Tag Archives: development

Forest Village #4: The Reality

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Matt Wood

So we had imagined (previous post) a medium-density self-sustaining new settlement, planned for pedestrians and bicycles, in which residents could live surrounded by the trees, plants and wildlife of their own forest, which the process of development had not only … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture/Design, Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Forest Village #4: The Reality

Forest Village #3: The Concept

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Matt Wood

When the Forest Village concept was set out on paper, the accepted ideal minimum size for a new settlement or urban extension was around 2,000-3,000 homes – large enough to sustain a useful hub of local services, including a primary … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture/Design, Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Forest Village #3: The Concept

Forest Village #2: Houses and Trees

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Matt Wood

I will explain the real origin of Forest Village later, but I was prompted to write it down after reading another think-piece about houses and trees, by Mischa Balen, then of the Adam Smith Institute. The article ran in Planning … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture/Design, Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Forest Village #2: Houses and Trees

Forest Village #1: Background

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Matt Wood

The publication of the final report of the Independent Panel on Forestry earlier this year reminded me of a ‘think-piece’ about building in forests which I wrote way back in 2007, when I was a director at Conran&Partners. ‘Forest Village’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture/Design, Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Self-Building Bridges

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Matt Wood

In a previous post I suggested that mainstream commercial developers and the major house-builders regard selling development land as serviced self-build plots as nothing more than a lot of hassle and a lost profit margin – and that the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Self-Building Bridges

At last!

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Matt Wood

Well it seems my pronouncement of the demise of the Community Right to Build two weeks ago was indeed premature! This week my CRTB Google-alert brought me this document from the Department of Communities and Local Government – their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Right to Build | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on At last!

The Community Right to Build is Dead?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Matt Wood

Sure – you remember; the Community Right to Build? The flagship idea of the early days of the Localism agenda, and now law as part of the Localism Act. In the immediate aftermath of its announcement back in the late … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Right to Build | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Challenging Times for Affordable Housing

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Matt Wood

I attended a very good event on the future of affordable housing in Norfolk last week, hosted by Saffron Housing. Chief Executive Adam Ronaldson gave a sobering account of the impact that the credit crunch and recent government policy are … Continue reading →

Posted in Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tesco Self-Build?

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Matt Wood

A piece on one of BD Online’s blog today was stressing about the prospect of Tesco getting involved in the UK self-build market, and idea which Housing Minister Grant Shapps has been toying with this week according to Building Design … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture/Design, Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Norfolk Way

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Matt Wood

I finally managed to get together with Mid-Norfolk MP George Freeman at his constituency office in Dereham last week. I’ve been keen to talk to him since seeing his ideas on sustainable rural development – his ‘Norfolk Way‘ campaign – … Continue reading →

Posted in Development/Land-Use | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Norfolk Way