Mike Quinton to leave NHBC
<p>Mike Quinton, chief executive of the NHBC, is to leave the organisation at the end of January 2017.</p>
Completions up 4% at Persimmon
McCarthy & Stone picks new cfo
<p>Retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone has appointed Rowan Baker as the group’s new chief financial officer, starting from January 6.</p>
Planning permissions up but constraints remain - HBF/Glenigan
<p>Planning permissions continue to climb, but the planning system remains a major constraint to the housebuilding industry increasing supply, according to the Home Builders Federation and Glenigan’s latest Housing Pipeline report.</p>
First 30 starter homes schemes revealed
New garden villages revealed
Housebuilders building bigger homes and more bedrooms
Bellway on course for 5% volume growth
<p>Bellway said today (December 13) that it expects its full year completions to increase by around 5% after reporting a 7% rise in reservations during the 18 week period from August 1 to December 4 2016.</p>
New profit target for Berkeley
<p>Berkeley says it is on target to deliver £2 billion of pre-tax profit over the three years from May 2015 despite reservations down a fifth year on year.</p> <p>Announcing interim results, the firm said profit in the six months to October 2016 is up 33.9% to £392.7 million. The firm has announced a new five year target to deliver at least £3 billion of profit before tax in the five years from May 1 2016.</p> <p>"Excluding an hiatus around Brexit, reservations are 20% down on the same period last year, as a result of the market adjusting to increased stamp duty and the economic uncertainty arising from the result of the EU referendum," the firm said.</p> <p>Chairman Tony Pidgley said that the strong financial results were due to decisions made by Berkeley folowing the 2008 financial crisis to invest in land at the right time. But he added that there were barriers facing the industry in London and the south east which "do not relate solely to planning. They also centre on the challenge of getting land ready for development. In many instances, the issues which stop companies building more quickly are utilities, remediation, easements, compulsory purchase orders, as well as the discharge of planning conditions after a consent has been granted. This is a key area to address as it will reduce the barriers to entry for small housebuilders as well as increasing the pace of delivery.</p> <p>"More widely, there remains a tension in the planning system between the Community Infrastructure Levy and the London mayor's ambition for Affordable Homes. This affects investment decisions and needs to be resolved if new housing targets are to be met. We look forward to results of the CIL Review which we hope will address this issue."</p>
Barratt leads the way at Housebuilder Awards 2016
Barratt was crowned large Housebuilder of the Year of the 2016 Housebuilder Awards at a glittering ceremony last month (November) in London.
