Ali Al-Rumaih’s Post

Why building new towns isn’t the answer to the UK’s housing crisis #UK #Housing #HousePrises #HouseBuilding #NewTowns #HousingCrisis #UKHousing #UrbanDevelopment #AffordableHousing #Infrastructure #HousingSolutions #UrbanGrowth #SustainableDevelopment

𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬) 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝟑𝟖% 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊. With Labour's plans to build new towns, this proportion could rise. However, new research has highlighted the challenges these developments face. Bigger projects come with more paperwork. For example, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟖. This increase in paperwork creates huge delays, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞. If new towns are to fix the housing crisis, planning reform must come first. #PlanningReforming #PlanningPermission #Housing #NewTowns

A big moment for Wellington City. Yesterday the Council made their decisions on the direction of the Proposed District Plan. This is a relief to finally have some certainty on how can progress potential projects in our city. Whilst there are plenty of opinions around how this should have landed, the reality is it will be a long time before we see any noticeable change in built form scale that has been the key subject of debate. There are many challenges in the development and construction space that will take time to adapt to what will now be facilitated. The good news is that we will have certainty that a mechanism will be in place that supports modern models of housing form and needs and utlimately we can make market led decisions on solutions.

From @chroniclelive - the challenges of #planning and meeting the infrastructure needs of new #housing developments: https://lnkd.in/eDhQcqx7

Minister Bishop announced this week that he wants to "flood the market" with opportunities for housing development. While we're not sure that the word "flood" is appropriate for our communities here in Hawke's Bay and the East Coast, we get it. Minister Bishop is our Housing Minster and that man wants houses! I think that any tool that the Government can employ that will improve the development sector's ability to build houses is good, and I am here for the kōrero. What I feel is lacking is the acknowledgement that houses will not get built, even if the underlying plans and zoning allow for everything that Minister Bishop desires, if we don't also do the following: - Address decades of under-investment in our infrastructure and figure out how any new infrastructure will be designed, built and maintained; - Find the skilled, available tradespeople to design and build the necessary infrastructure and the houses; and - Figure out how to reduce our skyrocketing building costs. Check out more on my recent blog: https://lnkd.in/gYuj7gaH #housing #growth #Government #Policy

STAY ON TARGET: The government has launched a taskforce to lead on its plans to create a series of new towns. It says that these communities will have at least 10,000 properties each and be governed by a 'New Towns Code' to ensure they have appropriate infrastructure, public services, affordable housing, transport links and green spaces. The taskforce is due to consider sites and report back to ministers with recommendations within 12 months. The initiative is part of the government's plans to hits its target of 1.5 million new homes built over the next five years. Please contact us to find out more about how this - and the government's other recent planning and housing announcements - will affect your plans and projects. #planning #plans #newtowns #homes #housing #property

Australia's housing crisis requires urgent solutions. While prefabrication construction has been proposed as a fix, it's not without its challenges, let alone trucking the half houses along busy roads and the chaos that follows as special escorted requirements exist to clear traffic off the road with the approaching truck loaded with half a dwelling because of road traffic laws across Australia. In Australia, prefabrication construction is essentially a cottage industry, making it challenging to meet the staggering shortfall of over 1 million affordable and social dwellings required now, not to mention the additional 300,000 to 400,000 needed in the next 3 to 5 years. Transporting prefabricated homes across the country presents logistical issues, with half a dwelling requiring police or specialist services to warn oncoming traffic. Infill residential mid-rise apartments on surplus public land may be a more viable solution. Emulating London's policy of setting aside up to 50% of surplus land for affordable housing could be the answer. Additionally, a mandatory 30% affordable housing requirement in rezoned areas near public transport infrastructure could provide an immediate value capture. It's time for an inclusive policy setting that addresses Australia's housing crisis with urgency and social responsibility. The answer is scalable Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in advanced modular construction platforms, which can be trucked to building sites in shipping containers with their own cranes on board and then assembled on site like "Lego" generally saves up to 75% in time, over slow inefficient custom construction, offering "Speed to Market." #advancedmodular #CLT #housingcrisis #sustainability

There are better solutions than carving up valuable rural landscapes around Sydney's outer metropolitan suburbs to the city's worst shortfall in affordable housing. In addition to water and sewerage infrastructure backlogs, there are significant road and public transport infrastructure delays, some extending up to 20 years. The 170 railway stations across metropolitan Sydney are predominantly surrounded by single-detached dwellings, limiting the potential of billions of dollars of public-funded infrastructure. An immediate rezoning around "all" this entire public-funded transport infrastructure is required to ensure enough affordable housing for Sydney's essential workers and key workers with easy access to their jobs. Developing inclusive quality mid-rise apartments near these stations can create walkable urban villages, enhancing community bonds and social cohesion. Pushing residents to outer suburbs with limited job opportunities and inadequate public transport leads to extensive daily commutes, impacting well-being and social responsibility issues. It's time for innovative solutions, like advanced modular construction in inclusive quality residential grade mid-rise apartment construction using renewable resources, to address the chronic shortage of affordable housing. Relying on traditional construction methods with skills shortages won't resolve the housing crisis. Embracing new construction platforms with sustainable materials like Cross Laminated Timber can minimize waste and build a more sustainable future for Sydney's housing needs. The Thrive Alliance's expertise is over 100,000 major CLT urban reference projects worldwide. Led in Australia by a proven "Placemaker" over the last decades, I have set aside between 30% and 50% for affordable housing with no mandatory requirements, just through my initiative and sense of social responsibility, on all vacant metropolitan major serviced land holdings won at either State or Local Government tenders. The Thrive Alliance's capabilities include up to 40,000 inclusive-quality residential-grade mid-rise apartments within walking distance of railway stations or tram stops per year. A speed-to-market solution is desperately needed in Australia today. A fast-track solution lies in advanced modular construction platforms built from CLT up to 75% faster than slow, inefficient custom construction methods. #Sydney #infrastructure #housingcrisis #advancedmodular #sustainability #CLT #ThriveAlliance #Harropfactor #Placemaker #essentialworkers #keyworkers #speedtomarket #fasttomarket #sustainability #inclusiveness #residentialgrade #midrise #townhouses

What will happens after upcoming SYD land rezoning. 1. Dual Occupancies Duplexes allowed in all R2 zones across NSW. 2. Terraces/Townhouses Permitted near train stations and key centres in R2 zones in Greater Sydney and Six Cities Region. 3. Mid-rise Apartments Allowed in R3 zones near key centres. 4. New Controls: New floor space and height rules for low- and mid-rise housing. 5.Transport Oriented Development (TOD) (1) Rezoning within 1,200m of transport hubs by Nov 2024 to build 47,800 homes. - Areas: Bankstown, Bays West, Bella Vista, Crows Nest, Homebush, Hornsby, Kellyville, Macquarie Park. (2) New controls within 400m of 37 train stations, finalising by specific dates in 2024-2025. New SEPP Plans 1. Residential Buildings Allowed in R1, R2, R3, R4, E1 zones. 2.Shop-top Housing Allowed in E1 and E2 zones. - **Height/FSR**: 22m for residential, 24m for shop-top, FSR max 2.5:1. 3. Affordable Housing: 2% mandatory contribution for developments over 2000sqm. Impact Areas Rezoning affects wider areas around primary suburbs, e.g., Crows Nest impacting Naremburn, Cammeray, St Leonards, Wollstonecraft, North Sydney. **Advice for Buyers:** 1. Check impact using NSW Planning Spatial Viewer. 2. Thoroughly research before buying in affected zones. 3. Potential for increased value or negative impact based on new zoning. #rezoning #Sydney #property #mortgage #mortgagebroker #homeloan

Bayside City Council is currently the epicenter of State Government Planning Intervention with Suburban Rail Loop Authority, #ActivityCentreProgram, and Level Crossing Removal Project. Following the release of the SRL Precinct Directions there appears to be a strong focus on maximise built form outcomes with limited regards for the impact on the community. Any approach to high quality planning outcomes needs to have regard to those who live in that location, not just about those future residents; providing community infrastructure that does not cost shift and place a financial burden on local government and communities; understanding of the building industry and the ability to deliver housing outcomes in what is highly taxed and financially burdened. Engagement is critical to ensure the local context and community expectations is not lost in a centralised planning approach being delivered by the State Government. https://lnkd.in/gz-p4Q3r