Property, Planning and Regeneration
Northern housing associations call for half a million new homes
Homes for the North, a group of 19 housing associations, has claimed 500,000 homes need to be built in the north of England over the next
decade to keep up with demand.
Shortage of viable land constraining development, say housebuilders
SME housebuilders canvassed in the latest Federation of Master Builders Survey highlighted a lack of ‘available, viable land’ as the biggest
constraint on the delivery of new homes.
North-South Housing affordability gap grows
The latest analysis by Yorkshire Building Society, released on Tuesday (12 September), shows the divide between prices in the north and south has
become more pronounced, with the average house price in parts of London now 20 times the average wage.
Leeds best location for new builds
Leeds is the best place in England to build new homes, according to research from Argyll Property Partners. Factors including value, house price growth,
planning success and demand saw the city beat Birmingham into second place.
Calls for increased government support for affordable housing
New research from the Chartered Institute for Housing has identified significant inequalities between government investment in the private market and support for affordable housing, leading to calls for an urgent shift in
funding. The CIH suggests that up to 2020/21, the UK government is due to spend £32 billion on programmes such as help to buy, compared to just £8 billion on schemes such as shared ownership and affordable homes.
Mixed picture for UK housing
Although the UK housing market is returning to growth, sentiment is less positive in central London and the wider South East, the North and East
Anglia, according to the RICS August 2017 UK Residential Market Survey.
Sajid Javid stresses the importance of innovation in housebuilding
An innovative approach to planning new homes will ensure they’re built where most needed, save councils millions of pounds every year and help
deliver more affordable homes, the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced on 14 September.
UK office rental prices continue to climb
The price of regional office rental continues to climb due to strong demand and a lack of supply, according to Savills. The real estate firm predicts office
take up will reach 9.8million square feet by the end of 2017, a four per cent increase on last year and a nine per cent increase on the 10-year average.
Transport
West Midlands Combined Authority approves transport strategy
The 2026 Delivery Plan for Transport, a blueprint that will see £3.4 billion of tram extensions, new suburban rail lines, cycle routes and motorway
improvements built in the West Midlands over the coming decade, has been approved by the WMCA.
Energy and environment
Record amount of new clean energy capacity secured in latest CFD auction
Eleven new clean energy projects worth up to £176m a year have been successful in the government’s latest contracts for difference (CFD) auction.
Between them, the projects will generate over 3GW of electricity from 2022-2023, enough to power 3.6 million homes.
£30m zero carbon energy research centre opens in Gateshead
Newcastle University, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Northern Powergrid have launched the Integrated Transport Electricity Gas Research Laboratory (InTEGReL). By bringing together academics and professionals from the
private sector, the partnership hopes InTEGReL will identify new energy system technology and affordable, practical solutions to moving customers onto zero carbon energy.
Energy UK calls for more infrastructure to support electric vehicles
In its latest report, the Electric Vehicle Revolution, Energy UK’s Electric Vehicle Working Group sets out how greater collaboration across the energy,
automotive and technology industries is essential to the rapid expansion of electric vehicles.