Latest news with #housingdevelopments
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Eccleshall Parish Council to use fighting fund to block builders
Community leaders have agreed to allocate £10,000 to fight plans for large housing developments in a Staffordshire in Eccleshall fear the town could almost double in size over the coming years, with hundreds of new homes earmarked across 10 local councillor described it as an "unprecedented wave of housebuilding" in the town and an online petition against the plans has now received more than 2,700 argue their plans are modest and proportionate to the size of the town, but Eccleshall Parish Council has agreed to appoint a consultant with the £10,000 budget to scrutinise the plans. The authority said it would put forward representations on the major applications. "To me it's an essential thing to do," said councillor Chris Wilkins."We haven't got a hope of dealing with this the way we do it at the moment. They have an answer for everything."We need to go through everything in fine detail so we can put in an objection. A planning consultant is fundamental to our objections."Councillor Ros Langford added she felt it was "money well spent".Representatives from Muller Property Group and planning consultant Walsingham Planning gave a presentation on their plans for three sites across the are proposing 55 homes on land to the south of Shaws Lane, 48 properties on land to the south of Langton Park and west of Newport Road and 65 houses on land to the north of The Burgage. 'A lot of interest' Mark Krassowski, director of Walsingham Planning, said the borough's overall government housing requirement had increased from 358 per year over five years, to 749 per annum, meaning more ready-to-build on sites need to be of the greater number of new properties now required, Mr Krassowski said Stafford borough's current position shows the number of sites available that are ready to be built on will only cover 3.65 years, not the full five years."Eccleshall is a sustainable settlement – it is a key service community within Stafford Borough and it has attracted a lot of developer interest," he said."We believe the sites we have got are modest in size and proportionate to the size of the settlement."They are obvious locations for rounding off of a settlement and they are developable over a short period of time."However, Langford questioned how the overall level of proposed development could be considered sustainable because of a lack infrastructure."We haven't got the resources or infrastructure to deal with what we have already got now. I don't know how you can say it is sustainable," she said. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
RNZ News
02-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
PM wants NZ to get behind development, progress, stem tide of Kiwis leaving for Oz
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses 550 delegates at the annual National Party conference in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Giles Dexter National leader Christopher Luxon has told the party's annual conference that the country needs to "say yes" more. Addressing about 550 delegates, MPs and supporters at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch, Luxon bemoaned "activists" who opposed housing developments, agriculture, cruise ships and mines. "If we're serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can't afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way." Opposition parties have heavily criticised the government for its economic policies and laid the blame at its feet for the 30,000 New Zealanders who moved to Australia last year, but Luxon said the opposition would make it worse. "Take a look at Australia," he said. "If they shut down their mining industry or their energy industry tomorrow, as Labour and the Greens want to do here, I guarantee you would see fewer Kiwis moving across the ditch." Luxon's speech came hot on the heels of an announcement from the United States that it would increase tariffs to 15 percent. Still digesting the announcement and what it would mean for New Zealand exporters, Luxon acknowledged "challenging" global conditions. "We can't just batten down the hatches and hope for the best," he said. Luxon's speech made no mention of National's coalition partners, New Zealand First or ACT, or even the word 'coalition' itself, although deputy Nicola Willis acknowledged the "energy" it took to keep Winston Peters and David Seymour under control. Instead, Luxon's speech was heavy on shoutouts to his National ministers and their policies, and also on blaming the previous government for the cost-of-living struggles New Zealanders currently faced. "In the years to come, immediate action on the cost of living isn't enough," he said. "The last government spent billions of dollars in failed handouts, only to watch inflation roar and the economy falter. "We have to keep our eyes on the prize." Echoing his speech at Monday's post-cabinet press conference, Luxon leaned on the economic policies the government had introduced, such as tax changes, FamilyBoost and the removal of the Auckland Fuel Tax. "We're doing what we can," he said. The speech contained an announcement the government would make it easier to get a concession on Department of Conservation land . "That means more certainty for businesses, less bureaucracy and much faster decisions, so the businesses that should be operating can get up and running." There would still be restrictions on some parts of the DOC estate. "Where it does make sense, we need to get to the 'yes' much faster - instead of being bogged down in process and uncertainty," Luxon said. Charges of $20-40 for foreign visitors to high-volume sites like Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound, and Aoraki Mount Cook were being introduced, but New Zealanders would be exempt from the fees. Party president Sylvia Wood, who was re-elected at the conference, said the party would select candidates for the 2026 election shortly. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
02-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
PM wants NZ to get behind development, progress, stem tide of Kiwis living for Oz
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses 550 delegates at the annual National Party conference in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Giles Dexter National leader Christopher Luxon has told the party's annual conference that the country needs to "say yes" more. Addressing about 550 delegates, MPs and supporters at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch, Luxon bemoaned "activists" who opposed housing developments, agriculture, cruise ships and mines. "If we're serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can't afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way." Opposition parties have heavily criticised the government for its economic policies and laid the blame at its feet for the 30,000 New Zealanders who moved to Australia last year, but Luxon said the opposition would make it worse. "Take a look at Australia," he said. "If they shut down their mining industry or their energy industry tomorrow, as Labour and the Greens want to do here, I guarantee you would see fewer Kiwis moving across the ditch." Luxon's speech came hot on the heels of an announcement from the United States that it would increase tariffs to 15 percent. Still digesting the announcement and what it would mean for New Zealand exporters, Luxon acknowledged "challenging" global conditions. "We can't just batten down the hatches and hope for the best," he said. Luxon's speech made no mention of National's coalition partners, New Zealand First or ACT, or even the word 'coalition' itself, although deputy Nicola Willis acknowledged the "energy" it took to keep Winston Peters and David Seymour under control. Instead, Luxon's speech was heavy on shoutouts to his National ministers and their policies, and also on blaming the previous government for the cost-of-living struggles New Zealanders currently faced. "In the years to come, immediate action on the cost of living isn't enough," he said. "The last government spent billions of dollars in failed handouts, only to watch inflation roar and the economy falter. "We have to keep our eyes on the prize." Echoing his speech at Monday's post-cabinet press conference, Luxon leaned on the economic policies the government had introduced, such as tax changes, FamilyBoost and the removal of the Auckland Fuel Tax. "We're doing what we can," he said. The speech contained an announcement the government would make it easier to get a concession on Department of Conservation land . "That means more certainty for businesses, less bureaucracy and much faster decisions, so the businesses that should be operating can get up and running." There would still be restrictions on some parts of the DOC estate. "Where it does make sense, we need to get to the 'yes' much faster - instead of being bogged down in process and uncertainty," Luxon said. Charges of $20-40 for foreign visitors to high-volume sites like Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound, and Aoraki Mount Cook were being introduced, but New Zealanders would be exempt from the fees. Party president Sylvia Wood, who was re-elected at the conference, said the party would select candidates for the 2026 election shortly. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
27-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Three Gloucestershire community projects to share £800k
Three community projects are set to share more than £800,000 from homebuilding levies in Gloucestershire. Tewkesbury Borough Council is allocating £804,251 to projects in Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester, following a decision made at a joint investment comes from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments collected across the three council areas between January 2019 and February 2025. CIL charges are imposed by local authorities on developers carrying out new building projects to help fund surrounding Richard Stanley, leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said the investment reflected a "strong commitment" to "long-term community wellbeing". The levies are used to address the increased demand on local services and amenities created by new housing and other developments. The first project to receive funds will be the Blackbridge Community Sports Hub in Podsmead, Gloucester. A total of £534,251 will go towards funding phase two of the scheme, with planned improvements to the grass pitches, sustainable drainage, and Sarah Sawyer, cabinet member for planning at Gloucester City Council, said the state-of-the-art facility would "open up many more opportunities, especially for young people". In Tewkesbury, £120,000 will be allocated towards a new footbridge over the River will replace the Legion Footbridge, which closed in April 2020 due to safety final project to benefit will be £150,000 towards the shared waste and recycling depot for Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.
