Top stories this week *Housing and Regeneration Bill receives Royal Assent....read more *CLG publish updated cost estimates for Code for Sustainable Homes.....read more *East Midlands and South West RSS.....read more Mortgage fraud.....read more Friday, 25 July 2008Top stories this weekHousing and Regeneration Bill receives Royal Assent....read moreCLG publish updated cost estimates for Code for Sustainable Homes.....read moreEast Midlands and South West RSS.....read moreMortgage fraud.....read moreQuick LinksGovernment NewsEconomic NewsHousing Market NewsIndustry NewsEventsGovernment NewsHousing and Regeneration Bill receives Royal AssentThe Government's Housing and Regeneration Bill completed its passage through Parliament by receiving Royal Assent on 22 July. The Bill establishes the new Homes and Communities Agency (bringing together the functions of English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and some parts of CLG) and the Office for Tenants and Social Landlords (the new regulator of social housing). Among late amendments introduced by the Government is a legal definition of Community Land Trusts which campaigners for such trusts had been calling for.The Government published the Housing and Regeneration Act on 24 JulyView the Actto topCLG provide legislative backing for Community Land TrustsUnder an amendment to the Housing and Regeneration Bill this week, the Government has provided greater clarity for the establishment of new Community Land Trusts (CLTs) by setting out a legal definition for them. The aim of CLTs is to cut the cost of getting on the housing ladder with buyers (normally local people) only paying for the building, not the land which is vested in the Trust by the landowner. CLTs also encourage local residents and businesses to participate in and take responsibility for planning and delivering these development schemes.Housing Minister Iain Wright said:"We have to constantly look at new ways to meet the long-term demand for more homes. Community Land Trusts puts local communities at the centre stage of delivering the homes our first-time buyers and young families desperately need."They provide an opportunity to give people the practical tools to solve the problem of affordable housing in a way that is right for the community."Read more National clearing house for stock purchase by RSLsOne of the measures to assist the housing market announced earlier this month by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) was the establishment of a ‘National clearing house' via the Housing Corporation to facilitate the transfer of bulk packages of new housing stock of over 500 units from developers to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs). The new system is in addition to the standard bid assessment processes which currently apply for smaller volumes of stock, details of which are also included in a briefing note HBF has produced on the initiative.View the HBF briefing *(Member Only)*If you have forgotten your login to access member only information on the website please type your email address in the 'forgotten password' box on the website by clicking here. If you are still experiencing problems please contact rosie.hinchliffe@hbf.co.uk to topCLG publish updated cost estimates for Code for Sustainable HomesCommunities and Local Government has published updated benchmark estimates by Cyril Sweett of the costs involved in achieving different levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The report includes estimates for the cost of achieving Code Level 6 for a range of scenarios. Overall the report confirms that the costs of achieving the higher levels of the Code are substantial.View the report in full to topCLG Select Committee's ‘Planning matters' reportThe CLG Committee published a report on "Planning Matters - labour shortages and skills gaps" on 24 July. Within this the Committee voiced concerns that there is "significant risk that the major Government targets for housebuilding and regeneration will be missed because the system is unable to manage the volume or variety of tasks required between now and 2020." The Committee suggest two linked and chronic problems need to be addressed to prevent this, namely the drastic shortage of planning officers and the skills gap among those planners who remain in the system.In a press comment John Slaughter, director of external affairs at the Home Builders Federation said,"We support the CLG Committees central findings. Housing delivery and the creation of sustainable communities depend critically on there being sufficient planners with the right skills.""It is becoming a more demanding world for all of us but we have got to take the opportunity now to invest in the planning skills base for when the housing market recovers. To not do so would be folly and disrupt housing delivery for years to come." Download CLG ReportGovernment's progress report on Eco-townsHousing Minister Caroline Flint set out the Government's latest proposals on 24 July for challenging green standards for new housing and development as she unveiled a progress report on Eco-towns. Underlining the Government's objective that only the best quality schemes with very high sustainability standards should qualify for Eco-town status, the standards being developed are set to include:Achieving zero carbon status across all the town's buildings, including commercial and public buildings as well as homes - a significantly tougher threshold than any existing or agreed targets Allocating 40 per cent of land within the town to be green space, at least half of which should be open to the public as parks or recreation areas Providing a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing to provide more homes for social rent and assist those struggling to get on the housing ladder Creating more options for travel and reducing residents' reliance on the car to enable the majority of journeys to be made by sustainable transport, such as public transport, walking and cycling Ensuring a minimum of one job per house can be reached by sustainable transport to reduce dependence on the car Locating the average home within 10 minutes walk of frequent public transport and everyday neighbourhood services Raising the threshold for individual homes so that they must all achieve at least level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which includes standards for household waste recycling, construction waste, water efficiency measures and reduced pollution Caroline Flint, said: "These would be the toughest standards ever set out for new development and demonstrate that there will be no compromise on quality with Eco-towns.""We need to build more homes in this country, but given that housing contributes 27 per cent of our carbon emissions we must also take this opportunity to trial new ways of tackling climate change. In both cases, doing nothing is not an option." View progress report to topLiving Working Countryside review launched by Caroline FlintCaroline Flint also launched a report on 24 July calling for a fundamental shake-up of planning and affordable housing policy in rural areas. The Living Working Countryside is the independent report by Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro and St Austell, who was commissioned by the Prime Minister to conduct a review on how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing.The Housing Minister signalled that the Government agrees with the core principles of the report and will take further measures to boost rural enterprise and affordable housing. She welcomed specific recommendations to ensure that planning policy on economic development reflects the needs of rural areas, as well as Matthew Taylor's proposal for positive planning to ensure that larger settlements maximise sustainability and design quality.The Government reported that it is however yet to be convinced that a restriction of second homes would be either workable or deliver the intended benefits, when there are more innovative ways of providing the affordable housing rural communities need without limiting the rights of second home owners.Read moreDownload the Living, Working Countryside Report Conservative party launches Green Paper on training and apprenticeshipsDavid Cameron and David Willetts launched 'Building Skills, Transforming Lives' on 22 July, a Green Paper setting out plans for training and apprenticeships. Amongst these proposals is a massive expansion to funding of the provision of apprenticeships - £775m set aside to support apprentices of all ages.Read moreto topEast Midlands RSS - Secretary of State's proposed Modifications publishedThe Government's Proposed Modifications published on 22 July have increased the annual housing requirement in the East Midlands region to 21,750 dwellings per annum and included a new policy on strategic direction. Much of the new growth is proposed to be focused upon Derby, Nottingham and Leicestershire in recognition of the Growth Point Status. However, the Secretary of State has rejected the Panel's recommendation of deletion of the Green Belt around Nottingham along with the removal of the site specific references to major sites around the City. The Consultation period on the proposed modifications closes on the 17th October 2008, after which the Secretary of State expects to adopt the RSS before the end of the year.Read more South West RSS - Secretary of State's proposed Modifications publishedThe Government's Proposed Modifications to the South West RSS were also published on 22 July. They increase the annual housing requirement in the South West region to 29,623 dwellings for the period 2006-2026. This is an increase over the original draft RSS and even the Panel's recommendation of 28,473. The proposed sustainable construction policy has also been modified to bring the regional timescale for implementing the Code for Sustainable Homes into line with the national timescale, although it does state that there may be occasions where higher levels of building construction standard may be appropriate for development area or site specific opportunities. The Consultation period on the proposed modifications closes on the 17th October 2008, after which the Secretary of State proposes to adopt the RSS before the end of the year.Read more to topEconomic NewsRightmove House Price Index: July 2008The Rightmove House Price Index, released on 21 July 2008, reported that new sellers coming to the market are pricing their properties at over £4,000 less than the previous month. The drop in average asking prices is -1.8% month-on-month and -2.0% year-on-year, the first time Rightmove has measured a year-on-year fall.The continuing lack of sales volumes is evidenced by the sixth consecutive monthly rise in unsold stock levels per estate agency branch. Average unsold stock numbers have risen from 74 to 77, the highest figure Rightmove has ever measured.Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, comments:"We are measuring very low levels of new sellers for this time of year, around 20% down on 2007. This has a limiting effect on the number of unsold property, unlike America where excessive new build and forced sellers have really flooded the market. Price falls in the US market are being driven by rising levels of unemployment and the ‘payment shock' of fixed rate mortgages resetting to unaffordable interest rates. Both of these factors are affecting the UK market, but so far, not to the same extent. Therefore we do not expect to see falls as large as the worst hit areas of the US."Download a copy of the Rightmove House Price Index to topMortgage FraudThe Financial Services Authority (FSA) has asked the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and its members to support its efforts to deal with mortgage fraud.In a public letter the FSA recognises the priority the industry has given to fraud issues and encourages more lenders to become involved in the FSA/CML voluntary initiative to combat broker fraud, welcomes the anti-fraud measures that the CML is taking, and emphasises the priority that the FSA is giving to investigating and, where appropriate, prosecuting organised mortgage fraudsters.While some lenders have already signed up to a voluntary initiative between the FSA and CML to tackle fraud, the FSA now hopes all lenders will sign up.In his comments on the FSA's announcement, CML Director General Michael Coogan referred specifically to new homes:"The CML has undertaken a range of work on fraud recently, in addition to the joint initiative with the FSA. As well as industry guidance and information, the latest CML initiative is a change to the standard instructions that lenders give to their conveyancers, to ensure that newly built properties are accurately assessed for value."The CML has been consulting HBF and other industry bodies in preparing a new Disclosure of Incentives Form which will be required for all new homes with a mortgage from 1 September 2008. The Form is being introduced in part because of concerns about mortgage fraud which appears to have been disproportionately concentrated in the new apartment market. HBF already has a voluntary Code of Conduct covering the transparency of sales incentives to mortgage lenders.The CML is also running a major conference on organised fraud in conjunction with CIFAS in the autumn which will help lenders to benchmark their own prevention measures on organised fraud, and ensure they are fully up to speed on the range of initiatives and best practice currently in use within the industry.Read More to topHousing Market NewsLatest figures released from NAEA shows hope for first time buyersLatest figures reported by members of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) indicate that consumers continue to remain unsure of the market. However, there was reported stability in the number of viewings before a sale is secured, time between instruction and the number of agreed sales which have fallen through. The June statistical report demonstrates an average of 11.8% of first time buyer sales, which is an increase from the month before (10.6%) and from the same time a year ago (9.8%). The NAEA consider the rise in sales shows that first time buyers have regained some confidence and have realised that they can use the current market to their own advantage, providing they have the correct finances available.The number of house buyers on agents' books is lower this month with NAEA members reporting an average of 226 house buyers in June compared to 247 in May. This is the lowest figure reported by agents in the last year. Last June the figure stood at 322.Read more to topIndustry NewsConflicting letters about Sub-Contractor StatusIf you receive letters after June 2008 which move a sub-contractor to net, then back to gross - and sometimes even a third letter moving him back to net again, could you please email liz.bridge@theCC.org.uk. Better still, could you fax or scan and send copies of the letters to 020 7227 4571.There is concern that this part of the new CIS system is confusing and expensive to operate for the industry (who need to go into record systems two and three times, and sometimes re-verify). We need evidence of the extent of the problem.to topEvent NewsHBF Annual Planning Conference 2008Wednesday 10 September - The Kassam Stadium, OxfordThis year's conference will discuss the combined challenges of climate change and the new planning act. The day is designed to provide delegates with both vital knowledge from the plenary sessions and practical guidance through our interactive workshops on the Community Infrastructure Levy and the PPS1 supplement on Climate Change.For further information please contact the events team on 020 7960 1646 or events@hbmedia.co.uk Housing Market Intelligence15 October - Savoy Place, LondonThe annual Housing Market Intelligence conference is the housebuilding industry's leading event for discussion of the strategic and macro issues facing housebuilders and is a must for anyone involved in the business of housebuilding."For further details please contact the events team on 020 7960 1646 or events@hbmedia.co.uk to topHBF Technical ConferenceWednesday 12 November, University of York2008 has seen the government propose major changes to the way that Building Regulations are enforced. With many regulations under consultation, it is important to keep informed of the current and future legislation. The morning section of the conference will provide delegates with up to date information on Parts G & L, the Code for Sustainable homes as well as examining the future direction of travel for building regulations.The afternoon is to be devoted to the delivery of Zero Carbon Homes with the agenda to be set by the new zero carbon hub. For further details please contact the events team on 020 7960 1646 or events@hbmedia.co.uk For other HBF events visit the website http://www.hbf.co.uk/index.php?id=eventsandmeetingsFor HBM events visit http://www.hbmedia.co.uk/ to topRosie HinchliffeView Previous Weekly News Summary
