Daily News: 20/08/2025
Home Group Limited reported a £34.7m surplus before tax for the year ending March 31, 2025, marking an £11.5m improvement on the previous year and surpassing its financial targets, according to a recent trading update. Investing.com
Norwich City Council lost millions through its housing development company, Lion Homes, which has now been liquidated after a leaked report revealed its performance was “not regularly tracked”. BBC
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is carrying out a major stock condition survey across 26,000 council homes to ensure residents have safe and secure housing. In the Borders, social housing is piloting a new energy storage system designed to cut residents’ energy bills by up to 85%. LABM, BBC
A 15-week-old baby, Akram Mohammed, who lived in a mouldy Notting Hill Genesis flat in north London, died in February of unrelated causes, a coroner has ruled, contrary to his parents’ concerns about damp conditions. BBC
Thurston Group is pursuing long-term frameworks to counter revenue pressures while aiming for £100m turnover in six years. Costain reported higher half-year profits with margins heading to 4.5% despite HS2-related revenue dips, and administrators are investigating £200k in loans to directors of the collapsed Blenheim House Construction. Construction Wave, Construction Enquirer, and Construction News (register)
More than 2,000 new homes began construction in Northern Ireland in Q2 2025, the busiest period since early 2018, amid a chronic housing shortage and 48,000 households on the social housing waiting list. BBC
The Building Engineering Services Association has warned that overheating in buildings is now a critical safety issue, calling for urgent action as the UK faces its warmest summer on record. BESA
Henry Boot’s Hallam Land has secured permission for 1,270 homes in Tamworth and 1,200 in Fareham. In Glasgow, approval has been granted for over 700 build-to-rent flats and nearly 1,000 student rooms, while plans for 250 homes in Bicknacre face local opposition. Other proposals include 180 homes in Worcestershire, a 132-flat riverside scheme with reinvestment conditions, and up to 130 homes near Torrisholme Barrow. Construction Enquirer, Scottish Housing News, Essex Live, BBC, BBC, and Lancaster Guardian