Daily News: 18/11/2025
The Housing Ombudsman has published outcomes from three wider orders on temporary moves (decants), revealing broader failings in how landlords handled cases where homes were uninhabitable – including one resident living in a caravan and another ending her tenancy. Independent reviews of Trident, Wigan Council and Moat highlight key learning for the wider sector to prevent future failings. Housing Ombudsman Service
Housebuilding near well-connected train stations will receive a default “yes” under new planning reforms, speeding up delivery of tens of thousands of homes. The Housing Secretary will be able to remove blockages and fast-track major applications, with streamlined consultations set to cut decision times by 40% toward the Plan for Change goal of 1.5m homes. GOV.UK
Stonewater has secured a £100m funding package to support delivery of its 2030 corporate plan and national development programme. Beyond Housing has published its 2023/24 Sustainable Bond Allocation and Impact Report, confirming full allocation of its £250m sustainable bond, and Sovereign Network Group reported a 3.6% quarterly drop in operating surplus to £45.3m for Q2 2025/26. Stonewater Ltd, Investegate, and Investing.com
Orbit has launched the search for contractors to deliver a £264m repairs and maintenance programme covering thousands of its homes across the Midlands and the South and East of England. Construction Enquirer
Abri, with Homes England and RBWM councillors, has launched the next phase of its major regeneration at The Granges in Windsor, delivering 413 sustainable, fully affordable homes. Meanwhile, Lancaster City Council is seeking a delivery partner for the Mainway Estate regeneration, which includes a 400-home masterplan and 135 additional homes approved for the former Skerton High School site. Abri, Place North West
Crest Nicholson is set to cut 50 jobs as part of further cost-cutting measures after warning that pre-tax profits will fall at the lower end of expectations, while Cardo is bucking the trend for private-equity-backed start-ups by remaining profitable in its early years. Construction Enquirer, The Construction Index
Aberdeenshire Council has outlined a new affordable housing plan targeting over 2,000 homes in five years. In South Gloucestershire, the first-phase layout for up to 595 homes north of Bristol has been approved. Willmott Dixon will proceed with Luton’s £136m Stage scheme, bringing 292 flats and a new mixed-use destination. Manchester is set to approve 1,732 homes, a new shopping centre, and a key phase of its £1bn regeneration. Plans for 1,100 homes in Billericay have been submitted despite strong opposition, while a major 1,000-plus-home scheme near Taunton has been delayed again. A contested 260-home proposal on Bristol meadows has moved forward with a detailed submission, and two schemes totalling 259 homes near a Rutland town are now up for consideration. Aberdeenshire Council, Bristol Live, Construction Enquirer, Manchester Evening News, Echo, Somerset County Gazette, Bristol Live, and BBC