Day: December 7, 2024

UK News: The PM has said he wants 1.5 million homes to be built in England before the next election

In his Times article Keir Starmer says his government will introduce “a golden era of building”.

Generations before us built the infrastructure the entire nation was proud of — from civic buildings to train stations, hospitals to schools. So we will introduce a new golden era of building. That’s why we’re fast-tracking 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure by the end of parliament, more than double those decided in the previous parliament. We’ll build the schools, the hospitals, the railways and roads, the towns and villages, that will shape our national landscape for years to come and fuel growth in every region and nation.

In the past 14 years, the Tories decided fewer than 60 infrastructure projects. We haven’t built a reservoir in 30 years, not least because the time it takes to secure planning permission for major infrastructure projects has almost doubled in the past decade. Every road, pylon and mast — which connect people with opportunity — must jump through endless hoops, only to be opposed, dragged out, before eventually, if lucky, approved. That’s how we ended up with the absurd spectacle of HS2 building a tunnel for bats that cost £100 million.

Building 1.5 million homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects – more than the last 14 years combined.

I feel that we are going to be on a collision course with Labour. And it’s not just Labour councils. It’s Liberal Democrats, it’s Conservatives, they’ve all said the same thing.

Absolutely, absolutely, over these planning targets. They are absolutely impossible and unrealistic.

I know, with trust in politics so low, the public are sceptical of promises made by politicians. And who can blame them, after years of inaction by successive Tory governments. But that can’t be an excuse for low expectations and easy ambitions, a culture that isn’t brave enough to even try for fear of failure. I know some councils have come out this week to challenge our plans for housing reform. I always knew there would be resistance to our planning reform. Let me say this — I won’t shy away from this argument. In fact, I welcome it.

Where there are blockers putting the brakes on, it’s a sign you are delivering real change. And change is what the British people voted for this summer — a government that is willing to take on the obstacles and break down the barriers that prevent us from reaching our full potential. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TGfFQr

UK News: Communication system used between train drivers and signallers down

In a statement National Rail has described the impact on passengers as “minimal”, with PA Media reporting it said:

We have discovered a fault with the railway’s radio communication system that is preventing it from automatically “logging on”.

The back-up manual log-in system is being used instead, causing a few minutes of delay at the start of the day.

Commuters across the country have been disrupted after the digital communication system used by drivers failed to connect on start-up.

We’ve been told that there are no safety critical issues as staff have been using a workaround to manually reconnect. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TGfFQP

Thousands of people across Northern Ireland, England and Wales have been left without power amid powerful winds and heavy rain

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has urged people to be vigilant and prepared for possible significant flooding in areas of south Wales on Saturday and into Sunday.

While rainfall totals are not expected to be as high as those experienced during Storm Bert last month, further heavy rain experienced in Wales this week means the ground is saturated and rivers could rise quickly, NRW said. Continue reading…
http://dlvr.it/TGfFFd