The Debate: Should we build on the green belt? May 14, 2025 As Sadiq Khan commits to releasing parts of the green belt, we get two experts to make the case for and against in this week's Debate.
Renters work 125 days a year to pay their landlords May 5, 2025 Renters in England are working 125 days each year – before tax – just to pay their rent, according to new research from the Adam Smith Institute (ASI). This means that renters only start earning money for themselves on 6 May, which the ASI has named Cost of Rent Day. The initiative was calculated using [...]
Kevin McCloud: Housebuilder ‘oligopoly’ needs urgent reform May 2, 2025 Britain’s housebuilding industry is a cartel-like oligopoly that needs root and branch reform in order for the UK is to build enough high-quality homes to solve its housing crisis, Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud has said. In a withering assessment the track record of major housebuilders, McCloud said the UK construction sector’s supply chain had [...]
Solar panels must be fitted on all new homes from 2027 in net zero push May 1, 2025 New rules will mandate that housebuilders fit solar panels on the roofs of almost every new-build home from 2027, in a move slammed as an “ideological crusade”. According to a report in The Times, the policy change would add around £3,300 to the cost of building a semi-detached or terraced house, with a £4,000 premium [...]
‘A good first step’: Construction industry largely in support of the planning bill March 12, 2025 The government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill entered Parliament yesterday, March 11, and has already provoked strong responses from the construction industry. So far, these responses have been largely positive, with praise for the government’s efforts to streamline the UK’s overstretched and over-regulated planning system. Stuart Evans, partner and head of planning at Anthony Collins, said there [...]
Persimmon: Housebuilder posts uptick in profit amid housing market recovery March 11, 2025 Housebuilder Persimmon has reported an uptick in house completions and profit after two years of steep declines. The York-based company completed 10,664 homes in the year ended December 31, up seven per cent year on year. Revenue from new housing rose £2.86bn from £2.54bn while underlying profit before tax rose 10 per cent to £395.1m. [...]
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 [...]