Latest news with #greenSpace
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Campaign to stop sale of Bewdley green space for housing
People in a town are trying to raise enough money to buy a piece of land, enjoyed by generations of children to play on, to stop houses being built on acres of green space in Bewdley, Worcestershire, known locally as The Maypole Piece, have been put up for sale and are being marketed as a possible housing in the area say they want to keep it as an open space as most residents who grew up in the area in the 1960s, 70 and 80s have happy memories of playing there as children."We've got to do something to save this wonderful area, it's got so much history," Elaine Passey, one of the campaigners, said. Ms Passey said "hordes" of children would play up there."It was great - back in the day you'd spend all day up there, so many people loved it," she added. "These days, nature is so important for mental health as well - we've got to try and give it back to today's generation of young people." The land used to be owned by the late Major Webb, a former solicitor and wealthy landowner who locals say gave his blessing for it to be used by the public for the area, set between two housing estates, is now in private ownership and is up for sale on estate agents Savills website, with a guide price of £418,000. Denise Eaton, who runs the Old Waggon and Horses pub near the site in Wribbenhall, said: "I used to play there as a child - my siblings did as well. "My mum used to often talk about going up there, they had a big bonfire up there after the war - it means so much to everyone. "Major Webb used to let us play on this ground; we've got to save it and give it back to the people of Wribbenhall and Bewdley." John Frost, who is also involved in the campaign, added: "Everybody around here knows it as The Maypole - the history of this land is remarkable, it was treated as common land and enjoyed by the people. "We want to take it back, if you like, to making it an even better community space." The campaigners have set up a Friends of the Maypole website and a Facebook page where supporters can pledge donations. A spokesperson for Savills said they have had "exceptional levels of interest in the land" since it was put up for sale, with people being invited to make bids by 10 June. The current landowner refused to comment on the sale or the campaign. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
‘Noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple': Adelaide locals revolt over Tesla plan
Adelaide residents have erupted over a proposal to build a Tesla factory on community land in the city's southern suburbs, labelling the plan 'a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires'. Locals were informed by Marion Council in April that selling off Chestnut Court Reserve in favour of the development of a battery factory, servicing facility and vehicle showroom for the Elon Musk-owned company would reap significant financial rewards. The plan, however, was met with fierce opposition over the loss of public green space and tree coverage, and against the increasingly polarising Musk himself. Roughly 90 per cent (897) of the near 1000 responses to Marion Council's community consultation last month opposed the idea. Just 51 people were in favour. Public sentiment toward the world's richest man has grown progressively hostile, driven by his involvement in US politics. In addition to his vocal support for Donald Trump and the hundreds of millions of dollars in funding he contributed to the President's campaign last year, Musk has become an enthusiastic advocate for right-wing parties around the world. His savage cost-cutting measures as head of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has also done him no favours. In response, vandals have targeted Tesla vehicles across the globe, even prompting some owners to disguise their vehicles as other models, or sell them altogether. In Australia, demand for Teslas – once the nation's best-selling electric vehicle brand – has plummeted in recent months. 'Tesla is a horrible business for the City of Marion to even consider providing this land to,' one Marion resident wrote on Facebook, in opposition to the plan. Another described the potential factory as 'a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires'. On a website called 'Trees Not Teslas', community members also warned the facility risks 'bringing protests to the area, gives the community a bad image, and hurts Tonsley's reputation'. City of Marion councillor Sarah Luscombe has urged the council to 'think really carefully' about other options for the state-owned land, which has been closed to the public since 2016 due to heavy contamination. 'If council wants to do more to activate the land then it could be put out to open tender to more local companies who could innovate and do something with the land for conservation biodiversity (and) improve tree canopy,' she told The Advertiser. The proposal is 'unlikely to go ahead' if the council says no to it, Cr Luscombe added. The issue will be discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday. Tesla made more than $5 billion in revenue in Australia last year thanks to a 'remarkable turnaround' in its battery division, amid tanking global sales for its vehicles. Per its report for the 2024 calendar year, filed with the Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC), Tesla Motors Australia's revenue jumped by a third ($1.29 billion) from $3.81bn in 2023 to $5.1bn within 12 months, while profits rose from $39 million to $65m. That profit was in large part due to the sale, installation and operation of its batteries – at both grid and household scale – rather than its cars. Revenue soared nearly five-fold from $580m to $2.55bn between 2023 and 2024, in what Renew Economy described as a 'remarkable turnaround' for Tesla's battery storage arm. It also, for the first time, outpaced Tesla's vehicle sales, which declined from $3.18bn to $2.44bn – a slide that's continued since December. The genesis of Tesla's battery-based profits in Australia lies in a wager Mr Musk made with Aussie tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes a decade ago. At the time, Mr Musk told the Atlassian co-founder Tesla would install a 100-megawatt per hour storage plant, the world's largest lithium battery, in South Australia within a hundred days. Tesla delivered on the promise, prompting Mr Cannon-Brookes to concede he had 'never been more happy to lose a bet'. In late 2024, Tesla sought to find a buyer for the South Australian virtual power plant. That has yet to transpire.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Green space opens in Gainsborough on former Baltic Mill site
A new green space in a Lincolnshire market town has officially opened. The transformation of the former Baltic Mill site in Gainsborough, off Caskgate Street, is part of an £18m regeneration accessible space overlooking the River Trent features a grass area, benches, plants and a pergola with a map of the Lindsey District Council leader Trevor Young said: "It's a place for people to rest, relax and connect with nature - right in the heart of the community." The project is one of six involved in the council's Levelling Up programme - Thriving Gainsborough - to help tackle economic decline in the to Public Health England, greener communities lead to health improvements, particularly among disadvantaged groups. Sally Grindrod-Smith, director of planning, regeneration and communities, called the scheme "an integral part" of the Thriving Gainsborough said: "Access to quality green space is limited in this part of Gainsborough and we wanted to address this as part of a wider programme of improvements in the area." As part of wider plans within the project, a former toilet block in Whitton Gardens is being transformed into a cafe and is expected to be completed by late spring.A four-screen £9m cinema in Market Place is also on course to be open in summer, according to managers. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Peterborough artists support campaign to stop house building
A charity fighting to save its open green space from being turned into a housing development said it had been "blown away" by the community's Green Backyard forms part of a plot on London Road, where Peterborough City Council suggested 48 homes could be built under its draft Local Saturday, more than 600 people attended a community day to campaign against the artist Nathan Murdoch from Street Arts Hire supported the event by painting a mural of a girl trying to stop a bulldozer. The council encouraged residents to take part in a consultation on the proposals and said "the plan is still in draft form". Mr Murdoch was joined by other artists from Angry Pencils and local children who created their own trustee Lewis Vurnam said the "powerful picture" reflected the situation."Pictures speak a thousand words, and this one highlights our situation - It is a poignant one," he said. "On Saturday, it was beautiful to see the community come together for a positive cause."The need for housing is apparent. But with those houses comes the need for infrastructure and green spaces. It is about working with council planners to see how we can keep this place." The organisation, set up in 2009, runs several projects, including the Men Shed, the community payback scheme and community gardening projects for adults and young Danby, who runs Refill Revolution at the site, described it as an "oasis in the middle of the city centre"."It is really sad they want to take this away," she said. "There is hardly any open space in this part of the city. People are horrified it would be turned into houses."We need everyone to comment on the draft plan and share their views on why the Green Backyard is so important for them and why they want to protect it."We understand there needs to be new houses, but this is not the place for it."The council's consultation on its Draft Local Plan runs until 29 May.A council spokesperson said: "At this stage, the plan is still in draft form, so the public's feedback is essential in helping shape later versions. I encourage everyone to have their say." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Once-packed department store loved in 80s is BULLDOZED after collapsing into administration in huge blow to city centre
DISAPPOINTED shoppers waved goodbye to an iconic department store loved in the 80s after it was reduced to rubble. The once thriving Debenhams site, in Cardiff, had stood for nearly 40-years in the local community before being demolished. 6 6 6 Residents were devastated to learn of the historic building's fate after the well-known British chain fell into administration in 2020. All branches were shuttered as the 242-year-old brand collapsed due to mounting financial pressures amid a cost of living crisis. The department store had been sitting abandoned for years before Land Securities (Landsec) submitted plans to bulldoze it. They stated there was a "lack of demand for retail units of this size". Last month the developer was given the go ahead to transform the space into a £17million park to add more green space. Plans for a "vibrant, cultural place" for residents include a water fountain splash pad as well as a stage for local theatre and artists. The square will also have space to hold as markets, food stalls and seasonal events. There are designs for two restaurants and cafes, which are due to be completed along with the rest of the space in 2026. It will enhance urban biodiversity and give a new lease of life to the abandoned site. The approved proposals came after a consolation with 5,000 Cardiff locals. Greggs will raise prices next week in hikes branded a 'theft tax', as Sun reporters again witnessed brazen thefts across UK Research by Landsec showed 75 per cent of residents thought there should be more green space in the area. Helen Morgan, the St David's Cardiff centre director, noted: "The development of a new city square on the former Debenhams site is very exciting for St David's and for the city. "This investment means we can unlock the potential of this currently under-used area and bring life and value back to this part of Cardiff." The park will back Cardiff as the UK's first UNICEF Child Friendly City. This is a campaign dedicated to converting cities into environments where child welfare is a priority. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." It looks to hold cities to the standard of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and UNICEF is working with multiple UK cities to crown them child-friendly. This comes as a once thriving shopping centre ha s become an eerie "ghost mall" with rows of empty shops. Disappointed customers have slammed the iconic Quayside Shopping Mall in Salford Quays, Manchester, for being a "waste of time". They say the outlet centre, plagued by broken doors and lifts, has been left to fall into decline. It's a far cry from the popular mall customers once loved after it first opened in 2001, and continued to thrive throughout the noughties. As reported by the M.E.N, there's now a staggering total of 30 empty units, most of which sit gathering dust on the upper floor. Elsewhere, a beloved shopping centre could be demolished sparking fears the loss would"completely destroy the town centre". Loughborough residents, in Leicestershire, were shocked to hear the heart of their community may be torn down. Carillon Court, on Swan Street, was a once-booming mall in the 90s and has welcomed customers since 1971. But over the years the property has slipped into decline, with a number of vendors shuttering shops inside. However, locals have expressed concerns it could be removed to make way for student accommodation - which they dubbed a "disgrace". This comes as many retailers, both independent and industry giants, continue to struggle. Dozens of shops are set to close across the country before the end of the month in the latest blow to UK high streets. Just a few months in to 2025 and it's already proving to be another tough year for many major brands. Rising living costs - which mean shoppers have less cash to burn - and an increase in online shopping has battered retail in recent years. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." 6 6 6
