Category: Comment | netMAGmedia Ltd

Robinson of Scape Group urges industry to “look at the bigger picture”

Tuesday, 2nd February 2016

Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index showed the weakest expansion of UK construction output for nine months in January. Mark Robinson, Scape Group Chief Executive, commented: “It’s clear that purchasing managers are less confident than they have been for some time, and that’s a... View Article

Mortgage Advice Bureau comments on the Bank of England’s Money and Credit Report (December)

Monday, 1st February 2016

Brian Murphy, Head of Lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) announced 2015 a successful year for borrowers as the number of mortgage approvals grew to nearly reach a two-year high in December. He said: “Existing homeowners were the frontrunners in this... View Article

British Safety Council welcomes new safety fines guidelines

Monday, 1st February 2016

Courts in England and Wales will be required to follow comprehensive sentencing guidelines when prosecuting companies and public bodies in breach of health and safety legislation from 1st February 2016. Neal Stone, Policy and Standards Director at the British Safety... View Article

CPA: Construction output in marginal decline but fundamentals remain positive

Thursday, 28th January 2016

The ONS reported the UK gross domestic product has risen by 0.5 per cent. Within this, construction output was marginally weaker, by 0.1 per cent, its second consecutive quarterly fall following the third quarter’s 1.9 per cent decline. Professor Noble Francis, Economics Director at... View Article

Blackstock Communications analyse PM’s housing plans

Thursday, 28th January 2016

What do L&G, the London Land Commission and Amazon have in common? Over the last three years everyone and their dog has been “setting up a build to rent fund” – a mesh of cash to build large-scale clusters of... View Article

Home appeal on tap

Thursday, 28th January 2016

Boiling water taps are fast becoming ‘must have’ items which help to complete a home. Stephen Johnson, managing director of Quooker UK, believes that choosing the right boiling tap has real advantages for the house developer In any kitchen, home... View Article

Indoor air quality – the next big issue in housing

Thursday, 28th January 2016

Andy Mudie, marketing director at Nuaire, one of the leaders in the ventilation sector addresses ventilation for new build and new social housing along with repairs and maintenance After years of improvements in social housing driven by ‘affordable warmth’ and... View Article

Bespoke fireplace designs: What’s next?

Thursday, 28th January 2016

Andrew Munro, MD of CVO Fire, offers his predictions and advice for 2016 fires and fireplace trends Trends The two main predicted trends in interior design for 2016 are high efficiency and bespoke fireplace designs for special developments, where a... View Article

Essential Living: The key to landlocked London is innovation and income generation

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

The London Land Commission revealed there are 40,000 publicly owned sites that could deliver a minimum of 130,000 new homes. Charlie Hustler, land director at Essential Living, a developer and operator of homes for long-term rent, outlined a number of issues... View Article

Hand housing back to communities to solve building crisis

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

A new report from cross-party think tank Demos calls on the government to support local authorities and help them do more to tackle the UK’s housing crisis, by encouraging community-led developments and pushing for greater transparency in decision-making. The report,... View Article

Over 50 per cent of new-build homes are too small for families

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

Over 50 per cent of new-build homes are too small for families. More than half of the new homes being built today are not big enough to meet the needs of the people who buy them, according to new research... View Article

Shared ownership gets multi-million pound boost from private sector

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson MP has announced a significant boost for shared ownership in London with 1,000 new homes to be developed under a pioneering funding model with major institutional investors. The announcements are part of the Mayor’s... View Article

230,000 sq ft Westminster mixed-use development to be constructed by BAM

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

BAM Construction is to substantially remodel the central Westminster residential and office space at 63-65 Buckingham Gate, Anquila Corporation Ltd of Hong Kong, to create a high-quality development to be known as 1, 2 & 3 Buckingham Green. The circa... View Article

HBF and CITB launch non-construction training fund

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have joined forces to launch a £1 million fund to train non-construction employees. The fund, which will run throughout 2016, is aimed at ensuring the thousands of non-construction related... View Article

Self-build development for South London

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

RUSS, a community self-build group that aims to provide homes for those priced out of the housing market, has been named preferred bidder by Lewisham Council to deliver homes in Lewisham, South London. RUSS will develop a scheme of 30... View Article

Government scheme to help first-time buyer deposit savers

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

Launched in December with a campaign on social media, TV and radio the government’s Help to Buy: ISA is aimed at encouraging young people to save for the deposit of their new home. Those saving to buy their first home... View Article

Are the principles of the planning process being placed at risk?

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

With the government’s desire to build 400,000 affordable homes by the end of the decade Planning Partner at Bidwells, Andrew Blackwell asks ‘Is the urgency of agreeing Local Plans putting the principles of the planning process at risk?’ We are... View Article

Unoccupied property rates relief altered in Scotland

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

As part of the 2016/2017 draft Budget, Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced a number of significant changes to the business rates regime in Scotland. The changes include the removal of the existing 100 per cent rates relief for owners... View Article

Housing professionals must take advantage of digital revolution says academic report

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

New academic research has found that technology advances mean the housing industry is set to undergo a digital revolution which industry professionals must take advantage of, new academic research has found advantage of. Studies carried out by Birmingham City University... View Article

Ridgemount PR collects ‘Agency of the year’ at Construction Marketing Awards

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

Held at the Radisson Blu, Portman hotel in London, the 15-year old CMAs are organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group (CIMCIG) and showcase excellence in construction marketing and business development. The award’s judging panel praised Ridgemount... View Article