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So far Shiraz Khan has created 192 blog entries.

Housing survey reveals planning permissions at an all-time low

The number of sites that gained planning permission in 2023 dropped to the lowest level for a 12-month period since The Housing Pipeline Report  began in 2006. The 10,527 sites were granted permission in 2023 - a 16 per cent decrease on 2022 and a 23 per cent fall on 2021. The volume is about half the average annual permissions granted between 2015 and 2019, according to the report by market intelligence consultancy Glenigan for the Home Builders Federation, HBF. [...]

Biodiversity net gain pushing small housebuilders over the edge

Biodiversity rules pushing small housebuilders over the edge Just three weeks into new rules on improving biodiversity uplifts on new housing schemes SME developers are facing a barrage of difficulties and extra costs. These include councils’ inflexibility to consider more than one biodiversity option in section 106 agreements and pushing up costs to the extent that offering affordable housing is no longer viable. National Federation of Builders, NFB, policy and market insight head Rico Wojtulewicz said: “At the moment we [...]

Construction industry calls for tax breaks to make properties greener

Stamp duty rebates for buyers who make their homes more energy efficient and for pensioners downsizing are among the tax breaks the property industry would like in the forthcoming budget. The National Federation of Builders, NFB, wants a stamp duty rebate given to homeowners who improve the energy performance ratings of their place to ‘C’ or above within two years of purchase. They also want the tax to be scrapped for new build homes with ‘A’ grade efficiency ratings. NFB [...]

Pipeline of small sites for SME housebuilders to develop is ‘step in the right direction’

Homes England is to pilot selling parcels of land for SMEs to build new homes in the Southeast and the Midlands. Housing and levelling up secretary Michael Gove announced the initiative earlier this week in a statement to parliament outlining his plans for long-term housing. “We are determined to support SME housebuilders who play such a vital role in our communities,” he said. The Federation of Master Builders described the move as a positive development. FMB policy head Jeremy Gray [...]

By |2024-03-07T16:49:11+00:00February 26, 2024|Advice, Auctions, Blog, Business, Buying Property, News|0 Comments

More homes on brownfield land won’t solve housing crisis, warn builders

Michael Gove has come under criticism for putting pressure on London and 19 other major cities to build more homes on brownfield land. The building industry has claimed the housing and levelling up secretary’s latest consultation is a political move to avoid pressure to build on the greenbelt. National Federation of Builders, NFB, chief executive Richard Beresford said: “There isn’t enough brownfield land to get close to solving the housing crisis.” The Federation of Master Builders, FMB, added that the [...]

Private house building new starts in the doldrums

New home registrations showed a 44 per cent drop in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to figures released by the National House Building Council, NHBC. There were just 105,449 registers by developers of intent to build compared with 189,009 in 2022 with the biggest decrease in the Northwest of 61 per cent. The West Midlands was the next worst hit with a drop of 59 per cent followed by the Eastern region with a 51 per cent decrease. [...]

By |2024-03-09T11:00:33+00:00February 8, 2024|Advice, Auctions, Blog, Business, Buying Property, News|0 Comments

Industry unconvinced deadline for better water treatment will boost housebuilding

Industry unconvinced deadline for better water treatment will boost housebuilding Housebuilders are sceptical that pressure on water companies to get their treatment works up to scratch will unlock homes in areas where river nutrients are high. Last week environment secretary Steve Barclay announced water companies operating in 16 sensitive catchment areas would have to meet specified nutrient removal standards by April 2030. Home Builders Federation’s communications director Steve Turner said: “The notice is important as it requires local authorities, and [...]

By |2024-03-09T11:03:22+00:00January 31, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

SMEs call for end to planning uncertainty to enable more homes to be built

Depoliticising planning and offering more help for first-time buyers would speed up housebuilding according to SME developers’ comments in a recent study. More than 90 per cent of the 303 respondents cited planning permission delays as a major growth barrier in the Homebuilders Federation’s fourth annual  State of Play survey. SMEs would like to see local councils’ planning committees replaced by an independent body of trained planning experts with residents’ input at the local plan state. Homebuilders Federation executive chairman [...]

Housing affordability to worsen with 7 per cent rise in population

More young people look set to live with their parents as buying a home becomes increasingly expensive, the government’s housing accelerator Homes England has warned. Office of National Statistics has revealed the cost of a home is rising quicker than earnings with affordability ratios increasing from 4.92 in 2002 to 8.28 in 2022. “Many young people cannot afford to buy homes in their local communities where they have grown-up, due to worsening affordability,” Homes England said in its latest factsheet [...]

Housebuilding costs will soar if solar panels become mandatory

Solar panels on the roofs of all new homes will add millions to the cost of housing developments, warns the National Federation of Builders. The trade body is unhappy with a proposal that they could become mandatory under the Future Homes and Building Standards consultation released this week. NFB head of policy and market insight Rico Wojtulewicz said: “They’ve pushed photovoltaic panels as a great thing, but they aren’t if they’re merely an add-on and the environment for delivery is [...]

By |2024-03-09T11:06:26+00:00December 14, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Planning delays pose the biggest threat to SME housing delivery

More than half of SME builders reported the planning system as their biggest barrier to delivering new homes, according to the Federation of Master Builders, FMB, annual survey. Respondents cited ‘inadequate resourcing’ of planning departments as the main reason for delays in applications followed by poor communication. FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: “For small builders, the survey is clear that the system is too complex and costly. Communication from local planning authorities is also poor. Without changing this, planning [...]

Crane survey sees record number of office new starts in the capital

Deloitte’s latest London office crane survey sees the highest volume of new offices being built since 2005 the study was extended to cover seven central London areas. Currently, 124 schemes are under construction totalling more than 15m square feet in volume in the West End, Midtown, Southbank, Docklands, Kings Cross and Paddington with The City leading the way. Deloitte real assets advisory director Sophie Allan said: “New builds have roared back from their post-pandemic nadir, which has likely been driven [...]