In brief...

In case you haven't heard:

I forgot to mention in yesterday's Gateway round-up the pretty hilarious news that part of the DCLG's strategy is to rebrand it as Thames Estuary Parklands in order to attract investors and residents.

That's as well as the 'oops' from the Olympics team as it was revealed that they had forgotten to add VAT to their budget estimates. You might think that at that level, mistakes like that wouldn't happen?

Residents of Croydon are bracing themselves for the big man after Will Alsop won a competition to carry out a 'visioning exercise' for the town centre.

Unconnectedly, plans for the controversial Gateway site in Croydon are apprently pushing ahead with a new planning application from Stanhope imminent.

Clever old Davis Langdon have announced they are going to offset all their carbon emissions and also start a carbon consultancy service for clients.

CABE has rapped the wrists of Dev Secs and Sheppard Robson for not being green enough on their £150m Oriental City scheme. It said: “We note that the retail units beneath the housing will generate excess heat that should be harnessed for the residential and school development. At a time of pressing energy concerns, we would view it as appalling if this were not the case and recommend that the local planning authority consider this as a condition.”

CABE also accused them of discriminating against the affordable housing in the scheme, saying “It would be unacceptable for the layout of affordable housing to be evident or for different levels of landscape design and maintenance to be visible in the garden deck. The establishment of a sub-community with a sub-standard garden courtyard must not be tolerated by the LPA.”

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