Genecon

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 For those of us in the placemaking world it is hard to disagree with the notion that, as expressed this week in the @DailyTelegraph by the COO of @BAMUK, if Government are genuinely serious about national infrastructure delivery, then there is a need to shift strategic policy thinking onto a far longer-time frame. Short-termism has pervaded political thinking for too long, but will the siren call for ‘change’ be heard? Here are our top picks of the week: 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙖: Ministers have intervened in the future of a proposed £260m film and TV studio complex near Holyport, Berkshire, after local councillors rejected the plans due to concerns over green-belt land. https://lnkd.in/eT7iiwFN 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙉𝙪𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢: Campaigners, led by Mike Crookes of Guardians of the East Coast (GOTEC), are opposing plans for a nuclear waste disposal site at the former Theddlethorpe gas terminal on the Lincolnshire coast, warning it could be "disastrous" for the local economy. https://lnkd.in/eZ33J4mr 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨: Miatta Fahnbulleh, the minister for energy consumers, has announced plans for seven "heat network zones" in London, Leeds, Plymouth, Bristol, Stockport and Sheffield, to make use of excess or unused heat from buildings like data centres and factories to heat nearby homes, businesses and public buildings. https://lnkd.in/eGWQeqK9 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙎2 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙: Rail minister Lord Hendy has said that the Government will not move forward with the sale of land acquired for the scrapped northern leg of HS2 until it has fully considered an alternative proposal from the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands for a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester. https://lnkd.in/eYmnC4W9

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 Whispers abound that key placemaking departments – Housing and Transport – are facing the prospect of 20% cuts in spending. Hardly a cheering prospect for those of us in the business. Let us hope that such speculation proves overblown. As we wait patiently for Budget Day to come, let us focus on those a few of those placemaking developments happening here and now… 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙠𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙡: The Guardian reports that broadcaster Sky is planning to appeal Hertsmere BC's decision to refuse planning permission for a significant expansion of Sky Studios Elstree - with the Sky Studios Elstree North plans including 10 sound stages that could create up to 2,000 jobs and enable £2bn of production investment within five years. https://lnkd.in/eaqxNS-w 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙞𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩: Stansted Airport has confirmed more details of a £1.1bn expansion plan that could see the airport's terminal grow by a third, with passenger numbers rising from 29m to 43m, with plans for a 14.3MW solar farm to support the airport's demand for electricity. https://lnkd.in/efV3J-r8 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙢'𝙨 𝙃𝙎2 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚: Construction has commenced on the foundation columns for Birmingham's new HS2 station at Curzon Street, with hopes that high-speed trains will significantly reduce travel time between London and Birmingham by the mid-2030s. https://lnkd.in/eRFrQQf7 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨: The UK Government has announced a £68m funding initiative aimed at building 5,200 homes on disused brownfield sites across 54 local authorities in England to be delivered via a second brownfield land release fund (BLRF2), originally initiated by Boris Johnson. https://lnkd.in/eyGPSQEH

Congratulations to Sunderland City Council on securing £30m of Homes England funding towards the completion of the Riverside Sunderland development. This is a truly transformational programme of regeneration in the city centre, and one that Genecon were very pleased to have contributed towards by providing the strategic economic rationale, underpinned by evidence of current and future investment and key sector growth, to make the case for this additional investment. https://lnkd.in/eQ88jyP8

Planning permission has been granted for the much-anticipated redevelopment of Rawtenstall Market. This project is a key part of the council's long-term vision for the town, focusing on regeneration and creating a vibrant community hub for locals and visitors alike. 🏗️✨ Stay tuned as we move forward with transforming the market into a modern, dynamic space https://ow.ly/uTmz50TJxKI

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 (𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡) Transport, and its supporting infrastructure, can often be an overlooked or neglected aspect of placemaking, but how and why people move around is just as important as where they are going. Like the veins and arteries in the body, roads, rails and airways provide the means to keep that vital flow of people around a place, keeping it alive! 𝙃𝙮𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩: Surrey is set to enhance its public transport with the introduction of 34 hydrogen-powered buses, comprising 23 single-deckers and 11 double-deckers, boasting a range of 600 miles and zero emissions. https://lnkd.in/e43NPz23 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤-𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙: Go-Ahead has announced a £500m investment to build hundreds of UK-made electric buses, aiming to decarbonise its fleet and create 500 manufacturing jobs. https://lnkd.in/eGwpU7tU 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜: Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, has called for a "proper public debate" about the future of funding for the roads network and other infrastructure - including discussion around the possible introduction of road pricing as the increased adoption of electric vehicles cuts into Government revenue from fuel duty. https://lnkd.in/eU9VyChN 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙑 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩: Rutland County Council has secured £107,615 of Government funding for a pilot project that will see up to 30 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed at around 15 proposed council-owned sites around the county. https://lnkd.in/eAu7ebdB 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 '𝙃𝙎2-𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩' 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚: The i reports that political and business leaders in the North are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to approve £2m funding for a committee to assess the feasibility of a so-called "HS2-light" rail link between Manchester and Birmingham, proposed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and West Midlands mayor Richard Parker. https://lnkd.in/e9kKR5ar #GMCA #SurreyCouncil

Our Senior Consultant Lauren Gee recently took part in this great project with a #CivicCreativity Insights Group, exploring things to consider when planning a #walkandtalk activity. The prompts guide has now been produced and is available below. Looking forward to further shaping our #TownSafari programme with Wigan Council and the #LeighTownBoard next month with the insight that has been shared #engagingcommunities #communitypower

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 With a bit of a dearth of policy announcements just lately, the media is understandably dining out on some of the more unwholesome aspects of the domestic political sphere. A pity, as there is plenty to talk about in the world of placemaking… 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙂𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙃𝙎2 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙎1: Tony Lodge, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, writes in the Times to urge Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to take the "no-brainer" decision to approve the completion of the final London leg of HS2, linking the Old Oak Common terminus in west London with Euston station. The Times 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙇𝙏𝙉 𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩: A local campaign group is asking the High Court to instruct Lambeth Council to scrap a low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) in West Dulwich, the Mail reports, with the West Dulwich Action Group claiming the council "erred in law" when consulting on the LTN. https://lnkd.in/e9ih5n5e 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙐𝙆'𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙡-𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣: The BBC reports on the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant in Nottinghamshire - the UK's last coal-fired power plant, which shut down for the last time yesterday, beginning a two-year decommissioning and demolition process. https://lnkd.in/g8t6_DWD '𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡' 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙙: The Times highlights a report from Nick Winser, the Electricity Networks Commissioner, which calls for a more ambitious approach to planning reforms to speed up improvements to the electricity grid. The Times 𝙇𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙚: The Government has released a further £2.5m of funding for the Eden Project Morecambe - the latest tranche of funding for the visitor attraction, which is expected to open on the site of the former Bubbles leisure complex overlooking Morecambe Bay in 2027 or 2028. https://lnkd.in/eFDpXRqM 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 100 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: Old Marylebone Town Hall celebrated a century of weddings yesterday - with Westminster City Council deciding to mark the occasion by hosting 100 weddings at the venue over the course of the day, starting at 8am and finishing at 10:30pm. https://lnkd.in/ep-QiyGC

"A good city is like a good party – people stay longer than really necessary because they are enjoying themselves." - Jan Gehl. Groningen, the Netherlands, made itself one of the world's best parties 🎉

Exciting times for Rossendale 👇🏻

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 Speeches, fringes and freebies dominate the news agenda as the party conference season trundles onward. With the SNP, the Greens, Reform, the Liberal Democrats and Labour all having had their turn, the spotlight now falls on the Conservatives. With little in the way of detailed policy commitments impacting placemaking making the headlines so far, will there be much on offer in Birmingham? Let’s keep our collective ears open… 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙃𝙎2 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨: Ministers are under pressure to decide on the future of HS2 trains to Euston by the end of the year, with sources indicating that "tweaks" to the work schedule have provided an additional four months for a decision, but further delays could lead to escalating costs. https://lnkd.in/ee_YhhjR 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙'𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙚: Sheffield's new Dutch-style roundabout at West Bar, designed to prioritise cyclists and pedestrians, has elicited mixed responses from residents. https://lnkd.in/eYv3sX88 𝙇𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 & 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙖𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Plans to restore Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare are facing a significant funding shortfall of £11.7m, according to North Somerset Council. https://lnkd.in/e9mxC-MF 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙮𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙀𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚'𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙄 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚: The government has announced a £10bn investment from Blackstone to establish Europe's largest AI data centre in Blyth, Northumberland, creating 4,000 jobs. https://lnkd.in/eutnYMMZ 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨: Councils have expressed strong discontent regarding the government's new housing targets, labelling them as "excessive" and "not fair." https://lnkd.in/eaGi2izA 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙢: New research from the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) reveals that the social housing sector can spearhead the delivery of warmer, greener homes in the North, potentially creating up to 77,000 green jobs. https://lnkd.in/enjdGmMV Thoughts? Comments? Opinions? Please share them with us…