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Dorset Innovation Park

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37-461: Dorset Innovation Park (formerly Dorset Green Technology Park , and earlier known as Winfrith Technology Centre ) is a science and technology park which is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency . The site was the former UKAEA Winfrith Atomic Energy Establishment which was in service from the 1950s to early 1990s. The Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor was also developed at the site. The centre

74-760: A three-year stint, was confirmed as chair for a further two years in October 2023. Walkley stepped down as CEO in January 2021, and was succeeded by Peter Denton in August 2021. In March 2021, Homes England began a six-year, 1,800 home Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Research Commission, aiming to improve construction productivity and encourage the uptake of MMC in housing delivery. In its second five-year strategy, published in May 2023, it committed to further support for MMC initiatives. In November 2019, Homes England had invested £30M into

111-685: Is Sarah Healey who took up her post in February 2023. MHCLG was formed in July 2001 as part of the Cabinet Office with the title Office of the Deputy Prime Minister ( ODPM ), headed by the then Deputy Prime Minister , John Prescott . In May 2002 the ODPM became a separate department after absorbing the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and

148-729: Is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom . It is responsible for housing , communities , and local government in England . It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001. The department shares its headquarters building, at 2 Marsham Street in London, with the Home Office . There are corresponding departments in

185-509: Is situated near the village of Winfrith Newburgh , which is some eight miles west of Wareham and nine miles east of Dorchester. It is now home to the Defence BattleLab, which was officially opened in May 2022. Winfrith Technology Centre dates from the 1980s when part of the UKAEA site was already being referred to by that name. It was used as a research and development centre in support of

222-642: Is to be measured and over what timescale". In late March 2024, housing minister Lee Rowley told the Lords Committee that the government would be reviewing its MMC policies in light of the crisis in the volumetric house-building sector. He promised "a full update in late spring once we have undertaken further detailed work with the sector". In 2020, the pilot sale of microplots was compared to driveway ransoms when Homes England wrote to householders in Birmingham warning that Homes England owned microplots between

259-406: Is to bring innovation through reaching out to a wider business community that has skills, expertise, products and solutions that could be tailored rapidly to meet emerging needs. The Defence BattleLab was officially opened in May 2022. It provides office space and meeting rooms, as well as access to experimentation assets such as enclosed hangar, 5G enabled Lulworth Ranges , the roads and space of

296-624: The COVID-19 pandemic for its failure, with the enterprise incurring total losses over seven years of £295M. In November 2023, Homes England loaned £15M to TopHat, another loss-making MMC housebuilder, to fund construction of a factory in Corby ; in March 2024, the factory's opening was postponed. In January 2024, following the collapse of Ilke Homes and several other MMC companies (including L&G Modular Homes and House by Urban Splash ) during 2022 and 2023,

333-539: The Department for Communities and Local Government ( DCLG ). In January 2018, as part of Theresa May's Cabinet reshuffle, the department was renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG ). In September 2021, Boris Johnson renamed the department yet again, calling it the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ( DLUHC ), being more powers outside of just England to manage funds across

370-653: The House of Lords Built Environment Committee highlighted that the UK Government needed to be more coherent in addressing barriers affecting adoption of MMC: "If the Government wants the sector to be a success, it needs to take a step back, acquire a better understanding of how it works and the help that it needs, set achievable goals and develop a coherent strategy." Millions of pounds of public money had been invested, but "Homes England has not given any clear metrics as to how success

407-659: The Ilke Homes modular homes business; it invested a further £30M in September 2021. Despite a further fund-raising round, raising £100M in December 2022, Ilke Homes went into administration on 30 June 2023, with most of the company's 1,150 staff made redundant, and creditors owed £320M, including £68M owed to Homes England. Eventually, Homes England would get back just £5M of its 2019 loan to company. L&G Modular Homes halted production in May 2023, blaming planning delays and

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444-806: The Scottish Government , the Welsh Government , and the Northern Ireland Executive , responsible for communities and local government in their respective jurisdictions. MHCLG's ministers are as follows, with cabinet ministers in bold: Local government finance (including local taxation, business rates and local government pensions); Local government policy (including the Office for Local Government, stewardship, local audit, and governance reform); Mayoral Combined Authorities and pan-regional bodies; Planning casework High streets and towns; Community Ownership (including Assets of Community Value and

481-493: The 2010 general election. In June 2010, he said that the HCA would be retained but become "smaller, more strategic - with the HCA's functions being delivered under local leadership." In September 2010, the HCA was also included on a list of organisations being considered for closure. However, Shapps announced in October that the TSA would be merged into the HCA. In November, he confirmed that

518-571: The Community Ownership Fund); Funding delivery and simplification of legacy funding streams (including UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Levelling Up Fund, Levelling Up Partnerships); Investment Zones and Freeports; Elections policy and delivery; Resilience, recovery, and emergencies Grenfell Inquiry; Building safety, regulations, Building Safety Regulator and remediation; Homelessness and rough sleeping; Housing quality; Supported housing and domestic abuse; Planning casework The Permanent Secretary

555-702: The Dorset Green Technology Park. There were major plans to expand and redevelop the site. In February 2015 Dorset County Council approved expenditure of £927,000 to jointly acquire 6.2 hectares of land at Dorset Green, together with Purbeck District Council, and progress the development of 1800 square metres of workspace units. In 2018 the site was relaunched as the Dorset Innovation Park . The launch coincided with "the completion of 20 new employment units". As Dorset's only economic development site with Enterprise Zone status, Dorset Council promoted

592-522: The HCA would be retained, but reformed to cut running costs. The HCA's Kickstart programme provided grants to developers in order to rescue stalled projects during the Great Recession , helping to maintain employment and output of new homes. One notable Kickstart projects was a £45.6 million investment in Berkeley Homes to provide 555 new homes for rent on the open market, located in London,

629-650: The Homes and Communities Agency. The chief executive for the body was announced as Bob Kerslake in December 2007. Kerslake had led the regeneration of Sheffield as chief executive of the City Council since 1997. On 17 October 2008, the Housing Minister Iain Wright announced the Board members of the HCA including Robert Napier (chair), Kate Barker , Candy Atherton , and Shaukat Moledina (previously vice-chair of

666-475: The Housing Corporation). Kerslake was appointed as a permanent secretary at the agency's parent Department for Communities and Local Government in September 2010. The HCA announced that it would appoint an interim chief executive from existing staff. Housing minister Grant Shapps announced early on that the TSA would be abolished as part of the cull of quangos by the coalition government after

703-463: The Innovation Park, cleared airspace and sea area. 50°40′57″N 2°15′56″W  /  50.68250°N 2.26556°W  / 50.68250; -2.26556 Homes and Communities Agency Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency ( HCA ). HCA in turn

740-635: The Regions . The ODPM was criticised in some quarters for adding little value and the Environmental Audit Committee had reported negatively on the department in the past. During the 5 May 2006 reshuffle of Tony Blair's government , it was renamed and Ruth Kelly succeeded David Miliband (cabinet-level Minister of State for Communities and Local Government within the ODPM) to become the first Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at

777-400: The United Kingdom. On 20 February 2021, it was announced as part of the government's levelling up policy , that MHCLG would be the first government department to have a headquarters based outside of London. Five hundred posts, including those of senior civil servants, will be moving to Wolverhampton by 2025. On 23 February 2021, the then Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick , announced he

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814-686: The delivery of the repairs service". In Scotland this function is performed by the Scottish Housing Regulator . In Wales, the function is carried out by the Welsh government. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was replaced by a new national housing agency, Homes England, in January 2018, with a remit to acquire land and support brownfield development to help boost housing supply. In October 2018, under chairman Sir Edward Lister and CEO Nick Walkley, it published its first five-year strategy to deliver more homes in areas of greatest need, restating

851-623: The department on the same day, after being sacked for disloyalty by the prime minister, Boris Johnson . Michael Gove was reappointed as the secretary of state by the prime minister Rishi Sunak on 25 October 2022. Following the Labour Party's victory at the 2024 General Election , Angela Rayner was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 5 July 2024. The department reverted to its former name, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 8 July 2024. A Levelling Up Taskforce

888-656: The functions of the Academy for Sustainable Communities and the government's advisory team for large applications. In the following months, Martin Cave, Director of the Centre for Management under Regulation at University of Warwick , led the most comprehensive review of English housing regulation for 30 years. Reporting in June, the Cave Review recommended that a new regulator be set up, separating

925-462: The government's ambition to deliver 300,000 new homes a year on average. It planned to "significantly increase" housing delivery across South East England and to provide "additional professional skills capacity" for councils. In August 2019, Lister stepped down as chair of Homes England to focus on a newly created role as chief strategic adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . He was succeeded as chairman by Peter Freeman in October 2020, and, after

962-1060: The household and the public road. Homes England said it had written to 90 householders; however a freedom of information request found over 500 microplots for sale in the Redditch and Bromsgrove boroughs. Homes England said that if householders did not purchase microplots they could be sold to third parties. A third party sale was expected by homeowners to result in the microplot being used as a ransom strip . Department for Communities and Local Government King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG )

999-571: The i9 office development on 10 September 2021. At the opening of the new office development the Secretary of State was joined by the leader of City of Wolverhampton Council Ian Brookfield and the West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street . On 6 July 2022, most of the ministers responsible for the department resigned after the Chris Pincher scandal . The secretary of state, Michael Gove , also left

1036-415: The nuclear, oil and gas industries. By the early 21st century, under the ownership of UKAEA, the centre was home to about 50 companies including defence technology company QinetiQ which operated its underwater technology business there. QinetiQ would later sell its underwater technology division to Atlas Elektronik in 2009, whilst still remaining a tenant at Winfrith. In 2004 Winfrith Technology Centre

1073-506: The performance of local government, and support[ing] its improvement". MHCLG teams have been actively supporting digitisation of town planning processes as part of the Levelling Up Mission. Under the "Proptech innovation fund", MHCLG has been funding four rounds of digitisation initiatives within various local councils in England. The department also was previously responsible for two other agencies. On 18 July 2011 Ordnance Survey

1110-602: The regulation and investment responsibilities of the Housing Corporation. On 15 October 2007, Yvette Cooper announced that the Government accepted the recommendation of the Cave Review to transfer the Corporation's regulatory powers to an independent body, subsequently named as the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). The new investment body was initially announced as "Communities England", and later renamed as

1147-674: The site as an advanced engineering cluster of excellence for the South West, building on its strengths in marine, defence, energy and cyber-security. The Dorset Innovation Park is also the site of a multi-million pound investment by the Ministry of Defence, Dorset LEP and Dorset Council as a "Collaboration Nerve Centre" to bring UK Armed Forces and their challenges to an ecosystem that will bring traditional defence suppliers, academia, subject matter experts, and small to medium sized businesses who may or may not already be suppliers to this sector. A key aim

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1184-577: The south east and south west. However, after a campaign for disclosure by Building Design magazine, the agency revealed that many Kickstart projects failed to meet CABE 's standards of good design. The HCA acted as the government's Social Housing Regulator. It provided regular reports on each registered social housing agency in England. In March 2014, it made its first ruling that a housing association had breached its "serious detriment" threshold for harm to consumers for its home repairs against Circle 33 , due to "chronic and long standing difficulties in

1221-570: Was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation , and became operational on 1 December 2008. On 17 January 2007, Ruth Kelly announced proposals to bring together the investment functions of the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships and parts of the Department for Communities and Local Government to form a new unified housing and regeneration agency. It would also incorporate

1258-514: Was formed in September 2021 headed by former Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane . The Levelling Up policy was not initially defined in detail, but would include: The department is responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas, mainly in England : The Office for Local Government ("Oflog"), established in 2023, is an office within the department responsible for providing "authoritative and accessible data and analysis about

1295-585: Was hopeful that staff would be working in Wolverhampton by the summer of 2021. He also announced that they were considering building a new office development in or around the city centre to house the new headquarters. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, suggested it should be within walking distance of local newspaper Express & Star , where he previously did work experience. With the intention to relocate some 500 members of staff to Wolverhampton, Robert Jenrick officially opened its new Wolverhampton offices at

1332-520: Was sold to the UK government's regeneration agency, English Partnerships for £7.54 million. English Partnerships' ownership passed to its successor body, the Homes and Communities Agency , in December 2008. In early 2008 English Partnerships appointed Zog Brownfield Ventures to redevelop the Technology Centre. The intention was "to create an eco-friendly business complex". By 2009 the site was being called

1369-486: Was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and on 28 February 2013 the Fire Service College was sold to Capita . In January 2007, Ruth Kelly announced proposals to bring together the delivery functions of the Housing Corporation , English Partnerships and parts of the then Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government to form a new unified housing and regeneration agency,

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