The Community Land Trust Network has published a new report, launched by the Secretary of State Michael Gove MP in Parliament, which finds that industry partnerships could help communities to build at least 278,000 homes through replicable project types. It is estimated that 80% of these homes would be additional
Research from eXp UK, the network of personal estate agents, has revealed that in no less than 22 UK cities, house prices are continuing to outperform the current rate of inflation, as the housing market stands strong despite fears of a property market dip during the closing stages of 2022. eXp
BUILD-TO-RENT Single Family Housing (BTR SFH) specialist, Wise Living, has reported a record Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +81 in 2022, according to its recent NPS survey data analysis. NPS can be anywhere between -100 and +100, and according to the creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, a
LEADING housebuilder Lovell has furthered its commitment to support left behind people and communities across the West Midlands by working with Standing Tall – a charity that gives power to people experiencing homelessness by providing employment opportunities. The charity, which was established to help people move away from the streets for good, is currently
In an industry that has traditionally been predominantly dominated by men, Cannock-based housebuilder Jessup Partnerships is looking to encourage talented women into the workforce and inspire other women to consider a career in construction. Site Manager, Kirsty Lynch, 50, who is originally from Edinburgh worked at Jessup five years ago
Liverpool City Council has approved plans, submitted by build to rent provider Placefirst, for the final phase of its Welsh Streets neighbourhood. This comes shortly after The Welsh Streets was named as Housing Development of the Year at the Insider North West Residential Property Awards in January. The development will
ONE of the main factors preventing the UK from delivering large-scale housing effectively is that housebuilders are not fully equipped to fulfil the role of ‘master developer’ due to lack of up-front funding, according to the managing director of one of the country’s leading project management consultancies. Jonathon Bentley, who
Barbour ABI has released its latest snap analysis of construction contract awards and planning applications for February, noting a disappointing month for awards value. Residential awards were a key driver, with a 43% monthly fall. Residential planning approvals and applications are currently weak, suggesting trouble ahead for housebuilding targets. This
Following a year of unprecedented growth and success in 2022, leading innovators in offsite modular solutions – VOLUMETRIC™ are celebrating after being crowned ‘Innovation of the Year – Wellbeing’ winners, at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards. The VOLUMETRIC™ team picked up the trophy for SOLOHAUS™ in the MODULHAUS™ range.
A new homes development in Leicestershire is the first by Bloor Homes to have energy efficient air source heat pumps installed. The technology is being used for every home at the housebuilder’s Brooksby Spinney development in Brooksby, north-east of Leicester. Air source heat pumps are a low carbon technology, that
The Community Land Trust Network has published a new report, launched by the Secretary of State Michael Gove MP in Parliament, which finds that industry partnerships could help communities to build at least 278,000 homes through replicable project types. It is estimated that 80% of these homes would be additional and only made possible due to the involvement of a CLT. The market opportunities to scale proven models are: These figures would see the notional value of CLT assets rise from £550 million today to £47 billion. The State of the Community Land Trust Sector 2023 report, which was launched in Parliament on Thursday 23 March with Secretary of State, Michael Gove MP and Danny Kruger MP speaking, explains how the market opportunities can be delivered through a pattern book of replicable models. The charity is calling on housing associations, councils, developers and other landowners to work with them and partner with more CLTs. The report collates key data on the current CLT sector: Tom Chance, CEO of the Community Land Trust Network, said: “Communities want to play their part in getting affordable homes built. They want to be clients, not consultees; partners to developers, not opponents; and campaigners working with councils, not against. “With the right policy and industry support there are clear opportunities to significantly scale up to develop 278,000 community led homes. This kind of agency for communities could become commonplace. “We are piloting a new growth programme and we want to work with housing associations, developers, local authorities and other landowners to advance the pattern book for delivery approaches.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Research from eXp UK, the network of personal estate agents, has revealed that in no less than 22 UK cities, house prices are continuing to outperform the current rate of inflation, as the housing market stands strong despite fears of a property market dip during the closing stages of 2022. eXp analysed the city rate of inflation seen across 62 UK cities and how this compares to the strength of the housing market based on the annual rate of house price growth. The research shows that across the UK as a whole, house prices have continued to climb by a respectable 6.3% on an annual basis. However, despite inflation peaking in recent months, it remains at a rate of 10.4%, 4.1% above the average rate of house price growth. Despite topline house price growth trailing inflation, the research from eXp shows that a number of major UK cities are actually putting in a stronger performance, with no less than 22 of the 62 major cities analysed seeing strong rates of house price growth versus inflation. Peterborough tops the table where inflation currently sits at 10.2 %, while house prices have climbed by 14.4% in the last year, a 4.1% difference. In Wigan , inflation is currently at a rate of 10.7%, while house prices are up 13.9%, a difference of 3.2%. This difference also sits at 3.0% in Derby , where house prices are up 13.9% versus a city inflation rate of 10.9%. Other cities to make the top 10 include Norwich (2.5%), Nottingham (2.5%), Swindon (2.0%), Cambridge (1.7%), Blackburn (1.5%), Barnsley (1.3%) and Birmingham (1.2%). In contrast, the current rate of city inflation across Aberdeen is 10.2%, while house prices are down 4.4%, resulting in a balance of -14.6%. Head of eXp UK, Adam Day, commented: “Even in times of economic uncertainty and hardship, the UK property market provides a safe haven for many homeowners and it’s no wonder that so many of us aspire to own our own homes, as it’s one of the safest, long-term investments you can make. In fact, while there have been many predictions of a housing market crash, this simply hasn’t come to fruition and, in fact, property values have increased annually in all but one major UK city. What’s more, despite many households facing the toughest cost of living crisis in living memory, they can at least rest safe in the knowledge that their home is outpacing inflation when it comes to its increase in value over the last year.” Data tablesData tables and sources can be viewed online, here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
BUILD-TO-RENT Single Family Housing (BTR SFH) specialist, Wise Living, has reported a record Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +81 in 2022, according to its recent NPS survey data analysis. NPS can be anywhere between -100 and +100, and according to the creators of the NPS metric, Bain & Company, a score greater than 0 is considered good, greater than 25 is favourable, more than 50 is excellent and above 80 is world class. Wise Living’s exceptional NPS score was calculated in response to the following question asked to its BTR SFH tenants, seven days after their move in date: ‘How likely are you to recommend Wise Living to family, a friend, or colleague?’. In 2021, an overall NPS of +47 was achieved to this question and this figure has since increased to an impressive NPS of +81 in 2022. The excellent score and significant uplift achieved by Wise Living is testament to its ongoing and ever improving customer experience ethos, according to Anne Malone, head of customer experience at Wise Living. Anne said: “To achieve such a high NPS score is rare, and we know it means that our tenants are very happy. To put this into perspective, retailer John Lewis reported its highest ever NPS as +70. As a full service BTR SFH specialist, we understand the importance of quality at every stage and strive to prioritise the tenant experience throughout. It all starts with identifying the best sites and from there we ensure that the homes are developed to meet renter requirements by partnering with the right property investors and developers. Once we have homes that we know tenants will love, the work doesn’t stop there. “Wise Living takes great pride in making the move-in experience seamless and we are on-hand throughout the process, which makes a big difference. We not only then go on to maintain and manage all properties, ensuring all tenants have a great place to live, but also place strong emphasis on creating communities. From our regular communal events, to being a pet-friendly landlord and supporting tenants quickly if they experience any issues – this all adds up to the bigger picture of how people feel about their home and living experience. “Over the past year, we have worked hard to keep improving standards and this is reflected in the scoring. The NPS survey data also shows a strong uplift in responses reporting satisfaction to the same question when asked nine-months post move-in, which we are incredibly proud of.” To find out more about Wise Living, visit www.wiselivinghomes.co.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
LEADING housebuilder Lovell has furthered its commitment to support left behind people and communities across the West Midlands by working with Standing Tall – a charity that gives power to people experiencing homelessness by providing employment opportunities. The charity, which was established to help people move away from the streets for good, is currently operating in London, Manchester and Birmingham. Individuals undertake a three-month trial with an employer, which is paid for by Standing Tall, with the potential to complete valuable training and be offered a full-time position at the end. In addition to this, Lovell will also finance Construction Skills Certificate Scheme cards for those on the scheme, which are a necessary qualification to work on UK construction sites. Stuart Penn, regional managing director at Lovell’s Midlands office, said: “The work Standing Tall does is as commendable as it is important, and has helped many people impacted by homelessness to move away from the streets and into real living wage jobs – changing their lives in the process. The people they help don’t just receive a handout, they’re given the chance to find a better place in society where they can use their skills and learn new ones to find long term employment. “We’re immensely proud to be working with Standing Tall and doing our bit to support its work in our region. We hope that by supporting Standing Tall, we can reach those who may otherwise not have the chance to learn a trade as well as encouraging different skills and a diverse range of people into the construction industry. We’re looking forward to sharing the great success stories that come from working together.” Christy Acton, founder and CEO of Standing tall said: “There’s a certain stigma around people experiencing homelessness, and a public perception that gets in the way of individuals realising their hidden potential. Our work is about breaking this stigma, discovering and bringing out the skills needed to improve their situations. “With Lovell’s support, we’ll be able to continue this mission and help more people in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. The experience gained from working on a Lovell site will be invaluable to the future of those supported by the scheme. “As long as homelessness continues, our work will be ongoing, and we’re delighted to have the backing of a responsible business such as Lovell that shares our values.” To learn more about the work Standing Tall does, visit the website here: https://www.standingtall.org.uk/ To learn more about Lovell, visit here: https://www.lovell.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
In an industry that has traditionally been predominantly dominated by men, Cannock-based housebuilder Jessup Partnerships is looking to encourage talented women into the workforce and inspire other women to consider a career in construction. Site Manager, Kirsty Lynch, 50, who is originally from Edinburgh worked at Jessup five years ago and recently returned as Site Manager at the housebuilder’s Lower Valley Road development in Dudley. Kirsty previously worked in Health and Social Care for over 20 years, however, decided to take the plunge into the construction industry in her 40s. Kirsty said: “After a long and successful career in Health and Social Care, I decided I needed a new challenge so, I retrained, and gained the necessary qualifications for site management. “I applied for around 500 jobs to get myself onto site- having no trade background and being female, I did not feel like I was taken seriously. After a while, I eventually obtained a role, but I had to travel around 600 miles a week for work. This position was for a Trainee Assistant Site Manager which led to me being promoted to Assistant Site Manager within two years. “I’ve had to work incredibly hard to prove myself. Being a woman brings a different dynamic to a construction site. For the most part, all the sub-contractors, the supply chain and the community, embrace and support my role, however a minority have to be challenged with education and training. Equality and diversity are the starting points ensuring we have equal rights such as pay, career progression and a voice. “This journey has not always been easy, near impossible at times, with archaic and outdated attitudes. Like all good career paths if you want something you have to work at it. Having a supportive employer makes a massive difference, one who supports and embraces the diversity we bring to the role. Changing the rhetoric, change the perspective.” The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that in Q4 of 2022, 2,171,000 people in the UK worked in construction1. Out of those people, just 321,000, 14.7 per cent, were women2. With a number of female employees already in a range of roles across the company, the developer is keen to break the stereotype around women working in construction. Michelle Howe, who joined Jessup Partnerships in 2022 as Health and Safety Advisor, previously worked for a large precast concrete manufacturer as a Health and Safety Co-ordinator. Michelle, who works on sites across the West Midlands said: “Since joining Jessup, I have felt well-supported in my career progression and have received the relevant training to enable my transition from manufacturing to construction. “I feel well supported by my manager and the site teams that I work with on a daily basis, and my opinions are listened to and valued. I have never felt anything other than welcomed and accepted by the site personnel. “If I could give any advice to women thinking about starting a career in construction, I would tell them that they absolutely should pursue it. I think that working in construction is far more inclusive than it was five years ago, and there are now a lot more women actually working on site.” Chris Timmins, Managing Director at Jessup, said: “We are extremely proud to be part of the collective effort to drive more women into the construction industry. “We hope we can inspire more women to break the stereotype and build a career in construction.” Watch Jessup’s International Women’s Day 2023 video below. For further details about Jessup Partnerships visit https://jessuppartnerships.co.uk/or follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JessupPartnerships or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessuppartnerships/?hl=en 1https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/timeseries/i4el/lms 2https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/timeseries/i4ej/lms Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Liverpool City Council has approved plans, submitted by build to rent provider Placefirst, for the final phase of its Welsh Streets neighbourhood. This comes shortly after The Welsh Streets was named as Housing Development of the Year at the Insider North West Residential Property Awards in January. The development will deliver a terrace of 13 new homes, including a mix of three-bedroom family homes and apartments. Three of the properties will be designed to be fully wheelchair accessible and the scheme will also include a new community hub where Placefirst’s dedicated resident services manager will be based. Designed by MBED Architects, Phase 6 will create a traditional terrace that has been carefully considered to be in-keeping with the existing street scene and character of the surrounding area, adding to the high-quality, energy efficient homes Placefirst has created to date. Other members of the team include Curtins (engineers) and WSP (on planning). Placefirst worked closely with Liverpool City Council on the plans to bring the Welsh Streets land situated between High Park Street, Wynnstay Street and Kelvin Grove forward. The new accessible community hub will allow Placefirst to continue its focus on community engagement initiatives, with a strong on site presence. With Phase 6, the Welsh Streets neighbourhood will total just under 300 single-family BTR homes, a mix of refurbished and new build. Placefirst has invested over £40m into the project to date, with residents contributing an annual £1.7m spend to the local economy. Construction on the final phase will commence later this year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
ONE of the main factors preventing the UK from delivering large-scale housing effectively is that housebuilders are not fully equipped to fulfil the role of ‘master developer’ due to lack of up-front funding, according to the managing director of one of the country’s leading project management consultancies. Jonathon Bentley, who heads up Bentley Project Management, believes that most housebuilders aren’t inclined to invest in the infrastructure required to build out major urban extensions due to the high level of risk and the lack of immediate return-on-investment. Bentley – whose company is currently working on schemes to deliver infrastructure for more than 35,000 new homes – says that this creates a huge obstacle that needs to be navigated and is a much bigger challenge than simply the much-maligned planning system. “What we are seeing is that typically, housebuilders are looking towards small-scale schemes that can deliver a good return on investment fairly quickly,” said Bentley. “However, when it comes to the kind of major schemes that we as a country need to hit housebuilding targets, the related infrastructure – and the upfront funding that is required – strangles the speed of development. “To make any land ready for housing, there is a significant amount of infrastructure work required before it is primed for development. At the moment, this is simply not being made accessible, meaning that existing master developers or local authorities are having to cover these extensive costs upfront. “What this leads to is a problem balancing development cashflow that ensures a scheme can progress to the next phase, as large amounts of capital are exhausted before the first brick is laid. For housebuilders that typically rely on a business model that limits risk, this kind of upfront investment is very off-putting. “For small scale developments, the process for obtaining planning consent needs simplifying. But for projects at the larger end of the scale, it is a false perception that this is the only stumbling block. “There are significant numbers of these urban extension projects that have been given planning consent, but the combination of limited funding, a lack of appetite for developing out the infrastructure needed to support them and the timescales involved in doing so, is standing in the way of progress.” Bentley was recently involved in a visit by Michael Gove MP, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, to a new sustainable urban extension at New Lubbesthorpe, Leicestershire – a scheme his team has been involved in for more than a decade. He added: “Following our discussion, it was clear that Mr Gove really understood the difference between what a master developer does in the way of servicing the land ready for houses to be built on, in contrast to the more traditional role of a housebuilder. “There now needs to be a concerted effort from those in government to investigate how large scale, sustainable urban housing developments can be rolled out across the country. More funding needs to be made available to get major urban extensions ‘shovel-ready’. If this can be done, we will see more housebuilders in a position where they can purchase fully serviced parcels of land and therefore build more, much-needed housing.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barbour ABI has released its latest snap analysis of construction contract awards and planning applications for February, noting a disappointing month for awards value. Residential awards were a key driver, with a 43% monthly fall. Residential planning approvals and applications are currently weak, suggesting trouble ahead for housebuilding targets. This is driven by the Bank of England’s decision to increase the base rate to 4% suppressing demand from potential buyers. Increased energy and material costs are also increasing the cost of construction, making residential developments less viable in the current climate. Infrastructure also produced a disappointing month in terms of contracts awarded, despite continued government support for national projects. However, an 85% increase in planning approvals suggests a positive outlook thanks mainly to windfarm and road project approvals, alongside large applications for solar farms and battery storage facilities. Barbour ABI Chief Economist Tom Hall commented: “So far, 2023 appears to be ushering in a more subdued planning environment. Contract awards disappointed with £5.2bn in February, a monthly fall of 30%. The commercially sensitive sectors appear to be on lower paths compared to 2022. “The residential sector, in particular, has seen large falls, with a 43% monthly fall and a third less than the 2022 monthly average. The infrastructure sector produced a rare disappointment with £1.1bn; this was only the second month below the long-run average since Autumn 2021. “More positively, the healthcare sector had another exceptional month with £500m. Three of the last six months have been around the half-billion mark. And education is showing some small improvement, also seeing £500m in February – so far, 2023 is 20% up on 2022. “Meanwhile, planning approvals staged a partial recovery in February thanks to stronger infrastructure, warehousing and healthcare numbers – but commercially sensitive sectors stayed subdued. And planning applications got off to a satisfactory start to the year, again thanks to strong infrastructure and healthcare activity.” Find out more at https://barbour-abi.com/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following a year of unprecedented growth and success in 2022, leading innovators in offsite modular solutions – VOLUMETRIC™ are celebrating after being crowned ‘Innovation of the Year – Wellbeing’ winners, at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards. The VOLUMETRIC™ team picked up the trophy for SOLOHAUS™ in the MODULHAUS™ range. Designed to help overcome the homelessness crisis, these single person modules offer a safe, independent and innovative interim housing solution which helps former rough sleepers find the stability they need before making the transition to a permanent home. The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) celebrate projects that offer actual, measured performance outcomes through their awards. Finalists were invited to attend the prestigious awards ceremony, held at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. Judges were impressed with the low-energy and cost-efficient modular homes and described MODULHAUS™ as a ‘stand out’ winner of the Innovation of the Year award. The judges praised the initiative commenting: “VOLUMETRIC™ has made a significant contribution to wellbeing, due to the close partnership with Hill Group, to design and manufacture the bespoke single-person homes, with 200 being gifted to homeless charities and councils across the country.” Trevor Richards, Director, VOLUMETRIC™ said: “To gain another award win is a fantastic way to start 2023. It is particularly rewarding that the judges not only commented on the sustainability and performance benefits of the range but also recognised the important role our modular homes have in combating housing shortages in areas of urgent need. The team are delighted and want to thank the judging panel for their positive comments.” The MODULHAUS™ range includes single-occupancy SOLOHAUS™, DUOHAUS™ for double-occupancy, and the latest addition, FAMILYHAUS™ – designed to meet all interim housing needs. All VOLUMETRIC™ homes use sustainable technologies to offer exceptional airtightness for minimal heat loss and to reduce carbon emissions. Modules are BOPAS Certified, LABC Assured and are fully fitted with high-performance, low-energy white goods and are designed to surpass the Future Homes Standard. VOLUMETRIC™ has received significant industry recognition over the past twelve months, having won the Product Innovation Award for the DUOHAUS™ model at the 2022 Offsite Awards. The team also achieved a regional winner title for Best Purpose-built Accommodation at the LABC Building Excellence Awards and the wins culminated at the NCE Techfest Awards where VOLUMETRIC™ picked up the trophy in the Offsite and Modular category. Trevor Richards added: “This has been a period of achievement and growth for VOLUMETRIC™. We have improved our product range and our manufacturing facility. The team has been working with several councils, local authorities, and charities to deliver modular housing across the UK, tackling the housing shortage head-on.” For more information on SOLOHAUS™, DUOHAUS™ or FAMILYHAUS™ go to www.volumetric.co.uk Call 01743 290020 or email info@volumetric.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A new homes development in Leicestershire is the first by Bloor Homes to have energy efficient air source heat pumps installed. The technology is being used for every home at the housebuilder’s Brooksby Spinney development in Brooksby, north-east of Leicester. Air source heat pumps are a low carbon technology, that uses the environment to generate 75 per cent of heating and hot water. Just 25 per cent comes from electricity, which also means that the user is not reliant on other forms of energy. Mike Kelly, Managing Director for Bloor Homes East Midlands, said: “The air source heat pumps are exciting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the heating system will protect homebuyers’ from spiralling energy bills, removing the stress and strain so many are feeling. “The technology is also more sustainable, allowing buyers to reduce their carbon footprint – an aim that many of us share. 75 per cent of the energy that a buyer will use comes from a sustainable source, which makes a huge difference. “We are also very pleased to be building the first development for Bloor Homes which will use the technology here in the Midlands. It’s a blueprint which may well become more prevalent in the coming years, so we are delighted to spearhead the use of the technology here.” The Vaillant aroTHERM plus air source heat pump is designed for a peaceful home, with sound levels as low as 54 decibels. The technology will also be compatible with apps, meaning that users can control their heating on the go. Steve Cipriano, Commercial Director at Vaillant adds: “Ahead of the introduction of the Future Home Standard in 2025, it’s encouraging to see national housebuilders, such as Bloor Homes, already leading the charge when it comes to creating homes that have energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies at their heart. “The Brooksby Spinney development is a shining example of the how UK homes will support a sustainable future, and we’re delighted to have worked alongside Bloor Homes on this project.” For more information on the homes at Brooksby Spinney, visit bloorhomes.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
