Tag Archives: Commerical Development

How will leaving the EU affect the property industry?

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With the UK voting to leave the European Union the debate has started on how cutting ties with the EU will affect differing industries. Richard Carr has been in the property market for over 30 years and has looked at the pros and cons.

Pros of leaving the EU

  • Reduction in red tape for builders
  • Increase in opportunities for UK workers
  • Reduction in regulation
  • No EU constraints

Cons of leaving the EU

  • Many construction workers are from the EU
  • Potential skills crisis

Outlook

Richard Carr image of Leeds

What affect will Brexit have upon the property market?

On the face of it, if the government can ensure that migrant workers are still able to work in the UK and they also provide extra funding to get British people into workforces then the industry willflourish.

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Are developers steering clear of commercial property?

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New research has revealed that planning permissions for commercial property in the United Kingdom have hit a six-year low, writes property developer Richard Carr.

Commercial Property

Richard Carr Office to Commercial

Are developers shying away from commercial property?

Richard Carr has achieved planning permission for many types of commercial property during his 30-year career in the industry, including:

  • Salterns Marina – restaurant and commercial units available
  • Walkabout, Bournemouth
  • Ardmore Road, Poole

Further examples of his development past can be found on Richard’s website: http://www.richard-carr.co.uk/historical/

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The supply of homes in the UK is increasing says new figures

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In the final quarter of last year the number of planning permissions granted were up 13% on the same quarter 12 months earlier as developers tried to keep up with the country’s housing demand, writes property specialist Richard Carr.

Growth

Richard Carr Starter Homes image

House building is on the rise

In total, there were 255,032 initial planning permissions granted in England during 2015, up a staggering 57% from a low point of 162,204 in 2009, according to the latest pipeline report.

The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) report found that the steady rise in applications has helped improve housing supply over the past two years as more of the permissions progress to the point that work can begin on building new dwellings.

Housing stock is rising in the UK as the construction industry continues to grow; over 180,000 new homes were added to housing stock in 2014/2015, which is up 22% on the previous year.

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Independent panel criticises Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

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Property Developer Richard Carr recently spoke out in the Bournemouth Echo about the need to rethink the way that property taxes such as s106 payments and CIL are being implemented, an opinion which is now being shared by an independent panel.

Review

Richard Carr image of Liz Peace

Liz Peace

Last week the government set up an independent panel to review CIL and look at ways in which it could be improved. Former British Property Federation CEO Liz Peace chaired the panel and told a National Planning Summit that the levy “is not providing a huge amount of funding for infrastructure” and has failed to provide a “faster, simpler, more transparent system’ than section 106.

Furthermore, she said that the review team were “not convinced that CIL has met the primary purpose of when it was set up”.

“We don’t actually think it’s providing a huge amount of funding for infrastructure, and it most certainly hasn’t provided a faster, simpler, more transparent system,” Peace said.

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Green Belt development soaring

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Local authorities grip on Green Belt land is getting weaker and weaker by the minute as new research suggests that the number of homes being built on Green Belt land is set to soar over the coming years, writes property consultant Richard Carr.

Pressure

Richard Carr's Green Belt image

Can anyone stop green belt development?

Green Belt development policy is slowly abating as the government responds to the growing housing crisis. An increasing number of loopholes in planning guidance are being found, whilst local councils find themselves under increasing pressure from the government to release Green Belt land for new development through an ‘exceptional circumstances’ clause.

The claims come from new research produced by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, who are concerned about the amount of development that will occur on protected land in the coming years.

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Government pulls 50% of funding for Planning Advisory Service

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The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have added extra pain on the planning system by reducing its annual government grant to the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) by half, writes property developer Richard Carr.

Cuts

Richard Carr planning policy image

The PAS is set to be hit by 50% cuts

The Planning Resource revealed earlier this week that the Local Government Association, which runs PAS, received a letter from Planning Minister Brandon Lewis explaining the changes to the funding. As a result, the DCLG has reduced its funding by 50%, which means that PAS will along receive £1m in government grants.

According to Planning Resource, the reduction is a knock-on effect of the substantial reduction the DCLG’s resource budget from 2016/17 onwards.

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MPs support increase in planning fees

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A poll conducted by the British Property Federation (BPF) has found that they majority of UK parliamentarians support a rise in planning fees to help under resourced local planning authorities.

Increases

Richard Carr Planning Permission

Planning fees set to rise

61% of MPs agreed that fees should increase, whilst 47% say they should increase but with stronger guarantees on planning performance. The feeling was supported by the country’s two main political parties. Labour MPs voted in favour by 65% and the Conservative’s by 61%.

In a survey conducted by the BPF and GL Hearn in 2015, 55% of local planning authorities cited under resourcing as a major challenge, whilst 65% of applicants said they would be happy to pay extra to reduced waiting times.

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Own land around train stations? The government wants to hear from you!

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Land owners around train stations in the UK could be about to benefit from a massive development programme which the government hopes will deliver thousands of new homes, writes property developer Richard Carr.

10,000

Richard Carr says sell train station land

The redeveloped Manchester Victoria Station

The government are aiming to build around 10,000 homes around rail stations and already three local authorities have come forward with ambitious proposals to revitalise town centres.

York, Taunton and Swindon councils have already drawn up proposals in a bid to spearhead the new initiative and have picked railway sites which they believe could be pooled to deliver housing. In total, the government wants to hear from at least 20 local authorities to take the scheme forward.

Developments of this type have already proven successful following the transformations of Birmingham New Street, Manchester Victoria and London Kings Cross. The government is committed to bringing together high calibre technical expertise and local knowledge to increase development opportunities.

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Is it time for the National Planning Policy Framework to be reviewed?

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The government is being called upon by MPs to carry out a detailed review of the current national planning policy before the end of this parliament, writes property developer Richard Carr.

Evaluation

Richard Carr National Planning Policy review

Is it time for a National Planning Policy review?

Since the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2012, there has been little review and now an all-party group of MPs has voiced their concerns that there has been “no robust, objective or evidence-based monitoring, evaluation or review.

The group of MPs are part of the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, which published a report in early April considering the government’s latest proposed changes to the NPPF.

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Is the first timber frame skyscraper set to be built in London?

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Plans to build the capital’s first timber skyscraper took a step closer to reality earlier this month after researchers presented Mayor of London Boris Johnson with theoretical plans for an 80-storey building.

New heights

Richard Carr Timber Frame London

An architects image of the 80-storey building

Property developer Richard Carr is pleased to see the UK leading the way in new construction techniques, having felt that it had been left behind by the likes of China and Dubai.

Currently, Bergen, Norway is the home of the world’s largest tallest timber building, which is a 14-storey apartment block.

The plans shown to Boris Johnson are for an 80-storey, 300m high wooden building, which would easily take that title!

Researchers from Cambridge University have teamed up with a group of engineers and architects to develop the plans for the building, which would integrate with the Barbican.

The building certainly does push the boundaries of construction and if the plans are approved it would become the second tallest building in London after The Shard.

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