The Homebuilder Federation, HBF’s latest workforce census revealed just one in four students gained employment after completing a full-time construction course. The trade body said this showed the UK education system was failing to deliver ‘practical and employable’ skills. HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: “As the country’s demand for energy-efficient homes grows, the government […]
Councils will struggle to set viable rates for developing brownfield and urban sites under the new infrastructure levy, warn landowners. The British Property Federation, BPF, argues that the levy is not site-specific and that this will have a negative impact on affordable housing provision. BPF policy director Ian Fletcher said: “The idea of bringing in […]
Tradespeople are being warned to step up security as a crime wave sweeps through construction sites in the UK. Commercial insurer NFU Mutual’s new research today (29 June 2023) reveals almost nine in 10 (89%) tradespeople have experienced theft and crime specialists are warning that the world events, including the conflict in Ukraine, is driving […]
The UK’s largest independent invoice finance provider, Bibby Financial Services (“BFS”), has acquired Aldermore’s Working Capital Finance division as it continues to grow its support for UK SMEs. The move will see Working Capital Finance clients and colleagues integrate into BFS operations over the coming weeks. Derek Ryan, UK managing director of Bibby Financial Services […]
Scotland’s new planning framework, with its focus on the natural environment and mitigating climate change, marks a seminal change in how development will be delivered across Scotland, including in rural locations. Via the National Planning Framework (NPF4), Scottish government has essentially given green the light to the development of renewables projects, in principle. However approval […]
The UK government commissioned Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship highlighted that women entrepreneurs are underrepresented in the most productive sectors of the UK economy, and that female entrepreneurship could add a further £250bn to the UK economy. The Review recommends that encouraging young women to study science, technology, engineering & mathematics i.e. STEM subjects, […]
Knowledge Bank has responded to demand to put on a specialist one-off Criteria Clinic on how Consumer Duty will affect borrowers choosing to build their own homes. The Criteria Clinic is being put on in partnership with self-build and custom-build specialist BuildLoan. Borrowers building their own homes may fall into the category of ‘vulnerable’ in […]
The most comprehensive survey of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) housebuilders, conducted by Close Brothers Property Finance, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Travis Perkins has found: Securing and processing planning permission to the point where construction work can start is the major barrier to growth according to 93% of SME developers The availability of […]
HMRC’s provisional estimates for UK residential property transactions for the month of April 2023 have been released today and paint a bleak picture for the UK property market, say leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg. Sean Randall, a stamp duty and property tax partner with Blick Rothenberg said: “The numbers are the worst figures […]
Funds advised by Hilltop Credit Partners Limited (“Hilltop”), a leading real estate credit investment manager, have completed two loans, totalling £19.6m, to support the delivery of much-needed regional homes in Oxfordshire and Perthshire. In Scotland, Hilltop Credit Partners has provided Glenisla Developments Ltd, a Scottish property development company, with a £17m refinancing loan to enable […]
