Could 3D Printing be the Future of Housing?

Apex 3D Printed Housing

As the UK’s first 3D printed housing development gets under way, we look at its benefits and how it could change the UK construction industry… 3D Construction Printing We’ve all heard of pre-fab housing – and even ‘flat-pack’ timber frame build-your-own home kits – but at a time when many of us are busy building…

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Developer Levy Changes on the Cards

Apex Planning White Paper Pillar 3

We take a final look at the Government’s planning white paper, this time focusing on Pillar Three – planning for infrastructure and connected places… This month we focus on Pillar Three of the government’s planning White Paper, which looks at planning for infrastructure and connected places. If you’ve been reading our monthly blog, you’ll remember…

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Planning terms made easy

Apex Ancient Woodland

Do you know your brownfield from your greenfield and why a building is listed? Follow our simple guide to some of the key planning terms and all will become clear! Affordable housing These homes include social rented, affordable rented, intermediate and shared ownership housing that can be available for either sale or rent, and offer…

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The butterfly effect of government changes

Image courtesy of Pexels

Planning and development will be affected by a number of recent political moves… Recent changes within the Government could have seismic consequences, even when they appear at first to be seemingly unrelated to planning and development. For instance, after Sajid Javid’s promotion to Home Secretary we have a new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities…

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Budget looms large over planning issues

Home plan

Planning hits the headlines at this crucial time… With the Budget looming, the world of planning has again hit the headlines for several reasons. Of course, there is the usual abuse directed toward the delivery of housing – it’s the fault of the greedy developers / incompetent local planning authorities (*delete as applicable!) – which…

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Post Election Update

Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After the dust has settled… the planning and construction industries after the election: Some things have certainly changed since the snap General Election on June 8. One of the major factors for the planning industry was the fact that Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell lost his seat, as we predicted. In his place is…

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What will the General Election mean for planning?

Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We take a look at the planning-related policies in each party’s manifesto… The prelude to the General Election has been notable for its relative silence on the matter of planning and housing development. It is possible that this was, in part, due to the protracted and extensive discussions that happened before Parliament was dissolved, which…

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Building to Rent

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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 –…

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Starter Homes and Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing

Further to our blog last month, another hot topic in the debate that led to the recent Housing and Planning Act 2016 was starter homes, ie, houses that are to be sold at prices at least 20% below market value and aimed at first-time buyers under the age of 40. To be honest, we’re not…

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A Great Start To The New Year

Affordable Housing

2016 certainly appears to have got off to a good start – with the announcement from David Cameron that the Government has promised to directly commission the building of homes on publicly owned land. This, he said, would lead to quality homes – many of which would involve smaller building companies – being built at…

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