New towns: Why Starmer needs to avoid being a cowboy builder… February 18, 2025 Promises can be a tricky thing in politics. Just look at the flack Nick Clegg received for pledging to scrap tuition fees, and then, well, not. Similarly, putting Partygate aside, I suspect Boris Johnson isn’t exactly fondly remembered as PM by those voters living in areas promised one of his 40 new hospitals. While some [...]
Homeowners rush to departures before third Heathrow runway takes off February 17, 2025 The housing market around the planned area for Heathrow’s third runway has seen a surge of activity in the last few weeks as homeowners look to avoid the noise, pollution and lower house values that the major infrastructure project would usher in. On January 29, the government spoke to an audience of business chiefs at [...]
Housebuilding: Starmer to reveal vision for new towns across UK February 13, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer will reveal the government’s vision for new towns to be built across the UK. The Prime Minister is expected to unveil the government’s plans for the next generation of communities, including homes, doctors’ surgeries, schools, nurseries and public transport, at a visit to a new housing development on Thursday. Over 100 proposals [...]
Property experts warn ‘more needs to be done’ on £350m housing funding February 12, 2025 A £350m investment into affordable and social housing by the government has been welcomed but property experts warn “more needs to be done”. Housing secretary Angela Rayner has insisted the government “can’t afford not to” hit its 1.5m housebuilding targets, as officials unveiled an extra £300m in funding for the affordable homes programme, which they [...]
Tired of London: Why is the capital losing hope? February 12, 2025 City dwellers tend to be more optimistic about their neighbourhood than those who live in town but, worryingly, London is bucking the trend. We all have a stake in our capital’s success. So what’s going wrong? Asks Simon Clarke “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. Samuel Johnson’s famous aphorism [...]
Government ‘grey belt’ reform is ‘somewhat rushed and incoherent’ February 5, 2025 In a letter to Angela Rayner, Lord Daniel Moylan, chair of the Built Environment Committee, raised a number of concerns with the government's so-called 'grey belt' policy.
We need a Hippocratic oath for planning rules: First do no harm February 2, 2025 Planning has become so complicated that applications get approved despite the system rather than because of it. If we want growth, we must accept that regulations cannot be used to solve every societal problem, says Gordon Adams To misquote Sir Humphrey, the English planning system has the engine of a lawn mower and the brakes [...]
The UK’s housing crisis is creating a generation of broke retirees January 24, 2025 The affordability crisis in the UK housing market is creating a generation who will still face monthly mortgage or rent payments well into retirement, according to a new study. With deposits increasingly hard to save up for and mortgages increasingly burdensome, few people will be free of housing costs by 2050, unless something changes. A [...]
Taylor Wimpey: Housebuilder holds guidance but warns of cost pressures January 16, 2025 Taylor Wimpey has said it’s on track to meet its profit target for the year, but echoing a similar warning from rivals Persimmon and Vistry, said rising costs could be a headwind to growth in 2025. The FTSE 100 firm expects an operating profit of £416m for 2024, down from £470.2m the year prior, according [...]
Persimmon: FTSE 100 builder reaps benefit of higher house prices January 14, 2025 In a trading statement covering 2024, the firm delivered a total of 10,664 homes, up seven per cent on the previous year and slightly ahead of market expectations.