Daily News: 15/05/2025
Savills Investment Management’s Simply Affordable Homes fund has acquired 105 homes in Oxfordshire from Blenheim Estates, its third purchase via for-profit RP Simply Affordable Homes. Savills Investment Management
Southern Housing cut development starts by two-thirds to strengthen finances, resulting in a further fall in interest cover. Meanwhile, the Housing Ombudsman found poor repairs complaint handling by Southwark Council, Wandsworth Council, Notting Hill Genesis, and Newham Council, leading to C3 or C4 regulator ratings and highlighting the need for improved complaint learning. Housing Today (register), Housing Ombudsman Service
London boroughs must cut council housing spending by £264m over three years to balance finances and meet the 88,000 new homes target. Simultaneously, think tank Localis urges ministers to unlock £392bn from the Local Government Pension Scheme via new investment vehicles to fund affordable housing. Over 100 councils have also called for a £12bn green homes programme with a unified standard to improve energy efficiency nationwide. Only 1% of English homes (around 276,000) use heat pumps as their main heating system. London Councils, Localis Housing Today (register), and GOV.UK
Hampshire and Devon County Councils announced the sixth-generation Southern Construction Framework, a £5.4bn (including VAT) programme to support public sector construction projects across southern England. Construction News (register)
South Kesteven District Council approved energy efficiency upgrades for 273 council homes. The Hill Group and Town formed a joint venture for a £50m community-led housing scheme in Cambridgeshire. Separately, Winvic Construction was appointed to build a 544-bed student accommodation project in Coventry for Gilltown. BBC, Construction News (register), and The Construction Index
Inland Homes’ collapse leaves unsecured creditors with £38m in losses and no recovery. Skanska UK posted a £78m profit in 2024, driven by a 4.3% margin in infrastructure and FM. Altrad Services nearly doubled profits despite a £90m asbestos claims provision. Grainger’s revenue and pre-tax profit grew, backed by a £1.3bn build-to-rent pipeline. Construction Enquirer, Construction Enquirer, Construction News (register), and Housing Today (register)
New energy upgrades for schools, community centres, and care homes have been awarded to improve public buildings, aiming to reduce energy bills and save taxpayers an estimated £650m annually on average through to 2037. GOV.UK
The report Breaking the Bottlenecks stresses the government’s goal to build 1.5m new homes in England this Parliament as a key economic strategy, highlighting planning reform as essential-cited by the IMF as Britain’s top economic reform priority. Centre for Cities
Construction industry wages rose 5.9% year-on-year to March 2025, per ONS data reported by BCIS. Construction output in Great Britain was flat (0.0%) in Q1 2025 versus Q4 2024, with new work up 0.9% but repair and maintenance down 1.2%, according to the ONS. BCIS, Office for National Statistics
Sheffield City Council approved a controversial plan for 3,500+ homes on Green Belt land despite opposition. Tide won permission for 1,051 homes near Bermondsey, London. Sheffield’s Honey secured consent for a £37m, 128-home project in Rossington, Doncaster. A 1,500-home development with health and care facilities in northeast Blackburn also advanced. The Star, Construction Enquirer, TheBusinessDesk.com, and Lancashire Post