All in this together
Phil Slater, channel manager – contracts at Whirlpool, reviews the year, highlights some uncertainty ahead but also finds reasons to be cheerful if we all work together
Budget builds on unprecedented progress on supply
HBF policy director David O’Leary welcomes the latest statistics on new homes supply and looks at the Budget measures on housebuilding, which continue the mood of positivity
Skills agenda vital for industry success
HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley welcomes the launch of the Home Building Skills Partnership’s Skills Pledge and explains why it is essential that the industry gets behind the skills agenda
The difficult residential contracting market
Arcadis partner Richard Jones looks at the challenge of engaging contractors for large scale development schemes – and suggests an alternative way forward
Stronger for longer
There may be uncertainty and potential headwinds, but Mark Aedy, head of EMEA and Asia investment banking at Moelis & Company, argues that there is plenty to feel confident about in the housebuilding sector
Making a mess of Brexit
Newgate Communications chief executive Gavin Devine argues that the government is making a mess of the Brexit negotiations to the delight of the EU. It’s time, he says, for the government to get a grip
Successfully securing development finance
There are plenty of opportunities for SME housebuilders seeking smaller development sites – particularly in London argues Noel Meredith, executive director of United Trust Bank. And if the planning process were simplified further those projects should become even more attractive
The outlook for 2018? Who knows?
“These are opportune but challenging times.” These were the words of Homes and Communities Agency chief executive Nick Walkley at our Housing Market Intelligence conference in October. It is also a time of change, it seems, as Walkley’s HCA is to be known as Homes England as the government looks to push ahead with the opportunities and overcome the challenges.
Suppliers seeking solutions for the new homes sector
Zoe Watson, group marketing manager at the Birtley Group, argues that in the absence of any regulatory incentives for the housebuilder, the manufacturing world has a greater responsibility to provide meaningful solutions to the challenges facing the sector
