WhatHouse: "Developers to build new homes in Mill Hill East"

Link to WhatHouse web site

"Housebuilders Linden Homes and Taylor Wimpey have purchased two parcels of land at the Inglis Consortium's 33-hectare Millbrook Park* development in Mill Hill East, with a view to developing a selection of new homes as part of a new community at the heart of the London Borough of Barnet.

"Taylor Wimpey North Thames will develop 58, three- and four-bedroom houses on land adjacent to the popular Ridgemont development bordering Frith Lane with views over Finchley Golf course.

"Meanwhile, Linden Homes have purchased a package of land to the west of the site to build 113 new homes comprising one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as three-, four- and five-bedroom houses. They will also refurbish the former Inglis Barracks Officers Mess which has been preserved as an important part of local history. This will be renovated to provide ten apartments as well as a GP's surgery."

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* A combination of three rustic-sounding phrases,
in one new location name.
Congratulations.

Evening Standard: "London has lost equivalent of seven Hyde Parks as front gardens are paved over"

Link to web site

"So many of London’s front gardens have been paved over to create car parking spaces that the city has lost the equivalent of seven Hyde Parks.

"According to new figures from the RAC Foundation, about 600,000 homes in the capital have lost 85 per cent or more of their front gardens, as homeowners seek to avoid parking restrictions introduced by borough councils.

"The foundation estimates that the number of front gardens being turned into hard-standing areas for cars has doubled over the past 15 years.

"It urged London councils to draw up plans to combat the loss of green space which, it said, spoiled London’s 'green' look."

Daily Telegraph: "Celebrity gardeners blamed for making floods worse by encouraging decking and patios"

Link to web site

"New satellite pictures show the proportion of gardens in towns and cities in England that have been paved over increased from 28 per cent to 48 per cent between 2001 and 2011.

"Lord Krebs, the Government’s top adviser on climate change and flooding, suggested celebrity gardeners were to blame:

"Rather than allowing water to soak into the soil, like a traditional lawn, hard surfaces cause water to run-off and build up in valleys and roads."

Daily Telegraph: "If you want to keep England green and pleasant you're going to have to pay for it says Motion"

Link to web site

"Andrew Motion, new President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, has admitted that energy bills will have to go up, if we want to stop destruction of the countryside.

"The former poet laureate said that climate change is the greatest risk the planet faces. Therefore, conservationists must support plans to reduce carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, by switching to renewables.

"However, renewables also have an impact on the countryside, because of the aesthetic impact of technologies like wind turbines and solar panels. Also, wind and solar often have to be far away from the population, meaning more more power lines and pylons are required."