£690m brownfield development in Northwest London to deliver 1,500 homes Harrow council’s ambitious plans for over 1,500 homes to be built on three underused sites moved a step closer with the news of a joint development venture with Wates Residential. At least 40 per cent of the new homes are to be shared ownership or affordable housing and will be built on council-owned land in Wealdstone. Harrow council leader Cllr Graham Henson said: “Our work with Wates will benefit countless [...]

Building firms are being urged to carry on asking their workforce to wear masks while working in enclosed spaces or on busy sites by the Construction Leadership Council, CLC. The CLC is calling for a consistent approach in line with government guidance as rules on social distancing and face masks relax from the 19th of July. “It is recommended the good practices the industry had adopted over the last 18 months are retained,” said the CLC in their public statement [...]

Birmingham is to make the most of the £700m investment in Perry Barry for the 2022 games, which includes a revamp of Alexander stadium, with ambitious plans to regenerate the district. The masterplan covers the next two decades and includes building 5,000 new homes, enhancing the suburb’s parks and improving transport connections. City council leader Cllr Ian Ward said: “For many years there has been a clear need and ambition to unlock the obvious untapped potential of Perry Barr, but [...]

Up to 46,000 new homes in the capital could be delivered by Transport for London’s new property development company over the next 25 years. The proposals for Transport Trading Limited Properties, TTLP, were outlined at TfL’s finance committee meeting last month and form part of its bailout settlement with the government. TfL director of commercial property Graeme Craig said: “As part of our long-term strategy, and building on the successful work that has already taken place in recent years, we [...]

UK property developers may have to adjust schedules and pricing to adapt to the lack of supplies to complete projects, advises Construction Leadership Council, CLC, co-chair Andy Mitchell. In an open letter to the industry, he points out that most contracts such as JCT and NEC 4 Secondary X1 have provisions to deal with fluctuations of provisions. “We have been fortunate enough to operate in a stable environment for a long time and these clauses have been seldom used. “However, [...]

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 [...]