This page will be used to display the latest information received regarding what is happening on the ground and who the information has come from. Contact details will be displayed in order to widen the contact area for easier sharing of information and guidance. Contact the person directly, or contact us through our contacts page. Please use this page as a means of alerting others about what is going on out there. All information should be directed to the webmaster through the contacts page.
28 July 2005
Prescott “in retreat” over demolitions
The government looks set to reduce its demolition targets from 400,000 to between 70,000 and 100,000 over 15 years. The ODPM at a meeting with conservationists has been forced to remove the necessity to demolish housing from its criteria for awarding grants under the £500million Housing Market Renewal Initiative. At the meeting ODPM Permanent Secretary Dame Mavis McDonald promised that a survey of the value of historic properties would be carried out before any more were demolished. Conservationists estimate that 20% of homes currently proposed for demolition by the Housing Pathfinders have historical value and fear that the replacement homes which will be built would not be of any better quality. An ODPM spokesman described the meeting as “constructive” and noted that phase two of the housing renewal would look “at how issues of community engagement have been addressed, and the ways in which heritage factors have been taken into account.”
On behalf of Dall Street Residents association. Burnley wood Burnley Lancashire
We are in the same situation as last night ITV programme, we have petitioned about this 18months ago and again two weeks ago, with copies going to Local MP, head of elevate Michael wellock at burnley council and Peter Duncan the consultants.
we are just getting the councils pre programmed answers exactly like the tv programme. I have also contacted ITN about it as they were asking for us to email them on this topic.
By coincidence the former Windsor pub appears as a promotional photomontage as a vision for Liverpool on page 4 of the Granby Toxteth Masterplan the adopted masterplan document mapping and setting out the future for this
20 myths about terraced houses - compared to the reality
Myth: "Most people these days want larger houses with gardens"
Reality: The Government is now forcing Councils and developers to build ever-smaller houses, packed in more
closely together, either without gardens or else with only tiny 'yard' gardens. (1)
Many young professionals and older people only want a quiet space to sit in the sun or to hold occasional
barbecues. Terraces with low-maintainance yards are ideal for many types of residents. Demand for smaller, more
manageable, homes is currently far higher than the supply available ....Read More
11 March 2005 - Read here for the latest proposals for demolition in the Pendle area. [ Read more ]
An extensive overview is on display on this site, please check it out and send through your views via the contacts page .
27 July 2005
Also the Government Publishes Response
to Select Committee Empty Homes Inquiry.
The Government has published its response to the Select Committee report on empty homes and the housing market renewal pathfinders. It has revealed that it is prepared to consider the case for large scale compulsory purchase costs beyond the three year spending cycle in the pathfinder areas. For the full response follow the link below:
The Government has also admitted that the programme may have to be reviewed to take account of rising house prices. The possible uplift in demand was also the reason why the Government could not commit long term funding to the initiative. For the Guardian’s coverage, see:
Link: Guardian
The CIH response to the Select Committee can be found at:
'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results' Albert Einstein
Pathfinder is the name given to the embodiment of a series of policies aimed at preventing housing market collapse in nine urban areas around England, otherwise known as the Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI). It represents a massive investment of public money in the future of these areas over 15 years (up to £500million in each area). It is a huge opportunity for the heritage of these areas, but conversely it is shaping up to be a complete disaster...Full Story
Campaigning Against The Masterplan
Name: Dan Olner
Telephone: 07968 997861
Email: dan@aktivix.org
I'm part of a group campaigning against the Masterplan in Burngreave, Sheffield. We're called 'Spital Hill Local Voice'. I've been collating a lot of data, as well as pushing for democratic approaches to the process. These have been met with dismissal. It would be really good if we could set up an e-list - maybe one person from each Pathfinder area. Here's a link to the story I've written on the subject -
Britain is on the brink of the biggest mass demolition
Britain is on the brink of the biggest mass demolition since the slum clearances of the 1960s as part of the government’s multi-billion pound housing strategy.....More
Save our streets By Richard Girling Sunday Times Magazine September 19, 2004. Welcome to neighbourhood botch, in which the Government wants to regenerate communities by knocking down thousands of perfectly good houses. But the residents won't be going quietly........ .More
25 Feb 2005 .....for instance, today I heard on the wireless, that Blackburn with Darwen with Elevate , have put forward a scheme to demolish a massive mill and the housing surrounding it and that sometime this afternoon will be confirmed by Jack Straw ...[ Read more ]
