Prop-arazzi

Former landfill sites can now be covered with new woodland according to a DCLG funded report has been published today.

Previously there have been fears that tree roots would penetrate the mineral cap placed over the top of closed landfill sites, allowing dangerous gases to escape.  The new research confirms that it is safe to plant certain types of tree on top of the mineral cap without danger of the gases being released.  This is good news for the Government, who can now “create” green spaces on some of the 2,500 landfill sites across the UK.

Perfect spots for an eco town…

63 Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion opposing plans for the creation of an independent panel - the organisation at the very heart of the Planning Bill.

The MPs, led by Clive Betts, are concerned that the planning system will become skewed and (even more) illogical.  The point to the fact that an application for a new football pitch may go to the Secretary of State while a new airport can fly through(!)

With Gordon Brown in serious trouble on all fronts, there is now a concern that something has to give, and the Planning Bill could be an early victim.

London-based commercial property finance and insurance specialist dd2group is to set up in Ireland.

Former Irish rugby international and Jones Lang LaSalle investment agent Paul Wallace (pictured above) is to head business development at its new Dublin office, which will also cover Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile oop north, the Committee for Social Development at the NI Assembly will tomorrow begin it’s enquiry into Town Centre Regeneration in Northern Ireland. They will be taking oral evidence for the next two weeks and will keep you posted as to what they will find.

Just one day after David Lock claimed in the Sunday Times that the Government were planning to crash the planning process for eco-town, Caroline Flint has announced an expert panel of advisors.

The “Eco-Town Challenge Team” is made up of fourteen experts who will lay down the challenge to bidders today and ensure that as well as being eco friendly, all houses are well designed, are sensitive to local surroundings and create homes people want to live in.

The fourteen members of the Eco-Towns Challenge Panel are:

1. John Walker (Chair) - Former Chief Executive, British Urban Regeneration Association. Expert in delivery of large mixed use development

2. Dr Liz Goodwin - Chief Executive, Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP). Expert in use of natural resources and recycling

3. Stephen Hale - Director, Green Alliance. Environment expert

4. Sir Peter Hall - President, Town and Country Planning Association. Expert in urban issues, housing and planning

5. Wayne Hemingway - Founder, Red or Dead. Expert in design and social issues

6. Stephen Joseph - Executive Director, Campaign for Better Transport. Transport expert

7. Nick Mabey - Chief Executive, E3G. Expert in energy issues and economic development

8. Kris Murrin - TV presenter, expert in sustainable transport and children’s issues

9. Sunand Prasad - Royal Institute of British Architects President. Expert in design and architecture

10. Liz Reason - Director, Reasons to Be Cheerful consultancy. Expert in innovative approaches to energy issues and climate change

11. Sue Riddlestone - Director, BioRegional Development Group. Expert in sustainability and sustainable development

12. Joanna Yarrow - TV presenter, green-lifestyle specialist and founder of sustainability company Beyond Green

13. Richard Simmons - Expert in architecture and the built environment.

14. Lynda Addison - Managing Director of Addison & Associates. Transport and planning expert.

Today the Government has published its Green Paper, Preparing Britain for the Future—the Draft Legislative Programme 2008-09, setting out the Government’s plans for legislation in next year’s Parliamentary session. The programme includes the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill.

The Bill aims to create greater opportunities for community and individual empowerment, reform local and regional governance arrangements to promote economic regeneration and continue the Government’s programme of housing reform. The Bill also aims to give all social housing tenants more choice, protection and influence over how their homes are managed; and to empower regional and local bodies to better promote economic development and regeneration. The Bill’s main elements include: extending the powers of the new social housing regulator to apply to local authority landlords; implementing recommendations from the review of sub-national economic development and regeneration to streamline regional governance, integrate Regional Economic and Spatial Strategies and make Regional Development Agencies statutory planning bodies; implementing a proposed new statutory duty on local authorities to assess local economic conditions, and the potential to develop statutory partnerships; implementing recommendations from Lord Sharman’s report to give the Audit Commission a power to appoint an auditor to certain local government entities; and improving the operation of construction contracts.
For more information on this, call Weber Shandwick direct on 020 7067 0341.

Reports have emerged today of more misery for housebuilders with the first significant job losses coming at Redrow following a poor Spring selling preiod.  Blame has been put at the door of falling house prices and increasingly difficult struggle to get a mortgage.

Following hard on the heels of this news, Alliance & Leicester has revealed that it is on target to pull £4 billion of capacity out of the UK mortgage market.  However, there is some good news as the company has raised significant funding since December to cover its agreements.

 Watch this space for news of the upturn!

It seems that Caroline Flint has been caught out today by the media.   Reporters have managed to take a picture of her Cabinet notes and have delighted in sharing them with the world.

The speaking notes, marked confidential, are for her Cabinet appearance today and demonstrate that Government analysts are predicting a 5-10% in house prices this year at best.  Not good news for the public - or for house builders.  

Ms Flint has issued a statement to the effect that the figures are simply a reflection of commercial analysts views, and do not represent the Government’s view.

The Irish Independent reports today that 2,000 new hotel rooms will be planned for Dublin City Centre during the next few years as well as nine new hotels. Five extra floors of bedrooms will be added at the Clarence Hotel on Wellington Quay owned by U2 - Elevation, literally.

According to research by CB Richard Ellis most of these new bedrooms will be located in the north and south Dockland areas. - plenty more room for the increasing number of stag and hen parties taking over the city!