Londonâs most run down housing estates are set to receive more than £100 million of funding. Around £77 million in funding has been promised to kick start a programme of estate and area regeneration thatâs currently ‘stalledâ by the credit crisis, while a further £55 million will be invested to reduce homelessness, provide larger family
The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee met this morning and cut interest rates by 0.25 per cent from 5.5 per cent to 5.25 per cent, in an attempt to stimulate the economy. Shelter chief executive, Adam Sampson, has urged lenders to make sure cash-strapped homeowners benefit. ‘It will mean nothing if mortgage lenders fail
Key workers can’t afford homes in seven out of ten UK towns, according to Halifax research reported in papers including The Independent. The National Audit Office is investigating housing market renewal pathfinders to see if they offer value for money, reports Inside Housing. A report for the Commission for Racial Equality says racial tension is
The slump in house prices eased slightly in November according to the Nationwide’s index. Compared with October’s fall of 1.3 per cent, this month’s price drop of 0.4 per cent ‘moderated significantly’ recent price falls; however, compared with last November’s figures, house prices were down 13.9 per cent. The average house price is now £25,000
House building targets to build three million new homes by 2020 are ‘under threat’ or ‘very, very challenging’ because of the credit crunch according to the director of housing and planning at Communities and Local Government; while new housing minister Margaret Beckett has rejected calls in parliament for the government to embark on a new
Diversity should be at the heart of the development process, and local authorities should look again at the different ways in which people experience buildings and places. New research from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) argues that planning and architecture professionals need to mirror the diversity of the society they serve,
If you needed further confirmation of the continuing slowdown in the house market it has come from the Land Registry. On Friday, it reported that property prices fell by 0.2 per cent during April, taking the annual rate of house price inflation down from 3.6 to 2.7 per cent. It was the eighth month in
The Sunday papers, including the Observer and Independent, were full of speculation about a downturn in the housing market and whether the Bank of England will increase interest rates again when it meets on Wednesday. The number of people taking out mortgages of more than 30 years has doubled in the last two years, according
Advice commissioned by the Local Government Association suggests the government plan for eco-towns may be vulnerable to a legal challenge. Council leaders are calling for a rethink, after advice said the plan would be ‘promoting a policy and process which would be inherently flawed’. The advice added that using policy statements to promote eco-towns is
A growing number of older people are being denied proper access to housing choice according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF). Housing minister Margaret Beckett has been urged to ensure that older people are not forgotten in favour of first-time buyers and homeowners as the housing market crisis continues. The HBF said that significant social