Good News Or Not?

[Guest ExMemberKingFisher]

Looks like Brooms is staying put at riverside, meanwhile they have submitted plans which have been recommended for approval for 155 homes and a supermarket on land they purchased to relocate the boat building business. I guess it is good news that Brooms are staying where they are, but will the extra income from the development of the land near the A47 be used to invest in the riverside business, or will they take the money and run? Selling or leaving Brooms to stagnate? I guess the massive expansion of Brundall may not be all good news for the locals either. Looks like the local council may have been a little too slow off the mark in securing the land for recreational use. If planning permission is granted then a compulsory purchase order seems unlikely.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/edp-property/brundall-boat-building-firm-s-new-supermarket-and-homes-proposal-recommended-for-approval-1-5295800

[NorfolkNog]

“This, the applicants argue, would result in positive economic benefits for the village by securing existing employment.”

 

That's very interesting. Presumably the economic benefits cited would be the boat building business although I don't suppose it would be legally binding. The cynic in me thinks they might take the profits but let's wait and see! I bet it doesn't include any affordable housing. Isn't there some mechanism where councils can attach conditions, for example including play facilities in the scheme? Be interesting to see how it pans out. If officers have recommended approval I don't think it's a given that it will get passed. 

 

[Boatingman]

Under planning Legislation there has to be a certain number of affordable houses in most new schemes and certainly all schemes above 10 new properties, numbers and calculations do vary from planning authority to planning authority

The Developer also has to pay a community infrastructure charge this again varies but one large property in the village I live attracted a charge of £45000  although the average is around £10000

The money from the charge can be used for schools, play areas roads etc 

Ray

[grendel]

I think you will find that most projects nowadays have to provide a certain percentage of affordable (or sometimes referred to as social) housing to conform to government guidelines, though there may be a minimum number they are allowed to build without including affordable housing. we see this in effect on most if not all of the projects that come through our office.

[marshman]

My recollection, such as it is, is that at the time they placed great store on their building a large modern factory in Brundall to cope with their expansion plans, so who is surprised that  instead of a factory, they are going to build houses!! At the time of the takeover, there was some scepticism that that was actually a realistic plan, and so it appears. So instead of new jobs, it seems that they are now bullish about "securing existing employment" !

The key factor will be whether the profit from this will be fed back into the boatyard, or just into someones pockets. No doubt someone will come along and tell me that the underlying business is doing well, but I wonder how many new boats they are building to be sold, or are they now building for the hire fleet, and moulding for others?

Perhaps my glass is being seen as a half empty one, but at the time of the takeover, a lot of concerns were being expressed, and not sure those concerns really gone away!

[VetChugger]

Thought we were "outlawing " politics here? "Affordable housing"! Affordable to who?? The definition appears to be  “Affordable housing is housing deemed affordable to those with a median household income” ! Given that this is in the region of £25.000 per annum, what relation does this bear to the so called living wage?

Its the proverbial load of rowlocks!

[JennyMorgan]

The bottom line is????

[Hockham Admiral]

  

7 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

The bottom line is????

The Guidelines!    

[grendel]

some of this (affordable or social) housing will be run through housing association, or sold to first time buyers at a discount, otherwise it may just be a single occupancy or 1 bedroom flat, intended to get people onto the housing ladder, it does vary a lot from development to development.

while political policy may dictate the provision of such housing, I don't believe that discussing the make up of the accommodation presented on a new development is a political subject, any more than a question of wondering how many 4 bedroom three bedroom, etc properties will make up the development is a political thing.

[JennyMorgan]

Strangely enough I think that most of us saw this coming right from day one. Venture Capitalists, asset strippers, call them what you will, have just one purpose, irrespective of everything else, and that is to make money. Not in anyway a political statement but in my opinion it is a bottom line that has marred Wroxham & Horning and is now biting at Brundall. Make money by all means but don't let it be the B All and End All of life. 

[marshman]

I am glad you remember the concerns expressed at the time PW! Yes, it was almost inevitable although of course they could be doing it to invest in the boatyard!!

[JennyMorgan]

Indeed they could be!