The government has set out plans to create a tougher regulatory framework for developers and vowed to change the culture of the building industry, in a 62 page response published to the Hackitt review. The government confirmed it is taking forward every recommendation made by Dame Judith Hackitt (pictured) in her review, published in May, […]
Theresa May’s removal of the local authority borrowing cap during this year’s party conference was a cause for concern among property developers. In many ways it was a pragmatic step – one many described as long overdue. In theory it serves to diversify the housing market, stimulate industry capacity and help councils meet their affordable home […]
Companies from across the UK construction sector are being invited to take part in the largest-ever research project on skills shortages. As the UK prepares for the departure from the EU next year, construction’s leading trade and professional bodies have joined forces to build a picture of those occupations that are in greatest demand. The survey, […]
Engineered timber products such as cross laminated timber must be exempt from the UK government’s ban on combustible cladding materials, as they are essential in the global battle against climate change, say architects. Waugh Thistleton – co-founders Andrew Waugh and Anthony Thistleton and dRMM founding director Alex de Rijke have all urged the Government to review its legislation, which prohibits […]
Construction output is continuing to recover following a relatively weak start to the year, increasing by 1.7% in September 2018 and by 2.1% for the third quarter. The 2.1% growth in GB construction output in Quarter 3 (July to September) 2018 followed a fall of 1.6% in the first quarter and an increase of 0.8% […]
McCarthy & Stone has seen its profits fall by a third in the past year due to increase build costs and an increased reliance on part-exchanges with customers. For the year to 31st August 2018 McCarthy & Stone’s underlying operating profit decreased by 30% to £68m (FY17: £96m) while profit before tax decreased to £58m […]
UK construction growth has risen through October, thanks in part to an upturn in civil engineering activity. The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index rose in October to 53.2. This was up on the 52.1 reported in September and against the no-change reading of 50. For the uninitiated, a figure below 50 indicates contraction. Having […]
More help for first-time buyers and plans for homes on the High Street have been announced. Presenting the Autumn budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond said a ‘turning point in our nation’s recovery’ has been reached and vowed that the era of austerity was ending. Most first-time buyers of shared ownership properties will now no longer pay […]
The construction industry has seen myriad improvements to fire safety since the Grenfell Tower fire, but there is frustration that the government has responded too slowly, a new study reveals. Since the fire in June 2017, which killed 71 people, construction industry professionals have seen substantive changes in products used for cladding, insulation and fire […]
The Prime Minister’s announcement that the Government will lift the borrowing cap on councils to allow them to build many more homes is a victory for bold thinking and common sense, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “This is the most exciting, and potentially transformative, […]