Marketing No Comments

Developers believe 19 parking spaces will be enough for 71 new flats in Tonbridge town centre

Plans to build 71 new flats with just 19 parking spaces in the centre of Tonbridge have been unveiled.

F Estates, which specialises in affordable rented property development, wants to extend the existing block at The Bank House on Medway Wharf Road.

But some residents have come out against the plans saying the “overcrowding” would “ruin” the riverside area with bedsits.

The five-storey building would incorporate 71 rented studio flats which, when added to the existing 64, would mean a total of 135 on site. The parking provision would increase from 52 to 71 spaces.

A similar scheme for 72 flats on the plot was thrown out by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council in September on the grounds of overdevelopment.

But in a statement to the council, planning consultants Barton Willmore claimed previous concerns had been addressed.

It said: “The proposed development seeks to provide a high-quality living environment, extending the successful conversion of the existing Bank House building undertaken by the applicant.

“The proposals would provide much needed new homes – of a particular type and nature identified as being locally deficient – assisting with the council’s undersupply of five-year housing land supply.”

An artist’s impression of the rear of the site

The statement adds 40 per cent of the flats would be affordable homes let out at 80 per cent of market rate.

Objections

Despite the assurances, the plans are courting controversy locally with residents citing over-development, a lack of parking spaces and fears the building would block out neighbouring properties’ sunlight.

One objector, whose name has been redacted from planning documents but lives in nearby Cannons Wharf Road, said: “I am shocked and disappointed that the same company that wishes to build a 14-storey building down our road now wishes to double the size of an existing building and again not provide adequate parking. The additional traffic will burden a local infrastructure already under strain.

“It is unrealistic to assume that in this age of mass car ownership that the people who move into the proposed extension will either want or be able to rely on local bus services, so the question remain, where will these people park?”

Another, a serving police officer, feared the development could “ruin” life for existing residents, adding: “I object to this quite simply due to overcrowding. I work as a police officer in the Met and often see how disruptive a block of flats of this scale in an already busy area can be, often ruining many residents’ lives to the point they will move.”

Source: Kent Live

sky 3094779 960 720
Marketing No Comments

Housebuilder plans to build 2,800 homes across Yorkshire during 2018

A housebuilder has announced plans to open 19 new sites across the Yorkshire region in 2018, creating 2,800 new homes and over 1,000 associated jobs.

Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, which includes the David Wilson Homes brand, said sites will be in Leeds, Barnsley and Huddersfield. New employment will be in construction trades such as bricklayers, electricians and landscapers, through to head office support roles.

In the 2016/17 financial year Barratt Developments supported 610 sub-contractor companies and 370 supplier companies. The company intends to continue to support the local environments in which it builds. During 2017, more than 3,110 trees or shrubs were planted or retained on developments and 19.2ha of green space was created through public open spaces or private gardens, equivalent to 759 tennis courts.

The housebuilder recycled 95 per cent of its construction waste. Ian Ruthven, managing director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, said: “We’re delighted to continue contributing to the regional economy through local jobs for local people across our 19 new sites.

“We’re committed to investing in and supporting tradesmen across the region and look forward to working with them over the next year to build even more quality homes.

“As well as creating more jobs, the communities in which we build we be supported through our S106 contributions. In the 2017 financial year we provided over £13 million in local contributions to the areas surrounding our developments, which goes towards facilities such as public open spaces, school and educational facilities, public transport measures, and recreational facilities, as well as many other projects.

We look forward to continue helping create thriving communities over the next 12 months.”

Source: Wakefield Express

Marketing No Comments

600 homes plan for Shrewsbury deferred a second time over access concerns

A decision on plans to build 600 homes in Shrewsbury has been put off for a second time over issues with access.

Members of Shropshire Council’s central planning committee deferred the plans from Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes to build the development at Weir Hill, at a meeting yesterday.

Objectors to the proposed housing development are concerned over access for construction traffic off Preston Street and are demanding that a new access road be built before work begins.

The developers had suggested that a new access off London Road would be constructed once 365 homes were built. The figure was then reduced to 250, and now 225.

Mike Carter from Shrewsbury Civic Society said: “The developers have done little or nothing to meet the concerns of the public or this committee.

“A single access route, even for 225 homes is unacceptable. Most estates have one built first. This development needs better access and better connectivity.”

Members also raised concerns about a lack of infrastructure and links to the town.

Jason Tait, agent for the application, said construction traffic would not be allowed to use London Road in peak times to alleviate congestion.

He added: “Its unreasonable to say the site would be unsustainable especially when it is earmarked for development in Shropshire Council’s own plan.

“It will bring many benefits to the area including a multi-million pound contribution to schools.”

Councillor Kevin Pardy suggested deferring the application for a second time, despite the recommendation from planning officers to grant permission.

“The public are not saying don’t build on this site – what they are saying to us is please help us get this right,” he said.

“It would be so much easier for the developer to go away and look at this again because I don’t think they have looked at it properly.

“They should go away and come back with plans that we can accept. I think we have been completely ignored.”

The developers will be asked to clarify the highways data provided as part of the proposal and the application will return to the planning committee for a decision at a later date.

Source: Shropshire Star

Marketing No Comments

UK housebuilders to prefabricate hundreds of homes in factories

One of Britain’s major housebuilders is to prefabricate up to a quarter of its homes in a factory, in the latest attempt by the construction industry to tackle the housing shortage.

Berkeley Homes, which builds 4,000 homes a year, is planning to create a facility in Kent next year where builders will work to produce up to 1,000 houses and apartments annually which will then be craned on to sites.

Another company, nHouse, is setting up a factory in Peterborough with the capacity to build 400 homes a year, complete with light fittings, bathrooms, bookshelves and kitchens. Production is expected to start in January.

It claims it can build a house in 20 days in the factory which can then be erected on site in half a day. Several other developers, including Legal and General and Urban Splash, have also launched prefab home divisions.

Fears of a shortage of skilled construction workers caused by an ageing workforce and an exodus due to Brexit are part of the reason for the revival of prefabrication, which last provided a significant number of homes after the second world war.

The government has set a target of building 300,000 homes a year by the middle of the next decade. Despite recent increases in activity, the last annual figure was 190,000.

A Berkeley spokesman said: “We have acquired a 10-acre brownfield site from the Homes and Communities Agency to build a factory for modular homes in Ebbsfleet, Kent. This will have the potential to deliver up to 1,000 homes a year.

“Construction of the factory could begin next year. While the speed of production and the impact on skills and labour are important factors, our real driver is the quality we can achieve with modular housing.”

The nHouse has been designed by the architect Richard Hywel Evans and is made in four modules from engineered pine panels which are transported on the backs of lorries and are then clipped together on site and connected to pre-existing services. Its built-in features include solar panels, a robot vacuum cleaner and even a drone landing pad – looking forward to a time of aerial deliveries.

A three-bed house is on sale to developers or individual householders from £170,000 to £185,000, which is about the same price as a standard house built using wet trades.

Nick Fulford, the director of nHouse, argues that with 100 workers operating on an indoor production line rather than on muddy building sites in the elements, the homes will suffer from fewer snagging problems.

Source: The Guardian