Latest news with #housingDevelopment
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Hobart's urban growth boundary extended to allow fast-growing areas to continue to expand
Some of the fastest-growing areas near Hobart could double in size after the region's urban growth boundary was extended, allowing for more suburban development. Housing Minister Felix Ellis approved the extension of the boundary by 615 hectares, including areas to the outer north, south and east of the city. The largest extension was 176 hectares to the immediate north of the Glebe Hill housing estate at Rokeby, on Hobart's eastern shore, potentially allowing for more than 3,100 dwellings to be added. The changes also include 166 hectares to the south-east of Sorell, south of the Arthur Highway bypass, for close to another 3,000 dwellings. The urban growth boundary extension allows for greater residential rezoning but is subject to all planning approvals. Mr Ellis said the changes could provide 10,000 additional homes. Other main changes include 73 hectares at Richardsons Road in Sandford, 36 hectares at Brighton Road in Brighton, and 33 hectares on the Channel Highway at Margate. In its submission as part of the process, Clarence City Council was broadly supportive — including of the Rokeby extensions — but had concerns with the Sandford urban growth extension. It was one of two land parcels in the government's list that were identified "through dialogue with a developer", the other being at Mannata Road in nearby Lauderdale, which was also approved. The council's submission, signed by chief executive officer Ian Nelson, described the inclusion of the Sandford land as "opportunistic and not strategically justified". "It does not promote the consolidation of development within a contained area, rather, it encourages unrestrained urban sprawl in a southerly direction on the South Arm Peninsula," the submission reads. The land is subject to overlays for coastal inundation, potential contaminated land, flood-prone hazard, waterway protection and landslip hazard. Nik Masters and Dean Richards also provided a submission "on behalf of the project team" for the potential Sandford development. They described the site as being "thoroughly assessed, with extensive independent reports and modelling already completed" as part of a master plan. "Including 52 Richardsons Road within the [urban growth boundary] would enable short-term housing development on serviced land free from flood or inundation overlays," the submission reads. Under the urban growth boundary changes, Sorell could expect significant additional residential development proposed in the coming decades. The land south of the Arthur Highway bypass is yet to be served by TasWater. Mayor Janet Gatehouse said development in the area was "not going to happen overnight", and she would like to see it progress in a "sustainable, holistic fashion". "Council is trying to manage it in the most holistic way — considering environmental and community interests, and what's best for new residents," she said. Sorell has been promised a Medicare urban care clinic, its public school has recently expanded with room for further expansion, and it has a park-and-ride service for public transport. Cr Gatehouse said these services would assist in the area's continued growth, and she wanted to ensure that Sorell's rural areas could also receive adequate services. Most of the changes to the urban growth boundary were identified as part of a review of the Southern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy, which is ongoing. Clarence City Council described changing the urban growth boundary before this review is finished as "premature". The Greater Hobart Plan, released in 2022, stated that the previous boundary could provide for 34,000 dwellings through infill development to accommodate for the region's estimated population growth over the next 25 years. It did not recommend changes to the urban growth boundary. Other changes to the boundary, approved by Mr Ellis, include 13 hectares at Risdon Vale, 18 hectares at Gagebrook, 24 hectares at Old Beach and a further 31 hectares at Sorell.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Residents lay first bricks on new development in Bushbury
The first bricks in the construction of 99 new energy-efficient council bungalows have been laid by residents and are replacing more than 90 post-war prefabricated homes on the Lincoln Green Estate in Bushbury, a village in Wolverhampton, with 21 properties so far than 30 properties will be built by the summer of 2026 as part of the first phase of the city council has said the new homes would ensure the safety and comfort of residents and deliver "better homes in the long term". All of the old bungalows were declared defective under the 1985 Housing Act due to failing structural elements, leaking and poorly insulated roofs, very poor thermal efficiency, and wet rot in the floor, the council existing tenants will be given the opportunity to move into the new properties, with the remaining new homes being allocated to locals in line with the council's official housing allocations of the ageing bungalows is simultaneously taking place across the estate on Alleston Road, Alleston Walk, Grosvenor Road, Grosvenor Crescent, Lincoln Green, School Lane, and Wood Brookshaw, chair of the Grosvenor Crescent and Lincoln Green Estate Tenants Residents' Association, said: "We're all excited and can't wait to get into our new homes."It's great to see the first bricks getting laid, and the process has been very good generally. We've been updated all the way through."The council's deputy leader and cabinet member for city housing, councillor Steve Evans, said: "This is a major milestone for the project, and it was great to see the residents excited to watch the first bricks being laid for their new homes." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-donkey sanctuary sale could earn council £790k
A former animal sanctuary could fetch Leeds City Council more than three quarters of a million pounds after being put up for auction. Council bosses decided the site, in Eccup, which was formerly run by the Donkey Sanctuary charity and which was closed in August, was surplus to requirements and a sale would raise cash for the authority which must save over £100m this year. An auction site listing said the three-acre (1.2 hectare) property at Swan Lane could raise over £790,000 and the property, which includes an equestrian centre, outdoor arenas, barns and stables, could be redeveloped into housing. The council said an auction sale would be quicker than inviting buyers on the open market. A total of 23 donkeys were re-homed after the charity, which leased the site from Leeds City Council since 1998, said rising costs were behind the closure. Twelve jobs were lost when the Leeds sanctuary closed, along with sites in Manchester, Birmingham and Ivybridge in Devon. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the listing for the former animal sanctuary, which is near Blackhill Lane and Lineham Farm, stated: "This exceptional site comprises an extensive range of buildings surrounded by some spectacular countryside. "The property is set amid the greenbelt in one of the most prestigious locations of West Yorkshire, and is ideally placed to access the vibrant centres of Leeds, Harrogate and York." Pugh Auctions added: "Bramhope village centre, providing a range of local amenities including shops, schools, a public house, sporting and leisure facilities, is close by." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Donkey sanctuary site likely to become housing Donkey sanctuary closure sees 23 animals rehomed Donkey charity facing four centre closures Leeds City Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ex-donkey sanctuary sale could earn Leeds City Council £790k
A former animal sanctuary could fetch Leeds City Council more than three quarters of a million pounds after being put up for bosses decided the site, in Eccup, which was formerly run by the Donkey Sanctuary charity and which was closed in August, was surplus to requirements and a sale would raise cash for the authority which must save over £100m this auction site listing said the three-acre (1.2 hectare) property at Swan Lane could raise over £790,000 and the property, which includes an equestrian centre, outdoor arenas, barns and stables, could be redeveloped into council said an auction sale would be quicker than inviting buyers on the open market. 'Prestigious location' A total of 23 donkeys were re-homed after the charity, which leased the site from Leeds City Council since 1998, said rising costs were behind the jobs were lost when the Leeds sanctuary closed, along with sites in Manchester, Birmingham and Ivybridge in to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the listing for the former animal sanctuary, which is near Blackhill Lane and Lineham Farm, stated: "This exceptional site comprises an extensive range of buildings surrounded by some spectacular countryside."The property is set amid the greenbelt in one of the most prestigious locations of West Yorkshire, and is ideally placed to access the vibrant centres of Leeds, Harrogate and York."Pugh Auctions added: "Bramhope village centre, providing a range of local amenities including shops, schools, a public house, sporting and leisure facilities, is close by." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Planning bill will ‘push public towards Reform': Labour's Chris Hinchliff on standing up for nature
Keir Starmer's planning bill will 'push the public towards Reform', a Labour MP has said as he urges his colleagues to back amendments to the legislation. Chris Hinchliff, MP for North East Hertfordshire, has submitted a package of amendments to the bill, which as it stands, lets developers 'pay cash to trash nature', he said. These will be debated in parliament during the report stage in early June. One of his amendments, to protect chalk streams, was rejected by the government this week. A growing number of backbenchers are becoming concerned and angry about the bill, with Clive Lewis and Terry Jermy among those supporting amendments to strengthen protections for nature. Labour's plan to build 1.5m homes by 2029 will, it believes, be expedited by passing the planning and infrastructure bill, which is at its committee stage in parliament. The government argues that the proposed legislation will speed up housing developments and large infrastructure projects by allowing developers to avoid meeting environmental obligations to protect habitats and species such as barn owls, otters, bats and newts, at the site of their project. Instead they will pay into a central nature restoration fund (NRF) that will be used to create environmental improvement elsewhere. But there is growing concern about the impacts of these plans, with government officials admitting this nature improvement could be carried out in a different county to where a building project is taking place. Pretty much every nature and environment group in England has objected to the bill as it stands. The National Trust, RSPB, and the Wildlife Trusts have said the proposed legislation puts rare habitats at risk and does not give any kind of baseline on which to measure environmental improvement. Hinchliff told the Guardian that these changes meant Labour would be 'fighting communities, kicking and screaming', adding: 'All that will do is push, push the public towards Reform and that politicians aren't interested in what they think and what matters for their local community.' His amendments include changing environmental delivery plans, so environmental improvement is guaranteed before development begins rather than after it finishes; having targets for socially rented home delivery; and giving people the right to appeal decisions on developments they think are harmful to the local area. Hinchliff's proposals have made him unpopular among some commentators. He has been accused of being part of 'hedgehog Hezbollah' and is constantly called a 'nimby' for suggesting amendments to the bill. But he rebuffed such labels, saying: 'No, I don't think I'm a nimby. There are housing developments in my town just around the corner from me that I think are quite sensible. We've got a town in my constituency that is due to double in size, and I'm not opposing that.' Taking on the government like this might make him unpopular, but Hincliff shrugged. 'If it makes me less popular with the government, it makes me less popular with the government,' he said. The bill allows for developers to potentially damage irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and pay for them to be offset with nature elsewhere. But nature experts argue that chalk streams cannot be replaced as they are unique and rare ecosystems that only arise under certain conditions. 'There's a lot of chalk streams in my constituency. They're one of the things that residents really care about and love about the constituency that we live in,' Hinchliff said. 'One the reasons why I tabled that amendment is because some habitats are irreplaceable, and it's important that we protect those from damage, because you can't just give developers the right pay cash to trash nature like that.' That amendment was rejected on Wednesday by the Labour MPs on the parliamentary committee examining the draft law. On the same day, the government admitted in its risk assessment of the bill that there was very little evidence that nature protections blocked developments. Removing these protections on this basis was 'dangerous', Hinchliff said. 'Many habitats are on the brink. Species are on the brink. And if we allow harm and pollution to go ahead on the proviso that in the future, will have a pot of money and will make things better those ecosystems will be functionally dead in many instances, if we're not careful.' He added: 'When I read our manifesto, I took away from that very clear message that we were going to deliver the housing that the country needed in tandem with protecting the environment.' Hinchliff has been alarmed by criticism of the bill by the Office for Environmental Protection and Sir Partha Dasgupta, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Cambridge. Hinchliff said some Labour colleagues had come on board with his campaign, and there could be a sizeable group of rebels: 'It's a hugely political issue that matters to an awful lot of people, and I think my colleagues will feel the heat on this. I've been really pleased with the level of support I've received. I've had a good number of colleagues get back to say that they're willing to support my amendments,' he said. Despite potentially being out of step with the party leadership at present, which has said it backs the 'builders' rather than the 'blockers' and prioritises homes over bats and newts, Hinchliff said he was standing up for traditional Labour values. 'What I'm standing up for is a long and proud tradition of Labour values and that people from across the Labour movement have fought for for generations,' he said. 'Let's not forget, it was the Labour government which created the greenbelt, Labour politicians who created our national parks. These are all Labour traditions, and I'm hoping that I can persuade my party to look closely and seriously at the proposals I've put forward.'
