The UK government wants up to 3m homes to be powered by hydrogen by 2030, as part of its strategy to move to the low carbon energy source. Its hydrogen strategy released today sets out how transport, business and construction will harness the green-friendly gas creating up to 9,000 new jobs and unlocking £4bn in investment. Business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “This home-grown clean energy source has the potential to transform the way we power our lives and [...]

Housebuilders are being invited to bid for government funding to help deliver discounted first homes for locals and key workers across England. The government has earmarked £150m to support the roll-out of the scheme with a target of 1,500 new homes by March 2023. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Homebuilders of all shapes and sizes will now be able to benefit from this scheme while helping first-time buyers and key workers onto the property ladder.” The scheme offers homes at [...]

Occupier confidence in the West End is beginning to return with some existing retailers moving to better locations or superior-configured stores, according to Savills research. Mobility across London reached its highest levels in the second quarter since the start of the pandemic. However, average weekly footfall is still 56 per cent lower than pre-Covid levels due to low overseas arrivals and continued homeworking. Savills commercial research director Marie Hickey said: “The vast majority of demand is currently generated by domestic [...]

A former apprentice service engineer, Tim Balcon, will take over the reins of the CITB from the beginning of next month. Mr Balcon started out from a mining town in South Yorkshire as an apprentice with British Gas in the early 1980s. “As a former apprentice I know how much having the right skills at a young age can transform your whole career and support your employer. “That’s why I’m so passionate about skills and am thrilled to be joining [...]

Pent-up demand on hold in 2020 has returned with office take-up in the first half of this year nearly a quarter above the five-year average, according to Savills’ data. Demand is outstripping supply with a development pipeline equal to five months take up in an average year said the property agent. Commercial research director Steven Lang said: “The resurgence in transactional activity in the greater London and the southeast office market has continued as we begin to emerge out the [...]

A new steel frame modular housebuilder opened its first factory last week intending to build 5000 new homes a year within the next five years. CoreHaus’s 20,000 sq ft factor in Seaham, County Durham, is initially employing about 20 people but expects to grow to 100 once the firm reaches its optimum production volume. Managing director Scott Bibby said: “We already know there is interest and demand for our innovative product. The housing sector is screaming out for something that’s [...]

Allowing cafes, restaurants, day centres and gyms to be turned into housing could mean four out of five high street shops could be replaced by housing according to a new study out this week. University College London researchers looked at how extended permitted development rights, PDR, which came into force on the 1st of August, would affect Barnet, Crawley, Huntingdonshire, and Leicester. “We recognise the need for more homes and the desire to regenerate high streets. But we need new [...]

More than half of respondents agree conditions are consistent with an upturn, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS’ latest commercial property market survey. In the second quarter, 56 per cent of survey participants predicted a recovery compared with 38 per cent of respondents from January to March. Chief economist Simon Rubinsohn said: “Demand trends appear much more stable in the office sector relative to recent quarters, while the industrial sector continues to see sharp growth in interest [...]

Construction output is forecast to rise by 14 per cent in 2021 and 6.3 per cent next year, according to the Construction Products Association, CPA, summer forecast published this week. Private housebuilding and infrastructure are expected to be key drivers of construction growth in this year and next, although the outlook for the commercial sector remains subdued. CPA economics director Noble Francis said: “The key constraint to our forecasts remains the cost and availability of imported products and skilled labour. [...]

Computer scientists have created an artificial intelligence system that can forecast building emission rates of non-domestic buildings. Loughborough University’s Dr Georgina Cosma and postgraduate student Kareem Ahmed have designed and trained an AI model to predict emission rate values with 27 inputs. Dr Cosma said: “It’s an important first step towards the use of machine learning tools for energy prediction in the UK and it shows how data can ‘improve current processes’ in the construction industry.” Current methods can take hours to [...]

High-quality zero carbon ready homes using sustainable building methods are among the goals of an industry-wide delivery plan for the next 30 years. Housebuilders, suppliers, regulators, environmental groups and planners as part of the Future Homes task force have produced a roadmap for being net-zero by 2050. Home Builders Federation, HBF, executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: “Today’s major environmental challenges will be with us for the future and cannot be ignored. It’s imperative we show leadership and commitment to play [...]