Daily News: 23/04/2025
Macquarie Asset Management, on behalf of Phoenix Group, has provided £235m in long-term financing to Westminster City Council to acquire over 350 temporary accommodation properties in central London. Macquarie
Salford City Council has approved its Housing Allocation Policy for 2025–2028 to ensure a consistent and equitable approach to allocating social rented housing based on local needs. Meanwhile, HACT has launched a new collaborative R&D programme across the social housing sector, backed by over 20 leading organisations, aiming to drive innovation and knowledge sharing. Salford City Council, Scottish Housing News
The Scottish Government has launched a market engagement exercise for a £50m public sector heat decarbonisation framework, seeking industry input ahead of the re-letting process. Onward Homes’ 139-home Crewe scheme at Signaller’s Croft is back on track with Lovell as the new contractor following delays caused by Lane End’s administration in 2023. Additionally, Aviva Investors has forward-funded 133 single-family homes in Wixams, Bedfordshire, in partnership with Packaged Living, continuing their focus on sustainable residential investment. Construction News (register), Place North West, and Aviva Investors
Acheson Construction’s collapse in February left suppliers and subcontractors £8.5m out of pocket, administrators have confirmed. In addition, eleven companies within the ISG group, including its UK holding firm, have gone into liquidation rather than administration. Construction Enquirer, Construction News (register)
Tender prices for Scottish social housing fell by 4.9% in Q4 2024 compared to the previous quarter but were still 2.1% higher than in Q4 2023, according to the Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index. BCIS
The Scottish property lobby warns that proposed rent controls could hinder build-to-rent growth. Analysis by the Scottish Property Federation and Savills shows a 26% drop in build-to-rent homes under construction last year, signalling potential negative impacts. Housing Today (register)
Contractors are urging reforms to the Gateway 2 approvals process, saying delays are creating a bottleneck for high-rise residential developments. Construction Enquirer
The UK government plans to speed up major infrastructure projects-like clean energy, reservoirs, and railways-by up to a year through new reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. GOV.UK
A 350-unit mixed-use scheme in Ayr and a 300-home development in Melton Mowbray (minus affordable housing) have gained planning approval. In Rotherham, a national housebuilder proposed 231 homes on land removed from the greenbelt. Audley Group and Senior Living Investment Partners secured approval for 148 retirement flats at Brent Cross Town. An outline for 110 homes in Pagham, West Sussex, was approved, and a plan for 245 homes at Wynyard Park near Stockton was submitted, promising 850 jobs and £6.9m in retail spending. Scottish Housing News, Housing Today (register), Rotherham Business News, The Construction Index, Sussex World, and Darlington and Stockton Times