Research from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed which areas of the British rental market are driving growth in rental stock availability, as well as the areas where tenants have seen availability decline. Despite the government’s attempts to deter buy-to-let investment, previous research by Octane Capital found that
Stelling Properties are very proud to announce that they have become members of The Housing Forum. With a membership of over 150organisationsfrom both the public and private sectors with a combined £24bn turnover in the housing sector, The Housing Forum is a cross sector, industry-wide organisation that represents the entire housing
18 suppliers have won spots on a Social Housing Emerging Disruptors (SHED) framework launched by Procurement for Housing so social landlords can compliantly procure cutting edge, innovative services and technologies to support with retrofit, development and fire safety targets. The framework is worth up to £100m over three years. Challenges
The latest research by the new-build sales optimisation platform, Unlatch, has found that the UK trails a number of other major European nations when it comes to the delivery of new homes during the pandemic, with France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany building more in relation to their respective population
A former adult learning facility will be converted into 10 homes for rough sleepers, with a further six self-contained SoloHaus MMC homes installed on-site. The Hill Group has gifted the modular homes, and this generous donation, together with the conversion, will result in 60% of Basildon’s homeless being able to
Cruden Building (West), part of the Cruden Group, has been appointed by Calvay Housing Association, to deliver a £7.9m affordable housing contract at Garvel Crescent and Blyth Road in the Barlanark area of Glasgow. The brownfield sites will be developed to include 37 units of affordable housing at Garvel Crescent
The UK’s largest self and custom build development site, Graven Hill, recently hosted Homes England, showcasing what the site has to offer to prospective self and custom builders. Homes England, an executive non-departmental government body, is sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It works closely with
If you’re considering extending or renovating your home, Hillingdon Council’s building control team can help you complete your project to the best and safest standards. The council’s in-house team is well trusted by property and construction professionals throughout the borough and can give your project the help it needs, from
Bigger, as the saying goes, is better and this is true when it comes to describing the new four bedroom detached family properties that have been released for sale at L&Q’s Beauchamp Park development off Gallows Hill in Warwick. All private sale four bedroom detached homes come with a single
Too many people in housing need in Scotland are not being counted, MSPs have been told (today). Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee as it scrutinises the draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of trade body Homes for Scotland, said:
Research from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, has revealed which areas of the British rental market are driving growth in rental stock availability, as well as the areas where tenants have seen availability decline. Despite the government’s attempts to deter buy-to-let investment, previous research by Octane Capital found that the total value of the sector has increased by £239bn since 2017, with the nation’s landlords benefitting from a strong level of capital appreciation. Octane Capital’s latest research also shows that across Britain, the level of private rental homes has actually increased by 18,610 in the last five years, suggesting an exodus of landlords has yet to materialise in the wake of legislative changes to tax relief, stamp duty and tenant fees. London is leading the private rental market charge and is not only home to the largest rental sector with over one million PRS homes, but it’s seen a 6.4% increase in stock levels in the last five years – that’s 63,000 more rental homes to meet tenant demand. In the West Midlands, PRS stock levels have climbed by 4.4%, closely followed by the East Midlands with a 3.9% jump. The South West (3.2%), Wales (2.2%) and East of England (2.1%) have also seen an increase in the number of private rental properties within the sector. But not all regions have benefited from an uplift in rental stock levels. The North West has been hit hardest by a reduction in private rental availability, currently home to 556,005 PRS homes, 34,000 less than just five years ago – a drop of -5.8%. In the South East, the level of privately rented homes has fallen by -5.2% during the same timeframe, meaning there are 36,500 fewer properties for tenants to fight it out over. Yorkshire and the Humber has also seen a notable drop at -4.6%, with Scotland (-2.9%) and the North East (-1.6%) also seeing a decline. CEO of Octane Capital, Jonathan Samuels, commented: “Much has been made about the government’s intentions to deter landlords via a string of legislative changes designed to reduce buy-to-let profitability, but as it stands, we’re yet to see any top line decline in private rental stock levels as a result of these changes. That said, some areas of the British rental market have faired far better than others and while stock levels have increased across the majority, there have also been some notable declines. The private rental market remains vital to so many across Britain and it’s crucial that the government recognises this and does its best to nurture the sector in order to encourage landlords, not deter them.” Private rental stock data sourced from Gov.uk, Gov.wales, Gov.scot and ni.gov.uk – 2015 to 2020 (latest available data).
Stelling Properties are very proud to announce that they have become members of The Housing Forum. With a membership of over 150organisationsfrom both the public and private sectors with a combined £24bn turnover in the housing sector, The Housing Forum is a cross sector, industry-wide organisation that represents the entire housing supply chain. The Housing Forum has the Mission: To influence, promote and demonstrate best practice by: Increasing the supply of new homes to create balanced housing markets Driving improved quality standards in the design and construction of new homes “We are delighted to be part of The Housing Forum, a collaborative organisation that is acting as a driving force raising the quality on future homes. At Stelling Properties, we are passionate about innovation in construction as the way to deliver the high-quality homes that our society needs. These core values are fully aligned with those of the Housing Forum, we are looking forward to working with Shelagh and her team to deliver the vision of ‘A Quality Home for All’ we so passionately believe in.” said Antonio Lopez Director of Building Operations & New Opportunities at Stelling Properties. “As one of the UK’s leading Modular development and construction companies, we’re looking forward to the contribution Stelling Properties can make to increasing the take up of MMC in the housing sector and welcome the contribution their expertise will bring to our events, reports and cross-sector knowledge sharing” Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive, The Housing Forum.
18 suppliers have won spots on a Social Housing Emerging Disruptors (SHED) framework launched by Procurement for Housing so social landlords can compliantly procure cutting edge, innovative services and technologies to support with retrofit, development and fire safety targets. The framework is worth up to £100m over three years. Challenges posed by Covid, materials and labour shortages, plus surging demand for low carbon, building safety and development works have created an unparalleled environment for housing providers. This is forcing them to search for fresh, non-traditional solutions to deliver competing strategic objectives. Public sector procurement has traditionally been seen as a barrier to innovation, introducing processes and bureaucracy that make it harder to buy emerging solutions from entrepreneurial SMEs and micro-organisations. Fledgling suppliers are unable to scale their solutions and invest in further innovation because buying teams can’t procure services compliantly under existing rules. Procurement for Housing has addressed these issues by creating a framework that is flexible, future-proof and light touch in terms of paperwork and procedure. A dedicated SHED portal will enable housing providers to conduct a simple desk-based supplier selection process. The portal will identify the supplier that can best meet their needs and PfH’s procurement team will provide pricing information and support the contracting process. Innovators appointed to the SHED framework include Bimdl, a blockchain-backed building information modelling (BIM) solution; Power Circle Projects, which provides democratised, decentralised low carbon smart energy solutions; Chameleon Digitization an organisation using machine learning to spot dangerous gas canisters being taken into high rise buildings; Q-Bot, a robotic underfloor insulation installer and Green Action Trust which supports social landlords to improve the sustainability of their local environment. PfH worked with the Proptech Innovation Network to find suppliers at the forefront of housing technology, data and software solutions and service design to join the framework. A second generation SHED2 framework is due to launch in the Autumn of 2022. It will bring to market those innovations developed since the first framework launched. Neil Butters, head of procurement at PfH said:“Over the past 12 months, our members have been telling us about the perfect storm of challenges they’re facing with global supply chain disruption, a widespread skills crisis and huge pressure to meet fire safety, net zero and house building targets. There is urgent need for innovation that can help them address these problems, but public procurement regulations just haven’t caught up. Housing providers can’t compliantly buy the innovative services they need.” “The government is currently changing public procurement rules, but that reform might not come into force until 2023. We wanted to be brave and unpick the challenges around procuring innovation which is still a fairly intangible, transient category of goods and services. It was important we did that here and now for the sector, rather than sitting on our hands – no one else is really tackling it.” “Many of the suppliers we’ve appointed to the framework are small or micro businesses. We wanted to unlock their services for the social housing sector – these are pioneering, future-thinking organisations, many with a focus on sustainability or building safety. The SHED is about PfH supporting social landlords to identify and adopt innovation that will improve the lives of tenants.” For further information about the SHED framework visit https://procurementforhousing.co.uk/shed/
The latest research by the new-build sales optimisation platform, Unlatch, has found that the UK trails a number of other major European nations when it comes to the delivery of new homes during the pandemic, with France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany building more in relation to their respective population sizes. Unlatch analysed market data on the number of new homes completed during the first year of the pandemic across eight major European nations. They then looked at how this performance stacks up when considering the population size of each nation to reveal the number of new-build properties delivered for every 100,000 people. European new-build performance During 2020, the UK new-build sector delivered a respectable 175,180 new homes to market, a substantially higher total than Spain (77,500), the Netherlands (69,300), Belgium (62,700), Italy (49,100) and Portugal (17,300). However, the UK trailed far behind both Germany where 306,400 new homes were built and France, with a huge 381,600 new-builds completed in a single year. When comparing this annual performance to the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, Portugal sits top, with 20% more new homes built despite the problems posed by the pandemic. Spain saw an 8% increase in the number of new homes completed, with Belgium and Germany also seeing a 5% uplift. However, the Netherlands (-2%), Italy (-11%), France (-15%) and the UK (-18%) all saw a decline in new-build completions during the first year of the pandemic. New-build completions in relation to population size Unlatch then analysed new-build performance during the pandemic (2020) in relation to the population size of each nation. France ranks as the new-build hotspot in this respect, with 566 new homes built for every 100,000 people in 2020. Belgium sits second (543), followed by the Netherlands (397) and Germany (368). At just 261 new homes built for every 100,000 people during 2020, the UK sits in the bottom half of the table, with just Portugal (168), Spain (164) and Italy (82) seeing a lower level of new stock delivered. Lee Martin, Head of UK for Unlatch says: “In terms of total volume, the UK new-build market is certainly up there as one of the strongest in Europe with just two other nations seeing completions exceed the 100,000 mark in what was a very tricky first year of the pandemic. However, when you take population size and the arguably greater need for new homes into account, the UK’s performance doesn’t fair as well when compared to our European counterparts. In France, which is home to a similar population size as the UK, more than double the number of new homes were delivered to market in 2020. There’s a great deal that’s different about the new homes sector in each county, but there’s also a lot we could stand to learn from each other when it comes to both the construction process itself, as well as the consumer facing sales process.” Data on UK new-build completions sourced from Gov.uk , Gov.wales, Gov.scot and finance-ni.gov.ukData on European new-build completions sourced from World Bank
A former adult learning facility will be converted into 10 homes for rough sleepers, with a further six self-contained SoloHaus MMC homes installed on-site. The Hill Group has gifted the modular homes, and this generous donation, together with the conversion, will result in 60% of Basildon’s homeless being able to live in safe, secure homes and no longer living on the streets. Planning permission was granted by Basildon Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday 26 January for the former ITEC site in Burnt Mills Road, Basildon. The new development will act as follow-on accommodation specifically for Basildon residents who have found themselves experiencing periods of homelessness. Residents will live in the homes for a maximum of three years and some will stay for a minimum of six months on an assured shorthold tenancy. The scheme, which will have office space for support workers, council staff and supporting agencies, has been funded through the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Program (RSAP) from the DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities). The six modular units, known as SoloHaus, have been gifted by The Hill Group as part of their commitment to providing 200 homes over the next five years. They will provide safe, comfortable, sustainable homes for single people experiencing periods of homelessness. The 10 one-bed homes inside the building will be managed by the housing association, Peabody South East, in partnership with Basildon Council. Andy Hill, Chief Executive, The Hill Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Basildon Council on this scheme which once complete will change peoples’ lives for the better. It is excellent news that planning has now been approved, and we are looking forward to working with all of the teams to deliver SoloHaus in Essex.” Chairman of the Housing and Estate Renewal Committee Councillor Andrew Schrader said: “The scheme aims to provide our residents affected by homelessness with a home. Receiving support, vocational training and the skills required to be able to move on and sustain their own tenancy, they will get the opportunity to turn their lives around.” For more details on SoloHaus, please visit www.solohaus.co.uk.
Cruden Building (West), part of the Cruden Group, has been appointed by Calvay Housing Association, to deliver a £7.9m affordable housing contract at Garvel Crescent and Blyth Road in the Barlanark area of Glasgow. The brownfield sites will be developed to include 37 units of affordable housing at Garvel Crescent with a further 6 units being constructed on the Blyth Road site. The new energy-efficient homes will comprise a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses and cottage flats. The development will also have dedicated landscaped parking courts. The Glasgow based design team for this project included the award-winning practice, MAST Architects, and Clyde Design Partnership. Work is due to start on site in March 2022 and is expected to be completed by Spring 2023. Allan Callaghan, Managing Director of Cruden Building said: “We are excited to start work on this important development and to provide much needed affordable homes that deliver as much on quality, as they do on energy efficiency. “At Cruden, we give back to the communities we build in, and on this project, we will provide a range of community benefits, including valuable apprenticeship opportunities and an additional £5k in funding for Calvay Housing Association to support even more community housing initiatives in the Glasgow area.”
The UK’s largest self and custom build development site, Graven Hill, recently hosted Homes England, showcasing what the site has to offer to prospective self and custom builders. Homes England, an executive non-departmental government body, is sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It works closely with stakeholders across the housing sector to help provide the homes England needs, improve neighbourhoods and grow communities. Making self-building more accessible has always been the goal for Graven Hill, with the site seeing the potential that self and custom building has for tackling the UK’s housing crisis, a sentiment shared by Homes England. The visit included a tour of the Graven Hill site, allowing the Homes England team to see first-hand the range of houses available, from self-builds to custom new build homes and apartments. They were also able to watch the delivery of an off-site manufactured home, a popular construction method for many of the development’s self-builders. Homes England was also shown around one of the completed self-builds on site, which won ‘Best Brick Home’ at the Build It Awards in 2021. While self-building isn’t for everyone, that doesn’t mean that people can’t live in a vibrant community packed with personality. Graven Hill’s custom build homes enable people to customise the internal layout and fixtures when purchased early on, without having to commit to a self-build project. Gemma Davis, customer experience director at Graven Hill said: “From the start, we’ve been passionate about providing people with homes that work perfectly for them. It was brilliant to show Homes England the progress we’ve made, and the variety of houses we have available. Putting choice at the core of the development has created a truly unique community, one that we hope will inspire others. “Much of Europe has already embraced self and custom building as a route to home ownership, recognising the benefits that it holds when it comes to meeting people’s individual needs. It’s time that the UK caught up.” Will German, home ownership director at Homes England said: “Being able to see the diversity of homes at Graven Hill was inspiring. The development shows the wide range of possibilities for housing in the UK, when the needs of the buyer are put first. We believe that self and custom building will become an important part of the housing market in future, so we must continue to strive to make it an accessible option.” For more information on the plots and homes available, get in contact with the Graven Hill team.
If you’re considering extending or renovating your home, Hillingdon Council’s building control team can help you complete your project to the best and safest standards. The council’s in-house team is well trusted by property and construction professionals throughout the borough and can give your project the help it needs, from a name you can trust. During the recent COVID-19 lockdowns, many homeowners used the time to build garden offices, gyms and more. In fact, since the onset of the pandemic, the need for more space has prompted record numbers of residents to expand and renovate their homes. Most home renovations require planning permission – which the council’s planning team deals with – but also building regulations approval, which is what the council’s building control team covers. If your project requires building regulations approval, the council’s team of qualified surveyors will give you pre-application advice, check your plans and help you to navigate the process. Why chose Hillingdon Council’s building control team? Experienced in private and public sectors, they know the area, the ground your property is built on and the history of your home. The team prides itself on the service’s fast turnaround times and applications are registered within three days once the fee is paid. Get in touch before 3pm, Monday to Friday, and a site inspection will be carried out the next working day. As a not-for-profit council service, our team gives impartial advice that looks after your interests. Once instructed, a surveyor will make regular site visits to help you and your builder with any technical queries which might arise during construction and ensure it meets all regulations. The surveyor will also ensure that the materials being used are high-quality and that your home is energy-efficient and meets fire safety standards. The surveyor’s site report from each inspection request will be emailed to the address you provide. If anything unexpected arises, the team is always available to troubleshoot any issues early – saving you time and money. Once the works are complete, your surveyor will issue a Completion Certificate, which you are likely to need if you come to sell your home. Trusted and recommended by local businesses. Strong links with local builders and architectural practices who choose to work with our team time and again. Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration, said: “Our team is here to put residents’ interests first and ensure that your new home, or renovation work is safe, well-built and cost effective to run. “They will work closely with your contractors to save you time and money and our new reporting system will give you real-time updates so you will know exactly what’s happening on the ground.” For more information and to find out why your home is in safe hands with Hillingdon’s building control, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/buildingcontrol.
Bigger, as the saying goes, is better and this is true when it comes to describing the new four bedroom detached family properties that have been released for sale at L&Q’s Beauchamp Park development off Gallows Hill in Warwick. All private sale four bedroom detached homes come with a single garage and a high-quality ‘premium’ specification as standard – at no extra cost. Kitchens are equipped with AEG appliances including a washer dryer, fully-fitted bathrooms feature a ceiling-mounted waterfall showerhead and stylish chrome/stainless steel fixtures, there’s lighting and flooring throughout plus turf and paving to the south-facing rear garden. Depending on the stage of the build, buyers can also style the interior from a choice of three colour palettes to ensure their home is just as they want it before they move in. Residents at Beauchamp Park will enjoy the variety of beautiful, scenic public open spaces, footpaths, cycleways and children’s play areas within the development. There’s also a choice of independent and state schools nearby which between them can provide families with an education from primary through to sixth form. This combined with access to a host of bars and eateries, shopping facilities, parks, open spaces and entertainment venues in Warwick, means the development is the ideal choice for buyers with children. Claire Brenlund, L&Q’s Sales Director, said: “Beauchamp Park enjoys an enviable setting in one of the country’s most desirable locations. It has been carefully planned with families in mind and is the ideal choice for buyers who are looking for a property they can grow into in years to come.” The Penrith, a four bedroom detached property, is an ideal family home that features a thoughtfully designed layout with plenty of flexible living accommodation and a single garage. It includes a stunning kitchen/dining room with French doors that open onto the south-facing rear garden, a spacious living room, handy study and cloakroom. Upstairs there are four spacious bedrooms, with an en suite and built-in storage to the master, and a shared family bathroom. Four bedroom homes are currently priced from £525,000 – £530,000. For more information call the Beauchamp Park sales team on 01789 430 165 or visit lqhomes.com/beauchamppark.
Too many people in housing need in Scotland are not being counted, MSPs have been told (today). Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee as it scrutinises the draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of trade body Homes for Scotland, said: “The national dataset on housing need takes a very limited view of what constitutes housing need, with only two very acute forms actually counted: homeless households in temporary accommodation and overcrowded households that include at least one concealed family. “But there are many groups that are not included. For example, overcrowded households, say a family with two children, a boy and a girl, but only two bedrooms; they are not counted. Neither are single person households such as adults living together in a shared flat or a single adult returning to live with their parents. “So there is a huge sector of the population that is being overlooked, they are not in the houses they want to be and are unable to live their lives to the full, starting relationships, having families etc because we are not counting them in the first place.” Whilst draft NPF4 refers to the climate emergency and nature crisis, Barclay highlighted that the document completely disregarded the housing crisis, which she described as being of equal importance and “the third leg of the stool”. She concluded: “The way NPF4 is drafted at the moment, housing will not be delivered to the people that need it and that is a fundamental concern.”
