Berkeley, Persimmon and Barratt hit by house price slowdown July 1, 2025 Weak growth in UK house prices has hit the shares of the UK leading listed homebuilders, with pundits concerned that a demand for private housing will prevent the government from reaching its ambitious housing goals. Berkeley’s share price has dropped by more than eight per cent in the past month and Persimmon is down four [...]
Chinese ‘super-embassy’ by Tower of London nears approval June 22, 2025 A Chinese mega-embassy near the Tower of London is set to be approved by ministers within weeks. The Planning Inspectorate, which decides on major infrastructure projects, has given the scheme the go-ahead in a report sent to Angela Rayner just under a fortnight ago, the Sunday Times reported. It is expected to be formally approved [...]
Berkeley notes rising demand for new homes as profit drops June 20, 2025 Housebuilder Berkeley has stated that it is ‘fully aligned with’ and ‘committed to’ the government’s ambitious housing agenda, despite a decline in annual profit. The FTSE 250 company told markets this morning that its profit before tax fell 5.1 per cent in the last financial year, from £557.3m to £528.9m. Its operating margin improved from [...]
House prices slump in April: ‘Supply is beginning to outweigh demand’ June 18, 2025 UK house prices fell in April as affordability issues constrain demand following the end of the stamp duty holiday in March. House prices fell 2.7 per cent month on month in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Prices increased by 3.5 per cent to £265,000 in the 12 months to April 2025, [...]
We’ve been building since 1886 – the planning system is the worst it’s ever been June 18, 2025 Delays in the UK planning system – down to brick colour and tile choices – are stalling housing delivery. We need 3,000 new planners and faster approvals to meet national housing goals and boost economic growth, says Tim Roberts When Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis you don’t, as a house builder, [...]
Crest Nicholson: Profit triples as housing market recovers June 12, 2025 Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has reaffirmed its annual guidance as it reported a jump in half-year profit. The London-listed firm said adjusted pre-tax profit more than tripled to £7.9m in the six months ended 30 April. On a statutory basis, the company swung to a £9.4m profit after posting losses of £30.9m in 2024. Revenue declined [...]
Spending Review: Reeves leaves London short-changed June 11, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ inaugural Spending Review fell short for London, the capital’s business advocacy group has said. Reeves’ announcements on infrastructure, transport and skills were received warmly but BusinessLDN has said the Chancellor had failed to fully deliver, leaving the capital “short-changed”. The Spending Review included a four-year settlement for Transport for London with the [...]
Optimism on construction boom lifts housebuilder stocks June 11, 2025 Shares in the UK’s major housebuilders have all risen in the past five days as news of government investment buoys the chances of a construction market boom. Vistry and Crest, which have recently boosted their focus on affordable homes, were particular winners: Vistry has risen by more than 20 per cent since June 6, while [...]
Ibstock hikes brick production as UK construction market picks up June 11, 2025 Brick manufacturer Ibstock has reinstated production capacity at several factories, providing a boost to Britain’s building materials shortage. The move is a bet on the building market’s recovery, with higher production capacity ensuring the company is “well placed to benefit from the recovery as it gathers pace.” Ibstock, which holds a 40 per cent share of the [...]
Will the building safety levy constrain housebuilding? May 28, 2025 A new tax on the real estate industry risks trading a crisis in building safety for one of housing supply, argue Rick Atha and Amber Wright The building safety levy is due to come into effect in Autumn 2026, a year later than the government had previously indicated. The government aims to raise around £3.4bn [...]