Daily News: 05/02/2026
B3Living has expanded its housing stock after acquiring 337 homes from Notting Hill Genesis, with the majority let at social rent and around 20% comprising leasehold and shared ownership properties. B3Living
Blend Funding Plc completed a £25m bond drawdown for Ongo Homes, the first trade on BondAuction, while Arbour Housing announced an £8m retrofit for 600 homes in Armagh, Banbridge, and Craigavon, supported by Ulster Bank. The Housing Finance Corporation, NewsLetter
The Ombudsman has criticised Clanmil Housing for showing “apathy” in its handling of a complaint about a tenant’s anti-social behaviour, finding failings in how the issue was investigated. Belfast Telegraph
Dacorum Borough Council has approved a new Investment Plan for the Dacorum Investment Partnership, setting out proposals to deliver new affordable homes and support regeneration across key areas of the borough. Dacorum Borough Council
The government has launched a consultation on proposals to create a Greater Cambridge development corporation, a regeneration body aimed at accelerating growth and delivering thousands of new homes, jobs, and infrastructure across Greater Cambridge and the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. GOV.UK
HG Construction has secured a £73m contract to deliver a purpose-built student accommodation scheme in Wembley for developer YourTRIBE. Construction Wave
South Coast Insulation Services has ceased trading after a government retrofit funding cliff under the ECO scheme wiped out its order book. Meanwhile, FK Group Ltd and two subsidiaries have delayed administrator appointments for up to two weeks, following earlier incorrect reports about their position. Construction Enquirer, Construction News (register)
In November 2025, builders’ merchants’ like-for-like total value sales fell 0.4% year-on-year, with unadjusted sales down 5.1% and volume down 8.5%, while prices rose 3.7%. In contrast, specialist plumbing and heating merchants saw a 2.7% rise in like-for-like value sales, though unadjusted value and volume fell 2.2% and 6.5%, with prices up 4.6%. Builders Merchant Building Index, Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index
S&P Global Construction PMI rose to 46.4 in January from December’s five-and-a-half-year low of 40.1, suggesting the downturn is moderating. However, overall activity remains subdued, with modest growth only in infrastructure and public works, and headline workloads improving slightly from -8% in Q3 2025 to -6% in Q4. Meanwhile, labour costs for MEP workers in London are rising sharply amid the data centre boom, while brick deliveries fell 6.7% year-on-year in December 2025. S&P Global, RICS, Construction Enquirer, and GOV.UK
The government has approved a carbon-neutral Salt Cross garden village in West Oxfordshire, paving the way for 2,200 homes for around 5,000 people. Developers have also submitted plans for 570 homes near Shrewsbury with a new primary school. A consultation is under way for up to 300 homes near a Bradford beauty spot. Northern Group has proposed 200 homes near Reddish’s “Secret Lake”, and Persimmon Homes will build 109 homes in Horndean, Hampshire. BBC, Shropshire Star, BBC, Marketing Stockport, and Insider Media