Government launches important consultation on house-building targets
The Government has launched an important consultation that will affect Local Plans and house-building across the country.
Briefing: tackling the under-supply of housing in England
BECG have released our latest policy briefing paper: tackling the under-supply of housing in England.
The cross-party lobbying group that’s shaping government housing policy
Theresa May’s big housing announcement was largely the result of lobbying from one increasingly effective body. Now it wants more. “Good housing is at the heart of everything we, as councils, do.” So says Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) and a senior Conservative. Lobbying success He’s also someone house-builders should take […]
A tale of two conferences
After a hectic two weeks in-and-around the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences here are my top five take-aways for the built environment.
How developers should react to the ONS household projections bombshell
The ONS household projections have thrown a hand-grenade into the debate on local plans, but what should developers and councils do?
Commercial planning applications tumble to new low
Figures released by the Government today show another big fall in commercial planning applications submitted to councils, to a historic low. The latest dip in the figures may be partly related to Brexit, with the construction industry being hit harder than many other sectors. But it’s clear that there is a longer-term issue. The problem […]
GMSF “dream timetable”: done and dusted in under 30 months
The dream timetable for the GMSF will see it completed in under 30 months. How will that happen and what does it mean for Greater Manchester?
Why Theresa May’s energy price cap is a double-edged sword
Will Theresa May's energy price cap do more harm than good for the 'just about managing' population?
NPPF2: Time to think again about early engagement
Community engagement and stakeholder has long been an expectation of local authorities for major development proposals. The revised NPPF makes this expectation a requirement.
British Social Attitudes survey: New homes vs new communities
How can new homes be delivered with the support of communities that will host them? Getting the answer right is the first step to solving the housing crisis and MHCLG’s latest ‘Public attitudes to house building’ survey may point towards a solution. What are the headline results? The level of support for new homes being built […]
Can Building Beautiful halt the NIMBY tide?
There would be much less opposition to new house-building if we were building the right houses. That’s the claim made by the Policy Exchange think tank in their new paper “Building More, Building Beautiful“. The authors argue that people want to live in homes that engender feelings of belonging, pride and happiness. When people are […]
House-building in England: top five and bottom five local authorities
Following the publication of the latest house-building figures for England, BECG can reveal the five local authorities where the most new homes are being built, and those bringing up the rear. Because it wouldn’t make much sense to compare, say, Manchester directly to the Scilly Isles, we’ve calculated the percentage increase in homes over the […]
Official house-building figures are out – and there’s a surprise
New house-building figures released by the Government last week hint that things may be starting to improve.
Manchester cyclists need to update our skills. So do developers.
More and more people are cycling into Manchester and it's not just drivers who need to adjust
Government recommits energy to fracking
UK Government introduces new measures to accelerate fracking.
Is this the end for the GMSF?
Politics is a funny old game. A year ago Liberal Democrat GM Mayoral candidate Jane Brophy polled just over 6% of the vote, trailing a distant third behind Labour’s Andy Burnham and the Conservative’s Sean Anstee. This week she was one of the two Lib Dem Trafford Councillors to agree a ‘confidence and supply’ agreement […]
Lord O’Neill makes the case for Northern devolution outside the cities
Lord O'Neill has identified four more Northern Powerhouse areas ripe for devolution - but can local politicians deliver?
Liverpool City Region: key projects to monitor
Liverpool City Region is on the up, but its success remains fragile. Inward investment has remained strong, even as Brexit approaches. Expect to see clues to whether Liverpool is catching up with Manchester emerging over the next year. If cherished projects like Liverpool Waterfront start to stumble, it will be a worrying sign. These are […]
Northern timetable: a long way from integrated public transport
Northern Rail's new timetable comes into force on 20 May 2018. What does it tell us about integrated public transport and the Northern Powerhouse?
Selected industry experts bring you insight and expert advice, across a range of sectors.
Subscribe for free to receive our fortnightly round-up of property tips and expertise
Selected industry experts bring you insight and expert advice, across a range of sectors.
Subscribe for free to receive our fortnightly round-up of property tips and expertise