News Archive - Jul 2008 - Buildstore

Two economists from the Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) have expressed very different views about how the body should proceed in th...

The government''s eco-towns plans took another blow when housing minister Caroline Flint faced a hostile reception from those opposed to the plans as ...

Ministers have shortlisted 36 housing developments for a possible share of a £200 million pot to help them integrate new homes with the creation ...

The latest Nationwide House Price index has recorded the largest fall yet seen in UK house prices. In its July monthly figures the lender recorded a ...

A recently-announced government scheme to help first-time buyers onto the housing ladder may not deliver the right kind of housing, it has been stated...

The interim Crosby report into the state of the UK mortgage market has come in for criticism from industry members who believe that it does not go...

The National Insulation Association (NIA) has said that the present time is a very good one to fit insulation, because of rising fuel costs. Speaking...

New figures from the bank of England have revealed that the mortgage market has declined further. During June the number of loans to buy homes fe...

New build homes are better when it comes to saving energy and lowering household fuel bills, a housing firm has stated. Persimmon Homes said that the...

A new survey has shown that as many as 36 per cent of the population believe they will never own their own home. The study by price comparison site ...

Nine out of ten Britons still desire to own their homes, despite the current economic and mortgage market climate that is making it hard to do so an...

The latest Land Registry house price index has revealed a further drop across England and Wales. Figures from the body for June showed that there w...

Property firm Badger Holdings has renewed its plea for government action to boost the UK housing market. Managing director of the company Tony Addi...

The housing market will soon see a return to fast-rising prices, a new report has predicted. A report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) has sa...

Self build initiatives are one way to get around green living without paying service charges. The alternative is to fork out as much as £500 a...

A disabled man in Scotland can finally make plans for independent living after the Scottish government overturned refusals to build a self-contained f...

A new report proposing to tackle property unaffordability in rural areas has received the backing of the National Housing Federation (NHF). The rec...

Housing minister Caroline Flint has set out rigorous new standards to ensure eco-towns maintain a high level of environmental commitment. Among the r...

The government should look again at its decision not to take on board economist Kate Barker''s proposals that that chief planning officer ought to be ...

Most of the members of the Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) opted for an interest rate hold in July, the minutes of its meeting have...

People living in the Gwynedd area of Wales are being hit by rising house prices meaning it is more difficult for them to pay for the general cost of l...

Fresh guidance drawn up in a bid to enhance the overall safety of homes in terms of fire hazards has been praised by the National Landlords Associatio...

Current economic pressures have meant that a housing fair set to take place in Scotland has now been delayed. A number of eco-homes were due to be sh...

The Conservative MP for Basingstoke Maria Miller has hit out at changes made by the government to house planning in the area. Ms Miller said that the...

A new report has suggested that rural villages will be populated only by wealthy people unless greater efforts are made to build cheaper homes. The a...

Bank of England monetary policy committee (MPC) Member David Blanchflower has issued an urgent appeal for interest rates to be reduced. In an intervi...

Those looking to renovate a home should consider installing a green boiler as one of the measures that can improve energy efficiency, the National Lan...

A new row has emerged over the government''s home information pack scheme (Hips) after a fresh pledge by the Conservatives to abolish it if they win t...

A new survey has revealed how the lack of affordability in the south-west of England is a major problem, particularly for younger people, according to...

Property prices decreased by two per cent year-on-year in July, according to a fresh report released by Rightmove. And the value of homes also dipp...

Homes in traditional market towns are unlikely to be affected greatly by the credit crunch, it has been suggested. According to the Halifax, 67 per c...

Government changes made to housing plans in the Oxfordshire area have been met with opposition from councillors there. Leader of Oxfordshire county c...

Housing development may be speeded up after a fresh £510 million housing package was announced by the government. The Housing and Planning Del...

Plans for a controversial eco town near Cambridge could be shelved after the main landowner this week refused to sell to developers . Medical resear...

A committee of MPs has called on the government to provide extra cash to increase the energy efficiency of commercial properties. In its report thi...

Increasing home security should be further up property owners'' lists of priorities, according to Virgin Money. The company fears people are more p...

Landlords who boost the energy efficiency of their properties could be rewarded with longer-lasting tenants, experts claim. According to the National...

A plan to build new homes in a small town in the Scottish Highlands will include opportunities for self build , it was announced this week. Deve...

The government has been accused of a u-turn on promises to bring more empty homes back into use and of substituting instead a policy concentrating ent...

New government proposals to help people into home ownership have been criticised as being limited and of little use to most. Yesterday housing minist...

A member of the Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) has hinted that the body should not be planning to cut rates any time soon. Speaki...

Housing minister Caroline Flint has announced new plans to help increase home ownership in Britain, but they have been criticised for not going far en...

A new survey has found that many estate agents believe the value of houses can be linked to the proximity of hospitals. The study by findaproperty....

Estate agents in Preston have revealed that a fall in house prices has led to landlords buying up a number of homes. The mini-boom has seen a large...

The government has revealed its Regional Spatial Strategy plan for the north-east of England, including new housing plans. In the plan, which covers ...

A new survey has shown that most self builders are moving ahead with their self build and renovation plans. The Buildstore poll of 500 such buil...

The number of housing transactions has fallen again, providing more evidence that the property market is still in decline. Figures from the Royal I...

Hopes of an early interest rate cut may have been dealt a major blow with news that the consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation has jumped by ha...

The affordability of homes is on course to go on falling, it has been predicted. A report by Professor Michael Ball, Professor of Urban and Property...

An opinion poll of estate agents has found that the majority believe the house price dip will be over a year from now. The survey, carried out by A...

Opponents of a proposed eco town in Norfolk have sought to step-up their campaign against the proposals, it has been reported. Paul Thomas, a campaig...

A BBC poll has revealed that a lack of affordable homes is the biggest problem the countryside faces. The ICM poll for the Country File programme fou...

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable has said that UK house prices are now in "freefall". Mr Cable made his comments in response...

The prognosis for the UK building industry is getting worse, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). In its latest quarterly survey t...

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has urged the government to take more action to help those trying to get on the housing ladder. Re...

A new report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has said that the upfront costs of buying a home are now beyond the means of lower...

In plans that could form a template for similar projects elsewhere, a council in the south of England is considering proposals to refurbish empty exis...

The Bank of England''s monetary policy committee has announced that it has decided to hold the base rate at five per cent. At noon today the MPC reve...

There is a danger that the government''s methods of achieving its target of building three million new homes by 2020 could be too uniform and not take...

House price falls could last for another six to 12 months, the majority of estate agents questioned in a new survey by Abbey stated. However, while...

Homes in the UK need to be built in a more environmentally-friendly fashion in years to come, it has been claimed. A research team from Oxford Unive...

The burgeoning number of people looking to construct their own home is helping the self build market buck depressed property trends. While a shri...

European Commission plans to reduce VAT rates on renovation and maintenance work spell good news for homeowners hoping to undertake self build or ...

Investors in second homes should be prevented from purchasing properties in proposed new eco towns, an expert suggests. According to the chief execut...

House prices in London are growing, despite the economic slowdown and the recent credit crunch, new figures show . Data from the latest Chesterton P...

A leading economist forecasts that the UK''s base rate of interest will remain fixed at five per cent until 2009. Ross Walker, an economist at the Ro...

The government is going to make millions out of taxes as a result of soaring energy prices, it has been claimed. According to the Cut the VAT campaig...

Plots of land in Newquay are in high demand, according to one local estate agent in the area. Talking to the Guardian, director of estate agents ...

Financial markets experts forecast that the Bank of England''s monetary policy committee (MPC) will opt to keep the base rate on hold at its two-day m...

A shadow has been cast over proposals to ring in an eco town in the Leeds area. Although shortlisted by the government as a possible site for an ec...

Many British homeowners are looking to become more energy efficient and lessen their affect on the environment, a new survey has revealed. Conducted ...

A government scheme designed to try and offer the housing market a lift in some areas of the country has come in for criticism. Pathfinder was creat...

New research released has claimed that a high number of people in the UK would welcome the creation of eco towns. The study, which was unveiled by ho...

Homeowners who live in an area that is prone to flooding should ensure they fit defences to protect the property from such an event, an insurance ...

The construction of new homes has plummeted by the fastest rate in more than ten years, a new survey has concluded. A study the Royal Institution of...

Housing minister Caroline Flint has announced the introduction of a new scheme aiming to boost the market and increase the building of affordable home...

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has backed comments criticising government policy towards housebuilding by Conservative shadow housing ministe...

People in the Cumbrian town of Ulverston could be set to use self build as a way of getting on the housing ladder. Local organiser Geoff Dellow has...

The self build industry is withstanding the credit crunch much better than other parts of the housing sector, it has been suggested. Raymond Conno...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has proposed a series of changes to the stamp duty system, labelling the current structure as bein...