November 2007 Archives

Some quotes from speakers at the Estates Gazette Political Summit at Claridges this morning:

"I would scrap density targets" Grant Shapps MP, Shadow Housing Minister, Conservative

"Let's make it profitable to build more rather than less" John Gummer MP, The Quality of Life Group

"Only 300 council houses were built in England last year" Paul Homes MP, Shadow Housing Spokesman, Liberal

"If all the London boroughs were as dense as Kensington & Chelsea we could house 20 million in the capital" Sir Nigel Thompson, Chairman, CPRE

"A 30p increase in rent a week would allow RSLs to build 10,000 new homes per annum" Ruth Davidson, National Housing Federation

"There should be more emphasis on deferring schemes rather than refusing them" Nick Shattock, Director, Quintain

"Go with the flow - Ride the market" David Lock, Chairman, Town & Country Planning Association

Did you know that it takes 9,500 cups of tea to build the average three bedroom house? Neither did I. But according to a survey commissioned to launch a new brand of tea...and I'm not making this up... called Make Mine A Builders, that's the figure.

...just add water, bullet proof and was on Dragons' Den.

Days before a fully costed plan for the Thames Gateway was supposed to be delivered, Yvette Cooper has ordered an emergency re write.

...that only England and Wales have no minimum space standards for housing. All other European countries do. Even Scotland does! Link.

...well not exactly; apparently a warehouse on the western boundary of the site is on fire!

The Crown Estate has just announced its shortlist (which includes Ballymore and Stanhope) for the redevelopment of the Metropole building on Northumberland Avenue. But did you know that deep in the bowels of the building (when it was owned by the MoD) there used to be a top secret UFO research office? And did you also know that Dorset progressive rockers Galahad have written a song about it! The office in questioned was known only by its number, Room 801.

Oh yes, and it also poses as the Cabinet Office for the BBC's Spooks series.

Just look at the size of that mobile. LIFFE trader, Walbrook, the City.

10% of all energy on new developments to be produced on site from renewable sources. First implemented by The London Borough of...wait for it...Merton. Not everyone likes it, the British Property Federation for one. This is what they say:

If the only method we use to measure green credentials is how much renewable energy we use, then it means we could leave the heating on full with windows wide open, keep computers on all night and lights on at weekends, but power it with 10 per cent renewables and still call ourselves green.