Insight
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Barometer June 2023: Is a slump in the housebuilding sector having a domino effect?
The housebuilding sector has had a tough year so far, if Marshall’s half-year results are anything to go by. The building products supplier reported a 30% drop in its profit before tax for the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2022, leading to it taking “decisive action” to save £9m a year. CEO Martyn Coffey blamed tough market conditions being “challenging” and announced that Marshalls had to axe around 250 jobs as a result. Commercial landscapers are also feeling the pinch; 60% are less confident this month than the same time last year. One commented:…
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Barometer May 2023: Are nurseries feeling the heat from the hosepipe bans?
There’s little change in confidence from last month, it would seem. Only 20% said they were feeling more confident, whilst the majority (60%) of respondents said they felt the same. This includes nurseries, despite 60% saying that their quotes were up from the previous month. It might be down to relief that there’s “no sign of a slow down” as one nursery put it, adding that their enquiries and orders are “still on the way up”. Nurseries are facing a series of ongoing challenges, though. There’s the incoming peat ban, which is a “big challenge for UK nurseries, with many…
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Barometer April 2023: Is high inflation continuing to take its toll?
The number of respondents more confident than last month has nosedived this week to just 19%. That’s not to say confidence has dipped, though; 67% said they feel the same as last month, and 44% reported feeling more confident then. As one domestic landscaper told us, “The industry is picking up.” They have experienced an “influx of new clients” recently, as well as existing clients wanting more work. A design and build company said that it “seems to be back to business as usual after an unusual and prolonged winter break,” with temperatures now starting to hit the late 20s…
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Barometer March 2023: Are garden designers feeling the pinch?
In the month of the King’s coronation, confidence had increased for nearly half (44%) of our respondents, up from 41% last month – not that the coronation had anything to do with it, as far as we know. And it’s unlikely the economy would have either. It remains smaller than pre-Covid levels by 0.5%, growing only 0.1% between January and March. And now, the Bank of England has increased interest rates to 4.5% in an attempt to put the break on rising prices. Read the full report here.
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Barometer February 2023: Could confidence rise along with temperatures?
It was starting to look as though confidence was growing as the year went on; from only 21% feeling more confident than the previous month back in January, to 27% in February, and jumping up to 50% in March. It’s now taken a bit of a tumble, though fortunately not back to the same level as the start of the year; 41% reported feeling more confident compared to last month. Only 9%, though, reported feeling more confident than the same time last year. “Overall spend is down,” says one design and build company. “Anyone in the middle of a construction…
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Barometer January 2023: Has the cost-of-living crisis hit the landscaping industry?
It was bound to take its toll eventually. Since 2021, the cost-of-living crisis has been a constant cloud hanging over the heads of UK consumers. And despite the news that Britain’s inflation rate could drop to below 2% by the end of the year–having reached a 41-year high of 11.1% last October – the landscaping industry is starting to feel the pinch. A trend of “phasing work” has appeared, says one domestic landscaper, “so that people can save funds for unknowns such as fuel bills and mortgage rises.” They added that more clients are now paying by credit card than…
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“Stuttering” UK infrastructure could lead to missed economic and net zero goals
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said that the last year has seen UK infrastructure delivery “stutter further just as the need for acceleration has heightened” and that “in a range of areas, the government is off track to meet its targets and ambitions”. The NIC has published its Infrastructure Progress Review 2023 and has called for the government to make fewer, bigger and better-targeted initiatives to deliver the infrastructure needed to reach its long-term net zero and economic goals. It believes that “infrastructure is a key part of the solution” to reaching net zero because the climate is primarily…
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‘One million tradespeople can’t afford to run their vehicles’
Last week’s Budget saw the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt unveiling plans to maintain the 5p cut in fuel duty for a further 12 months as inflation remains high – saving the average driver £100 next year. Whilst the freeze in fuel duty is a much-needed measure for tradespeople, Fix Radio, the UK’s only radio station dedicated to tradespeople, reveals a landmark study analysing other obstacles the industry is facing such as plans to increase the ULEZ to greater London and the ‘Transit Tax’. News of the expansion to the ULEZ in London, which is due to be enforced from August 29th,…
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£1.1bn in social value delivered across UK construction industry in H1 2022
New research has revealed that the UK construction industry delivered £1.1bn of social and local economic value in the first half of 2022, providing a 30.33% return on investment. Published by public sector procurement authority Scape, the new report highlights how social value delivery is evolving and becoming more sophisticated across the construction industry. A total of 520 construction contracts with a combined total value of £3.6bn and ranging from £12,000 to £130m, were analysed to establish the scale and scope of social value delivery across the UK. The findings show that ROI is up by more than 10% compared…
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UK Landscape Barometer: December 2022 findings
This month, the barometer has brought to light some positive news: confidence is on the rise from last month, and enquiries and turnover from December 2022 are either the same or on the up from the previous year. With spring around the corner, could the rise in the confidence this February compared to January be an indication of a spring market boost? This February saw 29% of respondence claim that they felt more confident (graph below) which is 12% more that the 17% we saw in January. Despite this jump being lower than last year and in 2021 – when…
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BMF confirms Mike Tattam as commercial director
Mike Tattam has been appointed commercial director for the Builders Merchants Federation with effect from 1 April 2023. Tattam has a career spanning over 35 years working with manufacturer brands in senior commercial roles. He brings experience across heavyside and lightside sectors, and with national and independent merchants as well as specialist stockists and buying groups. Tattam joined the BMF in August 2022 in an interim capacity to recruit and develop a new regional team and introduce initiatives to grow membership and enhance value to existing members. BMF CEO, John Newbomb says: “I am extremely pleased that Mike is joining…
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Plans revealed for transformation of 40-acre site
The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) unveiled its draft plan to bring the wonder back to Earls Court. The redevelopment aims to reinstate the 40-acre site in Zone 1 London as a destination for entertainment, innovation, and excitement. The plan would deliver up to 4500 homes. The landscape-led development aims to go beyond net zero and become a climate-positive neighbourhood. Rob Heasman, CEO of ECDC said: “We want to create a place which reinstates wonder in this incredible part of London. We will help to create a more inclusive and equitable piece of the city with homes for all incomes…
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268 new homes in Thornton approved by Sefton Council
Eighty affordable homes will be delivered as part a new housing development approved by Sefton Council. The scheme, by Barret and David Wilson Homes North West, will see 268 new homes in Thornton with development of the site expected to begin in summer 2023. The site is allocated for housing in the Sefton Local Plan, which sets out how new developments will be managed in the period from 2015 to 2030. Outline planning permission was granted in January 2020. Since then, the developer Barratt and David Wilson Homes North West has created detailed plans for the site in consultation with…
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New housing minister announced – the sixth this year
Rachel Maclean has been named as the new housing minister, becoming the 15th since the Conservative Party came into power and the sixth housing minister this year. Maclean was confirmed as the Minister of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle. She replaces Lucy Frazer, who has been announced as the new secretary for culture, media and sport. Rachel Maclean tweeted earlier today: “Delighted to be appointed as Minister in @luhc. Looking forward to a new challenge, tackling one of the defining issues the government faces. I start…
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UK Landscape Barometer: November 2022 findings
As the new year begins 17% of our respondents have reported an increase in confidence. Despite this increase being only 1% more than the previous month, this could suggest a positive start to the year, despite an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the loss of two large commercial landscaping companies towards the end of last year (read more on page 83). We are also seeing many respondents reporting increases in other areas of their business for the trading month of November 2022. Take projects, for example; 20% of respondents reported an increase and 50% are reporting that there has been no…
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Tamworth Borough Council appoints Speller Metcalfe as delivery partner
Tamworth Borough Council has achieved a significant milestone in plans to transform Tamworth town centre by appointing Speller Metcalfe as delivery partner. The construction firm will now work alongside Tamworth Borough Council to deliver the ambitious plans for the government funded Future High Streets project. The next stage of the project will see a detailed costed work programme developed to deliver: A new Enterprise Centre in the original 19th Century former Co-operative building on Colehill. The Middle Entry renovations which will see the walkway roof removed and some vacant units demolished to be replaced by a new flexible, multi-use building for…
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Housing minister confirms final extension of Help to Buy practical completion deadline
Housing minister, Lucy Frazer has granted an extension to the practical completion deadline for Help to Buy transactions in England by six weeks. The minister confirmed the extension in a letter to the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) executive chairman, Stewart Baseley on Thursday evening (26 January 2023). The update follows HBF’s contact with Homes England and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), alerting them to a small number of plots that would struggle to meet the 31 January ‘First Longstop’. While expressing disappointment that the additional forbearance is required in these small number of cases, the minister has…
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£43m in government support for Darlington’s new Burtree Garden Village
Thousands of new homes will be built in a new garden village in Burtree, Darlington, thanks to £43m government funding announced by Homes England on 26 January. Burtree Garden Village is set to create a new sustainable community of 2000 homes and state-of-the-art facilities that will help more people into homeownership, while also providing affordable homes and accommodation for older people. Homes England has today announced £43m to fund vital infrastructure for the new village – including new highways, sustainable travel links, and a public park and nature reserve, which will eventually cover almost half of the 307-acre site. The…
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PfP Capital acquires igloo Regeneration
Aligned experience, purpose and values will service significant demand for PfP Capital’s end to end sustainable development and investment capabilities. PfP Capital, the social value and ESG-focused real estate fund manager, which is part of the UK’s leading social enterprise £5Bn Places for People, has acquired the UK’s first real estate B-Corp accredited organisation, and award-winning development manager, igloo Regeneration. PfP Capital and igloo have been working together since 2018 through a successful joint venture partnership formed following Places for People’s acquisition of the igloo Regeneration Fund’s joint venture holdings and development pipeline. PfP Capital’s acquisition of igloo will enable…
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Balfour Beatty secures c.£90m Fife College campus contract
Balfour Beatty today announces that it has been awarded a c.£90m contract by Fife College for the design and construction of a new learning campus in Dunfermline, Scotland. Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the delivery of three interlinking buildings spanning over 20,000m2, which will house state-of-the-art teaching facilities and learning spaces for students, staff and business clients. As part of its commitment to leaving a lasting, positive legacy for the communities in which it operates, Balfour Beatty has committed to 50% of its workforce being made up of people from the local, surrounding area. Once complete, the campus will…
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Wates to build 334 new mixed-tenure homes in Barking and Dagenham
Wates has been appointed by Be First to build 334 new homes as part of an £874m regeneration of the Gascoigne Estate in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. This will be the third project Wates has undertaken for Be First in the area, having recently completed 201 homes at Gascoigne West Phase 1. The £142m Gascoigne East Phase 3B scheme will provide 277 apartments, 46 houses and 11 maisonettes as well as new public spaces connecting pedestrian and public transport links, centred around a garden square at the east of the site, as well as delivering £30m in social value to…
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Living Wall industry launches Best Practice Guidance to allow architects to specify with confidence
The Living Wall industry has launched a Best Practice Guide for designers, specifiers and architects to provide clarity on the latest National Building Regulations. On 1 June 2022 the government introduced a new framework to further strengthen and clarify building regulations and fire risk guidance as part of wider reforms to building safety. National legislation now clearly determines the building types where external cladding can be used, which includes Living Wall installations. This means that residential dwellings above 11m high where people sleep are no longer compliant, but all other building types are. In response, the Living Wall industry’s two…
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Kier Construction appoints new head of sustainability
Kier has appointed Anna Baker as head of sustainability for its Construction business. This latest appointment builds on the Group’s newly formed Responsible Business team and underlines its commitment to sustainably delivering infrastructure which is vital to the UK. Anna will be responsible for delivering Kier Construction’s targets as part of the Group’s Building for a Sustainable World. These include achieving net zero carbon across business operations by 2039, eliminating avoidable waste by 2035, the delivery of 30p in every £ of impactful social value, and helping customers deliver on their sustainability targets, working with them to co-create sustainability solutions. Prior to joining Kier,…
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UK Landscape Barometer: October 2022 findings
There has been a steady fall in enquires this year, similar to that of the lack of confidence in the industry. However, as the year comes to a close, we are seeing 6% of our respondents gain confidence in just one month (from 10% of respondents feeling more confident in November 2022 to 16% in December 2022). Enquiries are also slowly going up, with 27% of respondents reporting an increase in enquiries in October 2022, compared to 16% in August. One respondent commented that “since the economic turmoil of the mini budget has subsided, enquiries and conversions have increased again…
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“Legislate for eco development now” urges Langley new build lead
Recently appointed new build lead at the Langley Group, Simon Griffiths is calling on the government to urgently legislate for all new developments to feature at least one green or sustainable element. Langley’s calls follow an Autumn Statement which saw the government pledge to invest in the country’s energy efficiency and make a renewed commitment to a 68% reduction in UK emissions by 2030 as agreed at COP26. Describing the number of empty roofs in the country as “a wasted opportunity for our planet and our wellbeing” Griffiths suggests that all new buildings should wherever possible be fitted with at…
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