Daily News: 28/03/2025
Shepherds Bush Housing Group has fully merged with The Guinness Partnership, transferring its stock and assets to the £460m-turnover provider. As a result, the 5,000-home association ceases to exist following the completion of the merger. Housing Today (register)
Bromford Flagship has secured its first private placement since the merger, raising £75m to support development and investment plans. Similarly, S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook on Thrive Homes to negative over investment concerns but kept its ‘A+’ credit rating. Bromford Flagship Ltd, S&P Global
Savills IM’s Simply Affordable Homes Fund has acquired 94 affordable homes in Bicester, Oxfordshire, via its for-profit RP, Simply Affordable Homes RP Ltd. Savills Investment Management
Homes England, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire Pension Funds have provided £96.7m in funding to Barings for a major residential development near Leeds city centre, while Plymouth City Council and Homes England have launched a new City Centre Vision aiming to deliver up to 10,000 new homes over the next decade. GOV.UK, Plymouth City Council
Vistry Group has secured a £270m contract with Milton Keynes City Council for a 930-home development at Tickford Fields, spanning 45 hectares with 31% for affordable housing. Elsewhere, HG Construction will lead a £135m student accommodation project in Stratford. Additionally, a Muswell Hill council housing retrofit will upgrade 200 homes, starting in May. Vistry Group Plc, The Construction Index, Haringey Community Press
New research estimates that the cost of retrofitting UK homes to meet 2030 energy efficiency targets could reach £118bn. In addition, the latest Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics provide insights into capital grant uptake for installing low-carbon technologies in domestic and non-domestic buildings. The Construction Index, GOV.UK
Scottish contractors have condemned the government’s scrapping of green heating pledges, warning it harms confidence in net-zero plans. Select called it a major setback for sustainability efforts. Construction News (register)
The BMBI report for January 2025 shows a 1.9% drop in total value sales from Nov 2024 to Jan 2025, despite a 1.3% rise in volume sales and a 3.1% price decline, signalling market shifts. Builders Merchant Building Index
A new report on Northern Ireland’s planning statistics shows 2,368 applications in Q3 2024/25, down 6% from last year, including 2,321 local, 46 major, and one regionally significant proposal. Department for Infrastructure
Ulverston councillors approved 350+ homes, while over 100 people attended a consultation on a 750-home scheme in Crediton. SNG and Barratt Redrow will develop 660 homes in Oxfordshire, and a 343-home project between Bracknell and Wokingham is set for approval. Bloor Homes is also seeking permission for 294 homes in Salisbury. The Mail, Crediton Courier, Housing Today (register), Bracknell News, and Salisbury Journal