Daily News: 23/07/2025
VIVID, a leading affordable housing provider, will deliver over 400 sustainable homes across Southern England after a £125m investment from Royal Bank of Scotland, part of the NatWest Group. Simultaneously, Southend-on-Sea City Council approved a bold £100m five-year plan to address rising housing pressures. NatWest Group, Southend-on-Sea City Council
The Welsh government will develop a long-term housing strategy after a “generally positive” response to its initial proposals last autumn. Meanwhile, Nottingham’s housing crisis deepens, with 11,000 on the council waiting list, blamed on Thatcher’s Right to Buy legacy. Separately, Guildford Borough Council overspent £1.6m on fire safety after underestimating fire door replacements due to incomplete data. Housing Today (register), West Bridgford Wire, and BBC
Northern Ireland is set for a major social housing boost, with plans to build 8,164 new social homes across various council areas over the next three years, according to the Department for Communities. Belfast Live
Birmingham City Council secured £172.8m in grant funding for the Smithfield regeneration, delivering 3,000+ homes, a park, and leisure facilities. At the same time, Avant Homes announced its first 100% affordable housing project, an £18m, 90-home scheme in Leicestershire sold to Sage Homes. Birmingham City Council, Housing Executive
MEP provider G&H launched a building performance service and gained its first client. Essex contractor Thomas Sinden Ltd saw a 72% turnover rise for the year to March 2025, targeting £100m revenue. Meanwhile, a tribunal set a date for appeals by three former Carillion directors over nearly £1m in fines. Unsecured creditors owed £33m by collapsed contractor J Tomlinson will receive dividends after HMRC claimed less than expected. Yorkshire Post, The Construction Index, Construction News (register), and Construction News (register)
RIBA urges quality be central to the 1.5m homes commitment, warning pace must not sacrifice standards. Concurrently, Savills reports a 30% drop in planning consents for residential land in England in the year to Q1 2025 versus the 2021 peak. Housing Today (register), Savills
Massive 1,000 Newton Abbot homes plan approved. Barratt aims for a third try at 300 homes in Burton Woods, Spennymoor, after two refusals. Proposals unveiled for up to 150 homes near a new Somerset railway station. CERT plans 124 apartments and townhouses in a six-storey scheme on the former Vauxhall site, Eccles. Devon Live, Place North West, Somerset Live, and Place North West