Features

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

Regional snapshot – North

June 1, 2008 Feature

In the first quarter of the year new home starts slumped by 19%, the biggest fall of any UK region. Steve Menary considers the impact on local builders

Face to face – Lee Allcock, RPA Architecture

June 1, 2008 Feature

RPA Architecture director LEE ALLCOCK has been appointed to lead on negotiating clients’planning consents as the firm enters a new phase of growth

Development of the Month – Oakdene

June 1, 2008 Feature

When Oakdene acquired Honeygrove in 2004, it snapped up its main asset – Swaylands House in Penshurst, Kent. Steve Menary takes a look at the £50 million high-…

Desperately seeking finance

June 1, 2008 Feature

Housebuilders are also experiencing a shrinking of available development finance, but Andrew Leech discovers that funds are still available for those with a st…

Mortgage crunch

June 1, 2008 Feature

Allison Heller examines the effect the ongoing crisis in global financial markets is having on developers, with the lack of mortgage finance effectively elimin…

Telling it like it is

June 1, 2008 Feature

Straight-talking CML director general Michael Coogan tells Allison Heller how he expects the new build sector to fare over the coming months in the face of dwi…

House of the future

June 1, 2008 Feature

Barratt’s three-bedroom code level six house points the way to 2016. But consumers must come on board if such pilots are to be mass produced, reports BRE’s Cli…

Tax burden

June 1, 2008 Feature

Richard Jones of EC Harris suggests a new way of approaching and understanding section 106, with contributions seen as a benefit to developers rather than a bu…

Croydon calling

June 1, 2008 Feature

The south London suburb has invested £3.5 billion into regenerating the town’s centre over the coming years. Suzie Mayes talks to those with plans on the drawi…

Planning for a slowdown

June 1, 2008 Feature

The first quarter of 2008 has seen a noticeable drop in planning applications and the trend seems set to continue. Steve Menary looks at the effects of the slo…