news news in brief
Homeowners’ confidence in the housing market is at its highest level for three years, with 74% expecting prices to rise by September. According to research by
Zoopla.co.uk, UK homeowners are expecting house prices to rise by 4.5 per cent over the next six months. Lawrence Hall of
Zoopla.co.uk said: “The housing market has seen a number of positive events in recent weeks including the Budget and growing confidence from homeowners is a significant step towards a recovery. With first-time buyer lending gradually increasing and mortgages becoming more readily available, there is real belief that the property market is starting to turn a corner and finally drag itself out of the hole since the financial crisis.”
Homes by Skanska has become a fully integrated part of Skanska UK. For the two years it has been operating as an independent business, reporting directly to Skanska head office in Sweden. Magnus Andersson, president of Homes by Skanska, said: “The move to become fully integrated within Skanska UK is a reflection of changes being implemented around the world in Skanska’s residential business so that we can better meet the needs of our UK homebuyers. Our houses are selling extremely well and we have the greatest confidence in them and their clear appeal to the UK homebuyer as we continue to deliver the plans we set out when we launched in 2010. We are fully committed to the UK property market and have recently achieved planning consent to deliver another 500 homes in Cambridge and Cheltenham meaning we can continue to share our Scandi style here in the UK for plenty of years to come and make places where people love to live.”
NHBC has launched Standards Plus, an online database of technical guidance and information, designed to provide the housebuilding industry with improved and faster access to NHBC’s Technical Standards as well as a broad range of supplementary technical information. Mark Jones, NHBC’s group head of housebuilding standards, said: “Over recent years advances in technology have changed the way in which construction projects are managed including the manner in which information is communicated. Recent feedback from the housebuilding industry across the UK has demonstrated a need for a single point of access to a wide selection of relevant, up to date technical information. With this in mind, we are confident that NHBC Standards Plus will meet this requirement and provide access to an array of relevant and up- to-date guidance, information and data relating to housebuilding standards.”
Kier gets go ahead for £80m Woking scheme
Evolution, a consortium between Kier Project Investment and Thames Valley Housing, has been granted planning permission to develop an £80m development in Woking. The 9.5 hectare site near Moor Lane will feature 371 new homes consisting of 224 affordable social rented housing and 147 for private sale. Kier will construct the properties, with work starting on site this summer, and Thames Valley Housing will manage and maintain the social housing over a 25-year contract. Nigel Turner, managing director of Kier Property, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved this
important milestone and we look forward to working with Thames Valley Housing to progress the development. The mixed tenure scheme will play an important part in addressing the area’s housing shortage and also creates long-lasting community benefits through a designated fund for the use by the local community.” Geeta Nanda, CEO of TVH, said: “We are delighted to have led this consortium to supply much-needed affordable homes in Woking. It is great that we have been granted planning permission so we are one step closer to getting new homes built and lived in.”
£1.5m HQ for Beal Homes
Beal Homes has started construction work on a new £1.5m head office and customer selection centre at the Bridgehead Business Park in Hessle, East Yorkshire. The 11,000 square foot headquarters is expected to be completed for the company’s head office team to be in place for the start of 2014. Beal Homes employs around 100 people in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire with a head office team of 35, all of whom have agreed to move with the company to Hessle. It is celebrating 45 years of building new homes in 2013, and has reported a strong first quarter, having sold 75 of the 130 homes it aims to build this year. “Our new headquarters will provide the additional office space we need for our
growing head office team and allow us to extend our innovative customer selection centre, which, since we introduced the idea at our current offices, has helped to differentiate Beal Homes from competitors. Our aim is to provide the perfect environment for every Beal Homes’ purchaser to design their new home to their requirements,” said Richard Beal, chairman and managing director of Beal Homes. The family-owned housebuilder currently has developments at Kingswood Parks in Hull, Willerby, Walkington, Nafferton and the Burton Waters Marina near Lincoln. It expects to record a £23m turnover in the current year and is set to reveal plans for several new developments.
10| May 2013 showhouse
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