The UK needs a rules-based zoning system for planning February 28, 2025 Under the discretionary planning system created in 1947, no part of England has ever been able to harness private sector development to meet housing targets at the scale we now need. It’s time for a radical overhaul, says Andrew Carter The government has rightly made improving workers’ take-home pay a measure of success for this [...]
Taylor Wimpey: ‘The scene is set for recovery’ February 27, 2025 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has said government planning reforms are set to deliver a “step change” in the industry. The company made the comments alongside its 2024 results. Taylor built 10,593 homes in the year ended December 31, down slightly from 10,848 homes in 2023. Revenue fell 3.2 per cent, to £3.4bn, while operating profit fell [...]
Barratt Redrow shares rise on double-digit growth fuelled by merger February 12, 2025 Housebuilding giant Barratt Redrow has announced a significant jump in profit in the wake of Barratt’s acquisition of Redrow last year. Home completions rose 10.4 per cent to 6,864 in the six months ended December 29, while revenue rose 23.2 per cent to £2.28bn. Following its strong figures, Barratt Redrow’s shares rose by more than [...]
Bellway: Housebuilder in recovery as share price ‘at odds’ with performance February 11, 2025 Housebuilder Bellway reported strong growth in home completions over the last six months, which analysts have said could be a sign the wider homebuilding sector is set for a recovery. The company reported an 11.9 per cent uptick in housing completions in the six months ended 31 January, with more than 4,500 properties completed with [...]
Crest Nicholson: Housebuilder upbeat despite ‘tough and disappointing year’ February 4, 2025 Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has said it is “well-positioned” to meet housing demand with a new strategy, despite lower-than-expected profit this year. Revenue at the housebuilder fell six per cent for the full year to October 31, to £618m, while operating profit fell 38.4 per cent to £31.3m. Profit before tax fell 53.3 per cent year [...]
‘Prohibitive building costs’ stunting UK growth projects – Deloitte February 4, 2025 “Prohibitive costs” involved in construction projects in major UK cities led to a sharp decline in the number of new developments breaking ground in 2024, according to a new report from Deloitte. Deloitte’s latest Regional Crane Surveys, which covers the central areas of Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, has revealed the number of new starts [...]
Construction momentum fades amid fragile consumer confidence January 7, 2025 Construction activity in the UK economy fell to a six-month low in December, a new survey shows, with momentum slowing across the sector. Housebuilding activity slipped deeper into contraction, according to S&P’s construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI), while growth in commercial and civil engineering work slowed compared to the month before. This meant that the [...]
Lendinvest inches closer to profit as fintech eyes housebuilding boost December 9, 2024 Lendinvest is nearing a return to profitability as the property fintech eyes a boost from the new government’s housebuilding plans. The London-listed firm reported a pre-tax loss of £1.7m for the six months to 30 September, 2024, compared to a £15.7m loss during the same period last year. Lendinvest’s bottom line was helped by a [...]
Keir Starmer: Planning regime ‘suffocating aspirations of working families’ December 6, 2024 Writing in the Times, Starmer said the planning system had become "increasingly ruinous" and was "suffocating the aspirations of working families".
Planning reforms have had ‘profound and hugely positive impact’, Berkeley says December 6, 2024 FTSE 100 house builder Berkeley said it was on track to meet its profit targets in 2025 as it announced a new investment strategy to help capitalise on the government’s planning reforms. The government has committed to building 1.5m new homes over the course of the parliament. To meet its target, ministers are consulting on [...]