Daily News: 02/12/2025
South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA) and Elim Housing have officially joined the Places for People (PfP) Group in mergers that will expand investment and support for 6,600 homes and thousands of customers across England. Places for People Group
Homes England has awarded a £23m infrastructure grant for essential transport links to Thamesmead, supporting the DLR extension and enabling 25,000-30,000 new homes across two new communities. GOV.UK
UN experts have accused L&Q, one of England’s largest social landlords, of habitability failings, stating in a letter that the organisation appears to have systematically failed to provide an adequate standard of living for its residents. The Guardian
Two major contracts worth £14m have been secured with Bromsgrove District Housing Trust to improve and decarbonise social housing in the Midlands. Sigma Capital Group agreed to a £268m investment debt facility with Morgan Stanley, while Octopus Capital partnered with Vistry to deliver 82 new affordable homes in Northam and Bideford, North Devon. Roofing Today, Scottish Housing News, and Octopus Capital
Ventro Group has acquired Birmingham’s Harrold Jones Services to boost its national building safety compliance. Bouygues Construction partnered with French robotics firm Innodura to expand site automation. Administrators of collapsed contractor Geoffrey Osborne may pursue £5m in debts, while steelwork firm Severfield reported a £7.6m pre-tax loss for H1 due to lower volumes, tighter pricing, and bridge remediation costs. Construction News (register), Construction News (register), Construction News (register), and Construction Enquirer
As of November 2025, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund had delivered around 101,500 energy efficiency measures across 49,400 households. Meanwhile, the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant schemes had installed about 22,000 measures in 11,900 households by March 2025. Across Great Britain, the Energy Company Obligation had supported roughly 4.4m measures in 2.6m households by September 2025. In addition, over 40m smart meters have been installed, with 64% (37m) operating in smart mode. Finally, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme contributed to up to 90,000 low-carbon heating installations between 2022 and 2025. GOV.UK, GOV.UK, GOV.UK, GOV.UK, and GOV.UK
Developer Morro achieved the industry’s fastest Building Safety Act approval, clearing Gateway 2 in just 13 weeks for a London co-living scheme, enabling HG Construction to begin work on the Hackney site overlooking Regent’s Canal. Construction Enquirer
Unite’s 600-bed Baltic Wharf student towers in Paddington have been approved after the London Mayor overturned Westminster Council. Persimmon Homes Cornwall and Lancashire received permission for 527 homes in Bodmin and 225 homes in Penwortham. Croudace is consulting on 1,000 homes at Hitcham Farm in Burnham. Planning applications were submitted for 750 homes between Warwick and Leamington Spa, 422 affordable homes in Wythenshawe by Muse and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, 187 homes in Swadlincote, 172 homes in Great Haddon by Vistry East Anglia, and 171 homes in Blackwood by South Lanarkshire Council. Construction Enquirer, The Packet, Lancashire Evening Post, UK Property Forums, Warwick Nub News, Muse, BBC, Cambridgeshire Live, and Daily Record