Martin Bonner’s Post

Today, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is 125 years old. It was set up in 1899 by a small group of Victorian radicals and visionaries who saw the awful living conditions suffered by much of the population - both urban and rural - and thought surely it must be possible to create good #homes, with #gardens and nearby #parks, and #jobs, fresh #air, and locally grown #food, for all? Although visionary, they were also practical. They did a lot of sums. They realised that if they created a really high quality #place, the land value would increase, and some of this value could be used to repay the investors, but an increasing amount could be used for the upkeep and #stewardship of the place, ensuring that as time went by it could become better and better. These practical visionaries were #bold: they bought land in Hertfordshire and built #Letchworth #GardenCity. Despite the First World War (which threw a spanner in the finances) it was a success and proved their radical #economic and #social model could work. To promote the model, they set up the Garden Cities Association, now called the TCPA. Tragically, today in 2024 the UK faces similar problems to those of 1899: many people are unhealthy because of the poor quality homes and places they live in; many lack access to good #parks and green spaces; many lack access to affordable good #food and local #jobs. Any new government will have to tackle these problems - and could learn a lot from the Garden City model of development. Not only does it work to create healthy, #equitable places - its strong focus on #GreenInfrastructure is essential for tackling #ClimateChange. So, forget any pre-conceptions about the Garden City model. It's not about development-as-usual with a few trees thrown in. At its heart are radical economic and social ideas that use planning and good #design to create homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. And that's what the TCPA still works to achieve today. If you agree, why not join the TCPA? To find out more about how Garden City economics, planning and design could be put into practice today, see below:

Within the Northern Beaches LGA, Brookvale has a relatively low level of tree canopy cover (21%) and is already experiencing the urban heat island effect with temperatures sometimes 9°C hotter than reference temperatures. To respond to these challenges, SMM is excited to be supporting the Northern Beaches Council in preparing a Greening Strategy for Brookvale, providing strategies and recommendations to increase canopy cover and green/blue infrastructure. In collaboration with Professor Sebastian Pfautsch and his team at Western Sydney University, the project will also conduct a heat benchmarking exercise across various streets to better understand microclimates and local temperatures, the first of its kind within the Northern Beaches LGA. This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Housing Support Scheme Grant. More information can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eTqE7xri

We help Galliford Try get planning success for Brentwood Special Needs School in Manchester With a critical deadline looming, Galliford Try required 8.48 habitat units to meet planning conditions set by Trafford Council, ensuring the timely start of construction. Galliford Try is one of the UK’s leading building constructors. They turned to us for a fast, effective solution. Working in partnership with the Iford Estate, one of only seven projects officially registered on the government’s DEFRA platform at the time, we sourced the necessary BNG units and swiftly completed all required legal paperwork. This enabled Galliford Try to discharge the planning conditions and proceed with construction in time for the school holidays. Michael Cook, Senior Design Manager at Galliford Try, commented: "𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘕𝘎 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘕𝘎 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴.” Ian Hambleton, Founder of Biodiversity Units UK commented: “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘜𝘒, 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘪𝘯-𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥" For more information about our approach, and mission to give developers more BNG certainty, visit biodiversity-units.uk #BNG #insight #biodiversityunits #biodiversity #uk #property #biodiversitynetgain #propertydevelopment

There is a tenure shift in the UK moving more towards rental and away from ownership. Interesting discussion around how this is being addressed, the need for the planning system to catch up and the role of Build to Rent in Garden Communities. Building Garden Communities Conference #BuildtoRent

🌍 Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of World Town Planning Day, and to celebrate, I joined an early-morning webinar on "Delivering Housing Differently." Hosted by Dorset Young Planners as part of RTPI’s World Town Planning online programme, the session centred on innovative housing solutions in the UK and beyond. CEO of Redtale Holdings, Malcolm Curtis began by emphasising the importance of inclusive planning that considers everyone, not just direct stakeholders but the entire community impacted by developments. Next, we heard from Sam Goss from Barefoot Architects. He highlighted how codesign and cohousing go hand in hand. He advocated for car-free developments, which profoundly influence how we connect and spend our time. I asked the extent to which the changing climate is considered in the design process and Sam outlined the ways in which developers are now exploring sun shading, water runoff management, and permeable surfaces to face the upcoming climate challenges. Finally, Jake Heath from Niche Studio joined from Australia, discussing Victoria’s housing crisis and the role of small, secondary dwellings as flexible, affordable housing options. This raised some questions about the housing market and the risk of “Airbnbification” in Australia, prompting some further research on my part. It was a very interesting webinar and a privilege to hear from a wide range of people and backgrounds 🏡. #WorldTownPlanningDay #RTPI #HousingInnovation #CommunityFirst #ClimateResilientDesign

In Melbourne, Australia’s domestic building industry is adapting to the current political climate by embracing stricter environmental regulations, sustainability initiatives, and workforce diversity. Builders like Dureka Homes are focused on energy-efficient homes and innovative practices to meet government policies. As housing affordability and sustainability become key political issues, Dureka Homes is committed to leading the way, ensuring regulatory compliance while driving the success of the domestic building sector.

Appeal Allowed on designated Open Space & SINC! I was very pleased to receive this Appeal Decision through last week, granting Permission in Principle for our clients to build between 5 and 9 new homes on a backland site in North London. Both London Plan and Local Plan policies were stacked against us, and so we needed to challenge the Council’s own evidence-base whilst building a strong case for the public benefits the scheme could deliver. We were ultimately successful, with some of the key points from the Inspector’s decision being: ✔ Provision of publicly accessible and improved Open Space would off-set any net loss. ✔ Proposed improvements to biodiversity carry significant weight. ✔ Where the Council lacks a 5-YHLS, the proposals make a notable contribution. ✔ These benefits outweigh conflicts with the development plan and less than substantial harm to the setting of a nearby Listed Building. It’s not every day you win an Appeal, and certainly not for a site as seemingly restricted as this one! If you’d like to hear more about our winning strategy, feel free to DM me to discuss. #planningappeal #planning #housing #newhomes #permissioninprinciple #planningpermission

Building 1.5 million homes: how do we ensure quality of life in the government’s housing drive? As ministers seek to increase housebuilding they must remember that rapid construction without planning for sustainability and wellbeing leads to poor outcomes, writes the Quality of Life Foundation's Matthew Morgan #UKhousing

Green Open Spaces 🌳 BW Social Affordable Housing, a division of the Braidwater Group, has begun construction on two of Northern Ireland’s largest housing developments: - Black Ridge (Glenmona), West Belfast - The Cashel (H2), Derry/Londonderry Both projects are designed to feature expansive green spaces, providing residents with significant health and recreational benefits. These areas will also support local ecology, enhance green infrastructure, and enrich the overall landscape of the developments. As one of Northern Ireland’s leading house builders, the Braidwater Group is dedicated to delivering homes of the highest quality while upholding our strong social and community commitments. #loveconstruction #socialvalue #considerateconstructors Considerate Constructors Scheme

I recently conducted research and wrote a thesis titled ‘Towards Net Zero Carbon: Exploring the Potential of Engineered Wood in Kenya’s Construction Industry.' While the bulk of the research involved looking at the carbon superiority of wood in comparison to conventional construction materials in Kenya, I also sought to understand why timber as a building material is yet to be mainstreamed in the local construction sector. To answer this all-too-important question, I sought the perspective of players in the construction industry: architects, structural engineers, quantity surveyors, and contractors. According to most, unavailability and high cost of quality-grade timber were prohibitive factors; unsurprising considering logging in most forests has been banned and timber yards have resorted to importing timber from the larger East African region. What I found surprising, however, was the fact that timber bears the uncanny perception of a ‘poor man’s building material.’ I was taken aback. Turns out, there’s a background.  You see, most of us come from villages where mud and timber houses are the norm. In places like that, stone-and-mortar-built houses are the ultimate status symbol. Therefore, when well-educated kids finally make it, building a stone house with a staircase is the decisive middle finger to poverty. If a thought to build a timber house ever crossed their minds, they would knock their heads on a rock countlessly and claim bewitching by, 'maadui wa nyumbani.’ When most people think of a timber house, the impression created in their minds is that house in Khwisero they’d pay top dollar to forget. But is timber really a poor man’s material? In all of history, timber is perhaps the most consequential building material. It is as old as time itself. The Biblical Noah insists you are here because of the exploits of timber as a building material. It was the mainstay of Jesus’ life, and his earthly father before him. Timber has built picturesque bridges in Japan, clad famous amphitheaters in London, and has been employed in the construction of award-winning homes all over the world. It can be used to build beautiful residential homes in Njiru and Juja Farm. Timber houses can be this 👇. And folks, this is certainly not poor. Or is it?