Ortus

Redrow Homes reveal 166-homes plan for Tiverton Eastern Urban Extension

And here we go again into the world of unimaginative . I hope, one day soon, governments and local authorities will see the value in incentivising regeneration over expansion. It's more difficult, probably costs more, but the creation of ever expanding settlements to suit a specific housing delivery model and housing markets will only contribute to the difficulties of disparate communities. Dormatory settlements around donut towns are not a sustainable future.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/redrow-homes-reveal-166-homes-plan-for-tiverton-eastern-urban-extension/

How Covid has changed where we want to live

Perhaps it's just me but is this what a bubble looks like? In the post covid panic home enquiries in more rural areas are going through the roof as are house prices. there is no doubt we're currently in a sellers market with agents expecting the asking price to the guide for starting offers and negotiating up. But as the panic subsides (because we all have very short memories) and the value gap between city and rural homes shrinks (so they don't seem like such a bargain), the reported exodus will cease and.... 'POP' there goes another bubble. We've seen it before and this sort of market suits speculators but is to the detriment of people trying to buy their own homes. Hold tight, the ride will end soon enough and we can stop feeling dizzy!

How Covid has changed where we want to live Cornwall has overtaken London as the most searched for location among property buyers, data suggests.

Don't go eating too much chocolate this weekend. :-)

The path to a greener future begins in our cities

The world population is growing, that's not going to change any time soon, and since the industrial revolution people are drawn to towns & cities. Better communications and remote working solutions will have a negligible impact on this so we have two choices, let the towns & cities spread or make them more dense. However this is approached, greening the cities should be seen as an essential element of pollution control. This is a great article from the WEF and we need to think bigger, designing in ecology as a technical solution to pollution control. this isn't about adding a few trees and shrubs but making this design strategy intrinsic in all new development. It could be promoted with offsetting benefits against taxation and s106 contributions, an ecologically engineered design that demonstrates CO2 absorptions, oxygen generation, even a measure of calming and wellbeing??? We exist in a capitalist economy and we need to be doing better at addressing the future of pollution. The only way to do this within our current economic model is to make it profitable or, at the very least, not loss making.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/path-to-a-greener-future-begins-cities/

Plans submitted for Teignmouth’s new £8m health and wellbeing centre The scheme for Brunswick Street is due to open in 2022

M&G shared ownership fund gets UK government, LGPS backing

Sorry, but we're getting something fundamentally wrong here. the model os shared ownership exists because people can't afford to by their own homes. The problem is that homes are two expensive and this won't go away by covering it with a sticking plaster. Project the current model into the future and it gets worse and worse so we should be focusing efforts on slowing house price growth. In a negative interest economy with hyper low inflation, house prices are still rising way beyond inflation because house-builders keep the upward pressure on sales prices manipulating wider markets. If our solution is to keep borrowing more, there is only one outcome, perhaps not now but for future generations.

M&G shared ownership housing fund gets UK government, LGPS backing Initial £215m received from backers including Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire schemes and Homes England