February Refurb and Renew magazine

News |
The imposition of Council Tax on unbuilt homes could increase the risks of
bringing forward new developments by small house builders. The measure
could deliver the opposite of what it hopes to achieve by reducing the
number of smaller housing developments
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB,
Council Tax proposals could damage house building,
warns FMB
Charging Council Tax on unbuilt developments could decrease house building numbers
by deterring SME house builders, warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in
response to proposals made by the Local Government Association.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The imposition of Council Tax on unbuilt
homes could increase the risks of bringing forward new developments by small house
builders. The measure could deliver the opposite of what it hopes to achieve by
reducing the number of smaller housing developments.
“SMEs already face serious challenges in terms of access to finance and scarcity of small
sites. For small house builders to be liable for Council Tax on properties which can’t be
built would add yet another layer of risk and act as a further deterrent to smaller
developers. It is already commonplace for local authorities to start charging council tax
on homes that are incomplete – sometimes before even the basics, such as plastering,
have been finished.”
Over 100,000 jobs created by surge in house building
Over 100,000 new jobs were created in England alone last year as a result of the big
increase in house building, a report released in January revealed. Analysis by the
Home Builders Federation shows that the house building industry is now supporting
around 667,000 jobs, and details how local economies the length and breadth of
the country are benefitting from the thousands of additional homes now being
developed.
Improvements to the planning system and the highly successful Help to Buy Equity
Loan scheme have helped house builders increase output by around a third in just
two years. The most recent Government figures show that there were 170,690 net
additions to the housing stock during 2014/15, an increase of almost 25% on the
previous year. The main component of this new stock was from 155,080 new build
completions.
Study demonstrates value of green spaces to society
Every pound invested in parks and nature reserves contributes £30 towards health and
wellbeing benefits and £23 towards community safety.
Those are the findings uncovered by national land management charity, the Land Trust,
which commissioned an independent study to assess the value of the green spaces in
its portfolio. The study also found that for every £1 spent by the Land Trust in
maintaining its parks and nature reserves; people apparently value this as two and a half
times higher. The study measured the impact of Land Trust services to identify the
value that people place on their local green space as well as to estimate the financial
value it contributes to the health and social sectors.
Among those surveyed, nine out of 10 people visiting Land Trust’s spaces felt that they
play a positive part in their happiness and wellbeing. The study revealed that people
using Land Trust green spaces have higher levels of satisfaction and wellbeing and lower
levels of anxiety compared to the national averages (the perceptions survey as part of
the study used the same wellbeing questions as those from the Office for National
Statistics annual household survey).
The most popular reasons for spending time in parks were for exercise, leisure and
recreation, at 56 per cent. 25 – 30 per cent of park users also saw the value in using
open space to “relax and get away from work”, spend time with their family, relieve
stress, "let off steam" and "feel refreshed".
UK's first affordable rent-to-buy homes to
be built in Devon
In a national first, Plymouth-based housing companies Persimmon
Homes and Rentplus have signed an agreement to develop 19 new
affordable rent-to-buy homes in Plymouth to help tackle the
region’s housing shortage and help people into home ownership for
the first time.
Rentplus aims to build 5,000 affordable homes by 2020 and has
backing from senior business figures in the country, including John
Gildersleeve. This is Rentplus’ first development and shows the
innovative model being put into practice. More developments are
coming in the New Year.
There has been strong demand for the homes already, with Devon
Home Choice, the lettings agent responsible for allocating homes,
receiving 100 bids for just one property in its first 24 hours of
availability.
Half a million homes waiting to be built
New research published in January revealed there is a record 475,647
homes in England, which have been given planning permission, but
have yet to be built.
The study, commissioned by the Local Government Association
and carried out by industry experts Glenigan, shows this bumper
backlog has grown at a rapid pace over the past few years.
In 2012/13, the total of unimplemented planning permissions was
381,390 and in 2013/14 it was 443,265.
The LGA said that the figures underline the need for councils to be
able to invest in building more homes and also for the skills
shortage affecting the construction industry to be addressed.
The UK's first private housing scheme for
family renters in Greenwich
An innovative private rental scheme is set to create a strong sense
of community for family renters in Greenwich, while new rental
options across London offer fair contracts and more.
“The buildings are built for rent and managed professionally onsite,”
says Quentin Keeble, director of developer Essential Living.
About 50,000 private sector rental homes are in the pipeline.
These new landlord companies aim to provide a “branded” service
so renters know in advance what they will get — fair, flexible and
transparent contracts, on-site property maintenance, free Wi-Fi and
super-fast broadband, furniture packs and a porter supervised
building.
Typically, rents start at £250 a week and rise to more than £600 a
week for townhouses for sharers and families.
A similar organization, Fizzy Living - an offshoot of Thames Valley
Housing - has unveiled schemes in Stepney Green, Lewisham,
Poplar and Finchley. It targets the Facebook generation and markets
properties through social media rather than estate agents.
Tenants log into their account via an intranet site, giving them
access to phone, TV and broadband packages, furniture options
and links to local businesses offering deals and discounts. Potential
sharers are able to post their profile on the sharers’ forum. Longerterm
tenancies — up to five years — are available at reduced rates.
January 2O15 issue 8955 refurb| RENEW 07