Latest News

The latest news, features, comment and analysis of the UK housebuilding market covering policy, regulation, planning, technology, new developments and products

Industry relieved at Part L's u-turn on U-value

April 1, 2001

Housebuilders and suppliers of traditional building materials are claiming a significant success following the revelation that new thermal insulation values for walls will be less onerous than originally proposed.

HBF points finger at Ken

April 1, 2001

The number of affordable houses being built for key workers in London is far short of that required because of Mayor Ken Livingstone's stance on the issue, say housebuilders.

Is safety your top prority?

April 1, 2001

Three construction workers died from falls in three days last month - just a couple of weeks after John Prescott hosted his Construction Safety Summit in London. None of them died on housing sites, but the falls that killed them could easily have occurred

Stealth planning guidance

March 1, 2001

Joshua Risso-Gill of law firm Denton Wilde Sapte looks at last year's Barratt/Tower Hamlets ruling on affordable housing requirements and finds it shows that courts are not keen to get involved in issues of planning judgement.

Former glory

March 1, 2001

The modern housebuilding market requires developers to learn new skills in refurb and restoration. HouseBuilder reports on Prowting's first foray into this strange territory

Greenfield...

March 1, 2001

<b>Parting of the Pidgleys</b> Thank goodness that former Berkeley chairman Graham Roper was safely out of earshot and virtually forgotten in semi-retirement when the Pidgleys took their fateful walk along a beach in Barbados and decided, after 30 painful

Moves and appointments

March 1, 2001

Fairclough has appointed <b>David Cummings</b> as construction director for the firm's northern home counties division.

Renovation buzz

March 1, 2001

Jeremy Gates talks to Colin Brooks, managing director of Bewley Homes, about his plans for the firm and the role the young Brooks will play in the development of the firm.

Regulation fatigue?

March 1, 2001

Part M, Part L, Part E - it's all change for the Building Regulations. And there's more to come, with each revision disrupting the housebuilding process. Could there be a better way forward? Andrew Leech finds out.

Urban theme in the east

March 1, 2001

Jeremy Gates heads east to report on a site in Hackney which could prove to be significant in the latest wave of urban regeneration initiatives