Housing Focus
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FeaturesThe draft London Plan beyond the headlines: Five things you might have missed in Khan’s latest vision for the capital
City Hall’s 288-page draft London Plan sets out sweeping changes to density rules, green belt release and tall building policy. Here’s a break-down of what the proposed policies could mean for development across the capital
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Features‘We’ve only got this one chance’: how Newcastle-under-Lyme seized the regeneration opportunity
In the latest in our Voices of Regeneration series, Simon McEneny explains how a small Staffordshire town is drastically revamping its town centre in a bid to revive the High Street
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Features‘Good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart’… But what did Burnham’s speech actually mean?
With grand vision and little detail, Andy Burnham last week made his pitch for prime minister. Daniel Gayne picks through his Manchester speech for clues about what the Makerfield MP will actually do when he gets the keys to Number 10
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FeaturesVistry under pressure: what comes next for the housing partnerships giant?
A string of profit warnings and the departure of the chair and chief executive have seen Vistry’s value collapse by more than 80% in two years. Joey Gardiner assesses exactly how much trouble the partnerships housebuilder is now in
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FeaturesMaking Senze: How sophisticated energy monitoring can cut social housing retrofit costs by 75%
Technology firm Senze has shown live home monitoring can cut retrofit costs by targeting improvements more accurately than flawed EPC assessments, raising questions over the government’s fabric-first funding model for social housing decarbonisation, Thomas Lane reports
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FeaturesThe unlikely return of the back-to-back: how the viability crunch is leading to experimentation with older forms
As housing numbers crash, developers are seeking ways to reimagine projects, with a range of new – and old – forms being tried to move projects forward
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FeaturesHow the Iran war is impacting construction and development
Joey Gardiner studies the numbers and asks how much damage has already been done to UK construction – and, talk of truces and ceasefires notwithstanding – how bad things could still get?
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FeaturesWith build-to-rent on the back foot, can major regeneration schemes still stack up?
Retailer John Lewis blamed its decision to scrap plans to build 10,000 BTR homes on a ‘fundamental shift’ in economic conditions. Joey Gardiner wonders whether this vital sector still has a realistic future and looks at developers’ options for closing the viability gap
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FeaturesInside West Yorkshire’s quiet renaissance: A regional deep dive into the forces transforming its cities
Devolution is giving Leeds, Bradford and the surrounding local authorities the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Joey Gardiner profiles West Yorkshire, its funding streams, community priorities, key clients and active consultants
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FeaturesThe regeneration rethink: funding, power and the local leaders shaping what comes next
For over a decade, built environment policy has prioritised new build over regenerating places. As Building launches its new Regen Connect editorial campaign, Joey Gardiner finds out why that might all be about to change
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Features‘The cliff edge has probably been reached’ … When the Warm Homes Plan finally arrives, will there be an industry left to deliver it?
Reports suggest the upcoming plan will see a big move towards low carbon technologies and shift in emphasis from grant to regulation. But industry figures say its long delay and the cancellation of the ECO scheme last year could leave DESNZ without the workforce to deliver its goals
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FeaturesWhat slow progress at Tempsford says about the wider new towns programme
Despite the suitable location of the Bedfordshire site as a place for tens of thousands of new homes, the government has yet to formally declare its backing for the project. Joey Gardiner asks why so many questions remain unresolved about the plan for a new town in the area 18 ...
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FeaturesWill the expected London housebuilding package rescue the stalled development industry?
With one in six housing schemes in the capital on hold and demand at rock bottom, Joey Gardiner asks whether simply reducing expectations for affordable housing will be enough to get construction going again
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FeaturesThere’s a major blockage in the housing pipeline – and it looks likely to get much worse
A growing number of water companies are objecting to planning applications on the basis that there is not enough local sewage treatment capacity to cope with the new homes required, Joey Gardiner reports
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FeaturesHow the UK’s largest listed private landlord Grainger is preparing to ride the build-to-rent wave
Grainger has spent the past few years pivoting towards build-to-rent to take advantage of the burgeoning living markets sector. As the firm registers as a REIT in order to attract investment, chief executive Helen Gordon explains her strategy
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FeaturesAhead of a £1.5bn development, Populo Living shares its plan to boost regeneration in Newham
In 2018, a new mayor tasked Newham’s housing company with building more affordable homes. Seven years later, it’s getting ready for its biggest scheme yet. Daniel Gayne headed east to find out more
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FeaturesWhat will the Treasury’s Green Book review mean for construction?
Boris Johnson’s 2020 review of the Treasury’s appraisal process for government investments led to some improvements in how value in schemes is judged, but a new review commissioned by Labour this year has found that many of the old practices remain embedded. Rachel Reeves has said she wants to go ...
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FeaturesMore than a masterplan: the people power behind Earls Court’s next chapter
Mary Richardson went to meet the team of local people helping to shape the Earls Court redevelopment in west London as part of a wider programme of inclusive community engagement
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FeaturesIt’s deja vu all over again: Can the Ox-Cam Arc work second time around?
The chancellor has given her backing to an expansion plan for the corridor connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge, including thousands of homes, which the previous government dropped. Joey Gardiner asks what hope the industry can have
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FeaturesThe 1.5 million-home question: Does the government’s planning reform programme add up?
Ministers unleashed a barrage of planning reforms in the dying days of 2024. Joey Gardiner asks if these can give the industry the boost it needs to get anywhere close to the government’s ambitious housebuilding target?