England round-up: Council refuses 2,000-home Wisley Airfield proposal; Pidgeon commits to ‘Olympic’ effort to build London homes

A round-up of planning news in England: 2 April-8 April, 2016
Council refuses 2,000-home Wisley Airfield proposal
Guildford Borough Council has voted to reject a planning application for more than 2,000 homes on Wisley Airfield.
The Planner
Guildford publishes revised local plan
Guildford Borough Council has published its revised local plan, including plans for a disused airfield, following 20,000 comments and questions received during the 2014 public consultation.
The Planner
Pidgeon commits to ‘Olympic’ effort to build London homes
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Mayor of London election, has launched her manifesto outlining plans to increase house building and reduce transport fares in the capital.
The Planner
Mayoral candidates must deliver ‘credible plans’ to fill London’s housing gap
House builders want the mayoral candidates to adopt ‘realistic’ policies to deliver the increase in housing supply required to maintain London’s position as the ‘world’s capital city’.
The Planner
The RTPI is seeking two volunteers to represent them at the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU).
RTPI
HS2: EU to pay £30m to £55bn project
The EU will pay just £30 million towards the controversial HS2 – a fraction of its £55 billion price tag.
Express and Star
Half of London’s tenants ‘struggle to pay rent’
More than half of London's private tenants are struggling to pay their rent, says housing charity Shelter.
BBC News
‘Early Crossrail could mean slower services’
Rail commuters will face longer journey times if Crossrail comes into use before electrification of the Henley branch line.
Henley Standard
Nearly 400 homes proposed for Lincoln village
Two separate planning applications that could bring 370 new homes to one Lincoln village have been submitted.
The Lincolnite
Pothole fund: South-West to get most cash
Details of how a £50 million pothole fund is to be divided up between English councils have been revealed.
BBC News
Lack of homes is stopping older Londoners downsizing, says poll
More than one in four older Londoners feel there is a lack of homes to downsize to despite more than a third considering a move, a new study has found.
City AM
Plan for giant housing association to build 100,000 homes in London
Three of London’s biggest housing associations have entered into merger talks with the aim of building 100,000 new homes over the next decade.
Evening Standard
Olympic Park and Elephant & Castle housing schemes merge to form £1.4bn company
The investors behind residential schemes at the Olympic Park in Stratford and Elephant & Castle have merged the developments to create a £1.4 billion vehicle for rented homes.
Telegraph
Date set for Lancashire fracking recommendation
The inspector who chaired the public inquiry into fracking in Lancashire will announce her recommendation by July 4.
Lancashire Evening Post
Ilkeston station work set to start since approved in 2013
Work is set to start to build a railway station in Derbyshire town that has been without one for about 50 years.
BBC News
Manchester powerhouse reveals housing plans
Manchester’s new regional authority has set out how it will build thousands of new homes.
24dash.com
Housing crisis is a threat to London’s industry, warn business leaders
More than 50 business leaders have warned that London’s housing crisis is now so acute it threatens to damage the city’s “world-beating” technology and creative industries, as well as other key sectors.
Evening Standard
Council says Leominster Area Neighbourhood Plan cannot progress
A major plan setting out future development in Leominster cannot progress further in its current form, according to Herefordshire Council.
Hereford Times
Parish fears creation of official green space would give green light to thousands of houses
Worplesdon Parish Council is challenging Guildford Borough Council over an unresolved planning application that it fears could lead to thousands of homes being built nearby.
The Guildford Dragon News
Sadiq Khan pledges review of plan for Crossrail station in Chelsea
Labour’s mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has pledged to review Transport for London’s plans for a £1 billion Crossrail station in Chelsea if he is elected to City Hall next month.
Evening Standard
Two major schemes in Hull have been granted planning approval, including the £10 million Ron Dearing University Technical College building.
Insider Media Limited
EU vote could slow housing market, says the Halifax
UK house prices are rising but uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum could slow the market, according to the Halifax.
BBC News
Not a single home has been built by Kingston Council within the past 10 years, despite London facing a critical housing crisis.
Surrey Comet
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