More homes, more efficient homes

The Concrete Block Association (CBA), the independent UK body for aggregate concrete block manufacturers, has launched its part of the Modern Masonry ‘Better Built in Blockwork’ campaign to educate the construction industry on benefits of concrete block construction. The CBA... View Article

BakerHicks appointed to UK Atomic Energy Authority Framework

BakerHicks, the multi-disciplinary design and engineering company, has been appointed to the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Engineering Design Services Framework to deliver a range of highly technical engineering services in support of its sophisticated UK fusion programme. The scope of the... View Article

Brick industry goes for growth

The latest ONS figures for brick production in the UK reveal a remarkable story of manufacturing investment. August 2018 saw 21 per cent more bricks being produced in the UK compared with August 2017. Compare the figure to August 2016... View Article

Tenure blind on a big scale in Bexley

Work on a major regeneration scheme is drawing to a close in a deprived south east London suburb. Paul Nicholls of Wates Residential explains its community-driven approach to this ‘tenure blind’ project. Jack Wooler reports. Erith Park is a large-scale,... View Article

Skills time bomb ticks louder

Brian Berry of the FMB explains some of the reasons behind the construction skills crisis, and considers the negative impacts the recent government recommendations on immigration could have, post-Brexit. Few in this industry will be surprised to hear that the... View Article

Survey reveals barriers to shared ownership adoption

The Government and the housing sector are falling short of educating shared ownership buyers, according to research from YouGov. The survey of over 200 people that own homes through shared ownership schemes was commissioned by housing association Aster Group. It... View Article

House price growth continues to outpace wages

The minimum income first-time buyers need in order to buy a home in the UK’s largest cities has risen by 18 per cent in the past three years, with house price growth continuing to outpace earnings in 16 out of... View Article

Community Housing Fund Phase 2 launched

£163m of affordable housing funding is now available to communities across England, after Phase Two of the Community Housing Fund was launched on 17 September. Phase One of the fund launched in July, and like Phase 2, it has been... View Article

Housing associations get £2bn

Housing associations are to receive £2bn from the Government to build low-cost homes. Theresa May told a National Housing Federation conference that the “most ambitious” providers will be able to bid for Government money that could last them until 2028-29,... View Article

May confirms removal of borrowing cap

The borrowing cap for local councils to build new housing is set to be scrapped, potentially opening up billions of pounds of funding for new council housebuilding schemes. In a move that has been long called for by many in... View Article

Damp-proofing in social housing

By Richard Walker, National Technical and Development Manager at Peter Cox With leaves starting to fall and the daylight hours becoming noticeably shorter, we are starting to enter a period of colder mornings and evenings, or what we call in... View Article

London Festival of Architecture launches River View competition

The London Festival of Architecture, in partnership with the City of London Corporation and Illuminated River Foundation, has launched a competition to encourage greater public interaction with the River Thames. Subject to planning consent, the winning design will be installed as part of the... View Article

Construction manufacturers expect strong final quarter of 2018

Construction products manufacturing returned to business as usual in Q3 after the weather-related pauses and subsequent catch-up in the first half of the year. Britain’s £56 billion industry is cautiously optimistic that the year will finish strong with sales anticipated... View Article