Removal of leasehold system a long process – Pennycook
The government will not remove the leasehold system “overnight”, according to the housing minister Matthew Pennycook, who indicated that the intended ban on leasehold properties would not be enacted in this parliament. Pennycook said the “outright and immediate abolition” of leasehold would be “almost certainly impossible”.
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill becomes law
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has become law, handing elected mayors more powers over planning and housing and the ability to make development orders. The new Act, forming the basis of the government’s devolution plans, mandates mayoral strategic authorities to develop local growth plans, “aligning regional economic strategies with national policy”, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said.
HMI advanced ticket sales end this Friday
The Housing Market Intelligence Conference this autumn is set to tackle the key issues facing the industry in these difficult times, focusing on the challenges facing both SMEs and bigger builders.
TW sees steady sales but pricing pressure
Taylor Wimpey has seen “steady” sales in its year to date but also some underlying pricing pressure, with build cost inflation expected to be up to mid-single digit for the year as the company monitors the “macroeconomic backdrop”. In a trading update on the day of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) today (April 28), covering the year to April 26 2026, the housebuilder said that its net private sales rate for 2026 so far was 0.74 per outlet per week, slightly below the 0.77 of the equivalent period last year.
Allison Homes’ turnover climbs 30%
Allison Homes has reported “another successful year”, with turnover rising by almost 30% and improved profitability. During the year ending September 30 2025, the housebuilder’s turnover grew from £163.2 million during the equivalent period in 2024 to £211.9 million. Completions improved from 626 to 808 homes in a mix of 299 open market sales (246 in 2024) and 509 affordable homes, up from the previous year’s 380. The latter were undertaken with the housebuilder’s partners. It noted that recent interest rate reductions had aided open market sales.
Crest revises expectations amidst uncertainty
Crest Nicholson has reduced its volume expectations and is expecting a lower number of land sales in response to “current macroeconomic uncertainty”. In a trading update today (April 21), the housebuilder said that since its AGM trading update of March 25, it had seen a reduction in new enquiries and visitor levels, although open market reservations had continued their improvement since mid-January.
Govt confirms 0.2 hectare BNG exemption
The government has confirmed that development with a site area of 0.2 hectares or less will be exempt from biodiversity net gain (BNG) regulations. Responding to its consultation on improving the implementation of BNG for minor, medium and brownfield development, DEFRA said it expected the change to exempt around 50% of residential planning permissions that had been required to follow BNG requirements, aiding the “smallest developers”.
Housebuilder Awards 2026 – deadline extended
The deadline for entries into the Housebuilder Awards 2026 has been extended to May 15. The Housebuilder Awards are the industry’s own awards, supported by the Home Builders Federation and NHBC. They are free to enter, with a deadline of Friday May 15 2026.
Rise in number of women in construction apprenticeships – CITB
The number of women pursuing construction training is increasing, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). CITB pointed to figures from the Department for Education, showing that the number of women starting construction apprenticeships “jumped” from 1,450 in 2018 to 2,410 in 2025. During the same period, the number completing a construction apprenticeship rose from 340 to 910.
