Councils face exodus of planners in threat to housebuilding goals November 18, 2025 One in five UK planners intends to leave the field or retire by 2028, in another significant threat to the government’s housebuilding target, according to new data. Nearly two-thirds of planners said their teams lacked the capacity to meet demand, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The RTPI has warned that the exodus [...]
Persimmon makes progress despite Budget uncertainty November 13, 2025 London-listed housebuilder Persimmon has made steady progress this year, despite a variety of macroeconomic headwinds. Forward sales have risen 15 per cent since July 1 to £2.79bn, with three-quarters of forward sales being private. Just over four-fifths of Persimmon’s expected private house deliveries have already been exchanged or completed, it said. “Progress has been achieved [...]
London house price growth to lag behind rest of UK until at least 2030 November 5, 2025 The capacity for house prices growing in London over the next five years is limited, according to property giant Savills, while Scottish and Northern prices are set to soar. By 2030, prices in the North West of England are expected to rise nearly a third to sit just 15 per cent below the UK average, [...]
‘Urgent and consistent’ policies needed to revive SME housebuilding November 4, 2025 The government must fix the ‘overly complex, costly, and slow’ operating environment for small and medium construction companies to unlock housebuilding, according to a new report. Delivery of new homes could be increased by up to 56 per cent – 100,000 properties a year – if barriers to building are removed, according to the State [...]
New 1,200-home neighbourhood unveiled in Elizabeth Line-linked Southall October 30, 2025 A new 1,200-home neighbourhood has been unveiled in Southall as the city continues to expand out along the Elizabeth line. Quarter Yards will deliver 1,273 new homes and over 105,000 sq ft of commercial space. Marcus Blake, managing director at one of the developers, St George, said he has seen “strong demand” for housing in [...]
Will the new Planning Bill get Britain building? October 28, 2025 The Planning and Infrastructure Bill promises faster decisions and greener outcomes. But will it actually deliver, asks James Clark.
Bellway says fears of Autumn tax raid has hit housing demand October 14, 2025 Housebuider Bellway has said that uncertainty over possible tax changes in the upcoming UK budget has dampened demand for housing. Rumors of various property taxes that Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances while overhauling a complex system of levies and charges have been [...]
Infrastructure could be rare success story for Labour September 23, 2025 The decision to allow a second runway at Gatwick is entirely sensible and most welcome. As the Chancellor said yesterday on her visit to the airport, the development “will mean that people going on holiday will have a greater choice of destinations [and] it will mean lower costs for a family holiday.” More importantly, she [...]
Labour’s AI ambitions will clash with its housebuilding targets September 18, 2025 It was all smiles on Tuesday as Chancellor Rachel Reeves became the latest PPE grad politician to don her PPE robes, in a visit to a construction site in Waltham Cross where she unveiled Google’s new data centre. The opening was a moment of celebration, as Google announced another £5bn investment into the UK, a [...]
A nine-point plan to get London building September 15, 2025 London’s housing delivery has collapsed due to regulatory delays, high costs, and stalled developments, but fast-tracking planning reform and supporting SME housebuilders could unlock thousands of homes, revive derelict sites, and make housing more affordable, says Paul Rickard London, once the UK’s housing and regeneration powerhouse, has seen the delivery of new homes plunge to [...]