Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation’s Post

We’ve really enjoyed our week at the Australian Local Government Association #NGA24 in Canberra chatting all things local walkability and active living from our exhibition booth. We’ve introduced ~ 200 senior leaders and elected members from across the country to Healthy Active by Design, arming them with conversations, toolkits and information to embed walkability into local project outcomes for the heart health of their local communities. It’s been great to see the level of engagement and interest. There seem to be some fairly consistent themes of the intent and desire to improve physical activity levels for local communities through improved built environments and walkability in local neighbourhoods, but frustration with elements of resistance from within some communities and councils. We’re going to keep building in this space to continually improve our resources for communities, council staff, elected leaders and industry practitioners to make it happen! We’ve learnt a lot and come away inspired with some great ideas to help support and affect change. Please help us by sharing Healthy Active by Design with your senior executive and Councillors. There are many ways to embed these principles into policy, strategic planning and projects to leverage real, meaningful, lasting and tangible actions and outcomes. #walkability #physicalactivity #urbanplanning #transportplanning #builtenvironment https://lnkd.in/grkzVe5

Proposals to deliver a “once in a lifetime” regeneration of Charing Cross have taken a step forward with the submission of a new planning application by CXG Glasgow Limited, a subsidiary of Tracey Investments Limited and owners of the Venlaw building and Elmbank Gardens, in conjunction with the owners of the property at 300 Bath Street. Planning Permission in Principle is being sought for the Charing Cross Gateway regeneration project – a £250 million masterplan that, if progressed, will reimagine the west side of the city centre and deliver a sustainable new community. The plans are split into two phases, the first of which covers proposals for student accommodation to meet growing demand in the city and there is also provision for a healthcare/GP surgery facility. Phase two envisages a mixed-tenure development of residential city living, state of the art office space and a hotel. The removal of the Tay House bridge over the M8 also forms part of the plans which will have a transformational effect, providing the opportunity to create a new gateway into the city centre. Planning Permission in Principle is being sought to cover both sites and follows positive feedback from local stakeholders after a two-stage consultation period which involved the parties showcasing their proposals. Read more ➡️ https://buff.ly/3Tx7htf The Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network is here to support your business - reach out to share your views, concerns and opportunities. #SCCnews #businesssupport #businessnetwork #businessvoice #businessleader Sign up for the Scottish Chambers of Commerce enewsletter at https://buff.ly/3CpsQnu

Plans revealed for new town near East Midlands Airport

It's great seeing the progress on the Nepean Hospital Stage 2 Redevelopment. Alliance are proud to have been working with MOITS and CPB Contractors carrying out CPS related Geotechnical work, specialist lab testing for borrow pit backfill for slab on ground support, excavation stability, anchor inspections and pavement proof rolls. #geotechnical #engineering #environment #contamination #remediation #hazmat

Incredibly disappointed not to be well enough to take my seat at the EFRA Select Committee Urban Green Spaces evidence session today alongside colleagues from the National Trust and Natural England. This is such an important moment to highlight the disparity in green space provision in urban areas -particularly in areas of deprivation - and the failures in the current system to protect the future of these valuable spaces. Guidance and frameworks don't go far enough to redress the imbalance and meet the targets Government have set out. Access to nature within 15 minutes is crucial but there needs to be sufficient provision within walking distance of home to meet the needs of population in densely populated urban areas - and those spaces need to be safeguarded for the long term. Right now 8/9 regions in England do not have sufficient publicly accessible green space to meet the needs of the current population. And, as I'm sure the fantastic representatives on the first panel today will highlight, without proper resourcing and upskilling the expectation for Local Authorities to deliver, maintain and steward these spaces for the common good is unrealistic. Last week I spoke at the DLUHC Committee evidence session Children, Young People and the built environment there are so many commonalities but little discussion between the two seems evident so far. A lack of coherent leadership on parks and green spaces spanning the different government departments with a vested interest continues to stymie the progress that is so needed in this space. #wishiwasthere #parks #greenspaces #environment #healthandwellbeing #inquiry

Parks and green spaces cannot protect themselves. So, how well protected are they? 🌲 The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Urban Green Space evidence session today explores how successful the Government and Local Authorities have been at protection, alongside the levels of funding given for their maintenance and upkeep. Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/eBtekuYc

Great to be part of this discussion about alternative housing models, hosted by Rothelowman. As different models of housing, including mixed tenure, co-living and BTR are being delivered we need to keep sharing the learnings. We should be listening to developers, architects, building managers, asset managers and residents for what is important to get right. There are some valuable principles for the design of housing from the shared economy when trading off size of living spaces for more communal facilities and public amenity, in the right locations, to suit different stages of people’s lives.

Entries might be closed, but it's not too late to still be part of the industry event of the year! Tickets to attend the Planning Awards 2024 are available to purchase 🎟 https://lnkd.in/epWqFPv9. #UrbanPlanningUK #PlacemakingUK #CityPlanning #CommunityDevelopment #UrbanDesign #SustainableCities #RegenerationUK #LocalGovernment #BuiltEnvironment #HousingDevelopment

It’s a wrap! Team GCW have had an informative and entertaining 3 days at our first #UKREiiF conference in Leeds.  It’s been a great opportunity to meet stakeholders keen to facilitate a wide range of interesting developments across UK. We’ve also been busy promoting our own regeneration projects, in the likes of Barking, Sutton, Edmonton and Leeds; as well as exploring opportunities for our Alternatives clients in the hotel, retirement, storage and children’s nursery sectors. For all the abundant positivity amongst the delegates, our 3 takeaways would be; 1)     for a great many projects the viability remains incredibly challenging without the help and support of local stakeholders and government agencies; 2)     Sometimes less is more in terms of viability, but this goes against the need for more housing provision in town centres; 3)     The growth/stabilisation of retail is most welcomed, although improving existing site values will only add to the viability conundrum No pressure then on the next Government to implement bold and imaginative initiatives to accelerate the pace of change for our town centres. GCW Property Consultants #propertyevent #Networking

Hope to see some of you at our cross-jurisdictional webinar on #housingsupply and #affordability!