Residents Avoid Re-Cladding Costs On £225m Scheme

Residents at a £225m Mace development in London found to have Grenfell-style cladding will not be forced to pay for its removal. Mace confirmed that remedial work would now be carried out on two blocks at the £225m Greenwich Square scheme but that it would come at no extra cost to residents. Last month, CN revealed the cladding on the development needed to be replaced after it was found to be category 3 ACM cladding, the most combustible of the three ACM cladding types. In the letter to residents seen by CN, Mace said that after “complex work” investigating the matter the company had decided that two blocks at the development will require remedial work. Read more on the Construction News website.

https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/10033213.article

Why Affordable Housing Is Finally Set For Investment

New-build affordable housing has long been a challenging area for construction, with build volumes from registered providers – housing associations and local authorities – squeezed by political indifference, changeable funding frameworks and planning red tape. Research shows this is changing and that affordable housing now represents a significant area of opportunity for the industry. Three crucial factors now underpin expected growth;

·         First, there are new routes to funding for registered providers that give greater freedom in how they manage their finances.

·         Second, evidence of a more favourable planning regime is starting to show.

·         Finally, political will to get homes built is now behind the housing sector as a whole.

Read more on the Construction News website.

Housing Minister Says He 'Won’t Hesitate To Take Action' Over Planning

New powers allowing the government to force local authorities and county councils to work together and develop local plans is one of three new amendments that have been introduced to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill. The other two amendments confirm that there would be a statutory duty to have a local plan in place and would enable the government to digitise local plans to make them easier for the public to access. Housing minister Gavin Barwell said the amendments were an attempt to take the “confrontation” out of the planning system. Read more on the Construction News website.

Local Authorities to Form Their Own Housing Development Firms

English local authorities will be at the forefront of a new wave of housebuilding with a Treasury review set to recommend more councils establish their own development companies. At least four councils have put in place plans to establish their own housebuilding companies since December alone, with a leading consultant saying that many more are looking to follow suit. Work will be put out to tender rather than carried out in-house, creating a major new income stream for contractors. The review of local authority housing, due to be unveiled this month, is expected to promote the use of such firms as a means of easing the housing crisis. Read more on the Construction News website.