London councils won’t be able to sue their way to more homes being built Politics Last week I asked the chief executive of one of the country’s largest housing developers to sum up the state of housebuilding in London, and the answer was “dire.” If I’d allowed two words I suspect one of them would have been unprintable. The situation is so disastrous that Sadiq Khan was forced to lower [...]
Housebuilder Bellway warns mortgage rate hikes dampening housing demand Property Bellway has said that recent rises to mortgage rates as a result of the Iran war are dampening demand for housing, on top of rising building cost inflation due to the conflict. The FTSE 250 housebuilder said it has seen a “moderation” in customer demand in April and May, bringing an end to a “positive” [...]
Balfour Beatty emerges from US oversight scheme after fraud against military Transport & Infrastructure There was a “landmark moment” for FTSE 250 firm Balfour Beatty on Monday, with the announcement that its US subsidiary emerged from special scrutiny from the Department of Justice (DoJ). The news came as both a reminder of the global reach of London’s major support services sector and the pitfalls it can face from complex, [...]
‘Dire’: Rapid decline in construction as sector slashes jobs June 4, 2026 A rapid decline in construction companies’ activity has forced bosses to cut employment, according to new data. S&P Global’s construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed that business activity declined at the fastest pace for six years. Putting the pandemic aside, the decline in construction output was the lowest since March 2009. The PMI reading was [...]
Watchdog slaps BDO with £2m fine over serious audit failings May 28, 2026 Accountancy giant BDO and the former head of its London audit group have been slapped with sanctions by the accounting industry watchdog over its work on the construction engineering firm NMCN. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) imposed sanctions on the firm and its former partner, Geraint Jones, for significant and serious breaches during the 2019 [...]
‘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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]