Lucy Frazer out as housing minister
Lucy Frazer is leaving her post as housing minister at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to become the secretary of state for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as part of prime minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle.
True owners of 52,000 properties still unknown as overseas firms shirk transparency laws
The true owners of around 52,000 properties in the UK are still shrouded in mystery after thousands of offshore companies failed to comply with new transparency laws.
Countryside Properties buys Derbyshire land to build 265 homes
Developer Countryside Partnerships has acquired a 25-acre site in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, from public body Homes England to build 265 homes.
Pye appointed Montagu Evans’ head of sustainability
Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has appointed Oliver Pye as head of sustainability.
Compulsory purchase laws review launched
The Law Commission of England and Wales is launching a review of laws on land acquisition and compensation in compulsory purchase schemes to understand whether they are fit for future development projects.
Retailer M&Co to close all 170 stores
Troubled clothing retailer M&Co will close all its 170 stores by April after administrator Teneo Financial Advisory failed to find a buyer for its physical assets.
Faithful+Gould and BDP to plan last phase of Liverpool’s Kings Dock
Regeneration of Liverpool’s Kings Dock is set to enter its final stage after the city’s council appointed Faithful+Gould as development manager and BDP as architect to create a mixed-use development plan for the 7.6-acre waterfront site.
BTR, PBSA and later living should be exempt from Building Safety Levy, says BPF
The British Property Federation (BPF) has called on government to remove build-to-rent, purpose built student accommodation and later living homes from the Building Safety Levy.
House market rallies as prices stabilise in January
The house market seems to be rallying in response to the pressures of wider economic uncertainty, according to experts responding to the Halifax House Price Index, which revealed a period of stability in January.
Deloitte Crane Survey shows office construction levels fell in 2022
The number of office developments completed in Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester fell 13% in 2022 compared with 2021, according to the Deloitte Crane Survey.
M7 Capital supports office asset acquisition with £12.5m loan
M7 Capital has provided, on behalf of its UK debt fund TREC II, a circa £12.5m loan to VCM Global Asset Management to support the acquisition of Orchard Brae House in Edinburgh.
BA and GIC join forces with BlackRock on major King’s Cross Tribeca development
BlackRock Alternatives Real Estate has joined forces with British Airways’ pension scheme and Singaporean fund GIC to develop a major life sciences development, Tribeca King’s Cross.
New hope for UK gigafactory as Britishvolt set to be bought by Australian firm
An Australian firm has been named as the preferred bidder for car battery start-up Britishvolt, potentially rescuing its plans for a £3.8bn UK ‘gigafactory’ after it went into administration last month.
Former Avant boss reveals management team for housebuilding venture
Former Avant Homes boss Mark Mitchell has appointed Jeremy Gledhill as chief finance officer and Richard Hall as head of procurement at his new housebuilding venture Honey.
HUB and Bridges agree £108m deal to forward fund 500-home Leeds scheme
Developer HUB and impact investor Bridges Fund Management have signed a £108m forward-funding deal with Realstar to deliver 488 build-to-rent (BTR) homes in Leeds, renewing a partnership between the firms.
Innovation-led assets drive 68% leap in profit at Bruntwood
Bruntwood has reported its second best ever profit, at £75.2m, and a 10.7% jump in net asset value (NAV) for the year to the end of September.
