
Olivia Barber
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NewsHousing minister ‘convinced’ government will meet 1.5 million homes plan
Matthew Pennycook tells MPs government won’t be setting annual targets
NewsUniversity of Cambridge looks at doubling size of housing scheme to 6,000 homes
More than 1,000 units already built at site on outskirts of city
NewsFormer Labour MP set to be appointed chair of Old Oak development corporation
Karen Buck to start new role in January
SponsoredThe Midlands’ path to achieving net zero emissions in the built environment
Our Building the Future Think Tank, in partnership with Constructing Excellence Midlands, hosted a regional roundtable sponsored by the Structural Timber Association in Birmingham recently. The discussions explored how to increase timber use in construction and what is needed to get the sector – and the region – on track ...
NewsOne in four social housing blocks with fire safety defects lack remediation plans, says regulator
Social landlords have identified 1,932 buildings as having ‘life-critical’ fire safety defects to the EWS
NewsIndustry leaders criticise lack of resource and competence at Building Safety Regulator
Bosses at Wates and Hill Group said that the BSR needs to be resourced properly and “isn’t currently competent”
News‘Embrace AI technologies,’ Scape boss urges construction
Mark Robinson told Building the Future conference that integration of AI can benefit the construction industry by reducing waste and costs
NewsMore than 20 traditional construction firms to £800m MMC social housing framework
Building Better and Procurement for Housing’s four-year framework aims to boost the use of MMC in sector
NewsKCTMO responsible for ‘systemic failings’ in fire safety management, Grenfell Inquiry finds
The inquiry highlighted housing manager’s failure to disclose fire risks to its board and its troubled relationship with residents
NewsReport backed by major developers calls for government to help SME housebuilders
Pocket Living tells government to create Homes England SME managers under plan to ‘save’ smaller housebuilding sector
FeaturesInvestigation: how are councils assessing the risks of uPVC cladding in low-rise housing after the Barnet fire?
When a fire in 2023 destroyed four terraced houses Barnet Council brought the housing sector’s attention to an overlooked fire safety issue: the use of uPVC cladding in low-rise homes. Have other councils heeded its warning? Olivia Barber launched a Freedom of Information investigation to find out
NewsRemediation of unsafe cladding on 2,300 residential buildings yet to start
The latest government data reveals there are 4,613 residential buildings 11m and over with unsafe cladding
NewsDagenham block of flats engulfed by fire had known safety issues since 2020
Survey four years ago showed building ‘did not fully comply with building regulations at time of build’
NewsWatkin Jones to build tallest residential building in Scotland
The student housing developer has received planning permission to deliver a 36-storey, 784-bed development in Glasgow
NewsAberdeen City Council decides demolition is the safest option for 500 RAAC homes
Homes containing the lightweight concrete will be demolished and rebuilt at a cost of £130m
NewsChancellor will reportedly unveil 10-year social housing rent settlement in Autumn Budget
The Financial Times has reported that the chancellor is planning to introduce a rent settlement of CPI + 1% for the next decade
NewsKate Barker says housing market is worse today than it was 20 years ago
New Barker housing commission has sent initial recommendations from its housing supply review to housing minister
NewsL&Q sells land business to Urban & Civic
Housing association offloads division as part of move away from non-core operations
NewsRayner urges council leaders in ‘devolution deserts’ to take on new powers
Deputy prime ministers calls on authorities to ‘speak to us’ about devolved powers
NewsCIOB calls on next government to tackle late payment culture and create green skills fund
The largest professional body for construction has launched its pre-election manifesto today













