Daily News: 28/11/2025
BPHA has increased investment in both existing stock and new development, spending £39.5m in six months up 51% year-on-year and progressing plans for 400 new homes in Bedford town centre. Housing Today (register)
Councils across the country are spending £630m on intermediaries profiting from the housing crisis, as middlemen lease homes and sublet them back to councils at higher costs. Sky News
Dudley Council will invest over £6m in retrofit upgrades for selected homes after securing new funding to improve energy efficiency and housing quality. Trades face uncertainty as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme approaches its March 2026 end, raising concerns over the retrofit supply chain. Over half of cold homes are occupied by someone with a long-term illness or disability, with households struggling to stay warm, two-thirds more likely to include vulnerable residents. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, The Construction Index, and ECIU
East Cambridgeshire will target long-term empty homes through a new strategy aimed at boosting supply and meeting rising housing needs. Harborough’s social housing waiting list has fallen to 675 households this year, according to new Government figures, while Bristol faces pressure with over 21,000 households waiting for social housing, while some council homes sit empty for nearly three months. Ely Standard, Harborough Mail, and Bristol Live
Holistic Fire Safety has secured multimillion-pound backing from Founders Private Capital to expand its passive fire protection services and accelerate its buy-and-build strategy in social housing. Insider Media
Modular building specialist Thurston Group has filed an intention to appoint an administrator amid financial difficulties. Construction Enquirer
Building control activity to 24 November shows steady gateway 2 throughput, with legacy cases falling and the Innovation Unit accelerating decisions. Approvals span 11,138 units, while remediation caseloads rise. London sees faster processing and high determination volumes. A new batching system now bundles cases to boost capacity and clear backlogs across all categories. GOV.UK
Developers are exploring a 400-home scheme on land previously ruled out for housing, while Oldham town centre faces mixed reactions over plans for more than 300 new homes. Savills has received approval for over 200 homes in Waddon, Croydon, and Wiltshire villages could see up to 200 new homes. Additional projects include 181 homes near Dewsbury, 150 homes in Westham, and 112 homes at Nottinghamshire’s Fairham Life development. Essex Live, The Oldham Times, Savills, Gazette & Herald, Telegraph and Argus, Sussex World, and TheBusinessDesk.com