Local authorities thwart housebuilding with ‘manifestly unfair’ council tax raid on developers Property Cash-strapped local authorities across Britain are thwarting efforts to increase housebuilding by hitting property developers with steep council tax bills as soon as their homes are listed as complete, an influential industry body has warned. In a paper shared with City PM, the boss of the Home Builders Federation (HBF) accused local councils of slapping [...]
Is housebuilding in London impossible? Property After its 900-home development in Peckham was blocked, housebuilder Berkeley said it can “no longer invest” in London. Felix Armstrong asks whether development in the capital really has hit a brick wall At the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, south London, shoppers are met with graffitied walls, peeling paint and shuttered retail units. The site began [...]
Sluggish economy spooks small housebuilders Property Small and medium (SME) housebuilders are being put off from investing in new projects by the UK’s economy and housing market, according to a new report. As many as 70 per cent of SME building firms said current market conditions are reducing their appetite for starting new sites and a quarter expect to cut back [...]
£9bn in housing funds sit idle in council accounts March 1, 2026 More than £9bn in developer contributions earmarked for schools, transport, healthcare and affordable housing is sitting unspent in council bank accounts, according to new research. A freedom of information survey by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) estimates that £6.6bn in Section 106 payments and £2.2bn raised through the community infrastructure levy (CIL) remain unspent. Of [...]
