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A number of other charities in the region have received similar gifts, potentially from the same unknown donor

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These forms contain the questions you'll be asked when letting the government know about an acquisition via the National Security and Investment notification service.

The housing data specialist has urged landlords to work with social housing tenants to prevent the spike over a mismatch between rents and housing benefit payments.

Housemark, the UK’s leading housing data expert, has calculated a potential sector-wide increase in rent arrears – the debt when you owe rent to your landlord – of £220m as a result of the mismatch between housing benefit payments and rents this year. The finding has come from the organisations latest monthly Pulse Survey which collected and analysed data from 149 UK social landlords over April 2024.

The housing data expert, which is jointly owned by the National Housing Federation and the Charted Institute of Housing, has also outlined that various landlords and housing sector trade bodies have highlighted that tenants receiving Universal credit will have to cover one week’s rent from alternative income sources this year.

This is due to the way calendar dates fall – the current financial year will have 53 ‘rent weeks’, while Universal Credit housing payments only cover 52 weeks.

Commenting on the news, Jonathan Cox, director of data and business intelligence at Housemark, said: ‘This 53-week problem comes at the worst possible time for tenants, as households continue to face challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis.’

‘As our monthly Pulse Survey revealed last month, fuel poverty is impacting on gas servicing and support agencies are reporting record volumes with depleted budgets and resources,’ Cox continued. ‘While the social housing sector is generally very good at managing and collecting rent arrears, landlords need to continue to monitor the impact of policies, events and circumstances that will push tenants into debt and adversely impact income management.’

In addition, the most recent Pulse report has drawn similarities between the decrease in eviction rates in 2022/23 as corresponding with an increase in rent arrears during the same period. In 2018/19 eviction rates stood at 0.42% but dropped to 0.08% in 2022/23 and rent arrears rose from 2.47% to 3.35%.

This translates to approximately 17,000 fewer evictions annually, with almost no evictions recorded at the height of the pandemic in 2020/21.

Images: Jonathan Cox and maitree rimthong

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Plans to create new film studios on Marlow Quarry have been denied planning permission even though Canadian film-maker James Cameron originally backed the idea.

After research discovered that the UK was one of the top contributors to the global film industry, plans were submitted to build a new film studios in Marlow, London. The proposal was backed by director James Cameron, who is best known for his movies the Titanic and Avatar.

However, Buckinghamshire Council have backed a recommendation from planning officers to boycott the idea. During a meeting at the Strategic Sites Committee, concerns were raised that the site was an inappropriate development for Green Belt land and would severely impact the local road network.

Following the meeting, Robert Laycock, CEO of Marlow Film Studios, said the team is considering its next steps.

‘Despite many members on the committee crediting the quality of the application, and acknowledging the very significant social and economic benefits it would bring to Buckinghamshire, we are disappointed the committee was not able to support this extraordinary proposal,’ Laycock said. ‘It is one of the most significant investment opportunities in the future of Buckinghamshire and its residents, and we are now considering the next steps for the development.’

Laycock added: ‘In addition to luminaries like James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, Jeremy Irons and a host of global figures who support us, we are most touched by the unprecedented level of local support from Buckinghamshire. Over 5,200 people wrote letters of support, and well over 100 people turned up in person to the meeting today to show councillors how much they care.’

News of the local authority raising concerns has been a long time coming. In October 2023 Buckinghamshire councillors deferred their decision on the studio so they could consider Green Belt and road issues, despite the site being recommended by planning officers.

Various campaign groups have backed the council’s decision, including Save Marlow’s Green Belt who argued the site wasn’t fit for use.

Image: Marlow Film Studios 

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Research from Fields in Trust outlined a third of children in Britain don’t have access to any nearby playgrounds. Now, the charity is calling for ministers to consider children’s needs in the upcoming General Election. 

Today, Thursday 6th June 2024, national charity Fields in Trust have published new research which outlines children’s needs in this country aren’t being met. The charity have found that 2.3 million children in Britain under the age of nine, live more than a ten-minute walk away from their nearest playground. This statistic has cast growing concerns for children’s health, wellbeing and physical activity levels. 

The findings from Fields in Trust are part of this year’s Green Space Index, a unique annual barometer of publicly accessible park and green space provision across Great Britain.

Experts have theorised that decades of underinvestment and poor planning choices are some of the driving factors behind the lack of playgrounds, with nearly 800 facing closure since 2013.

In addition, the charity also discovered that four in ten councils have more than a third of children living further than a ten-minute walk away from their nearest park. Councillors have warned that they can’t afford to maintain all of its sites, with some play areas having to be ‘removed or repurposed’ to save money.

Fields in Trust has calculated that, on average, a single playground serves 376 children aged up to nine. Although, researchers discovered that in more deprived areas, there is a higher density of children relying on a space to meet their needs leading to overcrowding and unfair access to recreational spaces.

Playgrounds are vital for ‘children’s brain development’

As well as being a space that children can burn off energy, a growing body of research links playgrounds and outdoor play to physical health and wellbeing. Experts have found that parks help combat chronic stress and assist with ADHD and other mental health problems.

Ben, aged seven, who was involved in Fields in Trust’s research, said: ‘At home, I get bored and lonely easily, but I feel energised and free when I am playing outside.’

The lack of outdoor play and playground facilities also reduces the opportunities for children and young people to be active. According to the lates Sport England, which was comprised of 100,000 children and young people, 53% of children do not meet the recommended daily activity target of 60 minutes. What’s more, approximately 35% of 10-and 11-year-olds in England are overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for serious health implications later in life.

With these facts in mind, Fields in Trust are calling on the next government to prioritise providing more playgrounds and outdoor spaces.

Children should be able to live without boundaries

Following the publication of Fields in Trust’s latest research, various industry-experts have expressed their agreement that the next government should prioritise preserving playgrounds for young people.

‘It’s staggering that one in three children live more than a ten-minute walk from their local playground. This fact alone shows that the needs of children simply aren’t a priority for too many decision makers,’ Paul Lindley OBE, founder of Ella’s Kitchen and children’s campaigner said. ‘As part of a commitment to a better future for all our children we need to make sure they can access places where they can play, learn and grow. That’s a right, not a privilege.’

Dr William Bird MBE, CEO and founder of Intelligent Health and general practitioner, added: ‘Time after time, evidence has shown that children who are given the freedom to play, be curious and connect with nature, will grow up to be more robust and resilient adults. Children’s brains develop differently when they live near a green space, leading to positive outcomes on life expectancy and reducing the likelihood of chronic disease.

‘Fields in Trust’s new report demonstrates that despite green and blue space being absolutely critical to long-term health and wellbeing, we are failing to meet the needs of our children through a lack of quality access.’

Helen Griffiths, chief executive of Fields in Trust, remarked: ‘The upcoming General Election is an opportunity for the new government to take the action needed to reverse years of damage to families and communities.

‘We must take this opportunity for every party to put children’s access to play at the top of their election pledges. But we need to go beyond vague promises, which is why we have created our ‘A Better Future For Parks and Green Spaces’ Manifesto with a set of asks that will deliver a future that parks, people, and nature deserve.

‘It’s time, now more than ever, to take parks and play seriously.’

Images: Oakville News and MI PHAM

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A leading planning group have secured planning permission for over 90 homes – a proposal that was previously rejected by Three Rivers District Council.

Boyer, a leading planning and design consultancy, have secured planning permission on behalf of Burlington Property Group for the development of 92 homes and a new doctors surgery. The establishments are set to be based on two parcels of land at Church Lane in Sarratt, Hertfordshire.

However, gaining consent for the new development wasn’t plain sailing. Three Rivers District Council originally rejected the plans primarily due to the sites being within the Green Belt, associated landscape harm and their location being in a less sustainable part of the district. Although, the Inspector found that the scheme benefits, including the proposal to address the acute housing need locally, outweighed the concerns raised by the council.

The plans submitted by the development organisation are for two sites, one of 5.5 hectares and the second of 0.7 hectares. Of the 92 homes that will be delivered across both sets of land, it is believed that 48 will be affordable of various tenures, and nine will be self-custom-build properties.

Commenting on the news, Philip Allin, director in Boyer’s London office, said: ‘We are incredibly pleased to have achieved this approval on behalf of Burlington Property Group.  We believe the proposals will make a real difference, allowing local people to get onto the housing ladder while providing a truly fit-for-purpose surgery that will deliver benefits to the wider community.’

Nathan Stevenson, land director of Burlington Property Group, added: ‘We are delighted to have secured outline planning approval for these two important schemes in Sarratt. The development will deliver a range of benefits for the local community including a brand new purpose built GP surgery, enabling shorter waiting times and improved access to doctors. Furthermore, in providing over 50% affordable housing, the development will go some way to assist Three Rivers in delivering much needed new family homes.’

It is currently thought that the work on the site will commence towards the end of 2025 and will be complete within around two years.  

Image: Burlington Property Group

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It’s 2024 and more robots are being integrated into our everyday life. However, researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) claim we need cheaper alternatives to test their interactions with the built environment.

Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara from SUTD is the lead researcher one this project, which began after Professor Elara and his team realised current methods of examining robot interaction with built environments – including cities, buildings and walkways – are too time-consuming, expensive and labour heavy.

An overview of the digital twin system proposed for evaluating robot-inclusivity in the built environment.

To address this, the team introduced the use of digital twins – a digital representation of a physical object, person or process, contextualised in a digital version of its environment.

In a statement, Professor Elara said: ‘Ensuring that robots can navigate and operate effectively within built environments is crucial for their widespread adoption and acceptance.

‘The digital twin approach offers several key advantages, including the ability to simulate real-world scenarios, enable virtual testing of robot interactions, and provide insights into compliance with design guidelines before physical implementation.’

Within the study, researchers explained they used a methodology to test their idea and it was divided into three phases: documentation, digitisation and design analysis. Details about this process, alongside the full study, can be found in the research paper ‘Enhancing robot inclusivity in the built environment: A digital twin-assisted assessment of design guideline compliance’.

In one case study, Professor Elara used digital twins to test four different cleaning robots in six different environments that adhered to Accessibility Design Guidelines.

The test found that of the four robots, one completed the most goals and performed the best in the simulated environments. The team noted that robot inclusiveness doesn’t always translate to robot perform efficiency, but than an inclusive environment does promote better accessibility for the machines.

As more and more robots are being used in urban applications such as logistics, cleaning and building maintenance, this research aims to help improve design guidelines for built environments to accommodate the use of robots.

Within the building sector, reports have surfaced about robots taking over monotonous construction tasks, such as overhead hammer drilling and repetitive heavy material transport. It is hoped that by taking over such tasks, workers won’t face as many long-term health issues that can spark from exposure to too much loud noise and dust.

Following the completion of this study, researchers from SUTD are looking to extend the current methods and generate the infrastructure modifications required to improve the accessibility of mobile robots through the use of AI, design and technology. What’s more, Professor Elara also hopes to develop a set of design guidelines for building robot-friendly infrastructure.

Stories similar to this one can be found on our sister title, infotecNEWS – a website that covers all things technology. 

Images: SUTD and Jason Leung

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Plans to build new homes in the Norfolk town were proposed in 2015 and after being in the pipeline for nine years some 216 homes are set to be constructed.

In 2015 plans were submitted to Breckland Council to build new homes on the 26 acres of farmland along Swanton Road in Dereham, Norfolk. However, concerns were quickly raised from Mid Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust that the new builds would create increased traffic at a nearby level crossing.

Likewise, Dereham Town Council also raised concerns about the crossing. The local authority said: ‘While we are generally happy with this development, we are extremely unhappy and concerned with the proposed treatment of the level crossing. The proposal only provides for a footway on one side of the level crossing, and the council finds this wholly unacceptable and unsafe.’

Although Breckland Council officers have argued that this isn’t an issue as in 2020 an outline planning application was agreed which included the proposal for a footway. Therefore, the local authority said it was ‘not a point for consideration’.

As well as objects being raised about traffic problems, Steve Gower, Norfolk Constabulary’s ‘designing out crime’ officer, previously criticised the design of the development, stating it included secluded alleyways, which could leave homes vulnerable to burglaries. But, Mr Grower said he was ‘sure’ the development could gain a ‘Secured by Design Award’ with a few ‘straight-forward adjustments’.

Despite receiving planning permission in 2018 and then again in 2020 after the developer made guarantees over affordable homes, open spaces and funding for healthcare and education, final plans for a total of 216 homes have been given the greenlight by Breckland councillors.

Image: Avel Chuklanov

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