Plans to boost infrastructure and housing in Scotland are to go further improvements to help the nation’s planning system, Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil has announced.

10 years since planning reform began with the publication of a white paper, Mr Neil announced plans to consult on further reforms to the planning system that will help the house building sector.

The Scottish Government wants to improve and streamline development planning and housing delivery and this is expected to be a focus of a national discussion in the coming year.

Delivering the keynote address at the Scottish Planning Policy Conference, Mr Neil will said: “Modern planning policy can make a real difference to the places where people live and work. Much has been achieved in the past 10 years, which has seen major changes, for the better, in the planning system.

“But I recognise that more needs to be done to deliver on our aspirations for a high performing planning system. The vision of a truly inclusive planning system is best served by continuous improvement of existing procedure and systems, led by innovative approaches to stakeholder engagement.

“I will work with all those involved in the planning system to develop proposals for further reforms in more detail, later this year.”

Planning consent has been given for construction of the world’s first tidal lagoon, in a boost to moving towards a low carbon, home grown energy mix.

Turbines in the proposed six-mile horseshoe shaped sea wall around Swansea Bay in Wales could generate around 500GWh per year of low carbon electricity.

Energy and Climate Change and Wales Office Minister Lord Bourne said: “We need more clean and home-grown sources of energy, which will help to reduce our reliance on foreign fossil fuels.

“Low carbon energy projects like the tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay could bring investment, support local jobs and help contribute to the Welsh economy and Swansea area.”

Separately from the planning consent, the project is still subject to Contract for Difference (CfD) negotiations to establish whether a tidal lagoon at Swansea Bay is affordable and value for money for consumers.

Any decision to offer a CFD for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project would be subject to strict value for money considerations and affordability, and to State aid approval.

Muse Developments has announced regeneration plans for the next phase of its £100 million building scheme of South Shields town centre.

The second phase of redevelopment in the town will build upon work already on-going including construction of The Word, the North East Centre for the Written Word, the region’s state-of-the-art new cultural venue.

The South Shields 365 vision will make improvements to all aspects of community life – from the shopping and leisure offer, to the way people travel to, from and around the town centre.

Cllr Iain Malcolm, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “The development of a new transport interchange in South Shields is a fundamental part of our 365 masterplan and vision for the town centre.

“The integrated facility would bring together a new bus interchange and relocated, refurbished Metro station, improving the sense of arrival and connectivity for visitors.

“With the first phase of the 365 plan well underway, there has been significant work alongside Nexus and our other partners behind the scenes to develop the plans for this bespoke hub which aims to deliver the best possible transport public transport links for our town centre.”

The partnership between South Tyneside Council and Muse Developments has resulted in ambitious proposals to transform South Shields town centre and provide lasting improvements to the town.

David Wells, Development Director at Muse Developments, said: “We are delighted to reveal the proposals for the second phase of our redevelopment work in South Shields.

“We feel that the new transport interchange and travel plan will revolutionise the town, making it far more accessible and safer for pedestrians. We want more people to visit South Shields and this development will enable this.

“We want to make South Shields a year round tourist destination and the improvements to access in the town will greatly improve the propensity for tourism and ultimately economic growth.”

A new 16,000 m² medical research hub at the University of Oxford has been given the go-ahead from planners this week.

The £11.1 million Oxford BioEscalator will become a catalyst for the translation and commercialisation of the university’s medical and clinical research.

Make’s design for the new building incorporates The Oxford BioEscalator and key amenity facilities for the University of Oxford’s Old Road Campus.

The building aims to deliver a high-quality, user-friendly facility at the centre of the campus, and incorporates a public cafe, gym, range of meeting spaces, along with multi-storey car park for 456 cars and a delivery and waste consolidation centre.

Organised around ‘The Cut’ – a dramatic entrance which serves the social amenity spaces, The BioEscalator, and car park – the design ensures the building becomes a focal point of activity for the campus.

The Oxford BioEscalator, part of the Oxford City Deal, is a fully flexible medical research laboratory, involving a consortium of stakeholders, which will act as a catalyst for the translation and commercialisation of the university’s medical and clinical research for the benefit of patients and the wider public.

Justin Nicholls, Make partner and lead project architect, said: “This new social, cultural and functional hub, incorporating a world-leading innovation centre, will help drive forward discoveries in medical science by providing a focal point for interaction between researchers, clinicians and entrepreneurs, right in the heart of one of the world’s largest medical research facilities.”

The amenities building is Make’s sixth project for the University of Oxford and is the keystone to an overall masterplan for the site which was approved in 2013.

The Secretary of State for Wales is calling together council leaders to drive forward plans for the City Deal for Cardiff that will boost the local economy and create new jobs.

The initiative will draw together the local authority leaders who collectively make up the region that will see social and economic benefit from the Deal.

The announcement came as the Secretary of State held meetings with senior business figures with the aim of keeping up the momentum to get a City Deal for Cardiff moving in the right direction.

Mr Crabb met Roger Lewis, Chairman of Cardiff Capital Region Advisory Board, and Nigel Roberts, Chairman of Cardiff Business Council, to discuss how the Deal will support regional businesses. .

The opening of discussions around a City Deal were confirmed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget on 18 March. Previous City Deals have involved local and central investment.

The Secretary of State said: “Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital city, a vibrant place which, once a cradle of the industrial revolution, is now creating an exciting future as a place to invest.

“It has already benefited from 21st century digital infrastructure like the Cardiff Internet Exchange – a great example of Government, business and local partners working together.

“It is my hope that we can take forward the Cardiff City Deal in this way – but on a scale that will benefit not only people in Cardiff, but across the capital region.

“The recovery is gathering pace right across Wales and in Cardiff we have a unique opportunity. The task now is to bring together the private sector, the Welsh Government and those councils which make up the Cardiff Capital Region.

“Across the UK, City Deals are delivering major investment, clearing the way for new infrastructure projects and setting a clear strategic vision for growth. I don’t want to see Wales being left behind.”

ISG has been appointed on a £50 million project scheme to create a striking new home for the Faculty of Business and Law at UWE Bristol.

The landmark building is a key element of the University’s development masterplan at Frenchay Campus, occupying a strategic site in the central heart zone, adjacent to the currently under construction student union and plaza facilities.

Enabling the relocation and significant expansion of facilities available to students on Business and Law courses at UWE Bristol, the new five-storey, 185,000 sq ft building includes collaborative space to further strengthen relationships between the university and wider business community.

The scheme also incorporates a Soft Landings approach from the outset, which sees the entire project team working closely with UWE Bristol to maximise efficiencies and enhance performance during the design, construction, commissioning and final occupation phases, so that predicted performance and expectations are fully met in the completed building.

UWE Bristol is set to use the construction of the Faculty of Business and Law as a direct learning resource, showcasing advanced building methodologies for students on its built environment courses.

Rob Martin, ISG’s Western regional managing director, said: “The project team will foster strong links with the student community, with a wealth of training and work experience opportunities for UWE Bristol students.

“The Faculty of Business and Law is a true legacy project, proving an outstanding addition to the Frenchay Campus and an invaluable learning resource for the university.”

“The Faculty of Business and Law is a true legacy project, proving an outstanding addition to the Frenchay Campus and an invaluable learning resource for the university.”

Lovell has signed a development contract with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk which will see the company build up to 600 homes.

The scheme has a potential value of up to £80 million and will continue over the next five years.

Construction work will start later this year, subject to the scheme successfully completing the planning process. The new two-, three- and four-bedroom houses at Marsh Lane will comprise 110 homes for sale and 20 affordable homes.

Marsh Lane is one of five sites included in the borough council’s Major Housing Project which will deliver much-needed new housing and infrastructure improvements.

“We’re delighted to be working with the local community and the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk on this major housing programme which will provide much-needed affordable homes and homes for sale locally,” says Lovell regional director Simon Medler.

“The company has extensive experience of successfully delivering mixed tenure housing developments and we look forward to bringing that expertise to this important scheme.”

Through the development management agreement, Lovell will design, promote and sell the new housing on behalf of the Council and will also be contracted to build the new homes.

As part of its commitment to investing in local communities, the company will provide a range of job and training opportunities locally including the creation of a number of new apprenticeships and the safeguarding of a significant number of existing apprenticeship places.

Lovell will also deliver a range of short training courses and a programme of visits for local school, college and university students.

Community leaders in Bristol will be able to roll out even more ambitious plans for the city’s enterprise zone thanks to nearly £6 million of Government funding.

The grant has allowed Bristol City Council to acquire the derelict sorting office building site adjacent to Temple Meads railway station.

The 2.1 hectare site is a key within the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and has lain disused and derelict for over 17 years.

The acquisition follows the council’s purchase of Arena Island and 1-9 Bath Rd. Over the next few months further work will be carried out to review how these three important sites can work together to create a new quarter within the enterprise zone.

This new opportunity will feed in to the planning application for the arena which is currently planned for the end of the summer.

Local Growth Minister James Wharton said: “This is great news for Bristol. As everyone knows this site has been an eyesore for years and a real blight on the city.

“It’s why we’ve invested nearly £6 million to get these plans off the ground, which along with the Arena development will create hundreds of jobs for hard-working people and pump millions of pounds back into the local economy. It’s yet another example of how our Enterprise Zone programme is driving forward growth and delivering real benefits to local communities.”

The former sorting office site close to Temple Meads station and Arena Island contains two large interlinked disused buildings – a 1930’s sorting office and an adjoining 1970’s office building.

The council plans to use the site for a mix of employment space with some residential use. The site has potential for waterfront offices and provides important links with other sites in the enterprise zone.

It will bring better connections to Temple Meads station and could allow landing points for a new pedestrian bridge from Arena Island and links to a proposed floating pontoon cycleway and walkway connection to Temple Quay.

The purchase has been made possible through a grant of £5.425 million, from the Department of Communities and Local Government.

The grant supported the transfer of Arena Island from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to Bristol City Council allowing funding agreed by the Mayor to acquire Arena Island to be used to buy the former sorting office at Cattle Market Road.

£21 million will be invested in a new three year scheme which will allow low income owner-occupiers to carry out essential repairs and energy efficiency improvements to their homes.

Unveiling details of the new scheme Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said: “Housing is at the heart of the Government’s ambitions to create a fairer and more prosperous country, and that includes supporting homeowners in essential upgrades to enable sustainability at home.

“We recognise there are homeowners who want to look after their homes and make them more energy efficient but are unable to afford to carry out work, particularly those who live in tenements. The Help for Homes funding will help homeowners with limited income to combat this.

“That is why the Scottish Government is tendering for a Help for Homes pilot scheme, which will see vulnerable homeowners given help to carry out vital improvements to their homes.”

The property must have been the homeowner’s sole residence for at least 12 months. The maximum loan is 49 per cent of the valuation.

If there is a mortgage or other secured debt at least 30 per cent of the market valuation in equity must remain in the property after the loan has been deducted. Eligible homeowners will borrow from the Scottish Government and repay when they sell their home, die or transfer ownership.

There will be no means test but the scheme will be limited to properties in Council Tax bands A to C and also to home owners outwith these Council Tax bands in receipt of Council Tax Reduction.

Peter Howden, Chair of GWSF, said: “GWSF very much welcomes the Scottish Government’s renewed emphasis on community regeneration, and its commitment to helping owner-occupiers make necessary and sustainable changes to their homes through the Help for Homes scheme.

“Not only will this scheme encourage regeneration and sustainability within tenements in particular, but it will also help owner-occupiers living in mixed tenure blocks contribute toward overall repairs alongside housing associations and local authorities.”

Main Port Engineering is investing £1.6m in a major expansion which will create 100 new jobs when its new purpose built premises in the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone are up and running.

Work is well underway on their new manufacturing facility currently under construction on a 5.5 acre site at Warrior Way, Cleddau Reach, which is supported with £650,000 funding from the Welsh Government’s Economic Growth Fund.

Welsh Government support will create 30 new jobs and safeguard the current workforce of 155 over the next three years although company Director Jeff Harries said he anticipated the business will easily exceed these numbers and create 100 new jobs in total.

Main Port Engineering, which has been trading since 1990, provides a complete engineering service to the petro chemical, food processing, water treatment, manufacturing and power generation industries.

The new facility will improve efficiencies, enable the company to become more competitive and expand into new markets.

Main Port is currently working with the Welsh Government’s energy and environment team to identify new opportunities in the marine and nuclear sectors.

Economy Minister Edwina Hart said: “This is really good news and a very welcome jobs boost for the region and the Enterprise Zone. Main Port Engineering operates in one of our key sectors and is an important employer in West Wales and I am delighted their significant expansion plans are supported through the Economic Growth Fund.

“Their new facility will secure the firm’s long term future in Wales, enable the company to maximise the latest engineering technology, take on large long term contracts and create new skilled jobs. In addition, the construction phase will provide indirect benefits to the local economy through utilising local supply chains.”

Jeff Harries said: “Like many companies in the area, our business was affected by the closure of the Murco oil refinery, however I am confident that we will create 100 new jobs at the end of this project and employ more than 250 people in total.”

Mr Harries added the company is also benefiting from the Welsh Government’s Enterprise Zone Business Rates Scheme and the money saved will help the company create new jobs and fund their apprenticeship programme.

The new unit is designed to BREEAM standards and able to accommodate overhead lifting gantries allowing the company to service larger contracts.