Paul Bell’s Post

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 Stroud District Council is taking action to ensure tenants of ageing Swedish timber houses have sustainable and energy-efficient homes which are fit for the future. The Council owns more than 5,000 affordable homes for rent, including 21 Swedish timber properties. They were bought by the UK Government from Sweden just after the Second World War as part of the support package provided to address the housing crisis. They were prefabricated and had a design life of 60 years. They require major investment to bring them up to modern energy efficiency and quality standards. The council has to decide on the best solution for the future of these homes, and this includes several options in a review: refurbishment, disposal, or redevelopment. There will be different solutions depending on their condition, repair and improvement costs, location, and ownership. A specialist review in 2015 of homes including Swedish timber framed homes led to refurbishment work on some including external wall insulation and cladding. However, a considerable increase in labour and materials costs means refurbishment will cost more, and maintaining the houses will continue to have a higher cost than traditionally-built houses. Several Swedish timber framed home council tenants are affected by this review and we are talking to them about our review and the potential impact on them. We are also talking to some residents who have bought Swedish timber homes because redevelopment would allow the council to build more affordable homes. "We understand that for some residents, this may be an unsettling time, which is why we have contacted them all individually and will continue talking with them,” said Committee Chair, Councillor Mattie Ross. Committee Vice-Chair, Councillor Lucas Schoemaker added: “A key part of our Council Plan is to provide as many affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient homes as possible, and we want to find the best outcome for the future of these homes and residents.” This programme will be considered twice by elected members of SDC’s Housing Committee, and consultation with tenants, private owners, town and parish councils, and ward councillors is ongoing. Everyone will be kept updated. SDC’s Housing Committee will consider a report at its next meeting on Tuesday, February 6. The Committee is being asked to resolve to approve the preferred option of redevelopment of timber homes in Stinchcombe, Uley and Wotton-under-Edge, subject to a further report to Committee setting out details on the proposed schemes, the financial implications and feedback from further consultation. The full report to the Committee can be read on the council's website and the meeting is open to the public to the public to attend, or watch online, live or recorded: https://lnkd.in/dxMhHnYM

Despite the protestations of some, a piece this week in Housing Today clarifies the new Government's position on 'Beauty': 'Helpfully, if a little unusually, the ministry published a “tracked changes” copy of the original (NPPF) document to demonstrate the extent of the alterations. So, Housing Today has sifted through the polished-up framework, and the associated consultation documents, to find out what is now in and what is out. OUT: ‘Beauty’ and the ‘beautiful’ Some things really stick out when you share “tracked changes”, and one of those is when someone has combed through a whole document to remove every instance of a word. Keir Starmer had been sounding almost Govian in the run-up to the general election, with his talk of building new towns replete with Georgian-style townhouses.  But, when the new NPPF document dropped, one of the starkest amendments was the removal of all references to “beauty” or the “beautiful”, which consequently triggered outrage from some on the (now much depleted) Conservative benches. Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Rayner defended the decision, describing the inclusion of “beauty” in the NPPF as “ridiculous” and “subjective”. She explained: “Beautiful means nothing really, it means one thing to one person and another thing to another […] all that wording was doing was preventing and blocking development and that’s why we think it is too subjective.” My own piece in this august organ from last November, entitled "Notions of 'beauty' should not be too prominent in our planning system" put it that, 'Unfortunately, the ultimately simplistic notion that the planning system can be based on an institutional interpretation of what is beautiful, and what is not, has led inevitably to an utterly meaningless polarisation over the issue. Both I, and the architectural profession which at one time I represented as its [RIBA] president, have been accused of ‘not liking beauty’ and ‘not caring what buildings look like’. For the record, neither I, nor any architect I have ever known can be accused of that! Of course we love beauty – only as one of a number of attributes. More than two millennia ago, the Roman architect and engineer, Vitruvius asserted all buildings should not only manifest beauty (venustas) but also two other attributes: strength (firmitas) and utility, (utilitas). That we should wish for a beautiful built environment is unarguable, but as a premise for decision-making in planning, it is clearly inadequate on its own.'

You can find a full breakdown of the Conservatives' proposals for housing within our latest member briefing.🏡 📣 Read it 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekp_RFfb #GeneralElection #HousingNews

The report emphasizes that local governments alone cannot resolve the housing crisis, and that a systems approach is needed to tackle both the causes and effects of this issue. Read more, here. #CodeCouncil #BuildingSafety365

The law of unintended consequences. When policy is driven by low resolution pop-up announcements to make you look good, there are always unintended consequences https://lnkd.in/g5HnmMdT

Let’s pretend climate change isn’t a real thing. Instead, let’s just look at urban population growth and mobility and, as an example, London: ‘Both national and international migrants have contributed to the city's increasing population over the years. This population growth has influenced the demand for housing, services, and infrastructure, transforming the city's physical landscape.’ London will exceed 10 million inhabitants within the next few years making it classified as a ‘mega-city’. It currently stands at just over 9 million. Whereas the outer suburban areas of cities and towns can expand and sprawl, the centres can’t, restricted by historic capacity. Simply put, we’re cramming more and more people into a very finite space. Surely then, our methods of urban goods and people transport should reflect that increase? ‘Transport Secretary Mark Harper said in the lead press release issued today: “We’re on the side of drivers ... making their lives better, fairer and cheaper, and helping people travel in the way that works best for them.”’ Having already identified that traffic congestion is a major source of pollution and significantly effects quality of life for urban communities, why then encourage it? Resistance to change is easy and people, generally, don’t like it hence the populist pro-car, anti-LTN campaign. The thing is, change is both necessary and inevitable albeit, on a wet and cold March Monday, not very appealing. Policy makers need to either make it appealing or punitive in increasing extremity, it’s one way or the other. The alternative is ultimate gridlock which Mark Harper needs to agree, is neither ‘better, fairer nor cheaper’.

https://lnkd.in/grMBKDGy Title: Stilt-Plus-4 Policy Passed: Ignoring Expert Recommendations for Personal Gain? Description:In a surprising move, policymakers have approved the controversial Stilt-Plus-4 policy, disregarding the recommendations of expert committees. This decision has raised eyebrows and sparked debate over the true motivations behind the policy change. Who stands to benefit, and what are the potential consequences for our community? Join us as we delve into the details of this decision, explore the rejected committee suggestions, and analyze the implications for urban planning and residents. Don't miss out on this critical discussion about the future of our city. 🔴 Subscribe for more updates and in-depth analysis! 🔔 Hit the bell icon to never miss a video! 👍 Like and share to spread the word! #StiltPlus4 #UrbanPlanning #PolicyDebate #CommunityImpact #ExpertRecommendations #PolicyMakers #CityPlanning #UrbanDevelopment #PublicInterest #ControversialDecisions #FutureOfOurCity

'Beauty' is out, council house building measures are absent, but grey belt definitions and mandatory local housing targets are in. Here, Daniel Gayne takes a detailed look at Labour's new National Planning Policy Framework, and assesses the government's chances of success. Excellent explanation of where we are planning policy-wise going into the Summer break #housing #planning 👉 https://lnkd.in/eza_i2uw

Have you read all of the columns to date in the Problems with Housing series, written by the insightful and deeply knowledgeable Scott Pollack and Susan Connelly? If not, these are must-reads as we confront the need to create more housing in our region. Find them all on our website: boston.uli.org 1. The Problems with Housing (https://lnkd.in/eSK3e3UC) 2. We Are Not Who We Used to Be (https://lnkd.in/eMFVzWS3) 3. What Does Community Character Mean Anyway? (https://lnkd.in/guxhXang) 4. Why Multiple, Parallel Regulatory Authorities Makes Housing Really Hard (https://lnkd.in/eWxFZ-wZ) #housing #planning #government

Have a read of this blog from James Singer see his views on what the Government’s priorities for town centres should be #highstreet #planning #policy Lichfields UK