February 2007 - News from the UK

Update: Timber Frame, Construction & Property News

• Town centres under threat from planning shake up

A new survey of local authority planning officers, published today, raises fears that proposals to change the planning system may result in a new wave of out-of-town developments that damage town centres and increase car-use. Friends of the Earth will discuss the findings of its new survey at a meeting with MPs this lunchtime [1] (Wednesday).

Kate Barker's review of the planning system, commissioned by the Treasury, was published late last year. It made a number of controversial recommendations, which Friends of the Earth argued would put business interests ahead of those of local communities and their environment.

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• The Market

Truro has seen the largest rise in prices in the southwest in the past decade, despite Cornwall having the lowest average wage. A typical home in the city is now £267,320, some £66,400 above the average across the southwest and more than £80,000 above the national norm, says the Halifax/Bank of Scotland. The average price of a home in Truro has risen by £57,639 in just 12 months.

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News: Environment, Climate & Attitudes

• Motor industry failing to face up to climate change

New European mandatory standards aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from new cars do not go far enough, Friends of the Earth said today (Wednesday). The announcement follows fierce lobbying from the motor industry.

The European Commission proposed today that by 2012 new cars sold in Europe must on average emit no more than 130 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km CO2). (about 51 mg for a petrol car, 58 for diesel). This is considerably weaker than a target the EU set in the mid 1990s calling for new cars to emit on average 120g/km by 2012.

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• Friends of the Earth / Shell Accountability Campaign

A new report, launched the day before oil giant Shell announces its 2006 annual profits (on 1 February 2007) calls on Shell to use its profits to begin cleaning up damage it has caused to communities and the environment [1].

The report offers proposals and figures for where and how Shell should repair some of the damage it has caused in nine communities around the world.

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News: Society, Community & Responsible Business

• Battle over betting on mobiles

Mobile phone operators are facing calls from gambling charities to classify themselves as gambling companies and to fund helplines as they increase their activity in the growing mobile gaming market.

T-Mobile will this week become the latest operator to place a bet on the sector when it announces a deal with Cecure Gaming, a Scandinavian mobile gambling group backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, the lead venture capital firm behind Skype, the hugely successful internet telephony service. The partnership will bring casino-style games developed by Cecure, such as a mobile phone version of Texas Hold ’Em poker, to T-Mobile’s platform.

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News: Finance & Economy

Gordon's tonic for struggling first-timers

• Sterling reels as UK trade deficit hits record

A surprise widening of Britain’s trade gap in December helped to push the nation’s annual trade deficit with the rest of the world to a record last year, official data revealed yesterday.

The pound was sent tumbling for a second day in a row after the disappointing figures showed the global deficit on trade in goods rose to £7.142 billion in December, up from £6.871 billion in the previous month.

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