Housing Development — Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic 2023 TEST 2 — IELTS Test

Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic 2023 TEST 2

Housing Development

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(0:00) Part 2. You will hear a talk to members of the public (0:04) about plans for a new housing development near a town called Nunston. (0:11) First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14. (0:35) Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

(0:43) Hello everyone, it's good to see that so many members of the public have shown up for our (0:48) presentation on the new housing development planned on the outskirts of Nunston. (0:54) I'm Mark Reynolds and I'm Communications Manager at the development. (1:01) I'll start by giving you a brief overview of our plans for the development.

(1:07) So, one thing I'm sure you'll want to know is why we've selected this particular site (1:13) for a housing development. At present, it's being used for farming, (1:19) like much of the land around Nunston. But because of the new industrial centre in Nunston, (1:27) there's a lot of demand for housing for employees in the region, (1:32) as many employees are having to commute long distances at present.

(1:37) Of course, there's also the fact that we have an international airport just 20 minutes drive away. (1:45) But, although that's certainly convenient, it wasn't one of our major criteria for choosing (1:52) the site. We were more interested in the fact that there's an excellent hospital just 15 (1:59) km away, and a large secondary school even closer than that.

(2:05) One drawback to the site is that it's on quite a steep slope, (2:12) but we've taken account of that in our planning, so it shouldn't be a major problem. (2:19) We've had a lot of positive feedback about the plans. People like the wide variety of (2:26) accommodation types and prices, and the fact that it's only a short drive to get out into the (2:33) countryside from the development.

We were particularly pleased that so many people (2:39) liked the designs for the layout of the development, with the majority of people (2:45) saying it generally made a good impression and blended in well with the natural features of the (2:52) landscape, with provision made for protecting trees and wildlife on the site. (2:59) Some people have mentioned that they'd like to see more facilities for cyclists, (3:05) and we'll look at that, but the overall feedback has been that the design and facilities of the (3:11) development make it seem a place where people of all ages can live together happily. (3:21) Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.

(4:02) Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20. (4:09) OK, so I'll put a map of the proposed development up on the screen. You'll see it's bounded on the (4:20) south side by the main road, which then goes on to Nunston.

Another boundary is formed by (4:28) London Road, on the western side of the development. Inside the development there'll (4:35) be about 400 houses and three apartment blocks. There'll also be a school for children up to 11 (4:44) years old.

If you look at the south entrance at the bottom of the map, there's a road from there (4:51) that goes right up through the development. The school will be on that road, at the corner of the (4:59) second turning to the left. A large sports centre is planned with facilities for indoor and outdoor (5:08) activities.

This will be on the western side of the development, just below the road that branches (5:16) off from London Road. There'll be a clinic where residents can go if they have any health problems. (5:25) Can you see the lake towards the top of the map? The clinic will be just below this, to the right (5:33) of a street of houses.

There'll also be a community centre for people of all ages. (5:40) On the northeast side of the development there'll be a row of specially designed houses, (5:47) specifically for residents over 65, and the community centre will be adjoining this. (5:55) We haven't forgotten about shopping.

There'll be a supermarket between the two entrances to (6:02) the development. We're planning to leave the three large trees near London Road, and it'll be (6:10) just to the south of these. It's planned to have a playground for younger children.

If you look at (6:19) the road that goes up from the south entrance, you'll see it curves round to the left at the top, (6:26) and the playground will be in that curve, with nice views of the lake. Okay, so, now, does anyone... (6:41) That is the end of part two. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part two.

Part 2 of 4

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