River pollution. Michael Gove latest plans .

I don't know the details of Gove's 'relaxations', but I have seen it pointed out that relaxation of anti pollution controls might also cover highly polluted brownfield sites...

👀

RSPB England 🌍
@RSPBEngland
·
3h
LIARS!

@RishiSunak @michaelgove @theresecoffey you said you wouldn’t weaken environmental protections.

And yet that’s just what you are doing.

You lie, and you lie, and you lie again.

And we’ve had enough. 🧵

We need more affordable housing. I'm not sure how everything will pan out, but the housing situation, especially in London and the Douth is fire.🙁

South not Douth.

Dire, not fire. God, my IPad has gone nuts...🙄

Surely it should not be beyond this country to have adequate housing and clean rivers.What is the problem ? They have the technology and the ability so why not. I think we should expect it, rather than make excuses for the developers.
Where I live in greater london there is a lot of building going on, mostly high rise blocks of flats. A lot of these are expensive and marketed in the far east as investments. So much for affordable housing !

Jaxjacky

The developers should be forced to use the land banks they’re sitting on, enough for a million homes.

The land the developers are sitting on already has planning permission. So what is stopping them building?

www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-englands-million-missing-homes

Planning permissions are always time-limited. A great deal has to be done before construction can commence - there will be many pre-conditions to be cleared, as well as building regulations consent being obtained. The permission may be outline only, meaning full details of the development having to be worked up for full consent. Having purchased land, it is not in developers’ financial interests to delay building unless the market is very slow, as it is now. No point in building houses which will remain unsold unless you want to invite bankruptcy . I have been watching a number of developments where nothing is selling despite price reductions and various incentives.

GSM there may be price reductions for higher priced housing but the plain fact is that most affordable housing is not affordable.

Affordable housing is almost always managed by housing associations. Developers build it to the HAs’ specifications and transfer it to them for an agreed price. What the HAs charge for shared ownership is not up to the developers. The only affordable housing sold by developers is for a percentage of open market value stipulated by the planning authority.

MaizieD

Jaxjacky

The developers should be forced to use the land banks they’re sitting on, enough for a million homes.

The land the developers are sitting on already has planning permission. So what is stopping them building?

www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-englands-million-missing-homes

Usually mortgages, developers with a large site build section by section, selling off sections over a period of time, we have a large site near us that seems to be building 50 houses a year. Another I have seen the plans for is set to expand until 2035 and beyond, providing jobs along the way for new home owners.

25Avalon

GSM there may be price reductions for higher priced housing but the plain fact is that most affordable housing is not affordable.

Affordable is what ever the buyer is willing to pay, if the buyer had not got the cash he/she could not buy.
Houses ARE being sold so buyers can “afford” them.

It’s rents that are far too high it’s not possible to save for a deposit, the “right to buy” is a major reason for that, reducing the rental stock.

Some affordable housing built by developers for HAs is required to be affordable rented accommodation.

Mass housebuilders have acquired enormous amounts of land but are only using it slowly so as to restrict housebuilding to keep up their profits. 'Affordable housing' is beyond the reach of most families. We need a massive Council house building programme and a legal requirement for land banks to be used within three years or face compulsory purchase.

Do a search for RSPB working with Barratt Homes. This shows that it IS possible to build new homes with the environment in mind. But do we actually need so many new homes? My question is where do the people come from that buy or rent them? I don't know anyone at all who hasn't got somewhere to live. When developers put up vast new housing estates, as is happening all around us, they are soon inhabited. It's a genuine question - where were these people living before?

Good points Grantanow.
Properties round me are extremely expensive and there is little council housing being built and far too much built and sold off plan for investment overseas.

Skydancer

Do a search for RSPB working with Barratt Homes. This shows that it IS possible to build new homes with the environment in mind. But do we actually need so many new homes? My question is where do the people come from that buy or rent them? I don't know anyone at all who hasn't got somewhere to live. When developers put up vast new housing estates, as is happening all around us, they are soon inhabited. It's a genuine question - where were these people living before?

You only need look at homelessness figures, landlord evictions and the Council house waiting lists to realise you move in a privileged stratum of society.

I should add that many are living with mum and dad, families in unsatisfactory one room b&b, renters in substandard accommodation with fungal problems giving rise to health risks, families sharing rented properties, etc.

Write to your MP with your complaint (they often only seem to respond if they fear votes are at risk!).

I am sure it is no coincidence that share prices in the major property companies rocketed when the deplorable relaxation of regulations was announced. I also understand that in the region of 20% of Tory donations are from said property companies. I fully support the RSPB statement.

Yes, leaving the EU was, of course, going to make our lives SO much better!!

In the EU we had common sense laws thought out by many nations, that protected a community of people.

This bunch of idiots need to be got rid of. Gove is a *** individual and dangerous!

Yet another Brexit blow, one of so many... they now have free reign to be as destructive as they want!

I despair! Nowhere are there sensible ideas to ensure developers add to the lack of affordable housing
EG For every development the developer has to refurbish or regenerate flats above shops, empty homes such as terraces, then folk could get on the property ladder or rent at an economical level ! But no!! It is all about money, land bagging, 4-5 bed homes at astronomical prices built on meadows ( yes you guessed it, wet areas)
Build on stilts ???
Selling off council homes and not reinvesting that money on housing was the beginning of all this and the stories want to get these new planning ideas through before a GE!
Do they take us for fools ???

Seems to me we need more houses and we need clean waterways. The solution might be to force the water companies to use more of their huge profits to actually clean up their act and take some aggressive action to sort out the pollution and the disposal of untreated sewage into rivers.

In certain village councils in the south of France, have stopped building permits, for the next four years because there is a lack of water. Surely British ones could do similar regarding sewage.

Build on stilts ???

They do in other countries, Susieq62!
I remember when Paul Daniels wanted to lift his riverside home on to stilts but was refused permission.
Very shortsighted of the planners.