Building genuinely affordable homes

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management and Maintenance magazine discusses why levelling up requires more genuinely affordable homes, including homes for social rent. There are approximately 24 million households in England, and a surprisingly high number... View Article

Playing our part in levelling up

Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) discusses why the government should be harnessing the power of SME housebuilders to achieve ‘levelling up.’ The industry closed out last year on a relative high with workloads doing well, despite... View Article

From the Editor

Michael Gove’s ‘Levelling Up’ White Paper roped in a variety of important housing moves as part of its wide regeneration agenda. There has been controversy around re-announcements of funding packages, ‘regifted’ like unwanted christmas presents, and suggestions this substantial initiative... View Article

The road to ‘levelling up’

Patrick Mooney says that the number of new homes needed across the North and Midlands to deliver the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda runs to hundreds of thousands, every year. The Government’s housebuilding policies have been ‘on hold’ ever since the... View Article

A tough year for SME builders

Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), takes a look at the barriers SME housebuilders have overcome in 2021, and the challenges that face them moving forwards. The industry closes out another year with enquiries still high and... View Article

Our rural communities are missing out

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance says that rural schemes are being built without vital infrastructure in the current rash of permitted development conversions. In trying to inch its way towards... View Article

From the Editor

The energy crisis raises some huge issues for the housebuilding sector. The global surge in gas prices as demand increases post-pandemic is causing major concerns for many gas-based industries that supply housebuilders. With gas-fired kilns producing a wide range of... View Article

Invest in long-term savings

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance, explores why recent hikes in spending on temporary accommodation for the homeless highlights the urgency to build more social housing. The case for building tens of thousands of new... View Article

Making homes fit for the future

Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), explores a potential, more sustainable future for housebuilding in the UK. This summer’s floods – and last year’s heatwaves – remind us of the importance of future-proofing Britain’s homes. Ventilation... View Article

Solving the car conundrum

Carl Pittam, development director at Ubeeqo, discusses the benefits of including shared transport facilities in new build developments to address eco goals. There is no question that tackling long-term environmental impact is a big challenge for housebuilders. And this is... View Article

An MMC revolution?

Graham Edward, managing director at Edward Architecture, answers some of the industry’s most pressing questions around modular housing, as the MMC revolution gathers pace. We are finding that local authorities and housing associations represent the core of the modular client... View Article

From the Editor

Following a secret Unesco ballot at a UN committee in China, Liverpool has been stripped of its World Heritage Status. The city had been previously warned that new developments around the city’s waterfront had resulted in a “serious deterioration” of... View Article

Making the journey to net zero

Progress towards net zero carbon 2050 is gathering pace with the Government reinforcing commitments to a series of sustainability pledges. Tom Murray of Baxi Heating discusses the latest developments, and what housebuilders and developers need to consider right now. The... View Article

Short supply

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), explores how the shortage of construction materials is constraining small builders’ ability to ‘build back better.’ Since the coronavirus pandemic, many small to medium-sized (SME) construction firms... View Article

From the Editor

How are you finding timber sourcing currently? The humble timber roofing batten is currently under the spotlight, with firms joining forces to raise the alarm on supplies. As our news feature on page 8 details, the trade body for roofing... View Article

The housing stats don’t stack up

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance asks, do the Government’s numbers for how many homes with planning permission have not been built stack up? There is a strange and mysterious coincidence... View Article

The importance of green spaces

Paul Cassidy of Meadfleet explores how green space in housebuilding projects is crucial for the sake of residents’ health and their environment, and the role open space management specialists play here. If the last year has taught us anything, it... View Article

Hanover gets the green light

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A pioneering project by housing association Hanover (Scotland) to provide 15 Passivhaus social homes near Loch Lomond, on the site of the developer ’s first ever scheme, has been given the go -ahead. Jack Wooler speaks to... View Article

Counting down to SAP10

With a return to normality comes a realisation that a new SAP method for assessing houses’ energy use is imminent. Harry Hinchliffe of C80 solutions outlines the impact that SAP10 will have. Having faced unprecedented challenges over the past year,... View Article