What the Papers Say

Each week Homebuilding & Renovating scours the papers for all the latest self-build, renovation and property news, so you don't have to.

Self-builders begin to assemble The Ark (cambridge-news.co.uk, 8th July 2010)
Church followers have started work on a new building which will be one of the largest self-build projects in the UK.

Tackling 'garden grabbing' will not help housing supply, warns FMB (ratedpeople.com, 10th June 2010)
The government's move to end "garden grabbing" by developers will do nothing to address the urgent need to deliver more affordable housing, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said.

Prescott and Goldsmith clash over 'garden grabbing' (bbc.co.uk, 9th June 2010)
Councils in England are to be given new powers to prevent the building of homes in gardens - so-called "garden-grabbing" - if local people object. In a heated discussion, the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and former Deputy Prime minister John Prescott, debated the coalition's plans.

Self-build & home improvement on the up (themovechannel.com, 18th May 2010)
Interest in both self build and home improvement continues to grow, according to a recent survey from The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show...

Flatpack and fabulous: Could a do-it-yourself kit hold the answer to a chic designer home at a reduced rate? (independent.co.uk, 14th May 2010)
The popular vision of a self-built home is one oozing with flamboyant design and unique eccentricities, à la Grand Designs - and with a price tag as high as its vaulted ceiling. But now, there are homes with striking architectural flair available to those with more limited means thanks to the arrival of the self-build kit home.

Radical new sustainable house build completed in UK (clickgreen.org.uk, 2nd May 2010)
A radical new type of sustainable house is set to change the course of British home-building forever after the completion of a new-build house, which uses 90 per cent less energy for heating than a standard home and promises heating costs of around £75 a year - without the need for microgeneration or renewables.

Housing: Where do the main Political Parties stand? (mondaq.com, 30th April 2010)
With the general election only a matter of days away, this briefing looks at what the three main political parties have proposed for the housing sector in their recent policy statements and election manifestos.

Election 2010: Which party is best for your mortgage? (thisismoney.co.uk, 17th April, 2010)
Are you voting for zero stamp duty, more affordable housing or protected mortgages? Find out which party manifesto is as safe as houses.

Dominic Stevens: 'Archtiecture is about making a society' (timesonline.co.uk, 8th April 2010)
The architect built his own eco-friendly house for €25,000, and he wants to tell you how you can do it too.

Green living or a hot new investment? Tariffs for solar panels pay eight per cent a year - at taxpayers' expense (dailymail.co.uk, 5th April, 2010)
Until last week, there was very little reason to stick expensive electricity-producing solar panels on your roof unless you passionately believed in joining the crusade against global warming. Now, however, there is a strong financial case to do so.

Budget 2010: Property industry has its say (whathouse.co.uk, 24th March 2010)
Chancellor Alistair Darling is today expected to announce that stamp duty will be ditched on home purchases up to £250,000 for first-time buyers. The news will go down well with the property industry, as stamp duty appears to be top of the housing agenda for most professionals working in the property business, according to What House? research.

Would you build your own home? (guardian.co.uk, 21st March 2010)
Cheap land prices and the recession mean that more and more people are donning hard hats and opting to self-build their own houses

UK amends building regulations to improve energy efficiency (energyefficiencynews.com, 15th March 2010)
The UK Government has issued amended building regulations, which will come into force in October this year, to improve the energy efficiency of new and refurbished homes.

Self-build market "more favourable" (aboutproperty.co.uk, 1st March 2010)
There is now a more favourable environment for self-build homes, according to one industry expert.

Hidden castle must be demolished, court rules (www.telegraph.co.uk, 3rd February 2010) A farmer who secretly built a castle hidden behind bales of straw has lost a High Court bid to save it from being demolished.

Government promises action to stop 'garden-grabbing' (news.bbc.co.uk, 19th January 2010) The government has promised to act against "garden-grabbing" by property developers, after a report showed it was a problem in many parts of England

Second award for architect (thisissouthdevon.co.uk, 6th January 2010)
Stan Bolt, the architect behind the controversial plans for a glass-fronted fish cafe at Babbacombe Downs has scooped a prestigious award.

Eco-village in Pembrokeshire hills wins £350k hub grant (bbc.co.uk, 21st December 2009)
An eco-village has won £350,000 for a centre for research, education and promotion of low-impact development.

NHF: Pre-Budget Report is missed opportunity to 'green' existing homes (24dash.com, 9th December 2009)
The National Housing Federation said today that the Chancellor had missed a key opportunity to slash the UK’s carbon emissions and reduce energy bills by failing to back a major programme of ‘greening’ more than 250,000 social homes in the Pre-Budget Report (PBR).

Listed building breaches lands man in court (www.planningportal.gov.uk, 4th December 2009)
A Twickenham man is £30,000 worse off after he admitted breaching listed building consent laws at Richmond Magistrates’ Court.

Welcome to the Self-building Boom (independent.co.uk, 2nd December 2009)
It’s so stressful it can lead to divorce – but do-it-yourself housing is more popular than ever, as an army of cost-conscious amateur builders construct their way out of recession.

Housing minister announces zero carbon standard (building.co.uk, 25th November 2009)
John Healey uses speech at UKGBC/Building sustainability conference to set minimum standard for zero carbon homes

Prime minister praises industry at RIBA anniversary bash (building.co.uk, 13th November 2009)
Gordon Brown applauded architects last night at a Downing Street reception

Cheryl Cole's underground swimming pool plans turned down (telegraph.co.uk, 22th October 2009)
Singer Cheryl Cole and her footballer husband Ashley Cole have had a plan for an underground swimming pool at their Surrey mansion rejected by the council.

Self-build awards: 15 houses are shortlisted (telegraph.co.uk, 15th October 2009)
Take a look at some of the houses shortlisted for this year's Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards.

Conservatives promise a "nation of home builders" (houses-builder.co.uk, 6th October 2009)
Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps today told the Conservative conference in Manchester that the party would create a "nation of homebuilders" if they won the next election.

People in blue houses most successful (telegraph.co.uk, 1st October 2009)
People living in blue houses are more successful than those living in homes painted any other colour, according to a new survey.

Planning permission extension arrangements clarified (planningportal.gov.uk, 24th September 2009)
The Government has announced that the power to extend the time limits for existing full planning permissions will apply to all eligible consents and not just those for major development.

Mortgages fall 13% in August (building.co.uk, 21st September 2009)
Figures from Council of Mortgage Lenders show a decline on lending in July but underlying lending has 'stabilised'

How to find value in novelty (The Times, 12th September 2009)
An update on the new rules for new-build

House prices rise for first time in two years, says Hometrack (building.co.uk, 1st September)
Survey reveals 0.1% increase in August despite 6.7% year-on-year fall

Pensioner's £67,000 power bill (bbc.co.uk, 27th August 2009)
A County Londonderry pensioner who has lived without electricity for 27 years has been told NIE will charge him £67,000 to link his home to the grid.

Architects more optimistic, says RIBA (building.co.uk, 24th August 2009)
July survey revealed fewer firms expected a decrease in workload than in the previous month, and 11% of practices expected staff levels to rise in next three months

Till self-building us do part (The Sunday Times 16th August 2009)
The stress of creating a grand design can be enough to ruin a relationship or kill your passion for the house

New homes are too small for everyday life, say residents (cabe.org.uk, 11th August 2009)
New homes do not provide enough space for everyday activities such as preparing food easily, having friends round for dinner, or even recycling

Housebuilders could be spared zero-carbon costs (building.co.uk, 7th August 2009)
UK-GBC proposal would see government-funded improvements repaid monthly by homeowners

Eco homes: large houses with small bills (The Daily Telegraph, 3rd August 2009)
How can a rambling pile keep its costs down?

New plant will make roof tiles from nappies (building.co.uk, 30th July 2009)
Birmingham recycling plant will turn plastic element of sanitary waste into building products

Top Gear star to build Lego house (bbc.co.uk, 25th July 2009)
Top Gear presenter James May is looking for volunteers to help him build a new house in Surrey - made entirely out of Lego bricks

Wales set to gain Building Regulations powers (planningportal.gov.uk, 23rd July 2009)
Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson has welcomed Parliamentary moves to transfer the power to make Building Regulations for buildings in Wales to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).

Mortgage lending rise to highest level in six months, says CML (The Daily Telegraph, 20th July 2009)
Mortgage lending rose to its highest level in six months, but experts remained cautious as quarterly figures were among the lowest in eight years.

Government unveils new low-carbon strategy (building.co.uk, 15th July 2009)
Growth of wind power and home insulation are among proposals aiming to meet 2020 targets on efficiency and emissions

Government to name 10 eco-town sites (building.co.uk, 14th July 2009)
First and second-wave towns to be announced on Thursday said to include sites in East Hampshire, Cornwall, Oxfordshire and Norfolk

Rusty shed must be saved for Britain's archaeological heritage (The Daily Telegraph, 10th July 2009)
A tin lifeboat station which is rusting away is an important part of Britain's archaeological heritage and must be saved, conservation chiefs have ruled.

English Heritage attacks Part L proposals (building.co.uk, 10th July 2009)
English Heritage is likely to oppose proposals to bring historic buildings up to modern energy efficiency standards when they are refurbished

Sold to the highest blogger (The Sunday Times, 5th July 2009)
The web is changing the way we sell our homes. Does this spell the end for estate agents?

English planning applications down 30 per cent (Planning Portal, 2nd July 2009)
The number of planning applications received by district planning authorities in England was some 30 per cent lower in the March quarter of 2009 than a year ago, according to latest figures compiled under the auspices of the UK Statistics Authority.

Property market: buyers regain enthusiasm for auctions (The Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2009)
The proportion of properties successfully sold at auction soared by nearly two-thirds during the past month as buyers began to return to the property market, new figures show.

RIBA announces new chief executive (building.co.uk, 30th June 2009)
Harry Rich, former deputy chief executive of the Design Council, takes on executive leadership of Institute

Property latest: Modernism — it’s so last year (The Sunday Times, 28th June 2009)
‘Britain’s best home’ is proving hard to sell. Have cutting-edge designs have lost their appeal?

Energy efficiency in homes overseas: sun lovers get the green light (telegraph.co.uk, 22nd June 2009)
Expatriates can keep costs down by being more energy efficient.

Government reneges on home improvement proposals (building.co.uk, 19th June 2009) Plan to make energy efficiency improvements compulsory when building extensions has been dropped from consultation.

Government: new homes and buildings must be 25% greener (building.co.uk, 18th June 2009)
Healey proposes changes to building regs to improve energy efficiency after October 2010

Consumer confidence grows in housing market (The Daily Telegraph, 17th June 2009)
Consumers' confidence in the housing market is increasing, with nearly half of people expecting prices to rise during the coming year, research showed.

Why it pays to use an architect (The Sunday Times, 14th June 2009)
Before starting to build your own home, or carrying out extensive renovation work, you’ll need to turn to a design professional — someone with the right credentials and experience.

The new breed of project manangers (The Sunday Times, 14th June 2009)
Amateur renovators are finding their services in demand, giving the building professionals a run for their money.

Developers ‘grab’ gardens to build new homes (The Times, 12th June 2009)
The designation of gardens as brownfield land is splitting communities and leading to fears of overdevelopment.

Basement conversions: down under (The Daily Telegraph, 10th June 2009)
Nicole Kidman was after one, London's super-rich are digging them, and families needing more space are choosing them as an option. Basements are all the rage – but building your own comes at a price.

House prices on the rise, says government (building.co.uk, 10th June 2009) Communities department figures reveal that the average price of a house rose 1.1% during April

Buildings at risk just need some love (The Sunday Times, 7th June 2009)
The country is awash with neglected ruins and forgotten architectural gems. A little TLC can work wonders.

Major planning authority signals move back to five-year permissions (Planning Portal, 4th June 2009)
England's largest planning authority says it could extend its time limit on planning permissions from three years to five, providing a "reasonable case" is made when the application is submitted.

The bottom in UK house prices is no bottom at all (The Daily Telegraph 3rd June 2009)
It is still too soon to call the bottom for UK house prices.

Plumbers most likely to offer green advice (building.co.uk, 2nd June 2009)
More than eight in 10 plumbers would offer advice on environmental efficiency, says new survey.

New build initiatives for first-time buyers (The Times, 31st May 2009)
Mactaggart and Mickel, Miller Homes and Stewart Milne list deals on sales websites and there's government help with Lift.

Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2009: the Grand Designs effect (The Telegraph, 28th May 2009)
Angela Pertusini introduces this year’s quest to find Britain’s best self-build house.

A Regency home gets an eco makeover (The Guardian, 27th May 2009)
It once belonged to Graham Greene's widow, but Grove House's new owner, Polly McLean, has given it an eco renovation that retains the house's magic while cutting its carbon footprint.

A hands-on revolution (The Financial Times, 22nd May 2009) According to the UK's National Self Build Association, the phenomenon appears to be most common in European locales.

Countryside campaigners in bid to review land-use planning (planningportal.gov.uk, 14th May 2009)
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is poised to establish a commission to review land-use planning in England.

Prince Charles apologises for starting architectural feud (building.co.uk, 13th May 2009)
Prince tells RIBA audience he regrets remarks of 25 years ago but then continues his attack on modernism

New buyer enquiries hit 10-year high (building.co.uk, 12th May 2009)
RICS data shows more than four in 10 surveyors saw enquiries rise in April

Top architects urge boycott of Prince Charles speech (building.co.uk, 11th May 2009)
Stirling prize winners Alsop and Wilkinson among those urging architects not to attend RIBA speech

Eco homes: Going green plus self-build equals mortgage (The Telegraph, 7th May 2009)
Matthew Borowieki demolished his bungalow and built himself an eco home in next to no time. Sarah Lonsdale reports on how green self-builders are winning the support of both planning authorities and the money lenders.

House prices fall to 2004 levels (The Guardian, 6th May 2009)
The average house price has fallen to £154,716, the level it was at five years ago, according to the Halifax house price index.

Housing affordability is the best for six years (The Telegraph, 4th May 2009)
The house price to earnings ratio - a key affordability measure - is lower now than it has been for more than six years.