Posts by SteveApex
Building to Rent
Traditionally, developers have built homes to buy, but the trend looks set to change… In the past, builders constructed homes to sell to home-buyers – or they built social housing under the remit of a local housing authority. Of course, developments now usually have to provide a certain proportion of ‘affordable’ housing as well –…
Read MoreThe Problems with Retirement Housing
As more of us retire earlier, and with more than just a government pension to sustain us, the call for housing for the retired will grow, but will there be enough to go around? Ageing Population We are an ageing population – there are more people over 60 than there are under the age of…
Read MoreThe Midlands Land of Opportunity
The Midlands looks set to benefit from more housing development, according to both the recent Housing White Paper and the Midlands Engine Strategy. The Midlands Engine Strategy was published this month, and refers to the recent Housing White Paper and its commitment to build more housing in the Midlands. The Strategy draws attention to the…
Read MoreFixing the Broken Housing Market
A recent White Paper details how the government plans to get the right new homes built in the right places and help people onto the housing ladder. February 2017 saw the release of the White Paper ‘Fixing our broken housing market’, which details a number of broad reforms aimed at improving the housing market and…
Read MoreA Change of Ministerial Plan
A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) has resulted in major changes to the weight that is attached to Neighbourhood Plans, the question of housing supply and what developers must now take into account when preparing a planning application and any potential challenge to one for housing that has been refused planning permission. While most people were…
Read MoreDelay of Housing White Paper
There is some disappointment in the planning profession because the anticipated Housing White Paper failed to appear as expected on the same day as the Autumn Statement (23 November 2016). The Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, has said it will now be published in January 2017. So, we are no further forwards in respect to Starter…
Read MoreWhite Paper Whitewash?
It’s always interesting to note the timing of major announcements. For instance – the Housing White Paper is due to be published on 23 November – the same day as the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. Do the powers-that-be do this in the hope that one will obscure the other? Bone of Contention We can’t be certain,…
Read MoreHold on for the Planning Legislation Rollercoaster
The planning system and process is undergoing a great number of changes, thanks to Government – and while some alterations are little more than tweaks, there are some changes that could prove more significant. New White Paper The Housing and Planning Act was passed earlier in the year, and now the Government has published the…
Read MoreTeaching Small Developers How To Build Homes
Online mortgage marketplace LendInvest has recently announced that it is launching a property development academy, in order to help new home construction. Housing supply has been an issue for some time, and the fact that demand has outpaced supply has led to dramatic house price increases. Best Practice Building LendInvest plans to help to educate…
Read MorePINS Behind The Scenes
The performance of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has come under much scrutiny recently. About PINS But what is PINS? First and foremost it is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Government. And what does it actually do? Well, its job is to deal with planning appeals,…
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