A landmark High Court ruling that the government remove planning practice guidance exempting small developments from affordable housing obligations will impact many schemes' viability and could alter the way ministers approach policy changes in the future. New planning guidance that exempts small sites from affordable housing obligations has been scrapped following a landmark High Court judgment. 

Mr Justice Holgate’s ruling, issued after a judicial review made by two councils in the south e...

A government industry working group is being set up to promote increased use of off-site prefabrication in house building. The working group has been launched by housing minister Mark Prisk following on from the findings of a new report produced by the Construction Industry Council (CIC). 

Issues for the group to review include:

• encouraging off-site construction and prefabrication to deliver an increased number of new houses
• promoting investment in the emerging sector
• helping to create market con...

The government has revived plans to allow the conversion of vacant office buildings to residential use, a flagship policy from last year designed to increase the pipeline of new homes that the coalition said subsequently would not be implemented following a hostile reaction to consultation.

The Government confirmed that it would not take the proposals forward in a ministerial statement issued by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles last week in support of the housing stimulus package.

Pickles say...

The short list for the Sunday Times British Home Awards 'Smart Homes' competition have been released.

The competition is seeking integrated, interoperable solutions that demonstrate the application of digital monitoring and control systems in the home.

The panel of judges have selected a shortlist of 6 designs which are now open for your vote until midnight on August 13 2012 through thewww.thesundaytimes.co.uk/homeawards

SHORTLISTED

    • Street Smart: White arkitekter
    • S,M,L home: Pentan...

Grant Shapps, the minister for housing and self-proclaimed self-build enthusiast, hosted a celebrity 'workshop' at 10 Downing Street last week to highlight new support measures for self-builders and to make a pledge to double the size of the bespoke homes sector.

The event saw the launch of a new one-stop Self Build Portal that brings together sources of advice and a progress report from the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), which drew up an action plan last year at the request of the...

The Green Building Store has just launched some extremely useful new resources on low energy retrofits, which aim to help householders make well-informed decisions for improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

The resources include case studies of typical hard-to-treat homes in West Yorkshire and also offer guidance on developing 'whole house plans' and ventilation strategies. 

Click here to download

Click on the You Tube link below to watch computer animations showing examples of best pra...

If you’re looking to buy new windows and doors, then here a few hints and tips to make sure you choose the best company to install your new home improvement products.

1.0       Recommendations

As with all building work, picking a company to install your windows and doors requires you placing your trust in a company you may never have used or even heard of before. That is why it is a good idea to use a company that has been recommended to you by word of mouth. It needs to be someone recommende...

Overall the ‘Green Deal’ is a very exciting and positive scheme that should be supported and encouraged, however there are still some key concerns that need to be addressed if the scheme is to be the success it could be.

The ‘Green Deal’ is a framework to enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements for their homes, community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through ongoing charges on energy bills.

The financing mechanism allows con...

Building Magazine has reported that the number of planning permissions granted in the three months to September 2011 was 10% down on the previous year. This is according to the latest figures from the Home Builders’ Federation.

The HBF is reported to have said its quarterly housing pipeline report showed that just 32,500 homes were given planning permission in the third quarter, down from 38,500 in the same period last year.

The number of units approved in the first nine months of the year is...