Is housebuilding in London impossible? May 25, 2026 After its 900-home development in Peckham was blocked, housebuilder Berkeley said it can “no longer invest” in London. Felix Armstrong asks whether development in the capital really has hit a brick wall At the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, south London, shoppers are met with graffitied walls, peeling paint and shuttered retail units. The site began [...]
Peckham could do with some Del Boy graft May 21, 2026 Peckham’s most famous son, Del Boy, once observed that “He who dares, wins” – adding “He who hesitates, don’t.” It’s a motto on which Southwark Council would do well to reflect, considering there are more than 22,000 people on the borough’s social housing waiting list. Southwark’s Liberal Democrats point out it will take the council [...]
Housebuilders on hook for mansion tax if they fail to sell property after a year May 20, 2026 Property developers will be forced to pay the Labour’s new mansion tax if they take more than a year to offload newly built luxury homes, raising fresh fears that housebuilders will be further disincentivised from building homes in the capital. As part of plans included in a Treasury consultation document, housing developers will be liable [...]
‘Downright offensive’: Southwark council slammed for blocking 900 homes May 19, 2026 Southwark council has been blasted for celebrating the blocking of an 867-home development on the site of a Peckham shopping centre. The local authority hailed a “great day for Peckham” after housebuilder Berkeley failed to overturn a ruling against the development, which would have delivered retail, leisure and commercial space alongside the hundreds of homes. [...]
Councils turn to AI to boost housebuilding May 18, 2026 Local councils across the country are turning to artificial intelligence to speed up the planning process, as Labour’s 1.5m housebuilding target clashes with a slowing construction sector. A number of local authorities – including several in the capital – have either piloted or implemented AI planning tools, but housing leaders have warned that the government [...]
Labour ‘failing’ renters: Brits work for 133 days to pay landlords May 14, 2026 Today’s the day when Brits will finally stop working just to pay their landlords and start earning money for their own pockets, with 14 May the point in the year when the average tenant has brought in enough income to pay for a year’s accommodation. Known as the “cost of rent day”, it now arrives [...]
Vistry shares plummet as housebuilder pauses buyback and warns on inflation May 13, 2026 Shares in leading housebuilder Vistry have plummeted on Wednesday’s market open, after it warned of a “significant” profit hit and said the Iran war is spiking building costs. The housebuilding firm was the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 as its share price fell 11.5 per cent to 288p, leaving the stock down more than [...]
Grosvenor estate: Ministers don’t get ‘basic economics’ May 7, 2026 The Duke of Westminster’s multi-billion pound estate has chided ministers for failing to grasp “basic economics” in their bid to tackle the housing crisis. Mark Preston, who represents the business interests of Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster and owner of a Mayfair property empire, said the government risks choking housing supply if it [...]
Tony Travers: London local election result could trigger housebuilding slump May 7, 2026 The result of the forthcoming local elections could trigger a further slump in housebuilding in the capital as a shake-up in council composition obstructs development plans. Voters head to the polls in every London borough today, with polling suggesting Labour is on course to shed dozens of seats and lose its grip on the capital, [...]
Construction output tumbles as builders hit by surging costs and red tape May 7, 2026 The UK’s construction sector suffered a sharp fall in activity last month, as the Iran war batters confidence and drives up prices. S&P Global’s monthly construction index for the UK dropped to 39.7 in April, down from 45.6 in March. Builders are beginning to suffer from rising material costs caused by the blockage to the [...]