There is not a lack of houses, premises to convert or sites to build on

"The current slump in house building is the result of a lack of finance, both for homebuyers and house builders, prevalent since the “credit crunch”. The slow-down in planning permissions is the result of a lack of planning applications. There is not a lack of houses, premises to convert or sites to build on. In England, there are around 750,000 empty homes, nearly half of which have been empty for over 6 months, and developers have permission for around 300,000 homes they are not currently building"


So says the Royal Town Planning Institute and that is pretty much what we have been saying for a while too! It is about time someone put some effort into dealing with issues such as empty homes instead of coming up plans for even more development.

11 comments:

  1. In order to maximise the potential £'s per Square meter in and around the centre of Norwich ( Riverside proerties etc.)of course none of these 'brownfield' sites will be used for needy housing,instead, we must be prudent lads, think of the pension 'pots' we have to find for the future when the likes of those 'high-flying' BDC and county planners retire.Think of all those poor unemployed people living in 'Penthouse-suites'.we couldn't possibly have that could we? Cy.Nick

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  2. The trouble is that it is much easier and cheaper for developers and Councils to take another bite out of the "Green Belt".
    It also promotes an illusion of activity which can be promoted as growth when actually it is just more structural debt.

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  3. These figures, or ones very similar, were used by John Redwood in his blog last week.

    http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2011/08/31/empty-homes-and-dear-housing/

    Why is it that his government is still pushing ahead with changes to the planning system that will make it much easier for developers to build what they think we need.

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  4. Interesting reading in the Broadland DC rag delivered today, a whole five pages on how we can help to plan a prosperous future (not sure who for) but not one mention of the NDR? The map does not include the NDR either.
    7000 houses to be built in north east of norwich rising to 10,000 by 2062, in the previous paragraph it is intended by the JCS has set out a plan for 36,000 homes by 2026, so where are all the others going? it seems to be spread between a settlement hierachy of Norwich, Aylsham,Acle,Reepham and Wroxham, and the larger villages.
    I shall let you read the article and form your own opinion but it all seems to shoot itself in the foot imo, unless they are wanting to be seen to go through the requirements of consultation.

    Quote "We want you to work with us to shape how Broadland will look and feel so that it is always a place that people love to call home" who writes this stuff.

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  5. Here we go again, Developers make MORE PROFIT from greenfield sites. This whole thing is about GREED, not people or our countryside. We as residents will need to wake up quickly, perhaps SNUB could call a Public Meeting.

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  6. Please can SNUB call an URGENT PUBLIC MEETING as we are losing our Democracy as well as our countryside fast and these greedy Developers, Planners and Politicians have to STOPPED.
    Our children will never forgive us if we give in to them and allow their quality of life to be destroyed.

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  7. I am not sure what point is being made? Dont the GNDPs 37,000 houses already INCLUDE all the existing planning permissions.

    Of course as many empty houses as possible should be brought back into use but there will always be some empty. The EDP recently published the latest statistics and across Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk there are about 1,500. But based on the plan for 37,000 by 2026 the empty houses are not even one years worth!

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  8. Developers are always on the lookout for more places to build even though they haven't finished or even started on the sites they alredy have.
    landowners are happy to sell out for a quick profit, especially when farming is so poorly paid.
    Out of the blue suddenly appears a DPD for an additional 35 houses in Salhouse. That's in addition to the 17 on the Old Garage site, 9 at Salhouse Hall, 12 Affordable houses on Norwich Road, a development on Hall Lane and who knows how many extra individual builds.
    Already the extra houses being proposed in Salhouse is 80 or more. The assurance that Salhouse would only see up to a mximum of 50 new houses at most over the next 15 years is looking extremely suspect.
    Are we once again being misled by our Councils on the amount of development that is being planned for Salhouse?.
    In the past, the GNDP and Broadland District Council have made plans behind closed doors and then informed us in the eleventh hour to minimise any opposition.

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  9. i am afraid you ARE being mis-led regarding housing allocations for both Salhouse and Rackheath by either interfering 'busy-bodies' or 'magpies in the nest' in the shape of BDC employees,when you are up against an officer led council with a developer partnership, it leads to unspeakable situations where they 'openly' ask for YOU to proposed somebody elses land for developement? Is this a council-led form of NIMBYism? or as I suspect, pure 'greed'!. All this will come-out in the wash and these things do have a nasty habit of coming round and biting them on the proverbial,until then,let's see who is next to fall under the spell of messrs ( meant as sounded not spelt) Proctor and Kirby.old Rackheath resident.

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  10. SNUB are having a public meeting on Thursday 29th September 7pm at Holy Trinity Church Rackheath. Speakers include SNUB, CPRE, Richard Buxton Environmental Lawyers and the Green Party.

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  11. The Daily Telegraph is running a campaign entitled "Hands off our land"
    One of the letters published yesterady from a correspondent in Sheringham quotes Philip Larkin

    And that will be England gone
    The shadows, the meadows, the lanes
    The Guildhalls, the carved choirs.
    There'll be books; it will linger on
    In galleries; but all that remains
    For us will be concrete and tyres

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