Self Build Land News
New Look for UK Housing Design 
When Mark Wilkinson first designed his Cone House, it was a serious attempt to persuade house-builders to think outside the box... Read the full article >
Think tank claims housing plans mean rethink for the Green Belt
The Government's latest housing targets cannot be met without the loss of significant amounts of greenfield land, an independent think tank has claimed, after arguing for a major review of policy on Green Belt development... Read the full article >
Budding Self Builders wanted for new housing scheme
New Linx Housing Trust wants to hear from budding self builders as it hopes to set aside ten new homes for an innovative new scheme... Read the full article >
Green Belt Housing Plan
Green belt around Hunstanton, in Norfolk, could be developed to provide affordable housing... Read the full article >
St Albans Green Belt Development for 1000 new homes
Up to 1,000 new homes could be built on greenbelt land in Smallford, St Albans if Oaklands College moves its headquarters to Hatfield... Read the full article >
'Increasing threat' to UK green belt land
Green belt land protecting countryside from urban sprawl is increasingly threatened by government initiatives, rural campaigners say... Read the full article >
Green light for greenbelt pub
Planners have agreed to allow the redevelopment of an historic Sheffield pub, even though it is a listed building in the Green Belt... Read the full article >
People must accept house building plan
People will have to live with the prospect of large-scale housing development in the county over the next 20 years, says Buckinghamshire County Council's cabinet member for planning... Read the full article >
Murray's luxury housing tees off
David Murray, the chairman of Rangers, has won a lengthy battle to build luxury homes on greenbelt land near a fledgling £5m golf club he owns... Read the full article >
Fears over green land near Luton airport
Environmentalists fear a group of developers and landowners have joined with Luton Airport operators to pressure for building on Green Belt land near Harpenden in Hertfordshire... Read the full article >
One million more will own homes, Labour says
A million more homeowners will be created within five years if Labour wins a third term, Gordon Brown and John Prescott will promise today... Read the full article >
You will have to fight us for land
There should be no building on the greenbelt for at least a decade. That's the message from county councillors who are fighting plans to build up to 15,000 homes on protected land... Read the full article >
Football pitches under development threat?
Demand for new housing is placing playing fields and open spaces across Scotland under threat of development, the first Scottish conference of the National Playing Fields Association has heard... Read the full article >
Prescott's "sticky fingers" on green belt?
An MP has warned John Prescott to keep his "sticky fingers" off the North-East's green belt land after he insisted he would press ahead with plans to build thousands of starter homes in the region... Read the full article >
Fears over green belt office plan
A massive business park is set to be built on land next to a university campus, fuelling fears over the future of Edinburgh's green belt... Read the full article >
Storm over green belt homes plan
Thousands of homes could "overwhelm" Stourport under new plans to change the status of green belt land, Wyre Forest councillors fear. Developers want 500 acres of land in the Astley Cross area reclassified for mixed or residential use. Councillors fear it could lead to large-scale development... Read the full article >
Golf club may be sold off for homes
A golf course in Wolverhampton could be sold off and thousands of homes built in its place under a deal thought to be worth up to £200 million, netting members a huge windfall.
It is understood a revolutionary replacement 36-hole course could be built in Pendeford under the enormous plans for Oxley Park Golf Club... Read the full article >
Mystery hero buys green belt land
A "Local Hero" has bought a green belt field in a stockbroker belt village to stop it being used as a mobile homes site... Read the full article >
Making an investment
There is a shortage of land for building new housing to keep up with population growth. More people are now living alone, further increasing demand for properties which would previously have been shared by couples or families... Read the full article >
Second plan creates new green belt fear
Residents fighting plans for an animal incinerator on green belt land have condemned a Worcestershire council for approving a housing development on the same site.
Redditch Borough Council's planning committee agreed in principle to grant outline permission for seven luxury homes on the site near Redditch... Read the full article >
Campaigners to Challenge Countryside Housing Plan
Countryside campaigners are to challenge Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in the House of Lords over his plans to allow thousands of new homes to be built in the heart of England... Read the full article >
Backing for 500,000 new homes
As the debate over house-building intensifies, National Housing Federation chief executive Jim Coulter argued, "The country is in the grip of a housing crisis so severe that doing nothing is no longer an option. We need to build more homes. But more importantly we need to build communities that are socially and environmentally sustainable"... Read the full article >
Stevenage resigned to massive influx
Old town residents regret threat to green belt as Prescott's housing redevelopment plans take shape... Read the full article >
Dispute over 26,000 new homes
Doubts have been cast over claims by local MP Peter Lilley that the Government is looking at expanding the West of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, development to a massive 26,000 homes... Read the full article >
Homes plan 'will swamp' countryside
John Prescott's plans to build 500,000 new homes in the east of England will cause a water crisis, threaten landscapes, damage historic towns and destroy wildlife, according to an independent consultant's report... Read the full article >
Growing anger at schools project
Proposals put forward offer either a refurbishment of the existing school or a new school built on land next to the junction of Airthrey Road and Causewayhead Road with housing development on the existing school site... but a growing number of locals are concerned about the impact the new school option could have on the community, particularly as they say it could use up a section of greenbelt the size of 10 football pitches... Read the full article >
Greenbelt Alliance plans campaign to stop bypass project
An Alliance of groups fighting to preserve greenbelt land says it will try to stop a city bypass from going ahead... Read the full article >
Getting ready for a housing boom
The Norwich urban area is set for an expansion of up to 27,000 new homes in the next 20 years... Read the full article >
Cheap homes plan greeted by 'widespread scepticism'
The property industry has reacted with scorn and scepticism to deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's latest plan to help the housing market in this south-east, announced at last week's Labour Party conference... Read the full article >
Decision due on greenbelt land
A decision is due on whether 56 hectares of greenbelt land in Sutton Coldfield will be retained as a site for major investment... Read the full article >
Planning guidelines for brownfield site homes
Spacious developments are still being built, but planning guidelines on density will affect the next generation of housing. The Arboretum, near St Albans, got planning permission before guidelines on the number of homes changed... Read the full article >
Eubank's new flats plan approved
Former boxer Chris Eubank has been granted permission to create 41 flats at the site of his Sussex home... Read the full article >
Families wage homes battle
More than 100 families have united to fight for their homes, due for demolition in a £6m Kensington regeneration project... Read the full article >
'Co-operate now' on sites for housing
A leading Sandhurst councillor has warned that the issue of developing sites for housing will not disappear, even though controversial plans for 15 flats in the village have been withdrawn... Read the full article >
Gateway homes plan 'relies on improved transport'
The government's plans to build 120,000 new homes in the Thames Gateway by 2016 will not work without a series of new and improved transport facilities, an official report warned today... Read the full article >
Decision time for Green Belt plan
Another controversial green belt housing development is under the spotlight this week after the recent explosion of objection to the plan for Top Wighay Farm in Hucknall... Read the full article >
Housing vision for secret of Old Town
A hidden gap-site in the heart of the Old Town is set to be transformed into a thriving thoroughfare featuring shops, homes and a public square... Read the full article >
New campus homes bid
College buildings listed for their architectural importance are to be refurbished by developers under new plans to build homes on a controversial city-centre site... Read the full article >
Extra homes add to mill concerns
Objectors to the proposed Rainshore Mill housing development in Norden received a shock when they were told the developers were considering building an extra 18 houses... Read the full article >
New homes 'could mean water bans'
The government plans to build more than half a million homes in the South-East over the next 20 years.. yet, eight million people live in the South-East, one of the UK's driest regions... Read the full article >
House plan could transform suburb
A Sheffield community could change dramatically if plans to build 91 homes on an industrial site are granted planning permission... Read the full article >
Farmland values swell by 10%
Farmland values rose by nearly 10% during the first six months of 2004 as a result of limited supply and newewed demand from prospective buyers, according to the latest rural research...
Property Week, 6th August 2004, Read the full article >
'Cutting-edge' country house plan
Ministers have changed planning rules for the countryside to favour "innovative cutting-edge designs" over traditional country house styles.
"We already knew Prescott was planning to let rip with his bulldozer over England's Green Belt... now he has England's farmland in his sights..." Read the full article >
Warning over flood plain 'ghettos'
The government is to press on with plans to build 120,000 homes in the Thames Gateway flood plain despite accepting the increased chance of flooding disasters due to global warming... Read the full article >
Planner warns of green belt housing threat
A top city planner has warned that the council will be forced to develop green belt land because of pressure from the Scottish Executive. More than 31,000 new houses need to be built in and around the city by 2015 to meet expected demand... Read the full article >
Green belt homes plans spark angry protest
Objections have been declared to council plans to earmark Green Belt land in Hertford for housing. East Herts Council has identified sites for building work in the town until 2011... Read the full article >
Blair backs huge house building drive
Tony Blair has backed proposals to build tens of thousands of new homes in the south-east to tackle the housing crisis... Read the full article >
Industrial site plan for homes
A former industrial site in Park Street is being put forward for possible residential development of nearly 200 homes including affordable housing... Read the full article >
Row over missing homes cash
Prominent Conservatives in the Welwyn Hatfield district say that Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is demanding thousands of new homes in the south-east, but the Government is failing to provide the money needed... Read the full article >
New homes vital to Labour manifesto
A pledge to boost housebuilding across the country will form a centrepiece of Labour's general election manifesto, it emerged today. Tony Blair has told MPs housing will become as important as health and education in his third term and he promised to ease shortages in the South-East in particular... Read the full article >
Shock bid for 40,000 houses
Up to 40,000 new homes could be built in North Herts and alongside Stevenage - half the number which may be earmarked for the whole of the county... Read the full article >
100,000 new homes needed every year
A government-commissioned review today called for an extra 100,000 new homes to be built each year in a bid to meet rising demand... Read the full article >
How to help beat the homes crisis (if only Prescott will listen)
If you look around the country today, almost every piece of developable land is covered by one planning constraint or another. Local planning departments should be made to adopt a more flexible approach to determine their recommendations... Read the full article >
Housing boom 'at an end' as first-time buyers go missing
The Government has also signalled a building boom in housing hot spots - largely in the south of England - to cut prices... Read the full article >
Prescott pledges planning overhaul
The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, has unveiled a scheme to shake out the "inertia" in the planning system that is standing in the way of his communities plan.
Mr Prescott said: "We can't be in a situation where major housing developments are being held back. Planning must be part of the solution, not part of the problem..." Read the full article >
Major housing plan 'will overwhelm countryside'
Up to half a million homes will be built on greenfield sites in the South East of England over the next 30 years, destroying an area of countryside larger than Manchester. Planning consultants have told John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, that a swathe of unspoilt land will have to be sacrificed under his massive house-building programme, to be announced this week... Read the full article >
Self-build is housing market's next big thing
The start of a new year brings with it a renewed energy for the housing market and sees the self-build and renovation sector destined to pick up on the growth experienced over the past few years, writes Jason Orme, deputy editor of Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine... Read the full article >
Shortage of homes over next 20 years threatens deepening housing crisis
Shortage of homes over next 20 years threatens deepening housing crisis Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of housebuilding is dramatically increased, according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The evidence, being presented at the Foundation's Centenary Housing Conference in London, reveals that the supply of housing is already falling behind demand faster than previously recognised... Read the full article >
The South-East has to find space for 200,000 new homes
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sets targets for the number of homes it wants to see built in each region of the country by a specific date. Under a guidance note he issued two years ago, local authorities in London and the South-East are already committed to allow the building of 62,000 new homes a year for the next 20 years. This target has now been increased by a further 10,000 new homes a year. The implication is that instead of having to absorb 1.24 million houses over the next 20 years, the South-East will have to absorb 1.44 million. That is the equivalent of about 30 Oxfords or 20 Brightons... Read the full article >
Prescott's homes plan will blight green land
Up to half a million homes will be built on greenfield sites in the South East of England over the next 30 years, destroying an area of countryside larger than Manchester... Read the full article >
New homes will use Green Belt 'equal to West Midlands'
Local councils are on course to build houses on an area of Green Belt land bigger than Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton combined, countryside campaigners warn in research published today... Read the full article >
Gamble pays off for architects
The couple are both architecture professors at the University of Sheffield and wanted to put their theories into practice. "We wanted to treat the self-build as a research project, using natural materials that had not been used before and which had a very low ecological impact, using straw, sandbags and quilted duvets for the walls," says Jeremy... Read the full article >
