Labour has given in to the blockers on planning reform July 23, 2025 Labour has watered down its Planning and Infrastructure Bill, putting new housebuilding – and Britain’s growth prospects – at risk, writes Will Prescott The Starmer Government often boasts that it is on the side of the “builders not the blockers”. Unfortunately, the recent watering down of its key Planning and Infrastructure Bill risks calling that [...]
Housebuilding boost as stamp duty ‘disruptions’ fade July 4, 2025 Housebuilding stopped the construction sector from crumbling as an increase in residential work in June was recorded for the first time in nine months, fresh data has suggested. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for construction showed the sector improved slightly from May, with the decline in total business activity at the lowest level since [...]
Crest Nicholson: Profit triples as housing market recovers June 12, 2025 Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has reaffirmed its annual guidance as it reported a jump in half-year profit. The London-listed firm said adjusted pre-tax profit more than tripled to £7.9m in the six months ended 30 April. On a statutory basis, the company swung to a £9.4m profit after posting losses of £30.9m in 2024. Revenue declined [...]
Bellway: Completions surge at FTSE 250 housebuilder June 10, 2025 Bellway has said it expects to see a surge in home completions amid an increase in consumer confidence and reservation rates. The FTSE 250 housebuilder and property developer said it was well-positioned to deliver cumulative volume growth of 20 per cent over the two years to end July 2026. In a trading update, the Newcastle-based [...]
Green belt homes ‘needed’ to solve housing crisis, Sadiq Khan says May 15, 2025 London is suffering a chronic housing shortage. Lacklustre rates of housebuilding have helped push up the cost of a home to well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners. The price of an average terrace house in Camden has roughly tripled compared to twenty years ago to more than £1.5m today, Land Registry data shows, while [...]
Time to build homes on the green belt, Sadiq Khan says in major strategy pivot May 8, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan is to call for homes to be built on London’s green belt in a major strategic shift on housing policy. In a speech on Friday, the mayor of London is to announce that City Hall will “actively explore” releasing parts of the green belt in a bid to bring an end to [...]
To be the party of opportunity, Conservatives must be the party of YIMBYs May 7, 2025 Britain’s housing shortage is now so severe that even if we hit Labour’s now abandoned building target, it would still take half a century to close the gap, says Sir Simon Clarke Last night I was delighted to launch Conservative YIMBY (“Yes In My Back Yard”), a campaign group which aims to transform Conservative attitudes [...]
Vistry: Labour housing pledge to boost company despite profit slump March 26, 2025 Vistry’s share price has slumped five per cent this morning after halting its final dividend of the year, as the housebuilder’s chief described 2024 as a “challenging year” The FTSE 250 firm managed to meet the weak forecasts expected by the markets in its annual results, with profit before tax falling 35 per cent to [...]
Buy Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of Spring Statement says broker March 24, 2025 Investment bank Jefferies has said investors should ‘Buy’ shares in UK housebuilders like Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of this week’s Spring Statement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to present her Spring Statement later this week. Due to her commitment to just one major fiscal event, it was intended as an update rather than a [...]
Planning bill will ‘avoid bat tunnels’, housing minister claims March 11, 2025 The government hopes its planning reforms will “avoid bat tunnels”, the housing minister has said. It comes as Labour unveiled major changes to the UK’s planning permissions system – as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – with measures to overhaul how developers meet environmental obligations, replacing site-specific schemes with a general fund. Speaking [...]