RUDI
 | UK's first, open-market, Code Level 6 homes nominated for award Six One Earth Homes, located on the Upton development (large scale, multi-developer site), three miles outside of Northampton town centre, have been certified, as the UK's first, open-market, Code Level 6 homes. Read the latest Code for Sustainable Homes case studies from CLG, March 2010 Upton Square is a showcase for how to reduce the environmental impact of housing in the UK. The homes are being monitored to log their energy consumption and production, and this data is expected to... |
| Regulation 'most likely' to drive progress in reaching zero carbon development targets The biggest ever survey of the UK development industry has indicated that approximately three-quarters of the industry ? which accounts for nearly half of all UK carbon emissions ? do not believe the Government's current zero carbon? targets for the sector are realistic. Meeting these targets will be essential if the UK is to meet its national carbon reduction targets by 2020. The findings of the survey demonstrate the strength of feeling among respondents that regulation is most likely to... |
| Regulation 'most likely' to drive progress in reaching zero carbon development targets The biggest ever survey of the UK development industry has indicated that approximately three-quarters of the industry ? which accounts for nearly half of all UK carbon emissions ? do not believe the Government's current zero carbon? targets for the sector are realistic. Meeting these targets will be essential if the UK is to meet its national carbon reduction targets by 2020. The findings of the survey demonstrate the strength of feeling among respondents that regulation is most likely to... |
| Managing demand for private car journeys and encouraging shift to more sustainable modes is 'vital' for UK future, says ICE Infrastructure is vital to our way of life. It is vital to society. It is vital to economic growth in an increasingly competitive world. It is vital to the environment. And it is vital to the very existence of a civilised society, according to a new State of the Nation report from the ICE. Amongst the report's key assessments are the need to encourage a shift away from the private car, and to make improvements to local public transport capacity and its integration with our national transport... |
| Report outlines viable route to zero carbon Britain by 2030 Zero Carbon Britain 2030 is a 'visionary' report, grounded in the latest climate science and devised from extensive research by leading experts in climate change. It is published by the Centre for Alternative Technology. A great many solutions to climate security are the same as solutions to energy security and to long-term economic recovery. A flagship of a new economic approach, ZCB2030 will show how we can re-focus the ingenuity of the finance sector on the actual challenges at... |
| Mix of housing standards required by building regulations, planning policy and funders 'desperately needs rationalisation' There should be a new simpler standards framework for housing, in return for a set of minimum national design standards for all new homes, according to a report from CABE. Simpler and better: housing design in everyone?s interest argues that smarter regulation would give consumers a guarantee that homes and neighbourhoods are well designed everywhere. The current mix of standards required by building regulations, planning policy and funders desperately needs rationalisation. CABE is proposing... |
| Not a nation of NIMBYs: support for new housing 'surprisingly high', says survey Support for new house building is surprisingly high, provided people are reassured about the impact on their local services, according to research. The findings come in a new report, Public Attitudes to Housing 2010, commissioned by the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) ? the country?s foremost advisory body on housing affordability. More than three-quarters (76%) of English adults would support more houses being built in their area provided services such as GP surgeries,... |
| Focus on cities with potential, says new report, as some 'struggling' city economies can no longer generate growth Cities and their hinterlands are home to more than 75 percent of England's private sector workforce and they will be the key centres for future growth, says a new report from the Centre for Cities. England urgently needs to grow its private sector economy and create more private sector jobs. But in order to unlock the potential of our cities and increase private sector growth, the coalition Government will need to adopt a radical new approach to economic development. Download the report... |
| Minimum density levels of 30 dwellings per hectare to be abolished: gardens no longer classified as brownfield sites It has been announced that Gregg Clark, Minister for Decentralisation, is about to outline plans to 'end cluttering of leafy residential areas by abolishing 'minimum density targets' for house building'. He also indicated that 'planning law is to change so that gardens are no longer classified as brownfield sites', reported The Sunday Telegraph on 6th June 2010. The RTPI's head of policy Matt Thomson welcomed the garden decision: 'The announcement is to be welcomed for clarifying the existing... |
| Study finds 'alarmingly high and dangerous level of dirty streets and pavements' across England Councils are being urged to spend more on cleaning after a new study found an 'alarmingly high and dangerous' level of dirty streets and pavements in many areas. The GMB union drew up a list of the dirtiest streets in England, with Merton in west London coming top, while Kensington and Chelsea, also in London, were the cleanest. The union said councillors should be clear that 'you get what you pay for' with street cleaning. The GMB study found that half of land and highways in Merton were... |
| Supermarkets can aid regeneration, says report supporting community power Housing estates should have more say in how they are run, according to a new report from the think tank Demos. Civic Streets: The Big Society in Action puts forward an argument for communities to be given the right to take back power from failing local authorities which are struggling to deliver quality services in deprived areas. The report refers to the Government's Big Society, Big Citizen agenda, which aims to promote community-driven schemes and a more localised politics. It says that... |
| Reappraising, repurposing and reusing urban assets underlies need for a new 'urban right to roam', says report An urban 'right to roam' could help to restart an urban renaissance that has been badly hit by the recession, according to think tank Demos in its new report, Resilient Places. The success of schemes such as New York's High Line park and South East London's Ridgeway has sparked new interest in guaranteeing public access to disused railway lines and historic canal routes. This is a first step to opening up creative urban reuse, it said.... |
| Planning reform begins to take shape: the 'power to the people' agenda provokes keen debate Legislation designed to shift power from the state to local communities and strengthen local planning has been highlighted in the Queen's Speech which signalled the Government?s legislative programme. Read details of proposed legislation here Proposals for a Localism Bill, and a Local Government Bill to revoke the previous Government's plans to create unitary councils in Exeter, Norwich and Suffolk, are now on the agenda.... |
| Zero carbon housing definition promised 'within weeks' Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced the new Government will bring four years of consultation to a close and get the definition of a zero carbon home nailed down within weeks. Mr Shapps also restated his support for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016, to take effective action to reduce the 27 per cent of all UK emissions that come from homes. Homes will have all round better insulated walls, windows, ceilings and floors to deliver the new energy efficiency standards, and will be... |
| Abolishing regional planning policies in haste could challenge economic viability, says planning body The Royal Town Planning Institute has responded to the Government?s announcement in the Queen?s Speech of a ?Decentralisation and Localism Bill?, warning that summary abolition of major parts of the planning system without a viable alternative in place puts economic recovery at risk. In particular, the Institute is concerned that the Government?s proposals to abolish regional planning are based mainly on an objection to imposed regional housing targets rather than to the principle of strategic... |
| Planners promoting greater density in suburban areas are 'threatening social and economic viability', says report Green policies designed to counter global warming could impose 'enormous costs' on working and middle-class communities in cities such as London, forcing them into a future of restricted job opportunities, cramped housing and fuel poverty, a report has claimed. Demographer Joel Kotkin argued that moves to reduce the 'human footprint' on the Earth in terms of carbon emissions represented a threat to the upward mobility traditionally delivered by large cities. His report The Broken Ladder,... |
| Town centres across the UK look set to receive ?14m funds for townscape heritage regeneration Eleven town centres across the UK look set to receive a much-needed boost of ?14m, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced. The money will help fund vital community regeneration schemes in these currently neglected areas. HLF?s Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) encourages partnerships of local organisations to carry out repairs and other works to a number of historic buildings, structures or spaces. Grants range from ?500,000 to ?2m. To date, HLF has invested almost ?200m... |
| Pensioners' playgrounds and public outdoor gyms: is UK finally following China and Spain's lead? Taking the lead from China, Spain and Manchester?s Dam Head Park, London's first specially-designed pensioners' playground has opened to the public in Hyde Park. Free, public outdoor fitness facilities for all ages, common sights in public parks and green spaces across China, Spain, Germany and much of Europe, are seemingly beginning to catch on in England. Adrian Voce, director of Play England said: ?Facilities like these are great for the community, but we must not forget that children have... |
| Roadmap 2050 for a low carbon Europe has major implications for infrastructure development and masterplanning A practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe has been published by the European Climate Foundation (ECF). Access Roadmap 2050 online The project finds that in a decarbonised power system, the future cost of electricity is comparable to the future cost of electricity under the current carbon-intensive infrastructure. Roadmap 2050 also shows that with the necessary investments in energy efficiency and Europe?s power network infrastructure, a decarbonised power sector using available... |
| Tesco town plans criticised for creating 'architecture and places in the image of the retailer' Tesco has gone back to the drawing board after the design of its proposed new district centre, hundreds of homes and a school at Bromley-by-Bow in East London were criticised by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). Read CABE's article on Supermarkets ? the new drivers of urban growth The Government?s design adviser voiced concern over traffic elements of the master plan for the project which has been drawn up in association with the Thames Gateway Development... |
| London transport strategy to focus on more attractive streets, plus improved rail links The Mayor's Transport Strategy sets out his transport vision for London. It also describes how TfL and partner organisations will deliver it over the next 20 years. 'Well-designed streets with less clutter, high quality materials and redesigned layouts providing a better balance between all road users to create attractive streets that are a pleasure to use,' form part of the plans. This statutory document was developed alongside the London Plan and Economic Development Strategy. The... |
| Planners and architects should improve access to green space: positive effects of green exercise revealed in study Just a small 'dose' of nature every day will benefit people's mood, self-esteem and mental health, a new study by the University of Essex has shown. Surprisingly the research found that just five minutes of green exercise produced the largest positive effect. Previous studies by the researchers had confirmed the links between nature, exercise in green environments, and health benefits. But this study is the first to quantify the health benefits in terms of the best ?dose? of nature. The... |
| New evidence and tools to help designers and developers reduce building whole life carbon emissions New methodology could help determine benefits of renewables, and whether to rebuild or refurbish. The methodology and its application on British Land's Ropemaker Place development in London are described in the report, Redefining zero: carbon profiling as a solution to whole life carbon emission measurement in buildings, published by RICS Research this week. Taken together with new tools such as CarbonBuzz, which enable users to track changes in a building's energy consumption against... |
| Changing lifestyles must be addressed by planners, policy makers and developers During the recent European Housing Forum lecture, supported by RICS, Peter Boelhouwer, a Professor in Housing Systems at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and a member of the Council to the Dutch Ministry for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, presented his view on 'New trends in housing: Housing requirements for changing lifestyles'. RICS EHF Lecture series 'Changing Lifestyles, Changing Climate - The Role of Housing' Boelhouwer has conducted extensive... |
| City islands: can bringing the countryside back into the city help to mitigate against abandonment and decay? Eastern Germany has seen its cities shrink since the fall of the Berlin Wall as people leave to find work elsewhere. But now a state-sponsored project suggests that 'city islands': urban green zones and huge outdoor art could be part of the solution. In 2007, the town of Dessau, home to the Bauhaus school, merged with the town of Rosslau to become Dessau-Rosslau, thereby boosting the population, which is currently around 88,000. Yet whole neighborhoods still appear abandoned, the facades of... |