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"The construction industry is having a miserable time. We want to support them.”

Business quote of the day.

Sad builders. Photograph: Getty Images
Sad builders. Photograph: Getty Images

The construction industry is having a miserable time. We want to support them.

Minister Nick Boles tells Parliament the temporary relaxation of planning laws might be extended to try and boost a construction sector in the doldrums. “We want to encourage people to do these extensions in the next three years”, he said. Changes to allow extensions to be built without planning permission is hoped to stimulate demand in the building industry, but has been attacked by the opposition and various local councils.

2 comments

Barrie J's picture

Councils are only worried about the revenue that will be lost, they couldn't care less about the architectural merits of extensions, impact on neighbours, trees cut down, etc., etc.
You only have to look around you to see the effects of incompetent and lazy Planning Departments.
They just want your money.

bill23's picture

Well thats rich, how are they going to boost construction without getting the Freemasons out of local government. All of the south coast is run by freemasons, and no council decision gets any further without the go ahead of this secret organisation of fully grown half-wits. Either you play ball with them, or you don't play. And Oliver Letwin who has all the details of how the masons control local government in Dorset, refuses to do anything. Maybe we should start a competition for the politician who has done the least in office!
Also for the economy to recover the Local Government Ombudsman needs to have teeth. At the moment the Ombudsman will go along with the council so long as they have made no procedural mistakes, and as mindless pen-pushing bureaucracy is their job, they never do. They are they are however responsible for the destruction of the country, and not just because of what they stop. A destroyed beach in Lyme Regis, a harbour built at the wrong angle in Bridport, millions lost to council offices in Dorchester. I expect I could carry on from town to town, but nothing can be done because honest councillors and politicians are not in control. They keep their mouths closed in order to control the only thing they can, their pension.

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