Work on the new Premier Inn near the Marcham Interchange is nearing completion.
This raises the question of the future of the existing Premier Inn, a quarter mile away along the Marcham Road.
That, together with the Ock Mill Beefeater Restaurant, alongside, is owned by Whitbread.
John commented that a property agent has a brochure for the sale of the site at https://www.geraldeve.com/properties/?propertyid=26682, but at the moment it has a status of ‘withdrawn’. The site is not in the current Vale of White Horse local plan (2031), and would need planning permission for change to an alternative use.
…can’t quite make out from the photos; but one assumes solar panels, ground source heating and grey water harvesting are all present; and of course a mandatory planning requirement? What with the climate crises n’all….
I wonder what would happen if developers who failed to meet those requirements and standards were required to rectify the omissions before the building could be signed off. Who holds the controls here?
The VWHDC needs to out the controls in first – which I think is probably what Daniel is implying.
It’s not entirely what I was implying. (I’m not even sure what I WAS implying). I think something along the lines of being disgruntled that “we” the little people are expected to make changes, changes to our daily lives, our habits, implement new norms, “reduce, reuse, recycle” at detriment and inconvenience to ourselves …and soon if not already, at financial cost to us personally…because it’s supposedly “the right thing”…even though, arguably it won’t make a blind bit of difference…. Yet… “They” don’t have to make such concessions, certainly not anywhere near as inconvenient even though on the scales “they” operate at could make real, discernable differences.
If every warehouse, factory, business park, large roofed building had solar panels on it in the UK then we would EXCEED our nation’s electrical supply needs. Of course, you can’t fit all that retrospectively…but anything newly built!!??
Let the bigs boys plough the large furrow….I’ll follow in their wake, gladly. But until then…meh. Clearly not a problem worth my input.
Daniel is 100% right that all those things SHOULD be compulsory on all new buildings.
Back in 2014 there was even draft legislation to bring exactly that into force.
Unfortunately the incoming government dropped the legisltaion after the 2015 general election which mean that councils do not have the power to insist on such measures.