Planning and Housing

Manchester City Council set to deliver low-carbon affordable homes

26.03.20: Manchester City Council has announced today (Mar 26) that a partly-vacant brownfield site in the region is set for 100 low-carbon one and two bedroom apartments and 39 semi-detached family homes. The report, outlines that the 1.2ha of counc...

WMCA deal to deliver 10,000 high quality homes

13.03.20: The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday (Mar 12) that will lead to 10,000 high quality homes in the region. The partnership between the developers and the combined authority support t...

Manchester’s £51m bid success for Northern Gateway housing

13.03.20: Manchester City Council announced today (Mar 13) the successful bid for £51.6m from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to unlock key housing sites in Manchester’s Northern Gateway. Supported by the Greater Manche...

Leeds flyover bridge to get £30m transformation

12.03.20: A major flyover bridge in Leeds City Centre Is set for a £30m transformation project in May. Originally built in the late 1960s, the Regent Street Flyover will be replaced by a more modern structure to improve traffic flow on the key...

London Councils need ‘budget freedom’ to tackle homelessness

11.03.20: London boroughs are calling for more council freedom in today’s budget (Mar 11) to allow them to take control of the housing crisis in their region, by having the funds to build more affordable homes. Representative group London Counc...

Winners of £1.35m fund for 68 green spaces announced

03.03.20: The Communities Secretary has announced today (Feb 3) winners of a £1.35m fund to deliver green spaces in communities. The announcement, which coincides with World Wildlife Day, sets out 68 new Pocket Parks in every region of England....

Government announce design competition for homes of the future

02.03.20: Housing Minister Christopher Pincher has today (Feb 2) announced a new competition aimed at finding the best architects and designers to help deliver homes for the future. The most talented designers in industry are invited to submit their...

Multi-million pound WMCA deal to turn steelworks site into housing

02.03.20: The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has announced a multi-million pound investment to transform the former Caparo steelworks into local housing. A 252-home community will emerge from the derelict steelworks site in Walsall, turning...

West Lothian Council allocates £100m to housing stock

19.02.20: West Lothian Council has allocated £100m from its budget to increase and improve its housing stock over the next three years. Approved at a council meeting yesterday (Feb 19) the new investment will see over £55m spent on the cr...

Gov announces £90m fund to cut carbon emissions

18.02.20: A £90m funding package has been announced by government today (Feb 18) to tackle carbon emissions in industry and homes across the UK. Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has outlined the funding today, with £70m of it to include set...

Cost of new homes to be cut by a third under new scheme

07.02.20: Getting on the housing ladder has just been made more accessible thanks to an announcement today (Feb 7) from the Housing Secretary, outlining plans to cut the costs of some new homes by a third. The new scheme, First Homes, will encourage...

‘Affordable housing’ re-defined by the West Midlands

04.02.20: West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has drastically changed their approach to affordable housing and put home ownership within the reach of thousands more people in the area. WMCA is the first region in the UK to introduce its own local...

Ep. 6 - Housing from a Northern perspective, Tracy Harrison

31.01.20: Chief executive of Northern Housing Consortium, Tracy Harrison, joins us in the PSE Podcast room to discuss the housing sector from a Northern perspective. Tracy is a keen believer in fairer housing policies for the North and explains what servi...

Government green lights £1bn funding for SME builders

30.01.20: The Housing Secretary has confirmed financial support of £1bn to support small and medium sized builders to enter the housing market. Rt Hon Robert Henrick MP announced yesterday (Jan 29) that small and medium sized building firms wil...

Ep. 5 - Understanding the economic benefit of Social Value, Guy Battle

28.01.20: Chief executive of Social Value Portal, Guy Battle joins us in the studio for the fifth PSE podcast, giving us insight into the specific benefits that come from embedding social value into council commissioning and procurement. With hosts E...