The issue of whether or not Britain should be attempting to build its way out of a recession is the crux of a significant debate in the British media and property industry. In this article, we look at some of the key arguments and give you the opportunity to voice your own opinions.
The response so far has been fantastic; join the debate by having your say at the bottom of the article.
Worthing Surveyor – The withdrawal of one of the six waste disposal sites from a draft waste plan for West Sussex has still left it “soundâ€, the county planning committee was told.
Members heard that land at Decoy Farm,Worthing, had been taken out of the document following an objection from the borough council, which owns the site.
Some objections raised included the negative affect on house prices. Your local surveyor will be able to advise if you are worried about a local development affecting the value of your home. He can be found on either of the links above.
Nottingham Surveyors – A first day on site for a Nottinghamshire labourer near Worksop, ended with the employee hit by a falling excavator bucket. The result was the loss of one eye and part of his scalp, a punctured lung and a two week coma. The case has recently been brought before Mansfield Magistrate’s Court and resulted in 250 hours unpaid work and £300 towards legal costs for the excavator driver.
The case has been referred to the Crown Court for further sentencing of the construction company itself. It highlights the importance of Health and Safety and effective project management. To instruct a qualified professional to manage a project, click here.
Exeter Surveyors – Since 1990, Exeter City Council, working with local registered social landlords and the Homes and Communities Agency, has now brought 1,000 homes back into use.
Integral to the policy has been the Private Sector Leasing Scheme which works with landlords to bring their empty buildings back up to the decent homes standard.
Find a Devon Chartered Surveyor to supervise and advise on home / property refurbishments and extensions here
Brighton and Hove Surveyors – A reported ‘boom’ in employment levels across Sussex has taken place, with super markets and an insurance firm bucking the national trend and creating hundreds jobs through investment.
Asda is creating at least 500 jobs, Sainsbury’s 400 vacancies and Insurance firm Hastings Direct 200 new jobs over the next 12 months. The hope is that this increased level of economic activity will positively affect the local property market.
Now could therefore be the time to buy property in Sussex; beating future house rises. If you wish to invest, get professional advice from a local Chartered Surveyor here.
Manchester Surveyors – Four new residential construction schemes on the fringes of Manchester City Centre could be ‘shovel ready’ as soon as the end of this year, following up to £11m of Government funding through the ‘Get Britain Building Initiative’.
The developments could be a valuable stimulus to Manchester’s property market and wider economy, although some of the designs have not be met with overwhelming support.
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Ashford Surveyors – It has recently been announced that Ashford Council will be one of the first to receive assistance from the Government’s new team of negotiators, tasked with mediating in stalled 106 negotiations. An estimated 1400 construction projects across the country have been moth-balled and this scheme hopes to get them up and running once again.
This could be a valuable stimulus to the economy and to the construction sector in particular. Read our newsletter this month for more information by signing up here.
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Much has been made of the failed construction projects in Ireland and Spain that lie dormant for lack of funding of consumer interest, but the scale of those failures is nothing compared to the huge undertakings that have been left mothballed in China.
Whole theme parks, shopping centres, cities and even a town made to look like old England (cobbled streets and Tudor housing included, in the style of Ashford or Canterbury) are more reminiscent of the tumbleweed occupied ghost towns of the wild west than the thriving hubs they were designed to be.
Read about the many projects that growth orientated China has consigned to the history books here.
Fears are mounting that the planning system will struggle to deliver affordable housing as the government this week proposed allowing developers to tear up planning agreements.
On Monday, the government published plans to make it easier for section 106 deals to be renegotiated to help restart stalled sites, and acknowledged that contributions to affordable housing would be the first casualty.
The Communities and Local Government department maintained that it would deliver more affordable homes in the long term and many market commentators are applauding the moves. Quite simply, any housing is better than no housing and affordable housing has to take a back seat for now in the interest of the wider economy. Of course, a simple economic argument would be that more houses would bring down prices across the board regardless, but opinion is split on the subject.
Read more on the subject here
Portsmouth Surveyors – A £30m plan for a student accomodation tower in the City of Portsmouth, previously put on hold, has now been restarted pending the university’s ability to find a new partner. Original developers Watkin Jones pulled out of the 300ft development, dubbed ‘The Blade’, over planning issues.
Read more here.
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