Major work to lay the ground for building 2,500 new homes and 1.2 sq ft of commercial development in York city centre is to start early next year. Councillors voted in favour of the first phase, backed by £77m of government funding, on 45 ha of land next to the city’s station. The site is one of the largest brownfield areas in England and it’s estimated its development will create 6,500 new jobs. York city council leader Keith Aspden said: [...]
Refurb grants for people to make their homes more energy efficient should be available for an extra year rather than finish at the end of March next year urges the Federation of Master Builders. The trade body is calling on the chancellor Rishi Sunak in his spending review on November 25th to bring forward a £9.2 bn manifesto pledge to make existing homes greener. The Federation of Master Builders, FMB, said this would offer a clear pipeline of work. FMB [...]
The global survey reported stronger occupier and investor demand for commercial properties with green building certificates. This translates into higher rents according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, sustainability findings within its global commercial property monitor for the third quarter. RICS global property standards director Paul Bagust said: “Whether we look at investors or occupiers, it is clear that demand for more sustainable building is climbing.” He said it would be crucial to develop accurate measurements of properties [...]
Pressure on the government to slash VAT on repairs from 20 to five percent is increasing following a decline in construction workforce numbers. The Federation of Master Builders, FMB, has called on the government to cut VAT on home improvements to boost jobs. It points to yesterday’s purchasing managers’ index, which recorded good output levels of 53.1 for October, above the 50 no-change marks, but a decline in headcounts. The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply group director Duncan Brock [...]
Feedback on how to keep construction sites going safely on the eve of England’s second national lockdown on Thursday is being called for by the Construction Leadership Council, CLC. In a public letter, it flagged up its guidance on safe operation of sites, builders’ merchant outlets, and use of public and private transport to work and temporary housing for workers. The CLC asked for ‘immediate feedback’ on what could be done to make guidance better. CLC co-chair Andy Mitchell said: [...]
SMEs would like the government to ensure smaller plots of land are also available when it comes to disposal of public land, according to a Federation of Master Builders’ survey. The trade body’s members would also like an Ofsted-style system for rating local planning authorities to help improve efficiency. The Federation said one in three of its members want the planning system reformed to help the smaller developer whose contribution to housebuilding has dwindled from 40 percent in the 1980s [...]
Developers could favour building offices or logistic centres in the South East rather than houses because of flaws in the government’s proposed first homes scheme, warns Savills. The property agency has produced a report highlighting potential issues with the scheme where the homes qualifying in London are capped at £420,000 and the rest of England at £250,000. Savills residential research director Lawrence Bowles said: “This is another hurdle to delivering homes making it less attractive than building a logistic centre [...]
Residential property transactions increased by more than 20 percent in September compared with August sales. However, September’s figures of 98,010 showed a 0.7 percent dip in the same month last year according to customs and revenue statistics. The chancellor Rishi Sunak attributed September’s positive results to his stamp duty holiday on properties up to £500,000 in value which was introduced in July. He was upbeat about the data claiming a rise in house moves would have a positive effect on [...]
A room with a view, a front door onto the street, and a garden are proving more seductive for the wealthy than a James Bond-style bachelor pad in Chelsea. London’s high-end housing market is surprising estate agents who are reporting increased transactions for properties worth more than £5m. Estate agents Dexters marketing director Richard Page says: “Since the market re-opened we’ve had more than 9,000 viewing appointments across London per week and our website has never had so much traffic [...]
Homes in Liverpool and future Covid-19 high alert areas can carry on being sold according to the latest government guidance. On ‘very high’ Covid-19 alert places, the government has said: “Estate and letting agents and removal firms can continue to work and people looking to move home can continue to undertake viewings.” Remote working tools are advised to avoid appointments at home. Wherever possible meetings should happen outdoors or in well-ventilated rooms, says the guidance. Sharing a pen or touching [...]
Housebuilders have defended proposed planning changes allowing up to 40 to 50 homes to be built before an ‘affordable homes’ quota kicks in. Last week the Local Government Association criticised the government for the proposals, which it claimed would have resulted in 30,000 fewer homes being built over the last five years. But the National Federation of Builders, NFB, said raising the limit from the current ten homes threshold to 40 or 50 would allow more small developers to build [...]
Housing minister Robert Jenrick has acted to stop unscrupulous developers from turning offices into tiny flats with little or no natural light. The move follows criticism that permitted development rights, allowing offices to be converted into homes without planning permission, were creating slums of the future with flats as small as 9m². Mr. Jenrick said all new homes in England would have to meet nationally described space standards of at least of 37m² for a one-bedroom flat with a shower [...]
