House price growth slows despite ‘busier January than normal’ January 31, 2025 House price growth slowed slightly in January, but year-on-year growth remained robust despite higher interest rates. The annual rate of house price growth slowed to 4.1 per cent in January, compared with 4.7 per cent in December, according to the Nationwide House Price Index. House prices increased by 0.1 per cent month on month, after [...]
How to build affordable housing December 9, 2024 Any plan to actually deliver the 1.5m homes the government has committed to must be guided by pragmatism, not dogma – and lower targets for affordable housing can often result in more actually getting built, says Marc Vlessing The sudden departure of both senior leaders at Homes England is an opportunity to rethink the role [...]
Khan unveils plan to make housing affordable for key workers November 25, 2024 Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a consultation on plans to make housing more affordable for Londoners. Khan has proposed rents based on 40 per cent of key workers’ average household incomes, with rent rises potentially linked to wage growth. The proportion of a key worker’s income needed to cover rent on a median one-bedroom property [...]
Housing is an opportunity, not a problem September 28, 2024 Operating in a sector so often labelled as ‘in crisis’, it’s easy to forget that housing is a safer investment than many realise, says Chris Benn City grandee Sir Nigel Wilson published a report this month that outlined how Britain will need to invest £1tn over the next decade to realise its growth potential. It’s [...]
MJ Gleeson: Planning setbacks hit profit September 18, 2024 Housebuilder MJ Gleeson has blamed planning setbacks in the UK for a decline in operating profit. Overall revenue at Gleeson rose by 5.2 per cent from £328.3m to £345.3m, although profit before tax fell by 21.3 per cent to £24.9m. The company – split into a land division and homebuilding division – said that Gleeson [...]
Building on the green belt won’t fix the housing crisis September 5, 2024 Labour’s plans to relax protection for the green belt will incentivise developers to build expensive houses for commuters while leaving city centre brownfield sites to rot, says Sam Fowles Labour has put solving the housing crisis front and centre, promising to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament. But its key [...]
Housing operator Mears ups guidance as Ministry of Defence extends contracts August 8, 2024 Affordable housing operator Mears has reported an “excellent” set of results driven by government social housing contract wins and high demand from immigration-related services. Mears, which manages 17,000 houses for local and central government, reported a 10 per cent rise in revenue for the six months ended June 30, to £580m up from £525.6m. Profit [...]
Legal & General bags extra £150m for affordable homes drive as housing crisis worsens August 5, 2024 Legal & General has secured an extra £150m for its UK affordable housing drive, pushing total its total pot to £280m.
Lloyds housing fund snaps up £300m Watkin Jones scheme in London’s Stratford July 29, 2024 A housing impact investment fund run out of Lloyds Banking Group has snapped up a new 397 bed purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development in Stratford in a deal worth nearly £300m.
Green light from London council for £330m plan to build 1,250 homes July 16, 2024 Aitch Group has been given the green light for a £330m investment in Belvedere park by a London council, to build 1,250 homes in Bexley. The east-London based property group will turn the industrial land into a series of apartment blocks with a hectare of green space. It’s good news for London’s property sector, which [...]