMA announced last week that Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Berkeley Group, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry had offered the payment as part of a package of commitments to address concerns following the investigation, which was launched last year. The settlement, which is set to go into affordable housing programmes across the UK, would be the largest ever secured by the CMA through commitments from firms under investigation. The CMA will now consult on the commitments until July 24 and, if accepted, it will mean the regulator does not need to rule on whether the companies broke competition law. As well as the payment, the housebuilders have agreed legally binding commitments not to share commercially sensitive information with rivals, such as the prices that houses were sold for, except in 'limited circumstances', the CMA said. They also agreed to work with the Home Builders Federation and Homes for Scotland to develop industry-wide guidance on information sharing. The firms have said the offer of voluntary commitments does not mean they admit any wrongdoing. Speaking in the House of Lords, housing minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said: 'The £100 million additional funding proposed for affordable housing will mean more families can benefit from a safe and secure home.' But Liberal Democrat Baroness Thornhill, a vice president of the Local Government Association, said: 'There could be an alternative version to this – major housebuilders pay £100 million to halt the CMA's investigation into potential illegal collusion through the sharing of competitively sensitive information that could have inflated house prices. 'While this settlement might appear a pragmatic, cost-effective solution, would it not be more useful to have some evidence-led answers about whether the business models of the major developers are a significant factor in the slow delivery of housing? 'Therefore, should not the Government insist that the CMA actually completes its investigation, rather than allowing a financial settlement that obscures the fact and definitely looks dodgy?' Responding, Lady Taylor said: 'The CMA is continuing its work on this, and on July 9 it announced that it is consulting on its intention to accept commitments offered by the housebuilders in relation to the investigation. 'That consultation closes on July 25, and I have already set out some of the commitments that the seven companies have made. 'The £100 million payment, the largest secured through commitments from companies under investigation, will be split between affordable housing programmes across all our four nations. 'I hope that will make a significant contribution to delivering the affordable housing we all want to see.' Tory former housing minister Lord Young of Cookham said: 'If the Competition and Markets Authority confirms this £100 million payment for anti-competitive activity, can the minister give an assurance that none of the affordable homes to be built with that money will be built by the volume housebuilders responsible for this activity? Otherwise, they'll simply get their money back.' Lady Taylor said: 'I am sure that the Competition and Markets Authority, as part of its consultation, will be looking at the best way of distributing that money, so it is not just recycled to the people who caused the problem in the first place.' Liberal Democrat Lord Rennard said: 'The one-off payment of £100 million towards affordable housing is only about 3% of the operating profit of the five biggest housebuilders this year. Is this a relatively small penalty for them to pay for anti-competitive practices over many years?' Lady Taylor said: 'This is the biggest settlement ever achieved by the CMA.' She added: 'We have to consider what is appropriate in these circumstances. I am sure the CMA has done that.' A CMA spokesperson said: 'Our year-long study of the housing market found that the complex and unpredictable planning system, together with the limitations of speculative private development, was responsible for the persistent under-delivery of new homes in the UK. 'It was also clear that concerns about sharing of confidential information, while important, were not the main driver of the undersupply of housing. 'The £100 million payment we have secured for affordable housing would provide immediate benefits across the UK, without a lengthy further investigation. 'It is in line with fines levied in similar cases that have taken many years to conclude and comes alongside a set of commitments which fully addresses our competition concerns.' Bellway, which has agreed to pay £13.5 million, said: 'Bellway's offer of commitments does not constitute an admission of any wrongdoing, and the CMA has made no determination as to the existence of any infringement of competition law. 'Bellway welcomes the CMA's consultation on the voluntary commitments and will continue to work constructively with the CMA throughout the process.'
