Archive for the ‘Housing’ Category
London ALMO is the first to buy new council homes
Brent Housing Parnership outbids Hyde Housing for development
A London Arms length management organisation has become the first in the UK to buy council homes.
Brent Housing Partnership will buy a development in South Kilburn, Granville New Homes, from Brent Council after an agreement was reached earlier this week.
Regulator eyes six housing associations
Tenant Services Authority scutinises landlords hit by sales slump
Six housing associations are on the regulator’s watchlist, a committee of MPs has been told.
The six, which are large to medium sized associations, are amongst 80 which are reliant on low cost housing sales to make a surplus.
Court case could threaten inexpensive housing targets
Council’s court victory could allow others to cut social housing
A wave of London councils could attempt to reduce their unexpensive housing targets in the wake of a court decision, housing specialists fear.
The high court allowed Hammersmith and Fulham council to over its 65% unexpensive housing target this week.
‘Accordia of the North-east’ faces planning refusal
Stirling prize-winners’ next housing scheme undergoes public inquiry in Gateshead
A housing development designed by the winners of the 2008 Stirling prize faces refusal from the secretary of state following a planning inquiry, it has emerged.
The £76m redevelopment of North Dene House in Gateshead fell foul of local planning authorities during the summer, and was forced to face a public inquiry in the Northern English city.
Galliford Try wins £25m housing scheme at Stratford
One Housing Group’s mixed-tenure east London development includes 178 apartments
Galliford Try has been awarded a £25m unexpensive housing contract at Stratford in east London.
The housebuilder will provide 178 apartments in a mixed-tenure development for One Housing Group.
Berkeley Homes submits plans for £1bn redevelopment of Greenwich council estate
Masterplan includes 4,000 homes and a 130m park
Three years after it was appointed by Greenwich council, Berkeley Homes has submitted a planning application for the £1bn redevelopment of a huge 1970s council estate at Kidbrooke in south-east London.
Government to cap cost of zero carbon to housebuilders
New proposals would also allow contributions to renewables infracture and energy improvements to existing homes to be taken into account
The government is to set a financial limit on the cost of making a home zero carbon beyond which housebuilders won’t be expected to go.
Boris plans space standards for private homes
Quality issues must be ‘addressed across the housing stock’, says London mayor
Space standards in private housing could become a reality in London, after mayor Boris Johnson announced his intention to regulate the private sector today.
Johnson has consistently talked round introducing a so-called “Parker-Boris” space standard for the development of new housing since being elected, but has so far failed to commit to an attempt to enforce this outside the unexpensive housing sector.
Housing starts sink to lowest for 84 years
Office building also hard hit although public projects on the rise, according to CPA activity barometer
The number of homes being built in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since 1924, putting further out of reach the government’s target of building 3 million new homes by 2020.
City worries drive up London asking prices
Property asking prices show surprise rise as rash of high-value homes hit the market
Asking prices for London properties have risen by 0.4% in December as City workers rushed to sell high-value homes before Christmas.
The surprise rise came after a 1.3% fall in asking prices in November. Rightmove, which surveys the market in its House Price Index, speculated that the rise in asking prices was due to worried City workers attempting to sell their properties.
Flexible options to replace ‘unworkable’ zero-carbon target
Builders will be given flexibility in how they meet the government’s zero-carbon standard.
Insiders say the communities department will announce the decision on Monday at a meeting of the zero-carbon taskforce chaired by housing minister Margaret Beckett and Stewart Baseley, chair of the Home Builders Federation.
Funding runs out on £149m shared-ownership scheme
Housebuilders mourn loss of popular sales route as My Choice Homebuy closes in a number of regions
Housebuilders have called for more government help after it emerged this week that funding for a key shared-ownership scheme had run out in a number of regions.
JCB reveals 260-home scheme for factory site
McDowell + Benedetti wins Uttoxeter project in architectural competition
McDowell + Benedetti has beaten Glenn Howells Architects in an architectural competition to redevelop JCB’s plant manufacturing works in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
The ambitious mixed-use development covering 9 ha is regarded as an enduring legacy by JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford and his family, who are worth an estimated £1,950m and rank 34th in the Sunday Times rich list.
Barratt sued for £1m over scaffolder’s smashed ankle
Scarborough scaffolder claims for £184,000 in home help and £150,000 for footwear
A scaffolder’s broken ankle could cost house builder Barratt almost £1m in compensation, including £150,000 for a lifetime’s supply of bespoke footwear.
David Hargreaves, 44, from Scarborough went over on his ankle at a building site run by Barratt Developments when he was unloading scaffolding poles from a truck on 27 June 2005.
Berkeley reveals new design for controversial Tower Bridge site
Housebuilder and Southwark unveil Squire & Partners’ new vision for Potters Fields next to City Hall
The first images of the revised scheme for the controversial Potters Fields site next to Tower Bridge have been released by developer Berkeley Homes.
Whitehall has too much power, says Hesletine
Former Tory defence secretary says Treasury has forced up council tax
The country has suffered as a result of the shift in power from local to central government said former defence secretary Michael Heseltine yesterday.
Speaking at a select committee at the House of Commons, Mr Heseltine said: “Central and local government has changed over 40 years to the detriment of the country.”
House sales down despite rising buyer interest
RICS reports sales per agent at record low as rising enquiries stymied by lack of finance
Despite an increase in window shopping, house sales fell again in November, according to the RICS.
While the level of interest expressed by would-be buyers was the highest for two years, enquiries generally led nowhere, stymied by the crippled lending market.