Daily News: 05/06/2025
The Housing Finance Corporation has issued a £260m seven-year bond via its bLEND platform, with an additional £150m reserved for future use, supporting borrowers like Metropolitan Thames Valley and Leeds Federated Housing Association. Meanwhile, Great Places Housing Group has secured £225m in funding through new loans agreed with Nationwide, NatWest, and Santander, advised by Savills Financial Consultants. The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC), Housing Executive
Business leaders have called for housing, transport, and people to be top investment priorities for the capital, highlighting the housing crisis as both a social and economic challenge ahead of the government’s Spending Review. BBC
The Greyfriars regeneration scheme in Northampton advanced as West Northamptonshire Council and ECF – a joint venture of Legal & General, Homes England, and Muse – signed a development agreement to deliver over 1,000 homes, jobs, green spaces, and cultural destinations. West Northamptonshire Council
Mears has secured a five-year contract, with an optional five-year extension, to repair and maintain 12,000 council homes for Milton Keynes City Council, following a tenant- and leaseholder-involved procurement process. Milton Keynes Borough Council
A new partnership, the South East Regional Delivery Alliance (SE-RDA), has been formed by six councils and the Scottish Futures Trust to accelerate affordable homebuilding in southeast Scotland. At the same time, over 1,300 completed flats remain unoccupied across nine high-rise schemes due to delays at the Gateway 3 stage of the building safety process. Edinburgh City Council, Construction Enquirer
Mace’s construction profits fell sharply to £15.7m from £79.3m despite revenues rising above £2bn due to a problem job. Van Elle attributed a revenue dip to delays from the Building Safety Regulator, ending the year at £134m. Tide Construction saw pre-tax profits drop by nearly a third for a second year amid sector challenges. Creditors of Buckingham Group expect a £33.8m payout following its 2023 collapse, depending on debt recovery. Offsite modular builder Elements Europe has entered administration after moving into main contracting. Construction Enquirer, Construction Enquirer, Construction News (register), Construction Wave, and Construction Enquirer
The S&P Global UK Construction PMI for May 2025 shows a moderate fall in construction activity and the sharpest job shedding since August 2020, while business activity expectations edged up. S&P Global
Ministers are reportedly preparing amendments to the proposed planning bill in an effort to prevent a rebellion by around two dozen Labour MPs. The dissent stems from concerns that the bill could undermine environmental protections. The Guardian
Chichester District Council has approved plans for 1,300 homes in Tangmere, West Sussex. At the same time, an unnamed developer has proposed 250-300 homes on green belt land near Kenilworth Road, Solihull. Persimmon has submitted plans for 266 homes in the fourth phase of a major Wiltshire development. Additionally, proposals for up to 250 homes near a Surrey village and 180 homes in Leicestershire covering over 13 football pitches have been put forward. Sussex World, Kenilworth Nub News, Housing Today (register), BBC, and Leicestershire Live