A weekly news summary covering all aspects of the housebuilding industry. Available to members only.
New survey shows improved levels of customer satisfaction
The second HBF annual survey of new home buyers shows that 76% of purchasers are satisfied with the overall quality of their home and 77% would recommend their builder to a friend. The latest results for those recommending their builder to a friend show a 2% improvement on last year's survey.
The results of the national survey - undertaken by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) in partnership with NHBC - detail the customer satisfaction levels achieved by 20 larger home building companies in the 12 months from October 2005 to September 2006.
HBF HIPs and EPCs briefing
As reported last week, the Home Information Pack and Energy Performance Certificate regulations were laid before Parliament on the 29 March 2007.
The regulations will come into force on 19 April 2007 and are due for implementation on 1 June 2007. For further details visit the HBF website
The main changes compared to the information provided in previous HBF reports and briefings relate to Energy Performance Certificates. To assist with this HBF have produced a briefing note for members.
HBF pursues SPA action
HBF met CLG officials this week for a preliminary discussion on how to make early progress in relaxing current planning restrictions in areas affected by the Thames Basin Heaths SPA problems. It was agreed to hold further more detailed discussions after Easter.
Bank of England maintains Bank Rate at 5.25%
The Bank of England, Monetary Policy Committee today voted to maintain the official Bank Rate on commercial bank reserves at 5.25%. The previous change in Bank Rate was an increase of 0.25% to 5.25% on 11th January 2007.
Net reservations rise whilst site visitors levels fall according to HMR
House builders reported a modest year-on-year rise in net reservations in February, according to the latest HBF Survey published exclusively in Housing Market Report*. By contrast, site visitors were lower than a year ago. These divergent trends suggest the quality of visitors is good and conversion rates are high. House builders continued to lift new home prices in February and their use of sales incentives is beginning to ease. The industry remains optimistic about sales prospects for 2007.
The March HMR also reveals that only 10% of ‘major' (10+ units) residential planning decisions in England were made within eight weeks in the final quarter of 2006, the lowest proportion on record. Two thirds (67%) were decided within 13 weeks, of which just over a third (34%) were refused.
*HMR subscription enquiries, telephone: 0151 357 7707.
Green light for home energy improvements
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has unveiled plans to slash planning red tape to make it easier for people to put green technology - like solar panels - on their homes and play their part in tackling climate change.
In a speech to the Green Alliance, she launched a consultation which recommends that people will no longer need to apply for planning permission to put ‘microgeneration' devices on their homes where it is clear there is little or no impact on neighbouring properties.
Local authorities will retain the right to restrict planning permission in exceptional circumstances where the benefit of the technology is clearly questionable and outweighed by its impact on the local environment.
Responding to the measures HBF Executive Chairman, Stewart Baseley, says:
"The home building industry is committed to working with Government to meet the greatest peacetime challenge in its history: building all new homes to zero-carbon performance standards by 2016.
"Measures to cut red tape and make it easier for people to adopt renewable energy solutions are undoubtedly a welcome step. More generally, local authorities could play an important role in empowering developers, energy supply companies and individuals to work out the best local solutions for new and existing homes going forward.
"However, if we are to achieve the 2016 objective, it is critical that local authorities do not set their own building performance standards or energy requirements. Attempts to achieve self-imposed targets ahead of the Government's timeframe run the risk of products failing, customer confidence being undermined and housing output declining. With England's growing shortfall of 60,000 homes every year, this is a situation in which no-one wins."
New Construction (Design and Management) Regulations come into force on Friday 6th April
Following extensive consultation with the construction industry, the new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007) come in to force on Friday 6 April 2007. Designed to make it easier for duty holders to comply with the requirements, they are meant to simplify and clarify existing Regulations.
The CDM 2007 Regulations have been developed in line with the Government's Better Regulation principles and will consolidate and revise the main pieces of existing construction health and safety at work legislation, namely: the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 and the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 - resulting in a single, simplified set of regulations.
Yorkshire and Humber Regional Spatial Strategy
On 20 March 2007 the Examination in Public Panel submitted its report to the Secretary of State. This sets out the main findings and recommendations of the Panel following the public testing of the Draft Plan. This report will be used by the GOYH to inform the preparation of proposed changes to the Draft Plan, which will be subject to public consultation in due course.
Ministers have now decided that the Panel Report will now be published after the local elections in May.
Future updates on this process will be available on the Government Office for the Yorkshire & the Humber web site
Submitted Core Strategies recommended for withdrawal
Further to the Lichfield and Stafford experiences, other pioneer Local Development Framework Core Strategies continue to progress towards examination, only to be recommended for withdrawal by the Planning Inspectorate at the pre-examination stages. In the last two weeks two South East authorities (Waverley and Runnymede in Surrey) have been advised by PINS that their strategies would be likely to be declared unsound if they were to proceed through the public examination process. Particular failings relate to; the robustness of the evidence base, policy implementation and delivery measures and the coherence of the policies and strategy as a whole.
Size matters says homes report
Too many of the South East's new affordable homes are too small to meet the needs of the region's residents says a new report. The research report commissioned by the South East England Regional Assembly and South East England Development Agency is the first to study trends in the type and size of homes built over the past 25 years. It reviews affordable housing and homes built for sale on the open market.
A key concern is the significant increase in one and two bedroom flats built for the affordable housing market, from 26% in 2001 to 56% in 2005, meaning that families have only limited access to new affordable homes. This is reinforced by figures showing there is more overcrowding in publicly funded housing, particularly in the rented sector. Some 15% of South East households in the public rented sector live in overcrowded conditions compared to just 3% of homeowners, creating health problems and negative impacts on children's education.
The research will inform detailed delivery of the Assembly's South East Plan and the review of the Regional Housing Strategy. The Assembly's Regional Planning Committee will consider the impact of the research for local councils.
Construction sector plans will cut fly tipping and landfill
Proposals for reducing the 109 million tones of waste produced by the UK construction industry every year were published this week for consultation.
Around 13% of all the solid materials delivered to construction sites goes unused, and up to one third ends up in landfill. Around a third of all fly tipping includes waste from the construction, demolition and excavation sectors.
The consultation proposes to make Site Waste Management Plans a legal requirement for all projects in England worth over £250,000. Those responsible for Plans would need to assess the waste that will be produced on a construction site and detail how it will be reused, recycled or disposed of.
Jo Turner