Brits think almost half of England is ‘built on’ – but real figure is less than 10 per cent August 17, 2023 Brits think almost half of land in England is built on by towns, roads or rail lines – despite the real figure being under nine per cent, polling has revealed. Six in 10 people in England also say retaining the current green belt should come before meeting housing needs, researchers at Ipsos for the Economist [...]
Row over why London built just one affordable home a month August 15, 2023 A row has broken out over why London has built just one affordable home a month, amid warnings the capital’s housing crisis is fast catapulting into an emergency situation. Figures published today reveal just three affordable homes were started by City Hall during April, May and June 2023 – while stats for previous years extend [...]
Persimmon slashes number of homes built as rate rise rattles business August 10, 2023 Persimmon has cut the number of homes it’s building by more than a third as the housebuilder faces up to rapidly rising mortgage rates and a slowdown in consumer confidence. The construction company built a total of 4,249 homes in the first half of the year down from 6,652 homes compared to the same period [...]
Rents likely to continue rising sharply despite cost of living crisis August 10, 2023 Rents are likely to continue rising sharply despite the cost of living crisis, surveyors are warning. Property professionals’ expectations that rents will rise in the next few months are at the strongest levels seen so far this century, the findings from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicate. A net balance of 63 per [...]
Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan at loggerheads over London housebuilding July 27, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has threatened to wade into mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s efforts on housebuilding in the capital. The politicians traded verbal blows today as the PM accused the mayor of failing to build enough homes for Londoners, while Khan branded his claims “desperate nonsense”. Speaking during a visit to a development in [...]
‘Docklands 2.0’: Michael Gove outlines vision for new higher density London July 24, 2023 Michael Gove has outlined the government’s vision to create a “Docklands 2.0” in a key speech on housing policy, calling for higher density urban development. The housing and levelling up secretary cited the “ambitious approach” of Margaret Thatcher and Michael Heseltine and warned housing “inefficiency” is costing Britain’s productivity. It comes as the prime minister [...]
Sunak vows to meet one million new homes promise amid shortfall warnings July 24, 2023 Rishi Sunak has vowed his government will meet a Conservative manifesto pledge to build one million new homes before the end of this parliament. The Prime Minister made the promise ahead of a speech by housing and levelling up secretary Michael Gove on measures to slash red tape on loft conversions and extensions. It comes [...]
Michael Gove’s housing department hands £1.9bn back to the Treasury in ‘blow to developers’ July 12, 2023 Michael Gove’s department returned £1.9bn of housing money to the Treasury claiming it was unable to spend it, leaving industry insiders baffled. The sum comprised money to pay for new house building projects, including affordable homes, and to conduct building safety remediations. Joshua Bond, founder and managing director of Bond Land, called Gove’s move “the [...]
Hunt to discuss support with mortgage lenders as repayments crisis looms June 20, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to meet with mortgage lenders to discuss support for homeowners as a repayments crisis looms. Various calls have been made for the government to step in to help struggling borrowers – but Hunt said ministers would not provide financial support which would fuel inflation. Average costs for a two-year fixed-rate [...]
Bellway on track after strong spring selling period but uncertain rate environment poses challenges June 13, 2023 FTSE 250 Bellway is on track to meet its guidance for the full year after a strong spring selling season even as sales remain well below last year. From the beginning of February to 4 June, the reservation rate averaged 190 homes per week compared to 253 in the same period last year, a fall [...]