Bristol Temple Quarter multi-million-pound regeneration moves a step closer

One of the largest regeneration schemes in Europe has reached a major milestone with the creation of a limited liability partnership. The new Bristol Temple Quarter limited liability partnership will be looking for a partner in the coming months to redevelop 130 hectares of brownfield land in two connected phases over the next 25 years. Bristol City Council chief executive Stephen Peacock said: “This is yet another major milestone for Temple Quarter as we aim to deliver 10,000 new homes [...]

Construction firms shy away from housebuilding due to insurance issues

Nearly a third of construction firms have been forced to switch from housebuilding to other types of work due to inadequate professional indemnity insurance, PII, according to an industry poll. The Construction Leadership Council’s, CLC, survey found SMEs were particularly badly hit by increased premiums and excess levels plus wide-ranging exclusions. Out of the 652 firms that responded to the poll, two-thirds said high-rise residential work accounted for less than five per cent of their workload. CLC PII group chair [...]

First Homes’ scheme could jeopardise housebuilding in the South, warns Savills

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 [...]

John Lewis seeks collaborators to turn stores into homes

One of the UK’s best-known retail brands has told partners it wants to convert empty shop space into mixed-use affordable homes. Housing is one of the four key areas the ailing retailer is exploring in the hope of recovering profits within the next five years. John Lewis chairman Sharon White outlined the chain’s strategic review, where becoming a predominantly online retailer was core. “Shops will always be crucial to the brand but they will be in support of online. Over [...]