Gerraint Oakley’s Post

"Angela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England. The deputy prime minister announced plans last month for the “largest housebuilding programme since the postwar period”, kickstarted by the construction of a generation of new towns. Designed to help meet the government’s target to build 1.5m homes over the next five years, the plan is inspired by the creation in England of dozens of communities after the second world war, including at Stevenage, Warrington and Milton Keynes. However, analysis shared with the Guardian by the urban policy thinktank Centre for Cities shows the programme only accounted for 3.3% of all new housebuilding in the 40 years after the postwar 1946 New Towns Act"#ukhousing #housebuilding #socialhousing #affordablehousing #urbanplanning

Member Fresh Hope Communities has had to scale many hurdles to realise the potential of these high-quality, build-to-rent affordable homes that will soon welcome tenants in Marrickville, Sydney. The project, in partnership with Nightingale Housing, is an excellent example of what can be achieved on disused church land, supported by churches of Christ in NSW & ACT’s commitment to continue the community narrative of the site. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what faith-based community housing providers in partnership with faith communities can deliver. However, as Samantha Hutchinson’s story reveals, red tape and additional costs threaten to delay and derail the creation of much-needed affordable housing. Important changes that the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure can make: - Include land zoned ‘place of public worship’ for housing and in proposed reforms - Prepare design guidelines to enable medium-density housing developments in heritage conservation areas and on land subject to heritage designation. Read more details in our recent submission: https://lnkd.in/giJCxfxY #affordablehousing #planning #heritage #housingjustice #YIGBY #innerwest #housingcrisis https://lnkd.in/gSXJdxjS

NEW TOWN EXPERT TASKFORCE: More information this morning from the Government on the New Town Taskforce. It'll be headed up by Sir Michael Lyons and Dame Kate Barker, who are tasked with identifying potential new towns of at least 10,000 homes. "The largest housebuilding programme since the post-war period will begin today through a new generation of new towns, as part of the government’s work to kickstart economic growth and get Britain building again. The programme of new towns will create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each, with many significantly larger. These places could deliver hundreds of thousands of much-needed affordable and high-quality homes in the decades to come, tackling the barriers to growth and helping more working people across the country own their own home." #newtowns #planning #masterplanning #urbandesign #NPPF Marrons / Ampa - Legal & Professional Services https://lnkd.in/e-dqit_S

New towns have been proposed as a potential solution to the UK's housing crisis. However, there are questions over whether they'll have the desired impact. The New Towns Act, the inspiration for Labour's plan, was designed to address the housing shortage following WW2. However, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟑.𝟑% 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. If Labour's plan has a similar impact, home construction would need to be supplemented with other measures. What impact do you see new towns having on the UK? #HousingCrisis #NewTowns #HouseBuilding #HowToSolveTheHousingCrisis

You may, or may not, have heard about the new plans proposed to rezone some Lane Cove Council LGA's. If you haven't, here is the breakdown: Lane Cove rezoning: What you need to know The NSW government has proposed changes to planning laws that could allow for more development in currently low-density areas of Lane Cove, including duplexes, townhouses, and apartment buildings. What are the proposed changes? The government's plan is to increase housing supply and affordability by allowing for more development in areas that are currently zoned for single-family homes. This would involve changes to planning laws that would make it easier for developers to build duplexes, townhouses, and apartment buildings. This change would allow development of 3 storey, and 4-6 storey apartments; duplexes; terraces, and manors. What are the concerns? Some residents are concerned that the proposed changes will negatively impact the character of their neighborhoods. They worry that more development will lead to increased traffic, noise, and congestion. Others are concerned that the new developments will not be affordable for local residents, and some suggesting the local infrastructure is not strong enough to support the rapid growth of the local population as a result of these changes. What are the benefits? Proponents of the changes argue that they are necessary to address housing affordability. They say that increasing housing supply will help to drive down prices and make it more affordable for people to live in, but not limited to, Lane Cove. They also argue that the new developments will create more housing options for people of all ages and incomes. What happens next? The NSW government is currently seeking feedback on the proposed changes. There will be a public hearing in March, and the government is expected to make a final decision on the changes in April. What can you do? If you have concerns about the proposed changes, you can make a submission to the NSW government during the public hearing process. You can also get involved in your local community group to learn more about the changes and how they might affect your neighborhood. #Lanecove #realestate #sydneypropertymarket #sydney #househunting #house #infrastructuredevelopment In the Cove (2024, February 18). NSW Govt planning proposals: Which properties are impacted? https://lnkd.in/gAT4TD8m

Following our #SSMUHCountdown initiative, Small Housing was delighted to contribute our thoughts to the Government of British Columbia's press release that marks the welcome progress in gentle density zoning reforms across the province. Small-scale multi-unit housing stands out as a crucial solution to the housing crisis, offering a practical and scalable way to boost housing availability while seamlessly integrating into existing neighborhoods. Key insights include: 🏡 Out of 188 local governments in B.C., 162 have adopted the small-scale multi-unit legislation by passing local bylaws, with another nine communities actively working to adopt the legislation. 🏘️ Fifteen communities have requested a formal extension on adopting the legislation beyond the June 30, 2024, deadline. 📈 Small-scale multi-unit and transit-oriented development could lead to between 216,000 and 293,000 additional net-new housing units for people in British Columbia over the next 10 years. These are transformative times, and Small Housing remains dedicated to equipping industry professionals and planners with the tools and insights they need to create the housing that British Columbians want, need & deserve. Ravi Kahlon Mark Hosak BC Housing Akua Schatz Vienna Braux David Sisk Jeff Waters, P.Eng. #GentleDensity #HousingCrisis #BCHousing #UrbanDevelopment #CommunityGrowth #SustainableLiving https://lnkd.in/g3DAiGZV

Plan properly, build well, and even the NIMBYs can’t object to the solution to the housing crisis https://lnkd.in/exCJkU7G #Property #HousingMarket #NewBuilds

🏗️ Breaking Ground on Hilltops by Birchmore: A $70 Million Vision for Thurgoona 🏡 The $70 million Hilltops by Birchmore project in Thurgoona has officially begun, with 300 residential lots set to help address housing needs in the Albury-Wodonga area. This development marks one of the largest housing projects in the region, with 177 lots already approved and another 123 pending council approval. With over 70% of stage one lots already sold, Birchmore’s Managing Director, Andrew Peters, highlights the urgent demand for new homes and the company's commitment to meeting it: “We see a critical shortage and aim to deliver homes as quickly as possible for the community.” 🌐 Meanwhile, across the border in Wodonga, the Victorian government has scaled back its initial pledge under the Regional Housing Fund, opting to include “upgraded” existing homes and transitional housing in place of some new builds. MP Bill Tilley has voiced concerns, emphasizing the local demand for affordable housing and the extensive waitlist in the region. As Hilltops progresses, it's a crucial reminder of the importance of expanding housing availability, affordability, and solutions across Australia. 🏠 #RealEstateDevelopment #AlburyWodonga #HousingCrisis #Thurgoona #Birchmore #RegionalGrowth

When Saskatoon Land brought this report forward, I almost missed it, because it went through SPC on Finance, not PD&CS. It seems odd, that a report recommending the sale of city owned land at FULL market value for affordable housing, and tied to HAF, would show up here. Good thing I looked. And good thing I understood HAF, because this wasn’t sitting well with me at all. It didn’t make sense. Other municipalities were coming up with innovative and creative ways to gift, lease, discount and sell their land holdings for affordable housing, why would Saskatoon not try some of the very same approaches? Because, in a nutshell, money. It’s a long story as to how we got where we are today with our land holdings, for another time. But, suffice it to say that Council considered my suggestions, and the end result is very satisfactory. This will help to increase the supply of affordable housing in Saskatoon and is very complementary to the zoning amendments approved yesterday. Bold, transformative change is needed, and Saskatoon is definitely getting that message. Wonderful news, indeed!

Housing development hotspots with the lowest levels of NIMBYism revealed. 🏘️ With the new Labour Government recently increasing its housebuilding ambitions to 370,000 new homes a year, our latest research has revealed where they’re most likely to succeed due to the lowest levels of market NIMBYism. Based on the highest percentage of planning applications granted for major and minor housing development over the last 12 months. The research shows that over the last year across England, 31,954 of the 45,040 development applications submitted were approved, equating to a success rate of 71%. The North East tops the table as the region with the lowest level of NIMBYism, where 81% of all residential development applications were granted. Blackburn with Darwen ranks as the best location to bypass NIMBYism outside of the City of London, with 56 of the 57 planning decisions made over the last year being approved and a 98.2% success rate. Other areas to feature in the top 10 include North Tyneside (96.2%), Gosport (95.5%), Darlington (95%), Melton (94.4%), Cumberland (93.7%), Chesterfield (93.7%), Halton (92.9% and Chorley (92.1%).  Follow the link below to read more. https://ow.ly/Krqk50TGNmz #newhomedevelopment #propertynews #propertyresearch