Tag Archives: facebook
Neighbourhood plans take up edging towards maintaining status quo, research finds
The take up of neighbourhood plans, a cornerstone of the UK government’s Localism agenda, is concentrated in the south of England, according to new research. They are generally in more affluent areas within Conservative led authorities, with a mixed picture of providing for or resisting development, says the research published by planning consultancy Turley. To date, over 980 applications have been made by neighbourhood organisations for formal approval to draw up a neighbourhood plan. Of these, over 750 areas have been approved by local authorities to proceed. The research also shows that 75 neighbourhood plans have been published for consultation, but only six Neighbourhood Plans were formally in place at the end of February 2014. Of those plans published, 73% have been produced in areas with Conservative led councils, with just 9% having been produced in areas which are Labour controlled and 75% of all published plans have been produced in the south of England. The Turley research also highlights that areas of below average affluence have so far been less involved in the neighbourhood planning processes, with just nine plans published in areas categorised as ‘most deprived’. ‘We have reviewed over 4,000 pages of draft neighbourhood plans and a clear picture is emerging. The preparation of neighbourhood plans is popular but is being recognised more by communities in the south of England compared to the North. It also appears that less affluent communities are not yet engaging fully in the neighbourhood planning process,’ said Rob Peters, executive director in Turley’s Bristol office who led the research. The research found that, of the plans published so far, the smallest population of a neighbourhood plan area is Walton in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, representing just 225 people. The largest is Winsford in Cheshire representing over 30,000 people, highlighting the difference in size, scale and geography of the plans. Some 67% of all published plans cover rural neighbourhoods and one third relate to urban areas while 55% of all neighbourhood plans seek primarily to resist new development, with that number increasing to 63% in rural areas. ‘I am not yet convinced that neighbourhood planning is an emphatic success or that the plans are making satisfactory provision for development, as the government has suggested, when so few plans have been made (i.e. adopted),’ said Peters. He pointed out that neighbourhood plans have been stalling in their progress to adoption with adjourned examinations in Winslow, Aylesbury Vale, rejections by Examiners in Slaugham, and legal challenges in Tattenhall, Cheshire. ‘The picture that emerges from the published neighbourhood plans is one of the majority seeking to maintain the status quo and restricting new development, with a smaller minority of plans encouraging growth. This suggests a potential for conflict between localism delivered through neighbourhood planning and the positive presumptions and growth that underpin Government policy,’ he added. The Turley research recognises that neighbourhood forums can provide a useful route to achieve meaningful engagement, but in some cases the views of land owners and… Continue reading
Four-year-old killed in desert safari accident
Four-year-old killed in desert safari accident Sajila Saseendran and Afkar Abdullah / 20 March 2014 Boy flung out as the 4WD in which the family was enjoying the desert safari turned turtle in the Madam area of Sharjah. A family picnic ended in disaster for an Indian couple when the vehicle in which they were enjoying a desert safari overturned on Tuesday evening, killing their only son instantly. The accident took place in a desert in the Madam area of Sharjah. Sources from the Dibba Hospital, where the boy was rushed to, confirmed that he was brought dead. “The paramedics in the ambulance had tried to revive the child. But, he was already dead,” said one official. The four-year-old boy, Pranav, was sitting on his mother Lakshmi’s lap when the four-wheel drive in which the family was dune-bashing met with the accident, the boy’s uncle told Khaleej Times . Pranav’s father Arun Kumar, a television cameraman who used to work for a prominent sports channel, and his brother Ajith Kumar organised the desert safari since their uncle and family had come over for a visit from India. While the brothers and their families travelled in one vehicle, the rest of the members were taken in another vehicle by the tour operator for dune bashing. “Our car had driven up a dune and it overturned when it was going down. I think the climb down the mound was steeper than what the driver assumed and he lost control,” said Ajith. He said the vehicle turned turtle a couple of times and Pranav was flung out of a side window due to the impact of the crash. He died of a head injury that caused profuse bleeding. All others, including Ajith’s two children, escaped with minor injuries. The Sharjah Police are investigating the case. The family’s friends remembered Pranav as a very smart and happy child. “They had just returned after a visit to India. That child was looking very cute after getting his head shaved in a famous temple,” said a family friend. He said that the boy was to start schooling in two weeks. “He had got admission in Delta School in Sharjah. This was not the first time they went for the desert safari. I think they have gone for it for some four to five times. It’s very tragic that his life was taken away like this,” he added. The shattered parents of the child are being taken care of by relatives and friends in Sharjah. The body of Pranav is likely to be flown to the family’s hometown in Alappuzha in the south Indian state of Kerala. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UK average asking prices up 3.3% month on month, latest index shows
New sellers have helped push up property prices in the UK, with the average asking price seeing a rise of 3.3% or £8,103 last month, according to the latest data from Rightmove. The average property coming to the market is now priced at £251,964, some 6.9% or £16,223 more than a year ago which is the highest annual rate for over six years. The real estate website also reports that new listing numbers jumped by 18% compared to a year ago, but the supply shortage continues as they fail to keep pace with numbers coming off the market. It says that buyers with a property ‘yet to sell’ are the losers as the market heats up, with agents reporting buyers able to proceed with speed are winning the property battle. Also market momentum continues to build with all of Rightmove’s 10 busiest ever days being in January this year, breaking 50 million pages in a day for the first time. ‘The market rebound continues. While February is historically a positive month for prices of property coming to market, this is the second highest February rise since our index began in September 2001,’ said Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst. ‘New sellers are now asking over £16,000 more than those who came to market a year ago, a rate of increase not seen since before the credit crunch took hold in 2008. Those contemplating trading up, down or out may well be encouraged to come to market as they see their equity grow as prices rise,’ he pointed out. The data also shows weekly new listings averaged 27,768 over the last four weeks compared to 23,607 over the same period a year ago, an increase of 18%. While the sizeable year on year uplift is partly explained by a sprinkling of snow around this time last winter, this is the highest weekly run rate at this time of year since 2008. New supply is scarcest in the south where increased demand is greatest. London at 15%, the South East at 13% and the South West at 10% are all below the national average of 18%. Furthermore, even this significant boost in property coming to market is exceeded by the number of properties coming off the market, suggesting that the extra supply is being soaked up by buyer demand, an early indicator that transaction volumes will be considerably higher in 2014 than 2013. As a result there was a slight fall in the average available stock per estate agency branch, from 58 properties to 57. If increased listing levels are maintained, the firm points out, and they start to outstrip buyer demand, upwards price pressure will ease. It will take more than one month of improvements in new listing numbers to bring the market back into balance however, indeed some local market hotspots have not seen any uplift at all. ‘The housing market can only help to support a wider economic recovery if there is… Continue reading
