Keegans’ Post

On Tuesday, June 18, the Hilton Head Island Town Council voted to approve a Workforce Housing Development Agreement for an 11-acre tract of Town-owned land at Northpoint Circle. This decision followed a comprehensive analysis and legal review by the Town Council, Town Manager, Town staff, and the Town’s Northpoint Public-Private Partnership Housing Advisory Committee. This marks a critical step toward creating a sustainable workforce housing neighborhood on Hilton Head Island. The Northpoint project reflects a public-private partnership in which the Town provides a 65-year ground lease, funds to support eligible project costs with contributions secured from the American Rescue Plan Fund, affordability covenants to maintain a workforce neighborhood in perpetuity, zoning entitlements, long-term programming support, and project vision. The Town’s development partner, OneStreet Residential, is responsible for design, permitting, financing, project management, construction, lease-up, property management, and long-term resident programming. Over the coming months, OneStreet Residential will collaborate closely with Town leadership to finalize the next steps in the planning process, with construction targeted to commence in the fall of 2025. Construction is anticipated to last 18 months, with the first units being available to rent in late 2026. To view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), visit: https://lnkd.in/g2fFe-TD Read the full news release for more details: https://lnkd.in/gz6dD9ey #Vision #Planning #Partnerships #Investment #TownofHHI #WorkforceHousing

Small sites matter. Now more than ever.   The majority of London’s Affordable Housing grant programme is made up of small sites. However, far too many of these are delayed or abandoned when decisions are rushed without the relevant site information. Why is a significant amount of due diligence left until it’s too late?   I’m thrilled to have worked with London Borough of Camden ambitious small sites programme, spearheaded by Clodagh McCallig, to ensure new homes are coming forward on the right sites, at the right time and with the right partners. It’s great that the Planning and Placemaking Awards acknowledge the significance of this work too.   Throughout my career I’ve championed these ugly ducklings of the development world. I beleive that the Inner Circle Consulting Small Sites Toolkit will empower councils and public landowners to accurately and methodically diagnose the risk and potential of their land to accelerate delivery and create a better future for their residents.   Small sites are difficult but understand how to make them easier. If you’d like to know more, drop me or Spencer Wicks a line. #smallsites #ukhousing #development #planning

In Monaghan County Council (Ireland) we have a proud record on housing delivery and we are on track to complete over 100 new homes in 2024 to help meet social housing demand in the county, and our completions will almost double the housing targets set for the Council by Government this year. Between 2025 and 2026 we expect to construct over 300 new social and affordable homes, part of a pipeline of over 30 projects being developed by the Council. We are accelerating our housing delivery programme by focusing on collaboration and partnerships, particularly around the following two major elements: (1) Streamlining our procurement approach, through the adoption of design and build forms of contract to help promote innovation across design and construction. (2) Embracing modern methods of construction to optimise the use of off-site manufacturing materials, techniques and processes to increase the pace and scale of housing completions. One of our most significant housing projects is in Annyalla and relates to the provision of 30 No. 2, 3 and 4-bed high quality, A-rated homes this year. 20 of the homes have already been completed with new tenants due to move in shortly and the remaining 10 houses scheduled for completion in August this year. Between 2024 and 2026 the Council expects to spend around €150 million providing new social and affordable homes for people in Monaghan. We take a holistic approach to housing and community development in Monaghan County Council so that we ensure we provide both sustainable housing and sustainable communities. #MonaghanHousing #SustainableHousing #SustainableCommunities #ModernMethodsOfConstruction #MoretoMonaghan

At Eden Planning & Development Ltd we have been supporting our clients across the Greater Manchester working within the new policy context of Places for Everyone. We have been following closely how each authority has embraced (or not) the new policies. For those with live applications, land interests or otherwise in Oldham the policy context may be shifting again. Oldham Council are looking to revoke Places for Everyone and will be discussing this at a Council meeting on 10th July 2024. The link to the detailed agenda is below and i have copied a summary of key concerns and actions. https://lnkd.in/eymuJTp2 Council concerns:  Places for Everyone is based on ‘housing need’ calculations which are already the better part of a decade old. Places for Everyone does not give guarantees with regards to the delivery of affordable and socially rented homes. ‘Places for Everyone’ represents a developer-led approach. It would see the irreparable loss of Green Belt sites and green spaces which is not necessary. It uses Green Belt for the delivery of a housing strategy focused solely on developer profit. It does not deliver the right mix of affordable housing types and tenures in the places people want to live. We also believe the Adoption Statement for the Plan presented at the last Full Council meeting in March 2024 was misleading by implying that all the main modifications had been consulted on. This was not the case, as none of the main modifications related to HS2 have been consulted upon. This council resolves to: 1. Request the new Secretary of State to revoke the Plan ‘Places for Everyone’ in the interest of all Oldham’s residents, businesses and other stake holders for the reasons stated above.   2. In order for Council to consider this decision at its next meeting in September, the relevant council officers are requested to present a full report on the planning, legal, equalities and all other considerations of such a revocation. 3. Should the request be approved Oldham Council’ withdraw engagement and support for the defence of the judicial review of ‘Places for Everyone’. 4. Should the Plan be revoked the Green Belt boundaries should be restored to their pre-adoption state. 5. If the Plan is revoked develop an Oldham-led housing strategy that prioritises brownfield and ex-industrial sites, while protecting greenbelt and green spaces for future generations. #placesforeveryone #oldham #planning

We’re really pleased to be part of the London Homes Coalition which has launched a new report ‘Building Skills for the Future’.   Based on a first-of-its-kind analysis of the consolidated asset management and new build programmes of the housing associations in the Coalition, the report reveals a critical labour and skills shortage that threatens the maintenance, retrofit and provision of social and affordable housing in the capital. It also provides three strategic solutions to address this crucial challenge.    We need to act now and work together with the Government, industry leaders, and education providers to future-proof London’s social housing sector, ensuring the provision of high-quality affordable housing for its residents.   We welcome the new Government’s commitment to promoting workforce and training plans for the construction sector and scaling up social and affordable housebuilding across the country. We hope this report provides a strategic direction for future policies and we want to work together to achieve these targets.   Our work does not stop here. This is only the first step of a long-term collaborative effort, and we want to bring more committed organisations to this initiative to help us turn these recommendations into reality! Check out the report here https://lnkd.in/gTj8DXec #ukhousing #socialhousing

A number of Council's in the North West are now starting to undertake evidence base and initial consultation work on their new Local Plan plans. Liverpool City Council has today announced that it will shortly start consultation on a number of planning documents and evidence studies: - Housing Needs and Employment Land Needs Studies, expected between March and June 2024; - Scoping consultation on the new Local Plan, expected between April and June 2024; - Housing Design Guide SPD, consultation has now commenced - Water Front Strategy SPD, Historic Environment SPD and Biodiversity SPD, expected in April 2024. Cheshire East Council is also taking a paper to its Environment and Communities Committee on 11 March recommending that initial consultation on its new Local Plan takes place between March and June 2024. The committee papers indicate that this will also include a Call for Sites and a Settlement Hierarchy paper. There will therefore be opportunity to promote sites for development and influence the settlement hierarchy. For those with sites in the north of the borough, the Settlement Hierarchy Paper may be of particular interest. As anyone involved in the Examination of Cheshire East's current plan will remember, attempts by developers to increase the distribution of housing numbers to the north of the borough didn't gain traction with the Inspector. With HS2 no longer coming to Crewe, there may be opportunities through the new Local Plan to push for a higher housing distribution to the north of the borough, including by influencing the settlement hierarchy. Please get in touch if you would like any assistance in promoting any interests in Liverpool or Cheshire East. #planning #planningpolicy #localplans #liverpool #cheshireeast

📚 I was explaining this concept to my 8 year old yesterday and he gets it... ❓ I am puzzled why so many in the industry still refuse to understand this... 💹 The Laffer Curve in Economics is a simple idea about taxes and money. My explanation: 🍋 Imagine you are running a lemonade stand and you have to pay a part of your earnings as taxes. At 0% tax: You keep all the money you make, but the government doesn’t get anything. At 100% tax: The government takes everything, so you wouldn’t bother working, and again, the government gets nothing. The Laffer Curve shows that there is a "sweet spot" somewhere in the middle where taxes are not too high or too low. At that spot, people still want to work and earn money, and the government collects the most taxes. The tax rate has to be just right to get the best result! At 60% AH development simply does not stack up, nothing gets built and government gets 60%... of nothing... 🧠 Conclusion below is spot on "A lower percentage of something is better than a higher percentage of nothing..."

The Government is going to fail and fail badly on its housebuilding pledges if more councils adopt Newham's approach to private development - the council has set a 60% Affordable Housing target for new residential development, despite its own evidence showing this policy will mean lots of homes will no longer get built across the borough as the sums won't stack up. https://lnkd.in/eK9enpyj https://lnkd.in/eWc_jPbZ In Birmingham, the council has pragmatically taken the opposite approach, reducing their Affordable Housing target on brownfield sites from 35% to 20-25% so that homes - Affordable and private - actually get built over the next few years. https://lnkd.in/eskNQRu7 A lower percentage of something is better than a higher percentage of nothing...

As newly elected councillors are sworn into office, the focus turns to delivering on the mandate given to them by the community. However, this term brings with it an immense challenge. Southeast Queensland (SEQ) is expected to experience exponential population growth by 2046, with the Gold Coast alone needing to accommodate between 388,300 more people and 161,700 new dwellings. To achieve this, SEQ councils will have to adopt a mix of housing typologies, including increased infill development, more medium-high density, and some new land release. Although infill and density may present the biggest challenge, we must work with the community to meet this demand through a variety of housing types and choices, rather than just assuming that density is only about constructing large towers. It is far more nuanced than that. We see our colleagues in NSW grappling with this immense challenge too, and they are leaning into it, particularly around transport orientated developments. 🗞️ I penned a short piece in the Gold Coast Bulletin this weekend. You can check it out here if you have a news subscription or message me for a copy: https://lnkd.in/g3_WdY3E We’re going to have to work together to make sure we meet the current and future needs of our growing community through a mix of density, housing types and well designed places 🤝 🏡 Q Shelter CHIA Queensland Council of Mayors (SEQ) Local Government Association of Queensland Planning Institute of Australia Property Council of Australia Queensland Master Builders Queensland UDIA Queensland YIMBY Qld Strata Community Association (Qld) Australian Institute of Architects Urbis Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works Department of State Development and Infrastructure Economic Development Queensland #SEQ #populationgrowth #housingtypes #communityengagement #densitydonewell #infilldevelopment #mediumrise #homematters #bettertogether #goldcoast #queensland

🔨 Exciting developments in South Queensferry! CALA Homes (East) and Manor Estates Housing Association (MEHA) have kicked off phase two of their ambitious affordable housing project, aiming to add 25 social rent homes to Queensferry Heights. A remarkable £4.3 million investment, this initiative is backed by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government’s affordable housing programme. 🏘️ Key Details: - Completion anticipated by Q1 2026 - 25 new homes: 15 apartments (one- and two-bedroom) + 10 terraced houses (three-bedroom) - Builds on 19 homes from phase one, totalling 44 affordable homes This project underscores the need for affordable, high-quality housing in thriving communities, addressing supply shortages and providing warm, efficient homes. It highlights the power of public-private partnerships in tackling housing crises. As industry professionals, how can we further enhance collaboration to meet similar housing demands across the UK? Engage below to share your thoughts and collaborate for a better future. #HousingDevelopment #AffordableLiving #SouthQueensferry #Collaboration #CommunityGrowth #RatioSeven To explore more, visit: https://ww-m.link/rdbvn3