The average UK property price has reached a record high of £261,743 with Wales the strongest performing region according to Halifax’s house price index for May. Annual growth surged to 9.5 per cent, meaning the average UK home has increased in value by more than £22,000 over the last 12 months. Halifax managing director Russell Galley said the market was continuing to be buoyed by the current stamp duty holiday with prospective buyers racing to complete before June’s deadline. “The [...]

Developers and housebuilders warn the government is unlikely to hit its goal of 300,000 new homes built a year by the mid-2020s unless it ups its planning permission numbers. They are calling for at least 1.7m planning applications to be granted claiming the current pipeline of 1.3m homes with permission to be built by March 2025 is not enough. The Land Promoters and Developers Federation, LPDF, and Home Builders Federation, HBF, claim planning permission data, such as Glenigan’s, includes sites [...]

The building industry has fine-tuned its 20-year blueprint to make the UK’s 28m existing homes greener ahead of the government’s imminent release of its heat and buildings strategy. The Construction Leadership Council, CLC, together with 38 signatories, has written to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng urging for its proposals to be adopted in the forthcoming white paper. Chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, FMB and CLC’s domestic repairs maintenance and improvements working party chair, Brian Berry, said: “This will [...]

Developers will soon be expected to offer discounts of between 30 to 50 per cent on some of the new build homes they build for local first-time buyers on modest incomes. Housing minister Christopher Pincher has said at least a quarter of developers’ contributions to affordable housing should include these types of discounted homes. “Ensuring access to homeownership remains a key priority and challenge for this government. However, rising prices, high deposits and difficulty accessing mortgage finance still mean that [...]

Smaller housebuilders are to be given a better chance of bidding to develop public land following a major overhaul of the system. Housing accelerator Homes England is making the process more flexible and simplifying access so smaller developers and new entrants can participate. Homes England chief land and development officer Stephen Kinsella said: “This new digital system marks a huge step forward, making it much easier for developers to bid for our land. I’d encourage our current partners, as well [...]

A new brick producing a tenth of the carbon emissions of a traditional one is poised to go into commercial production. Zero Waste Scotland has pledged £1m for manufacturing Kenoteq’s K-Briq made from over 90 per cent of recycled demolition and construction products. Kenoteq managing director Sam Chapman said: “The construction industry faces a tremendous challenge when meeting decarbonisation goals. The industry sends over 800 million tonnes of waste to landfill in Europe every year, at a huge cost to itself and the environment.” The brick, developed by researchers at Edinburgh’s [...]

The next mayor should consider reducing the impact of proposed boundary taxes affecting builders in greater London, urges the Federation of Master Builders branch for the capital. They’ve drafted a manifesto for the new incumbent calling for help to access workplaces and for an assessment of road closures and restricted parking on their operations. SME construction firms across England have seen the fastest growth in workloads from January to March 2021 in a decade, however, London builders reported the lowest [...]

Timber, roof tiles and roofing membranes are proving pricier and harder to source with longer lead times threatening construction output. Imports such as paints and varnishes are expected to be difficult to get next month with shortages in PVC and resins for the rest of the year. Roofing supplies are in some cases delayed by up to six months although they’re expected to improve in the second half of the year. Timber is likely to be scarce for the whole [...]

Smaller builders could benefit from a £150m ‘help to build’ fund to make it easier for people to commission a bespoke home. The government initiative is aimed at creating a level playing field between first-time buyers of newly built homes, who benefit from ‘help to buy’, and those who want to build their own home. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Building your own home shouldn’t be the preserve of a small number of people, but a mainstream, realistic and affordable [...]

Major contractors are rolling out a new common assessment standard aimed at radically reducing the £1bn spent a year checking out supply chain providers. Balfour Beatty, Costain, HS2, Mace, Multiplex and Skanska have signed up to the new pre-qualification system where just one certification is required for tenderers. Build UK deputy chief executive Jo Fautley said: “It’s been a collaborative effort, involving companies across the whole sector, and the new system is a huge step towards more efficient working, which [...]

A disused coal-fired power station in Staffordshire is set to be redeveloped to offer 2,300 new low carbon homes and a school. Cannock Chase and Lichfield district councils granted outline planning permission for energy and redevelopment specialist ENGIE, who own the 139-ha brownfield site, to press ahead with the mixed development. ENGIE UK & Ireland’s divisional chief executive Colin Macpherson said: “We have been in positive and productive communication with all the relevant local authorities and local residents for many years [...]

UK construction activity boomed in March with the purchasing managers’ index reaching 61.7 – the highest reading since the second half of 2014. This was a sharp rise on February’s 53.3 figure and significantly above the 50 no-change status with housebuilding the best performing category at 64 – the fastest growth since July 2020. Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply group director Duncan Brock said: “This upturn led to a significant boost in hiring levels with the fastest upturn in [...]