River pollution. Michael Gove latest plans .

How do you propose that developers are given access to these empty flats and houses that don’t belong to them Susieq? You think that’s a sensible idea?

Gove is trying to present it as an improvement on the previous EU laws. I don’t believe that for a moment, it’s a sop to the building industry which already makes a fortune and reneges on promises to build affordable homes.

One of my engineering publications today -

Builders pay £135,000 amends for river pollution

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/builders-pay-135000-amends-for-river-pollution

A housing construction company and its contractor will donate a total of £135,000 to the Aire Rivers Trust after polluting Pitty Beck multiple times while building a new housing estate near Bradford.
Pollution in Pitty Beck
Pollution in Pitty Beck
Keepmoat Homes, which owns the site at Heron’s Reach in Allerton, near Bradford, will donate £100,000. Applebridge Construction, which was contracted by Keepmoat Homes for the first phase of the development, will donate £35,000.

An investigation by the Environment Agency found that Pitty Beck was polluted several times between October 2016 and November 2018 while construction was under way.

Those dates are insane! Just now reported!!

Ooooh touchy government has forced the RSBP to withdraw the Liar tweet - threatening the RSBP to withdraw its charity status as the statement was said to be “political”

Whitewavemark2

Ooooh touchy government has forced the RSBP to withdraw the Liar tweet - threatening the RSBP to withdraw its charity status as the statement was said to be “political”

It’s still up and visible on its X (Twitter) feed.

This is the apology

Susieq62

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 ???

Developers have to allocate a certain amount of any large development to planning gain, affordable homes, road improvements, environmental enhancements and more. All of this cost has to be carried by the houses they actually sell. So House Buyers are paying for all that as well as the house cost.

Builders are profit making companies, they are not going to work for nothing, if they get it wrong they will go bankrupt as Carillon did. The government could start its own building company, compulsory purchase the land, short circuit planning and get the houses built, however I don’t think it’s in the Labour manifesto, so there is no point in asking for that.

The costs you mention are usually reflected in the price they pay for the land Katie, rather than in the price of the houses. Developers of anything but very small sites generally buy land through options or contracts conditional on planning permission being obtained, and the documents provide for all these costs to be deducted from the purchase price.

Although many developments are required to provide affordable housing many of them don’t comply and nothing is done. Maybe enforce that weak law. There could be a ban on foreign investors buying housing stock and leaving them uninhabited - that is a scandal. Much more could be done to penalise those who own properties and leave them empty as investments. Housing should be used not left empty for years on end. In my London road there are two large family houses that have been empty for years.

Germanshepherdsmum

The costs you mention are usually reflected in the price they pay for the land Katie, rather than in the price of the houses. Developers of anything but very small sites generally buy land through options or contracts conditional on planning permission being obtained, and the documents provide for all these costs to be deducted from the purchase price.

So the massive price of development land has a lot costs attached and of course taxation.

Yes Katie. This is normal practice.

Foreign buyers pay an extra 2% stamp duty Coolcoco.

It’s up to planning authorities to enforce compliance with affordable housing requirements but occasionally there are no housing associations wanting to take it on.

Local authorities have the power to compulsorily lease some properties left empty for over two years. This doesn’t apply to second homes, which those belonging to foreign buyers often are. Much housing bought by foreign buyers is incredibly expensive so wouldn’t be available to those needing affordable housing anyway.

I think it is wrong our waters should be protected.
Why don't councils make use of all the derelict building either by making good or knock down and rebuild.

I think it is wrong our waters should be protected.
🤔

Of course our waters should be protected!