Tool theft spike

Tradespeople across the UK are losing out on thousands of pounds at the hands of tool thieves. Recent research from the FMB has found that more than half of builders in the UK have been victim to tool theft at... View Article

‘Where Can We Build More Homes?’

From homes above shops, to building over the UK’s railway lines, a panel of industry experts met at UK Construction Week to discuss where we can build more homes in order to meet the Government’s housing targets. Speaking at the... View Article

‘Quality in Construction Post-Grenfell’

Discussing how to address quality in construction after the events of Grenfell, a group of industry experts met in Birmingham to speak at UK Construction Week on the 10th of October. Chaired by journalist and TV presenter Steph McGovern, the... View Article

McGoff Construction hands over world’s first Bear Gryll’s Adventure

Manchester-based, multi-award winning Principal Contractor; McGoff Construction has handed over the world’s first Bear Grylls Adventure scheme to long standing client; family entertainment giant Merlin Entertainments. Located within Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), The Bear Grylls Adventure is now open to the public... View Article

European Commission backs US trade tariffs concerns

As part of its concerns about the US tariffs on steel and aluminium, the European Commission has expressed support to the European Union of House Builders and Developers (UEPC). Cecilia Malmström has told that the EU ‘strongly backs’ the UEPC’s... View Article

Sector growth predictions downgraded

Growth predictions have been downgraded for the UK’s construction sector in 2019, amid concerns around Brexit uncertainty and ongoing delays in the delivery of major infrastructure projects. The Construction Products Association’s (CPA) Autumn Forecasts anticipate growth will remain flat in... View Article

Persimmon CEO to step down

The CEO of Persimmon is to leave his role following criticisms of his £75m bonus. According to the housebuilder’s statement, the “distraction” around Jeff Fairburn’s pay award was having a negative impact on the company’s reputation, and so the decision... View Article

Funding released to remove high-rise cladding

An estimated £400m to remove and replace unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding systems on social sector high-rise housing has been released by the Government. In total, 12 local authorities and 31 housing associations in England have been told that... View Article

Government proposes restrictions on new leaseholds

Proposals suggest the majority of new build houses should be sold as freehold, with new leases capped at £10. While leasehold generally applies to flats with shared spaces, a number of developers have increasingly been selling houses on these terms,... View Article

From the Editor

At the end of 2017, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced he was “ripping up planning rules” in order to tackle the housing crisis in the capital. Enshrined in the new London Plan, this included the GLA asking housing developers to... View Article

Shared ground loop arrays and split ownership

It is widely recognised that ground source heat pumps offer ultra-low running costs, maintenance costs and carbon emissions compared to fossil fuelled heating systems and other sources of renewable energy. However, ground source has been looked upon unfavourably by housebuilders... View Article

Letwin Review: SMEs are crucial to solving the housing crisis

The Letwin Review rejects criticisms of landbanking and welcomes calls from industry bodies to diversify the housing market and speed up house building on large sites. Small and medium-sized (SME) house builders have previously told the Government on repeated occasions... View Article