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housebuilder june 2015 1

housebuilderJUNE 2015 vol 74 no. 5

THE HOMEPAGE 2–3Housebuilder’s snapshot of the events, news and people hitting the headlines each month

NEWS & COMMENT

Comment 5The surprise election result pleased everyone in the housebuilding industry,says Ben Roskrow. Everyone that is, except Dame Kate Barker who labelledthe election result “a bad one” for the housing market

Industry news 7–8n 100th ex-military employee for Persimmonn HMI speakers confirmedn Tories and Labour reshuffle teamsn Housebuilding recovery continues but constraints remain

John Stewart 10–11Booming numbers of older home owners must offer housebuilders new market opportunities, allowing them to further boost sales and production

Market View 12Richard Jones of EC Harris tells the industry what he would do forhousebuilding if he were in Number 10

A positive poll 14–16After the Conservative party produced an unexpected majority in the polls,Suzie Mayes talks to the industry about what it means for the housing sector and what housebuilders need to see next

The Brain Game – in pictures 23–24The Housebuilder Brain Game reached the £1 million-mark in fund raising for cancer charity Marie Curie. And once again, everyone had a thoroughlyenjoyable night

OTHER REGULAR COLUMNS

Key Issues – staying in touch with industry developments 21Movers and Shakers 37Last Word – Andrew Orriss, SIG Insulation 72

EDITORIALtel: 020 7960 1642 managing editor: Ben [email protected] editor: Steve Menaryconsultant news editor: John Stewart (economics)reporter: Suzie [email protected]

ADVERTISINGtel: 020 7960 1636 advertisement manager: Chris [email protected] area manager: Tim [email protected] tel: 01204 593 960

PUBLISHING AND SUBSCRIPTIONStel: 020 7960 1634published by: Housebuilder Media Ltd, Ground floor,HBF House, 27 Broadwall, London SE1 9PLsubscription rates: £93.00 pa UK – £9.30 a copy.£132.00 pa. overseas – £13.20 a copy.Prices include p & p. ISSN 0951–1334design: Lloyd Raworth Design– www.lrd.bizrepro: CC Media Groupprinting: Precision Colour Printing

PRODUCTION AND ADMINtel: 020 7960 1634business manager: Helen [email protected]

EDITORIAL PANELMark Adams: executive chairman, Pennyfarthing HomesDave Baker OBE: chief executive, RDLMike Barnes:contracts director, BSH Home AppliancesDavid Birkbeck:chief executive, Design for HomesDavid Cowans: chief executive, Places for PeopleLee Bishop: managing director, Taylor WimpeyCliff Fudge: technical director, H+H CelconShelagh Grant:chief executive, The Housing Forum

Brian Green: journalist and consultant

Sarah Hamilton:media manager, NHBCPaul Healey:Pantera GroupRichard Jones:head of residential, EC HarrisSteve Menary:Jnance editor, HousebuildermagazineGeorgina Newcombe:sales director, William DavisKarl Pickering: director, Tern DevelopmentsNeil Smith:head of research & innovation, NHBCAndy von Bradsky: chairman, PRP ArchitectsJames Wilson: Davidsons Developments

HOUSEBUILDER MEDIA – Team of the Year, PPA Independent Publisher Awards

14,588 average net circulation for 12 months to 30th June 2014. Housebuildermagazine is theoIcial journal of the Home Builders Federation published in association with NHBC. The views expressed in Housebuilderdo not necessarily reKect those held by the magazine, the HBF or NHBC.

FEATURESTime for a green belt re-think 26Stephen Byfield of PPS says that the green belt has succumbed to the law of unintended consequences and needs to be revised

The unlovely bones 29–32Before putting spades in the ground, housebuilders need to consider what could lurk underneath. Mark Smulian looks at sites containing difficult wildlife and even skeletons

Land lords 39–42Lucent Group specialises in strategic land assembly and its plans will interest many housebuilders. Suzie Mayes discovers how ceo Charles Flynn can help bothlocal authorities and the housebuilding industry deliver new homes on large sites

Foundation failures 45–46With foundation claims being low in volume but high in impact, NHBC’s technical project manager Marc Separovic looks at foundation claims over the years as part of a new campaign to raise standards

PRODUCT REVIEWHeating & ventilation 49–54Insulation 57–62Business services & finance update 65–67Product & supplier update 69–71

Front cover image: Getty Images

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THE HOMEPAGEn Industry welcomes election resultn Brandon Lewis keeps housing minister postn “Phase out Help to Buy” says Kate BarkerFor a full news round-up turn to pages 7 and 8. For news alerts direct to your desktop, register at www.house-builder.co.uk

HEADLINES OF THE MONTH

EVENTS COMING UP

JUNEThursday 25thThe Housebuilder ProductAwardsEdgbaston Cricket GroundThe finalists have been announced forThe Housebuilder Product Awards

2015, the Awards which recognise andreward excellence and innovation inthe provision of products and servicesto the housebuilding industry. The fulllist of finalists is available on page 63.

Table sales are now underway for theAwards ceremony which will take placeon Thursday June 25 at Edgbastoncricket ground in Birmingham.

Awards will be presented in severalcategories – including building fabric,services and kitchens and bathrooms –reflecting the product areas that areessential to the industry.For more details and to book go to:www.house-builder.co.uk

SEPTEMBERWednesday 16thHBF Planning ConferenceAustin CourtBirminghamFurther details and booking formscoming soon at www.house-builder.co.uk

Thursday 17thHBF Technical ConferenceAustin CourtBirminghamFurther details and booking formscoming soon at www.house-builder.co.uk

NOVEMBERThursday 5thThe Housebuilder AwardsThe Tower Hotel, LondonEntries are now closed for the HousebuilderAwards and the judges will meet thismonth to find the finalists. The full list willbe announced at the end of June.

The annual unveiling of theHousebuilders of the year and winnersacross categories including Bestdesign, Best community initiative, Bestlow or zero carbon initiative and Bestmarketing initiative will take place onthe evening of November 5 2015.www.house-builder.co.uk

Housebuilder’s at-a-glance guide to the events, people and products making the news this month

2 housebuilder june 2015

OCTOBERThursday 8thHousing Market IntelligenceMilton CourtBarbicanLondonTaylor Wimpey ceo Pete Redfern will speak at this year’s Housing Market Intelligenceconference, giving his view on the state of the industry from the plc perspective.HMI, the industry’s leading high level strategic conference, will once again take place at the Barbican in London and feature the leading voices in the industry and government discussing and debating the issues facing the sector.The annual Housing Market Intelligence report, featuring the Top 75 housebuildersand a mass of market information and statistics, will also be launched on the day.Further details coming soon at www.house-builder.co.uk

Taylor Wimpey ceo Pete Redfern (right) will speak at this year’s Housing Market Intelligence conference and annual report launch

News alerts, newsupdates, eventsinformation, blogs,

products news, polls –everything on housebuildingfree at the click of a mouse

www.house-builder.co.uk

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THE HOUSEBUILDER 16 SHARE PRICE INDEX

PICTURE & MOMENT OF THE MONTH

The Housebuilder share price index graph is providedby Thomson Reuters Datastream and includes theseven companies presently tracked by the FTSE HomeConstruction index – Barratt, Bellway, Berkeley, Bovis,Persimmon, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey. In additionthis version includes Abbey, Crest Nicholson, GallifordTry, Gleeson, Inland, Kier, Mar City, Telford andTrafalgar New Homes.

The new index was set as a base of 100 on February12 2013, as Crest refloated. It rose steadily for a year to168, slipped back in early summer 2014 to 138 but hasnow rallied and with the post-election boost hasmoved above 200 for the first time.

Once again the HousebuilderMarie Curie Brain Game was a massive success thisyear, raising more than £200,000 for the charity through a celebrity-hosted blacktie quiz (see Pages 23–24). More than 500 housebuilding industry guests competedon the night and bid for auction prizes – much fun was had by all. But the roomdescended into total silence to hear a moving speech by Deborah Taylor,

a mum who lost her son Aaron to cancer and who saw first-hand the care providedby Marie Curie nurses in his dying days. Deborah’s words touched the hearts ofeveryone at the event that night – her determination to stand in front of a largeaudience and describe her feelings, her love for her wonderful son and the comfortoffered by the Marie Curie nurses was truly inspirational and helped appeal to thegenerosity of the industry – which did not let her down. Deborah Taylor’s speech is our moment and picture of the month.

OM J J A S D J F M A MN100

150

200

250

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

High 203.82 (May 11 2015)Low 138.73 (June 16 2014)Last 201.87 (May 12 2015)

May 13 2014 to May 12 2015


However heat is generated it is vital that components such as radiators candistribute it efficiently, says Stelrad Radiators’ marketing manager Chris Harvey. “Our radiators have been designed to share heat efficiently and to work well withboth traditional boiler driven heating systems and modern renewable systems.”

For more products go to pages 49 – 62

June2015002-3_HB_JUN15.qxp 22/05/2015 14:11 Page 3

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HBF view

So that was all a bit of a surprise, wasn’t it?The bookies’ odds on a Tory majority werepretty attractive if anyone had dared bet.

Indeed the first hint of what was to come on thenight of May 7th came when large amounts ofmoney were reportedly placed on a Cameron victorylate in the campaign.

It seemed to me that there would be a shifttowards the Conservatives on polling day – when itcomes to putting the cross in the box often there’s atendency to go for the devil you know. Especiallywhen the other devil has not made a compellingcase to back him.

But I cannot pretend that I foresaw the scale ofthe shift to the Tories. I expected maybe 290 seats,not enough to form a government and creating areal political mess. I expected Ed Miliband to forma Labour government with 20 fewer seats than theConservatives, establishing an administration thatwould be abhorred by the media which wouldquestion its legitimacy.

I then expected that administration to eventuallyfail – although perhaps outstaying its welcome asthe full implications of the Fixed Term ParliamentAct were debated.

Whatever the detailed ramifications of anunclear election result, the outcome would havebeen uncertainty and instability – and they aretwin enemies of the housing market and thehousebuilding industry. The fact that this did nothappen is to be welcomed.

industry’s reactionOn pages 14 to 16 of this edition of Housebuilder,Suzie Mayes reports on the industry’s reaction to theelection result and by and large the feeling seems tobe that the outcome was a good one. Whatever yourpolitical persuasion, from an economic and housingsector standpoint a clear victory for one or otherparty tends to be a good result.

But it is not just this certainty that the industrywelcomes – it also welcomes the Tories as winners.The industry has been happy with theConservative–led coalition and the policies it hasintroduced to try to boost the market. Help to Buy– particularly the equity loan version – is of coursetop of this list, and its extension to the end of thisparliament will be welcome. The National PlanningPolicy Framework has been a qualified success, and

Ben Roskrow editor’s comment

the industry has welcomed the government’scommitment to ensuring that local authorities takeproper responsibility for planning and providingappropriate new homes in their areas.

Labour, on the other hand, made it clear that itsuspects the industry is landbanking – “use it or loseit”, said Miliband. The impression was that a Labouradministration would be no friend of housebuilders.

So it would seem that the view is unanimous – a good result for the industry.

Well, not quite.Dame Kate Barker is one of the most respected

voices on housing and the economy and a non-executive director of Taylor Wimpey. At a postelection HSBC Great Housing Market Debate shedefied the popular mood in the room bycondemning the election result as a bad one for thehousing market. She, and Radio 4 consumerchampion Paul Lewis who was also on the panel,said the initiatives introduced by the Conservativeswere focused on the demand side and did little ornothing for supply. House prices would rise, ofcourse, but the government policies “would donothing for those at the bottom end of the market”.

When pressed what better outcome there couldbe, she cited the Labour party’s policies emanatingfrom the Lyons Review.

So there you have it – a result that leaveshousebuilders happy, and shares soaring … but is it aresult that will ease the housing crisis? We shall see. hb

Everyone’s happy with the election result – almost

Whatever the detailedramifications of an unclear election result, the outcome would have beenuncertainty and instability – and they are twin enemies of the housing market and the housebuilding industry


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visit www.house-builder.co.uk for the latest daily updates industry news…

Dame Kate Barker, the economist who reviewed theobstacles to housing supply for the Labourgovernment ten years ago and a non-executivedirector of Taylor Wimpey, has called for the phasingout of Help to Buy.

In a post election debate about the housing marketorganised by HSBC, Barker said that the currenthousing policies were focused on the demand side ofthe market, with not enough plans for the supply side.

Barker said that the Conservative victory wouldgenerate upward price pressure and the market wouldhave to be monitored to avoid overheating. But shesaid the election result was bad in the longer term for

the market and “would not do much for the bottomend”.

She said that the recommendations of the Lyons Review– which was carried out for the Labour party and includedcreating Housing Growth Areas with powers to assembleland – would have been better on the supply side.

Her view that she would like to see Help to Buyphased out was endorsed by Nigel Terrington, chiefexecutive of finance provider The Paragon Group. “I don’t like government involvement in marketsgenerally – the longer that goes on, the more webecome addicted. I would wean us off Help to Buy.”

The debate, chaired by John Wriglesworth, managing

partner of Instinctif, also looked at what could be doneto increase the supply of new homes. Paul Lewis,presenter of Radio 4’s Moneybox, said there was onlyone way forward: “It’s a crisis and it has to be tackled –build on the green belt, and make housebuilders buildon their land – if they don’t, take it off them.” Hecalled housebuilders the OPEC of the industry,controlling supply – “If they wanted to they couldbuild 200,000 homes next year”.

Barker also called for action on land. “The politiciansare all calling for new homes but they are very reluctantto say where they would put them,” she said. “Everyonewants New Towns, but not in their constituency.”

“Phase out Help to Buy”– Barker

Persimmon has appointed its 100th ex-military recruitas part of its Combat to Construction initiative – and thecompany intends to bring in “hundreds more” this year.

Craig Payne has joined Persimmon’s North Midlandsoperating company as a bricklayer. He is a former lancecorporal in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Forestersand since joining the British Army in 2001 has servedacross the UK, Kenya, Canada, Belize, Northern Irelandand Afghanistan.

Persimmon launched Combat to Construction lastautumn, opening a dedicated training centre inDarlington. The initiative trains ex-service personnel to bebricklayers and joiners. The company is now workingwith training partner Nordic Focus Training to open afurther centre near London which will launch this month.

Jeff Fairburn, Persimmon’s group ceo, said: “The 100ex-service personnel now working for Persimmonhave brought a wealth of experience to the companyand our objective is to bring in hundreds more beforethe close of the year.”

HMI speakers confirmedTaylor Wimpey ceo Pete Redfern will speak at thisyear’s Housing Market Intelligence conference andannual report launch, to be held in London in October.

Redfern will give delegates his overview of theindustry and the market from the perspective of one ofthe major housebuilders.

Also confirmed to speak this year is Sunday Timeseconomics editor David Smith, who will bring his greatwealth of experience and economics knowledge todiscuss the economy and to look at what lies ahead.

Housing Market Intelligence will take place at MiltonCourt, Barbican, London on Thursday October 8.

Details coming at www.house-builder.co.uk

Industry raises £1mThe housebuilding industry has raised £1 million for MarieCurie through its annual Housebuilder Brain Game.

This year’s event – featuring celebrities Anneka Rice,Penny Smith and the Chuckle Brothers – raised morethan £200,000, bringing the total since the launch in2006 to seven figures.

“To raise £1 million for Marie Curie is a fantasticachievement and a great reflection on the generosityof the whole housebuilding industry,” saidHousebuilder Media publishing director Ben Roskrowwho launched the event with former Laing Homes mdPaul Healey.

Full details and pictures on pages 23–24

Truscott is new GT ceoPeter Truscott has been appointed chief executive of Galliford Try.

Truscott, who will take up the post on October 1, iscurrently divisional chairman, South, at Taylor Wimpeyand on its group management team. He joined GeorgeWimpey in 1984 and moved to CALA Homes where heworked from 1993 to 1996. He then rejoined Wimpeyto hold a number of senior management positions.

He is successor to current GT ceo Greg Fitzgerald who willbecome non-executive chairman from January 1 2016.

Fitzgerald said: “The Group has moved quickly tosecure Peter Trustcott as the new chief executive whilstfurther strengthening the board.”

100th ex-military employee for Persimmon

Craig Payne withPersimmon’s armedforces recruitmentmanager TommyWatson

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The housebuilding industry has welcomed the outcome of the general election,which saw the Conservative party win a majority.

“A continuity of leadership bodes well for the industry as it brings stability andenables us to continue to move forward with some of the plans already in place,”said Dave Bexon, group sales and marketing director of Redrow.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said that it looked forward to resuming itstalks with ministers which were cut short by purdah at the end of March. “Weshould be able to pick up on detailed arguments about extending Help to Buy andthe continuation of planning measures such as the end-to-end planning process aswell as other issues we were beginning to raise, including the effectiveness of theCommunity Infrastructure Levy,” said director of external affairs John Slaughter.

Housebuilders were also pleased with the result as, they said, the Conservatives hadproved themselves to be a housing-focused party in the coalition. Alan Brown, ceo ofCALA Group, said: “The election result is good news for the UK housing market as theConservative party has shown that it truly understands the intricacies of the housingcrisis and is clear on how to address the UK’s chronic shortage of new homes.”

Other housebuilders, including Aquinna Homes, expressed relief that the mansiontax, proposed by the Labour party, would not be introduced. Stephen Stone, ceo ofCrest Nicholson, indicated that the industry had escaped a Labour government stillconvinced that housebuilders landbank.

Going forward, the industry said that it wanted to see the future of the Help to Buyequity loan secured quickly, and for the Conservative party to deliver on itsmanifesto promises.

For more on the industry’s reaction to the election result, see pages 14–16

Staff from Taylor Wimpey gave up their weekends to take part in the TaylorWimpey Peak District Challenge last month (May). Fifty-one teams travelledto the Hope Valley to set up shelters before trekking 28km up hill and downdale, whilst being challenged by various physical and mental tasks.

The hardy teams raised more than £150,000 for the Youth AdventureTrust, which runs outdoor development courses for young people agedbetween 11 and 14 from disadvantaged backgrounds.


News of strong trading continues, withBarratt Developments reporting that itshousing completions for 2015 wereexpected to be “ahead of previousguidance” at around 16,100, up from14,838 at the end of 2014.

As of May 10 2015, the volumehousebuilder’s total forward sales wereup 17.9% on the same point in 2014 ata value of £2,592.3 million.

Bovis Homes said that it had “tradedwell” in the first few months of 2015,with its total forward sales position for

2015 delivery as of May 8 2015 an 8%improvement on the same point last yearat 3,049 homes.

Reporting on the year to May 12,Galliford Try said that its housebuildingarm Linden Homes achieved a sales rate of0.68 per outlet per week during the yearso far, below the 0.80 of the correspondingperiod in 2014 but an improvement on the0.51 of July to December 2014.

And releasing its results for 2014, MillerHomes said that its completions rose 12%to 1,918 units against 2013.

Housebuilding recovery continues but constraints remainGovernment figures have revealed the highest number of housing starts achievedin a quarter since 2007.

During Q1 2015, 40,340 new homes were started in England, a 31% increase onthe previous quarter and an 11% improvement on the same quarter a year ago. Thefigure is also a 41% rise on 2013 prior to the launch of the Help to Buy equity loan.

Meanwhile, 34,210 homes were completed in Q1 2015, the highest figure recordedsince Q4 2008, 10% up on the last quarter and a 21% increase on Q1 2014.

The Home Builders Federation said that the momentum seen in 2014 wasgathering pace. Last year, 137,310 new homes were started, up 10% on 2013 and 60% above the “trough” in 2009.

But the HBF warned that despite the growth in housing output the industry hada long way to go to deliver the 230,000 homes a year needed in England. It urgedthe new government to support the increases of recent quarters by prioritisingpolicies, a crucial one being the official confirmation of the extension to the Helpto Buy equity loan to 2020.

n Private registrations for new homes climbed 26% in the first quarter of 2015compared to the same period last year, according to NHBC’s latest registrationfigures. Registrations for the private sector totalled 30,691 in Q1 2015 with thosefor the public sector down 1% to 9,590. In total, registrations for the quarter lifted18% to 40,281 new homes.

Taylor Wimpey takes the challenge

Industry welcomes election result

Tories and Labour reshuffle teams Greg Clark has been appointed the new secretary of state for communities and localgovernment in prime minister David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle.

The new communities secretary, replacing Eric Pickles, was shadow secretary ofstate for energy and climate change when in opposition. In the coalitiongovernment he was minister of state for decentralisation, and appointed financialsecretary to the Treasury in 2012. Last summer he became minister for universities,science and cities.

Brandon Lewis remains housing and planning minister. Meanwhile, in the Labour cabinet, Emma Reynolds has become shadow secretary

of state for communities and local government. Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman promoted the former shadow housing

minister to the post as one of 14 women of a 29 strong shadow cabinet.

Housebuilders enjoy strong first quarter

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Booming numbers of older home owners must offer housebuilders new marketopportunities, allowing them to further boostsales and production, argues John Stewart

A truism of our time is that the population is ageing. Yet having reached “acertain age”, I am struck by how little impact this remarkable historic trendseems to have had on the business world, including housebuilding.

I cannot help thinking our ageing population offers an opportunity forhousebuilders to expand sales and production, and therefore counter thegovernment’s concern that the industry is not doing all it can to boost output.

Put simply, there are only two ways to increase production over any given period:more sales outlets and faster build-out rates. Housebuilders’ answer to calls forfaster production is always that private housebuilding is sales led, and that sales arelimited by the capacity of the local market to absorb new homes.

But the local market’s absorption capacity is related to the products housebuildersoffer. For example, if a site mix is limited to products suitable primarily for first-timebuyers, then it is only the local market’s capacity to absorb first-time buyer productsthat is relevant, not the market’s total demand capacity.

So one answer to increased production must be for the industry to offer a broaderrange of products for local markets, and so tap into their full absorption capacity.

ageing populationThe crude numbers for our ageing population are striking. For the UK as a whole, the60-plus population is projected to increase by 20%, to 17.3 million, between 2012and 2022. It will account for 25.4% of the total population by 2022, up from 22.6% in2012. Those aged 75 and over will increase by a third, to 6.6 million, over this period.

But talking about “older people”, or the “retirement population”, is misleading. Theover 60s (or over 65s) are not a homogeneous group, any more than the under 35sform a single consistent group. This is highlighted by the difficulty of finding anappropriate single name for this market.

Housing for older people, a term frequently used within government, is often pairedup with words such as vulnerable or care. Housing for the elderly is even less helpful.Retirement housing has long been associated with what used to be known assheltered housing. The average age of new retirement housing buyers is around 78.

Housing for empty nesters is also too limited. It is hardly a sensible term to applyto a couple in their 80s whose children may have flown the nest decades ago, or toan elderly single person who never had children. And of course many in their 60swill have “children” still living in the family nest, in some cases having returnedhome after a period of independent living.

Many older people are still working. The 65-plus employment rate doubled to 10%over the past 15 years, while the numbers in employment rose 143% to 1.1 million.

From a housebuilding perspective, there are two important trends1.

booming household growthWhat matters for housebuilders is households, not population.

Chart 1 shows projected household growth for the 65-plus age group in three agebands 2. For example, the number of households aged 65-74 is projected to rise by

nearly half a million (456,000) during the current decade. While the absolute increases are impressive, the percentage increases are even

more startling. Against a 10% projected rise in total households over the currentdecade, the 65-74, 75-84 and 85-plus age groups are projected to see growth of15%, 19% and 39% respectively.

home owners dominateBut overlaid on this is the tenure split of older people. Chart 2 shows that rates ofhome ownership are extremely high for older people: 77% for the 55-64 and 75-79age groups, 78% for those aged 65-74 and 73% for the 80-plus age group.

The official household projections do not provide any tenure breakdown. Howeverif we take projected household growth alongside home ownership rates, the rise inolder home owner households in England will be dramatic.

For example, an owner-occupation rate of 77% among the 55-64 age group at thestart of the decade suggests more than three quarters of the 456,000 rise inhouseholds aged 65-74 by 2021 is likely to be home owners. (I heroically assumehousehold numbers in each tenure will increase by the same percentage rate.)

Because home ownership rates at the start of the decade were almost identical forthe 55-64, 65-74 and 75-84 age groups (77-78%), we can also crudely assume

John Stewart housing viewpoint

Ageing population offers 600

500

400

300

200

100

0

-100

CHART 1. Projected household growth, 2011-21, by age

Under 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85-plusAge range

000

Source: DCLG Interim 2011-based Household Projections

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

CHART 2. % owner occupation, 2010-13, by age

Under 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-79 80-plusAge range

%

Source: DCLG Engish Housing Survey

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more than three quarters of the household increases in the 75-84 and 85-plus agegroups over the decade will be home owners. So of the 1.2 million increase inhouseholds aged 65-plus, somewhere between 900,000 and 1 million are likely tobe home owners. In total, there are likely to be around 5.5 million home ownersaged 65-plus by 2021, up from 4.5 million at the start of the decade.

but older owners stay putHowever a large caveat must be applied to all these numbers: older home ownersrarely move.

Chart 3 shows the proportion of owner-occupier households resident at theircurrent address for less than one year, by age group3. This is as close as we can get,using official data, to an agebreakdown of homebuyers/movers.

Not surprisingly, younghouseholds are far more likelyto buy a first home or movethan older households. Sonearly a third (31%) of under 25home owners moved to theircurrent address within theprevious year, falling sharply to11% for the 25-34 age group, 5% for those aged 35-44, 2% each for the 45-54 and55-64 age groups and only 1% for each of the three 65-plus age groups.

Looked at another way, almost two thirds (63%) of all owner occupier homebuyers/movers in England are under 45, against only 11% aged 65-plus.

There are many reasons why the market is so biased towards youngerhouseholds, most of them obvious. However one intriguing question is whether alack of suitable dwellings for older home owners to trade down to is animportant reason for not moving. Because if it is, this surely offers home buildersa potentially valuable opportunity to boost sales by offering new productstailored to the needs of older age groups.

Of course specialist retirement housing developers have been offering products forolder home owners for the past four decades. The market leader, McCarthy & Stone,

was established in 1977. But these tend to be for older retirement buyers seekingspecial features and facilities. For many in the 65-plus age group, specialistretirement housing will have little or no appeal.

Because the numbers of older home owners are so large and growing sorapidly, even a very small increase in movement could create a very largemarket for newly built homes.

In 2015 there are around 5 million 65-plus owner occupier households in England, ofwhom only 1% move each year. If housebuilders could offer products to persuade anextra 0.1% of this group to move each year, that would produce an additional 5,000new home sales and add 5% to private housing completions.

market opportunities, marketing challengeIf housebuilders are to develop new market opportunities within the large andrapidly growing 65-plus age group, they will first need to understand the housingneeds of different subgroups within this larger market. Given current low rates ofmovement, creating new markets – i.e. persuading people to consider moving –will also present a major marketing challenge for the industry. Most additionaldemand is likely to fall within the mainstream housing market, rather than beinga variation on traditional retirement (i.e. sheltered) housing, although demand forspecialist retirement housing should remain strong.

Ironically, the “voluntary” space standards local authorities can now adoptmay help to develop this market. Older home owners will usually want to tradedown to a smaller, but not small dwelling. They will not be as price sensitive asfirst-time buyers. They will also want to protect their housing equity with goodquality housing in a desirable area.

Buyers in this market will also tend to have different locational requirementsfrom younger buyers, not least becausemost will no longer have to be withincommutable distance of work.

Many of the larger housebuilders may havealready looked at this market, although onlyone appears to have publicly announced thatit will target downsizing baby boomers.Some smaller home builders already cater forthis market. But if we are to boost productionsignificantly and move towards solving thecountry’s acute housing undersupply crisis,

this potentially large new market deserves close industry attention. hb

References1 Data for the rest of this article and the three charts, derived from the official

household projections and English Housing Survey, all refer to England.2 Data are from the interim 2011-based household projections as we do not yet

have age data from the 2012-based projections.3 To ensure adequate sample sizes, data from the English Housing Survey have

been pooled over the three years 2010-11 to 2012-13.

John Stewart is HBF director of economic affairs. Please note the views expressedin this piece are personal, and not necessarily representative of the HBF

market opportunities

Because the numbers of older homeowners are so large and growing sorapidly, even a very small increase inmovement could create a very largemarket for newly built homes

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With the election behind us now and,against the odds and the polls, theConservatives installed with a majority

government, I provide my own view of what I woulddo if I had just been elected as prime minister.

1) I would appoint a housing minister who wouldsit at the main Cabinet. He/she would havemore than a passing understanding of thehousing sector and I would make it clear thatthey would remain in position (subject tounforeseen circumstances) for the whole fiveyear period of government, thereby being giventhe opportunity to create and implement clearstrategic goals over a realistic period of time.This will establish consistency and ensure thatthere is a knowledgeable leader for the sectorthat is able to influence wider governmentalpolicy.

2) I would look carefully at the regulatory regimefor Registered Providers and amend to allowmore flexibility in the way they manage andrelease value from their asset base. With theunderstanding that overall numbers ofaffordable housing must not decrease I wouldallow RPs to sell asset in expensive areas inorder to establish more units in other areas. This would obviously need to be carried out in a controlled way and would only apply wherethere is a massive differential in values. I do notaccept the argument that providing affordablehousing in somewhere such as Chelsea Barracksprovides mixed and sustainable communities. It does not, it provides polarised communitieswith the very rich living cheek to jowl with thevery poor. The vast majority of the middle ofthat spectrum cannot afford to live there, so therefore there is no mixed community.

3) I would revise the planning regime to recognise thegrowing impact on housing numbers of privaterented and intermediate tenures. I would useplanning to help these tenures grow and impact on housing capacity. When I have previously talkedabout new players and new money it is these typeof products that will attract them to our sector.

4) I would look at the impact of localism on housingnumbers. It seems to me that we are quite oftenin a situation where there is good economic,social and environmental sense to build houses ina certain location, which may well be understoodby the local politicians but they are afraid to sayso because they rely on the nimbys for their seat.If that is the case the decision needs to be madeby an informed expert centrally. Disengage thepolitics from the need.

5) I would encourage and empower localauthorities to use their assets and the flexibility

around funding to take a more proactiveposition on housing development, includingtaking development risk in the same way thatRPs have, as well as developing their ownaffordable housing. I would encourage them to look at different ways of engaging with themarket, for example through joint ventureworking and look at different funding pools thatthey may have such as pension pots that couldbe invested, with minimal risk, in property –particularly where there is the opportunity ofregeneration.

6) I would look at how a tailored TIF (taxincrement financing) initiative could encourageinvestment in infrastructure to help facilitatehousing development and regeneration. I wouldalso redefine housing as essential infrastructureand establish a narrative that creates an in-depth understanding across the politicalspectrum that housing is as essential as allother more recognised infrastructurecomponents.

7) I would establish a cross party working group,led by the housing minister, that takesownership of housing strategy and creates along term implementable plan for increasinghousing capacity not disrupted by the politicalcycle. This working group would work withindustry experts to engineer a comprehensiveresponse to the major housing dilemma wecurrently find ourselves in.

8) I would look to establish different accountancyrules that would allow investment in housingwithout it being seen as a national debt. The opportunity for value growth around thisimportant national asset could help shield thewider economy from uncontrollable globalimpacts.

It will be interesting to see if the new Conservativeregime wakes up to the fact that housing should bea key consideration when trying to create fair,successful and ultimately sustainable communitiesthroughout the country. [email protected]

City FocusRichard Jones market view

Richard Jones, head of residential at EC Harris, outlineswhat he would do for the industry if he were in Number 10

If I were the prime minister…

I do not accept theargument that providingaffordable housing insomewhere such asChelsea Barracks providesmixed and sustainablecommunities. It does not,it provides polarisedcommunities with thevery rich living cheek byjowl with the very poor

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After all the excitement over neck-and-neckpolls as well as dire predictions of a verymessy hung parliament, the reality was far

more straightforward. The Conservative party defiedall forecasts and won a majority in the generalelection, albeit a slim one.

While experts continue to mull over how the pollstersgot it all so wrong, Housebuilder asked its own industryabout the result and what it means for housebuilding.The uncertainty is at least now over. Those whoexperienced any pre-election slowdown – in AprilPersimmon said it was becoming “increasingly difficult”to secure planning for sites – should be able to carry onuninhibited. (everyday constraints allowing).

Housebuilders are by and large pleased with theelection outcome. With the Conservatives having beenpart of the five-year coalition, the word “continuity”crops up frequently in housebuilders’ reactions, closelyaccompanied by talk of certainty. “A continuity ofleadership bodes well for the industry as it bringsstability and enables us to continue to move forwardwith some of the plans already in place,” says DaveBexon, group sales and marketing director of Redrow.

majority government“As this is the first majority government in over fiveyears, we’re expecting that the resulting stability andcertainty will act as a shot in the arm for business andwe’ve seen the market reacting positively,” observesAndy Hill, ceo of Hill. And that heavenly combinationof certainty and continuity will enable Croudace toplan for its business and “also encourage furthergrowth in the economy and the housing marketoperating within it,” says ceo Russell Denness.

Coalition measures such as the National PlanningPolicy Framework (NPPF), Help to Buy and otherincentives are very much entrenched, so there is less

risk of nasty policy surprises, indicates Stephen Stone,ceo of Crest Nicholson. “We have consistency ofapproach. We also know a lot of the Tory ministers,including Brandon Lewis. [who remains housing andplanning minister].” The Home Builders Federation islooking forward to resuming its ministerial talks whichwere rudely interrupted by purdah. John Slaughter,

HBF’s director of external affairs, says: “We should beable to pick up on detailed arguments about extendingHelp to Buy and the continuation of planning measuressuch as the end-to-end planning process as well asother issues we were beginning to raise, including theeffectiveness of the Community Infrastructure Levy. Theelection outcome is an obvious positive. With a clearresult, tortuous negotiations have been avoided.”

Whilst all political parties highlighted the importanceof housing in their campaigns, the upheaval of a changeof government or the spectacle of another hungparliament would not have been welcome, emphasisesKarl Pickering, director of Tern Developments. “If it ain’tbroke, don’t fix it,” is his chosen adage.

But rather than merely feeling relief for the statusquo, housebuilders are also happy – some extremelyso – that a housing-focused party remains in power,one that has demonstrated its grit. “The election resultis good news for the UK housing market as theConservative party has shown that it truly understandsthe intricacies of the housing crisis and is clear on howto address the UK’s chronic shortage of new homes,”

election outcome


The election result took everyone by surprise. But what does the industry think of theConservative majority outcome and what does itmean for homes delivery? Suzie Mayes finds out

Greg Clark is the new secretary of state,formerly minister of state for decentralisation

Electionelation

Stephen Stone, ceo, Crest Nicholson – “KateBarker found that housebuilders don’tlandbank. But a lot of ministers didn’t believethat in the Labour ranks”

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comments Alan Brown, ceo of CALA Group. To JasonRishover, ceo of Heronslea Group, the Conservativessecuring a majority was a “phenomenal result for thehousing market and our economy.” He adds that Torypolicies “will have the most positive effect on themarket. This is a good time for housebuilders.”

calmer marketThe Tories have helped calm the housing market,claims Ian Burns, md of Cameron Homes. “Theinitiatives undertaken on the supply and demand sideare all positive. Help to Buy and the tempering effectof the Mortgage Market Review [although not agovernment move] have helped people to buy withintheir means.” And, he says, the expectation on councilsto maintain a five-year land supply has been aneffective measure so far.

John Elliott, md of Millwood Designer Homes, “had agut feeling” that the Conservatives would emerge

victorious. “The result is excellent for housebuilding inevery way. With the various incentives that thecoalition brought forward, this is great news forhousebuilders.” He acknowledges the concern over the

party’s manifesto pledge to extend Right to Buy. “Butthat’s a lot of fuss. We are a home owning nation andthis is another way for someone to own a home. Thiswon’t affect housebuilders.”

Other housebuilders are thankful that, with theTories in power, certain pledges will not materialise, continued on page 164

election outcome


The industry is pleased overall with the surpriseConservative victory

Why the election result is good for housingDid the right party win? “Yes and no,” replies PhilShelton, ceo of Shelton Development Services, whichoffers development software to the housebuildingindustry. “Obviously no single party will be able toplease everyone. Yet the coalition has done a goodjob of getting the economy back on track, andpeople clearly want that to continue.”

The markets certainly responded favourably to the result, with housebuilders enjoying theeffects in share prices – Persimmon’s rose almost6%, Shelton notes.

“The Tories may not have always been the socialhousing sector’s best friends, with such winningideas as the bedroom tax and reinvigoratingRight to Buy. Yet a strong, stable and world-classfinancial sector is critical for housing associationsto leverage to deliver their ambitiousdevelopment plans,” he comments. “It’s doubtfulwhether that would exist with a Labourgovernment, and I believe that as capital grantsare reduced and the social housing sector is evenmore commercial in its approach, the sectorneeds financial stability more than ever.”

Dave Bexon, group sales and marketingdirector, Redrow – “A continuity of leadershipbodes well for the industry as it brings stability”

Brandon Lewis remains as housing and planning minister

Pictu

re: G

etty

Imag

es

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3continued from page 15eg; the mansion tax. Stephen Brazier, md of AquinnaHomes says: “The elimination of the mansion taxthreat will be a great relief, not just to those operatingin the £2 million-plus market. These marketmanipulative policies have a cascading effect acrossthe market as a whole.”

And there are those who are grateful to have escapeda Labour government still convinced thathousebuilders hoard land. “Now it’s about having agovernment that doesn’t intervene,” says Crest’sStephen Stone. “Kate Barker found that housebuildersdon’t landbank. But a lot of ministers didn’t believethat in the Labour ranks.”

Labour’s mistake Labour’s mistake was to lurch too far left, comments SteveMidgley, founder of Fairgrove Homes. “The Conservativeshave kept them out for years. Small contractors feel thatthe Labour party does nothing for them.”

But, he reflects, it will be interesting to see whetherthe now beleaguered Liberal Democrats had a positiveinfluence during the coalition’s term. Somehousebuilders say that the Lib Dem contribution tohousing was minimal. Stephen Stone seldom saw LibDem representatives at minister meetings. However,HBF’s John Slaughter comments: “It’s reasonable toinfer that the Liberal Democrats had some influenceon housing policy in terms of housing standards andenvironmental issues. Stephen Williams [former

Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson] was quitevocal about how he was contributing to policystatements on zero carbon.”

While the Liberal Democrats contemplate their losses,going forward the industry would like the Conservatives’welcome support to continue. But certain issues must beaddressed. Andrew Richards, group md of LindenHomes, wants a promise of continued stability. “Stabilitytranslates into certainty around planning reform,‘home-buyer enablers’ on offer and the wider economyto help keep Britain building. We hope that this majority

government will command that level of guarantee andsolidarity in the planning process to spur the delivery ofmuch needed homes.”

A key consideration for the new government,according to Karl Hick, ceo of Larkfleet Group, should bethe status of neighbourhood plans. These have beengiven too elevated a profile, such that they affect localplans. “The new secretary of state, Greg Clark, needs toamend planning legislation to ensure thatneighbourhood plans have to be developed on the same

basis as local plans. Localpeople do not necessarilyhave the expertise toidentify sustainabledevelopments.”

Meanwhile, PatrickLaw, group corporateaffairs director of BarrattDevelopments, wouldlike to see furthertightening up of thewhole planning system.

In the short term, formost of the industry,

securing the future of the Help to Buy equity loan is key.Law says: “It’s important that we continue to seesupport for first time buyers and with Help to Buyhopefully in place until 2020, that’s another part of thepolicy landscape.”

But the initiative needs a tweak or two to make it fair,states Greg Ketteridge, md of Careys New Homes. “Help toBuy has dramatically helped young purchasers, but thereare abnormalities. It’s aimed primarily at first time buyersbut I believe that at the moment it’s open to abuse.”

Looking further ahead, Miller Homes – and no doubtmany others – would like the Conservatives’ electionpledges to bear fruit. Chris Endsor, Miller’s ceo, says: “Wehope the commitments laid out in the Conservativeparty’s manifesto, including the forthcomingintroduction of the Help to Buy ISA along with the StarterHomes initiative, will help the market maintain themomentum which has been built in the last couple ofyears and see growth in housebuilding continue apace.”

But whatever the government flavour, the industrymust help itself, says James Hopkins, executivechairman of Hopkins Homes. He comments: “Developersneed to make the case for housing, explaining thecommunity benefits. More needs to be done to bringpeople onside.”

Hopefully David Cameron and co can still help withthis. hb

Find out what EC Harris’ Richard Jones would doif he were prime minister on page 12

election outcome


Speaking at the HSBC Great Housing Marketdebate, economist Dame Kate Barker describedthe election result as bad for the industry in thelonger term. “The election result won’t do muchfor the bottom end of the market. I thought therecommendations in (Labour’s) Lyons Reportwould be good on the supply side of theindustry.”

Barker said that there would be upward pricepressure in the market.

But at the same debate Adrian Gill, executivedirector of the estate agency division of LSLProperty Services, said the result was good onefor the industry, “certainly in the short term” as ittook away the threat of a mansion tax and rent

controls. The audience agreed with Gill, theoverwhelming majority saying they saw theresult as a good one for the industry.

The panel generally disliked governmentinitiatives which affect the market, such as Helpto Buy. Paul Lewis, the presenter of BBC’sMoneybox, said intervening distorts the marketand the market works perfectly well – “there arenot enough houses so the prices are high”. Hecalled housebuilders the OPEC of the industry,controlling supply – “If they wanted to they couldbuild 200,000 homes next year”.

Barker, who is a non-executive director of TaylorWimpey, said she would like to see Help to Buyphased out.

The Great Housing Market debate take

John Elliott, md, Millwood Designer Homes:“The result is excellent for housebuilding inevery way”

“We hope that this majoritygovernment will command that level of guarantee and solidarityin the planning process to spur thedelivery of much needed homes”

Andrew Richards, group md of Linden Homes

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housebuilderDiamond PartnersHousebuilder is grateful to its Diamond Partners whichsupport all aspects of the Housebuilder Media business– the magazine, Housebuilder events and our websitewww.house-builder.co.uk – in providing key businessuseful information to the housebuilding industry

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Established in 1990, award winning public relations specialist PPS Group has workedwith most of the top UK housebuilders over the past 20 years. This work includes helpinghousebuilders consult more effectively with communities, communicate with politiciansand the media to ultimately gain planning consent. PPS can also help clients to marketdevelopments and manage broader corporate reputation. The team at PPS is well versedin the latest online consultation and social media techniques. www.ppsgroup.co.uk

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key issues

Labour’s new cabinetIt is currently unclear as to how involved in housingEmma Reynolds, the new shadow secretary of state forcommunities and local government, will be. BeforeLabour’s cabinet reshuffle following the generalelection, Reynolds was shadow housing minister. Herreplacement is Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods.

HBF’s John Slaughter said that the Labour party wasin the “irreconcilable” position of trying to reconnectwith formerly loyal Scottish supporters and this couldpush them further to the left. What would beinteresting, he added, would be how heavily housingfeatures in the Labour leadership contest. “One wouldassume that housing will still have a reasonableamount of importance,” he said. “Labour candidateshave options over which part of the housing problemthey wish to concentrate on.”

NEXT KEY DATE: Ongoing

SkillsHBF has built up expressions of interest for its pilotscheme to trial ways of identifying, assessing andtraining people with some transferrable and existingskills to take on key roles within the industry. Recently,HBF secured phase two support from the ConstructionIndustry Training Board (CITB) for the scheme. JohnSlaughter said that the appetite for the pilotprogramme was high – HBF had pitched the projectfor around 160 candidates to enter housebuilding buthas received demand of 200 “or more”. This was a “goodchallenge” to have and the next step would be to lookat how to increase the scale of interest, “assuming thescheme is meeting a need and that we’ve proved aviable model for helping companies”.

HBF has also commissioned more in-depth research into

what would be of benefit to companies skills-wise if HBFcould galvanise more activity, bringing in more resourcesfor the industry. Responses from the online survey so farindicate that there are other ways in which HBF couldhelp to attract potential recruits and retain them in thelonger term. Slaughter said: “This encapsulates whatwe’re already doing through our image campaign andwebsite.” (housebuildingcareers.org.uk)


HBF’s Graduates Conference HBF’s Graduates Conference returns in July after a seven-year absence.

The one-day conference will be held on July 13 at Holywell Park in Loughborough, and is open torecently qualified graduates and professionals whohave joined HBF member companies. In a mix ofpresentations and group exercises, the focus will be onthe current issues and challenges facing the industry.

HBF’s executive chairman Stewart Baseley will give a keynote address, with Neil Smith, NHBC’s groupresearch and innovation manager, speaking onsustainability matters.

For more information, contact MarianMacdonald – [email protected]

NEXT KEY DATE: HBF’s Graduates Conferencewill be held on July 13

Broadband connections in new builds Delays with broadband connections in new buildproperties are “perhaps the number one issue in thetechnical field for housebuilders at the moment,”according to Dave Mitchell, HBF’s technical director.

Mitchell explained that all parties involved inbroadband connections – the government, BTOpenreach and housebuilders – needed “to get theiracts together. I can see irregularities on all sides.”

In March’s Key Issues Mitchell said that in somecases, it had taken up to six months for home ownersto be connected to broadband in their new homes,reflecting badly on housebuilders.


Housing Standards ReviewFollowing confirmation of the final changes to BuildingRegulations and standards borne out of the HousingStandards Review in March, there are “some outstandingissues concerning transitional arrangements,” said HBF’sDave Mitchell. It was announced that the Code forSustainable Homes would be wound down from Aprilalthough housing associations could still request it. (BREhas said that housing associations can still build to theCode under the 2015–18 affordable funding round). ButMitchell warned that if housing associations continuedto specify the Code, “they’ll get fewer homes for theirmoney.” He also expressed concern that local authoritiesmight not remain within the parameters of thestandards that have been determined by the HousingStandards Review.

Under the review, higher standards have beenadded to water and accessibility. A new ApprovedDocument on security (Part Q) will be introduced, as well as an optional space standard that will sitoutside of Building Regulations.

NEXT KEY DATE: The changes following theHousing Standards Review will beimplemented in October

Meetings with ministersThe Home Builders Federation (HBF) is looking to hold early meetings with thenew secretary of state for communities and local government Greg Clark andother ministers to discuss plans to take housing policies forward.

Shortly after Clark was appointed, HBF’s executive chairman Stewart Baseleywrote to the new communities secretary to reaffirm the HBF’s willingness “to assist you in your work”. Baseley also enclosed a paper, summarising HBF’sthoughts on policy priorities.

John Slaughter, HBF’s director of external affairs, said that HBF had been talkingto officials about what they saw as the “next steps”. Slaughter noted that thesituation would have been quite different had there been a change ofgovernment. “We don’t have to start from scratch in terms of relationships.”

He added that the industry was not anticipating significant switches in policy,but there were set to be challenges around policies such as the CommunityInfrastructure Levy (CIL).

Alongside the appointment of Greg Clark and the re-appointment of BrandonLewis as housing and planning minister, Nick Boles remains skills minister, Liz Truss retains her post as secretary of state for environment and rural affairs, andEd Vaizey is to remain minister for culture, communications and creative industries.

For the industry’s view of the general election result, see pages 14 –16


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Taylor Wimpey ceo Pete Redfern awaits his moment to bid in the auction

The legendary Chuckle Brothers presenting a quiz round

Artist Ben Mosley painted live onthe night and his picture raised

£10,000 in the auction

Sean Ellis and the St James tableenjoying the night

Brain Game

AuctioneerJonny Gouldin full flow

‘Allo ‘Allo star Vikki Michelle presenting a quiz round

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have equally attractive countryside as those within itare seeing the bulk of new development.Housebuilding is restricted and when it does takeplace it is in areas well away from where it is needed,causing the economy and the environment a huge costin lost productivity and carbon emissions as peopletravel long distances to work.

mass revoltsThe reason this is perpetuated is because politicians,particularly Conservative politicians who tend torepresent the affected seats, are scared that redrawingthe green belt will be greeted by mass revolts.

But as we have just seen, this is wildly overstated.Look at what happened in Guildford in the generalelection. In the run up to polling day the town wasriven by a debate on the green belt. A council meetingto discuss redrawing green belt boundaries was

attended by more than 350 people and sparked twopetitions signed by thousands. Candidates at theelection queued up to show their save the green beltcredentials. Concern was such that Susan Parker, aSave the Green Belt candidate, stood for parliament.

And when the votes were counted, how many peoplecared enough about the issue to vote for thiscandidate? 538.

Please, if there are any Tory MPs or councillorsreading this, do the economy a favour, help theenvironment and make life better for millions ofyoung people priced out of the housing market. Allowa redrawing of the green belt. hb

Time to loosen the green beltpps

Stephen Byfield, managing director of PPS Group,says the creation of the green belt has had unintendedconsequences and needs to be rethought

If you were to pick one issue you would like thegovernment to sort out

in the next five years whatwould it be? For me it would be green belt.The imposition of the green

belt around our major cities is planning at its worst.Introduced to stop sprawl and contain coalescingcommunities it must go down as one of the bestexamples of the law of unintended consequences.

The effect, particularly in the superheated economyof London and the south east, has been to severelyrestrict housing supply in the very area where it ismost needed and inexorably push up house prices.This has forced millions out of the market and lockedin profits for a generation of lucky home buyers now inretirement whose interests are now served byopposing future development.

Young people forging a career in London now facedecades of renting or the choice of moving out beyondthe green belt and commuting to work over longdistances. Towns outside the green belt which may

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Nightingales may sing undisturbed in BerkeleySquare, as the old song has it, but in Kent theyare holding up a major housing development,

while elsewhere, birds, bees, bones and bits of potterymay trap the unwary housebuilder.

The presence of rare species or noteworthyarchaeology may not be obvious when buying land orseeking planning permission.

But these can cause costly delays whilearchaeologists or naturalists make investigations andeither record remains present or devise means toprotect or relocate wildlife.

Those delays will be even more costly if building workhas already started and has to be halted, or even partlydismantled. This is something to get right from the start.

Fortunately, advice is at hand. Natural England is thegovernment agency charged with protecting flora andfauna.

site of special scientific interestA spokesman explains: “We would get involved if a siteof special scientific interest (SSSI) or a protectedspecies is at risk, normally at the planning applicationsstage, and give advice throughout that process.

“Natural England would give a view on what isproposed. Say, for example, that great crested newtswere found on a site, we might have to grant a licenceto allow them to be safely relocated. We would have tosay whether proposed mitigation is suitable in view ofthe affect on a protected species.”continued on page 304

obstacles to construction


The unlovely bones

Before embarking on adevelopment, housebuilders need to be mindful of thepotential for disruption by theheavy hand of history or MotherNature. Mark Smulian digs up the skeletons

Skeleton service – an early Saxonburial find atMilton Keynes

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3continued from page 29Natural England cannot prohibit development, “but if adeveloper did something that harmed a protected speciesthey could be liable to prosecution”, the spokesman says.

The agency can also object to planning applicationsthat would affect a species or protected site or view inits role as a statutory consultee.

When it comes to birds, developers can be up againstone of the country’s best-resourced charities in the shapeof the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

It has recently concluded its first formal partnershipwith Barratt Developments, which the charity hopeswill be the forerunner of more (see box).

RSPB policyRSPB policy is to work with developers rather thanseek confrontation, a spokesman explains.

“We are neutral on housing,” he says. “We recognisethere is a shortfall and our main criteria is that homesshould be built in harmony with nature and should notplace additional stress on protected sites.”

These include both SSSIs and those covered by the EUBirds or Habitats directives, processes that can bringdevelopments under the ambit of European law.

Occasionally, the RSPB will get involved with adevelopment near to, but not on, a protected site.

For example, it objected to one project in Dorset

where a bird habitat would have been within themeasured roaming range of domestic cats – notperhaps a subject to which housebuilders normallydevote great attention – who might be kept as pets bythe eventual residents.

“A local authority should know if there is an SSSI orother protected site and we would look to them to getinvolved in any threat,” the RSPB says.

“We are well versed in development, and want to try towork with developers so they are not building onprotected sites, rather than fighting them when they do.”

Butterflies attract less attention than birds, but couldstill cause problems for builders.

Nigel Moore, director of science and policy atButterfly Conservation, says: “We can offer advice oncontinued on page 324



Helen Martin-Bacon, midlands regional directorof Wardell Armstrong Archaeology, says thatprotecting archaeology is a requirement underthe National Planning Policy Framework

Above right: A subterranean Roman structure at Emersons Green near Bristol

The Barratt bird partnershipBarratt Developments has formed a partnershipwith the RSPB at Kingsbrook, Aylesbury Vale,where Barratt has applied to build 2,450 homes,schools and community facilities.

Around half the site will comprise greeninfrastructure to encourage wildlife, and therewill be 250 acres of open space.

Barratt and the RSPB have agreed toincorporate similar principles into futuredevelopments.

Mark Clare, outgoing Barratt Developments’group chief executive, said: ‘’For too long, natureconservation has often been seen to be inconflict with economic development and jobcreation.

“Our partnership with the RSPB willdemonstrate how we protect and enhance thebiodiversity of the local area, benefitting theeconomy, creating employment and improvinghealth and wellbeing for our customers and thecommunities we create.”

RSPB midlands regional reserves manager NickDroy says: “We want to help by giving guidanceto housebuilders on how to create places forwildlife to thrive, so that residents can havecontact with nature on a daily basis.

“We hope other housebuilders will draw on thisso that species that have a tough time in urbanareas are helped.”

By “nature”, the RSPB does not mean just birds,but also the welfare of invertebrates, butterflies“and other creatures that people enjoy seeing,”Droy says.

He adds: “We also hope to engage localauthorities and planning professionals todemonstrate what can be done and encouragethem to look at this in planning policy.

“If 200,000 new homes are to be built a yearclearly some will go on green space and we wantto make sure nature thrives with that.

“We need to get to the point wherehousebuilders see protecting nature as goodbusinesses.”

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there as material sinks to lower levels. “Archaeology differs around the country, in uplands in

Cumbria you get pre-historic material, while in the eastyou get Saxon remains and Northamptonshire has IronAge finds, but you should always expect the unexpected.”

Material found would be removed where possible,photographed, catalogued then sent to a museum.

Where something cannot be moved – for example,the foundations of a Roman villa – it would berecorded and photographed thoroughly but thenpermitted to be destroyed by building work.

national importanceIf something of national importance were found, itmust be preserved in situ. English Heritage wouldsupervise this and any development would have to fitround the archaeological find as best it could.

Martin-Bacon says: “We did a job for a housebuilderlast year in the west country where trial trenchingfound four Roman homes.

“It cost £1 million in all for the archaeology, but theclient had rigs booked to come on site and doearthworks, so we had to get the archaeology donebefore that or the client would have been payingmoney for machinery doing nothing.

“My advice is always to get an idea early of thepotential risks from archaeology. It is not a soft option,it can cost a developer a lot of money.”

Be mindful of what might be beneath your next site,burrowing in it or flying above it – all could provecostly. hb

area. If there are listed buildings or scheduled ancientmonuments, those can be seen and the client told.

“For archaeology there would be a survey, trialtrenching and field walking – if you’ve ever seenfootage of a line of police searching a scene for smallclues, it’s like that – looking for small archaeologicalremains like coins or pottery in the topsoil. Finds wouldthen be plotted to try to establish what is there.”

Martin-Bacon notes that protecting archaeology is a requirement under the National Planning PolicyFramework.

“One problem I find is that developers putarchaeology quite low on their list, and then find at alater stage that it is a massive problem,” she says.

“Businesses run a major risk, so it has to be dealtwith early. We work for developers but it’s our role tostand between them and local planning authoritiesand try to get agreement, or argue against anything

that is unreasonable.”It is hard to guess where

archaeology might arise,Martin-Bacon says. “It’scompletely random,quite unpredictable, youmight think you’d findnothing in the middle ofBirmingham, forexample, where therehas been building atdepth for years, butthings have been found

3continued from page 30butterfly sites generally but will usually refer inquiriesfrom developers to local record centres, which shouldknow if there is a protected site. The planning processis very important in safeguarding sites.”

Butterfly Conservation is working on a three yearproject with the Bat Conservation Trust to collate datathey hold on habitats by local authority area.

“We have quite good distributional data but it needscollating so one can see it by site,” Moore says.

Archaeology can be even more difficult than wildlife,as by its nature, there can be little indication that

anything of historical importance lies beneath a site.Helen Martin-Bacon, midlands regional director of

Wardell Armstrong Archaeology, one of several companiesactive in the field, explains how it would act for a builder.

“If a planning application is made we may be asked tomake a desk based assessment,” she says. “We have torecord and investigate to establish what might be in the

An intact 1920s turntable uncovered on site

“My advice is always to get an ideaearly of the potential risks fromarchaeology. It is not a soft option itcan cost a developer a lot of money”Helen Martin-Bacon, midlands regionaldirector of Wardell Armstrong Archaeology32 housebuilder june 2015

Nightingales at Lodge HillThe Lodge Hill site in Kent shows how concernsabout wildlife can affect a development.Natural England has objected to Land Securities’plan for 5,000 homes on the former Ministry of Defence site at Hoo on the grounds that itwould damage part of an SSSI.

The RSPB is concerned about plans to relocatenightingales from the site to another in Essex,arguing there “is no scientific proof that thisrelocation works or whether the nightingaleswould go there even if it were suitable”, a spokesman says.

Land Securities says it has addressedenvironmental concerns by setting aside just overhalf of the 700 acre site for public open space,offering to retain habitats and creating a newnightingale habitat across the Thames atShoeburyness. The matter remains unresolved.

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feature heading


Chris Lilley has been appointed managingdirector of Redrow’s south east division.

Lilley, who started out as a management trainee in 1989with Bryant Homes, has 14 years’ management experience.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work for acompany that takes such a pride in its product and has a clear purpose and strategy for growth,” Lilley said. “My main aims are to continue to expand the division

and start work on some of the wonderful sites that have recently been purchased.”With Redrow’s south east divisional headquarters soon to be relocated to a new

office in Kent, to oversee developments in Kent and East Sussex its currentheadquarters in Laindon, Essex will become home to the newly formed Redroweastern division, as the housebuilder continues to grow in the south of England.

Allison Homes, the Spalding based housebuildingcompany, has welcomed new managing directorAdrian Evans to its growing team.

Allison Homes is the newest business within theLarkAeet Group, run by ceo Karl Hick and currently has Anvil Mews in Stamford under development.

Evans brings with him 15 years of leadership, experienceand knowledge as md of Persimmon Homes, East

Midlands division. Prior to this, he headed the technical side of the Persimmon business.Now with responsibility for the leadership and development of Allison Homes,

Evans will play a key role in driving the company forward and building on the frm’soutstanding reputation for quality developments and customer service.

Building on its reputation for service, independentutility connections provider TriConnex has appointedJonathen Edwards as technical manager to helpdeliver its expansion into South West England.

Edwards joins after 11 years with Wessex Water wherehe headed up the company’s developer services and in-house multi utility businesses. He said: “I am delightedto join TriConnex at this important time and very much

look forward to contributing towards the delivery of this next phase of growth”. B

Hertfordshire’s privately owned residentialdeveloper, Heronslea Group, has strengthenedits team with the appointment of a new salesand marketing director, Shelley West.

West joins Heronslea at a busy time, which sees thefamily-run company acquiring land and gainingplanning permission for a number of new sites, as wellas launching several developments.

The new recruit has more than 20 years’ experience. She has worked with CALAHomes, formerly Banner Homes, since 1996, where she started in sales and quicklyrose through the ranks to sales manager, moving onto sales and marketing director.West brings with her senior management experience in new homes sales andmarketing, and extensive knowledge of Heronslea Group’s key areas of operation.

Renaissance Retirement has appointed ChrisWotton as marketing director as the companyexpands its south coast operation.

Wotton also joins the board of RenaissanceRetirement at an exciting time for the business as itlaunches construction on fve new sites this year, with a further eight in the planning process.

With more than 14 years working in top property PRagencies in the UK, including Lee Peck Group, Remarkable and PPS Group, Wottonwas the “perfect choice” for md Robert Taylor.

Wotton has worked with a number of top rated housebuilders including LindenHomes, Barratt Homes, McCarthy & Stone and Churchill Retirement Living.

Wotton joins Nick Watkins, development director at Renaissance, who has morethan 12 years of experience in the retirement sector as a land director primarily for Churchill Retirement Living and Blue Cedar Group.

Darcliffe Homes has taken on Matthew Jeal asdirector where he will oversee all land andplanning activities to help drive the ongoingexpansion of the company in the Thames Valleyregion.

Jeal originally joined the company in 2012 as land and planning manager and brings more than ten years’experience in the development industry to his new role.

Joint md Graham Denton commented: “Matthew has played a crucial part inmoving the business forward over the last few years and we wanted to recognise hisachievements.B

“Matthew must be credited with the success of our next development in SpencersWood and he will be instrumental in driving more projects like this as the businessexpands.B It is certainly an exciting time for the company.”

Housebuilding JobsHousebuilderhas joined up with Careers in Housebuilding to bring you the latest jobs inthe housebuilding industry. For the latest information on a wide range of industry careeropportunities, go to www.house-builder.co.uk and click on the Jobs section or visitwww.careersinhousebuilding.co.uk

New appointments and moves within the housebuilding and supply industry

Moving or shaking? Send the details to Suzie Mayes [email protected] & Shakers

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There is a company out there that wants to helpboth local authorities and housebuilders buildmore homes. Large scale land is its game and

so far it has fixed its sights on Southampton,Lincolnshire, Peterborough and Allerdale.

Fronted by Charles Flynn - hailing from the UnitedStates and a UK resident for 17 years - Lucent Groupspecialises in strategic land assembly in high growthareas across the country. There are two prongs to thefive-year old business, distinct from each other butintegrated – Lucent Advisors which focuses onstrategic land selection, asset management, planningand disposal through the Lucent Strategic Land Fund(LSLF). Its counterpart, Lucent Global Distribution,identifies and raises capital from investors for the LSLF.

A proportion of the funds raised feed into Lucent’sinvestment partnership (IP) model. With slashedbudgets, local authorities have experienced a roughtrot of late. But Lucent is seeking to mollify thesituation with its model, providing funding to allowcouncils to masterplan and deliver viableredevelopment schemes for large strategic sites. The IPis equally controlled between the two parties, withthe local authority providing the land and Lucent thecapital investment, planning and delivery expertise.(For more on Lucent’s IPs, see box).

planning and infrastructureAnd Lucent is planning to offer sites within theseschemes to housebuilders, complete with planning,infrastructure and other tasks ticked off. “We offer thebest situation for housebuilders in terms of largestrategic land,” says Flynn.

The path to Lucent began in the 1990s when Flynnswapped the sunny climes of California - where he wasstudying - for London when he heard that the capital ofEngland was tipped to be “the epicentre of development”.

“I’ve analysed land investment from Thailand to SanFrancisco. The cornerstone of investment into land inthe UK is unique,” he says. “There’s strong demand fornew homes and a growing demographic. But homesgrowth needs to happen sustainably.”

Flynn knows his land well, having overseen theacquisition, planning development and forward sale ofstrategic land holdings throughout the UK. Lucent Advisorswas born in 2009, with the LSLF established a year later.

The firm’s IP model emerged several years ago fromits relationship with the Homes and CommunitiesAgency. “We were looking at [new town] Northstowe,and were considering using the land to bring suretyand unlock the project quickly,” Flynn explains.Although these plans for Northstowe were unrealised,Lucent’s preparation paved the way for one of the

continued on page 404

Lucent


Lucent Group is a strategic land development specialist with plansthat will interest many housebuilders. Suzie Mayes meets chiefexecutive Charles Flynn to find out how his company can help localauthorities and the housebuilding industry deliver new homes

Spotlight oninvestment

Closing the floodgatesLucent Group’s Lincolnshire Lakes project willinclude “substantial” flood mitigation measureswhich will in turn improve the flood defences forthe existing villages of Burringham and Gunness.“We’re aware that the surrounding villages needstrengthened protection,” says Charles Forsyth,Lucent’s communications director. “We need tomake sure they benefit.” The infrastructure thatLucent plans to install in all of its schemes willbenefit existing dwellers and new residents alike.

Lucent luminary Ben Mitchell, partner of PeterBrett Associates, is offering his flooding expertise to Lincolnshire Lakes. “He’s done all of themodelling and has determined that it’s safe towork on the land,” Forsyth explains. LincolnshireLakes will be protected to a standard “well abovethe minimum requirement of insurers andallowing for climate change for the next century,”according to Lucent.

“The first thing we did on acquiring the land was to work with the Environment Agency to find asolution to the flooding equation,” says CharlesFlynn, Lucent’s ceo. “Homes need to be insured orthere’s no product to sell. We [will] make surehousebuilders have that platform and that wedeliver the best product, ensuring thateverything is covered.”

Lincolnshire Lakes is a 20-year project. Lucent isconscious that “each of these phases is profitablefor the housebuilder”.

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3continued from page 39company’s current projects – Lincolnshire Lakes.

The Lincolnshire Lakes project has been dubbed byLucent as “one of the largest development investmentopportunities in thecountry.” It is set toyield 6,000 newhomes overall, half ofwhich will bedelivered underLucent in twovillages, pleasantlysurrounded bywoodlands andwetlands. The projectis also expected tospawn approximately4,000 jobs, publicamenities and leisurefacilities, as well asimprove flood defences for nearby communities. (Seebox). It has enabled Scunthorpe United FC to submitits own plans for a new stadium.

After being introduced to the project, Lucent swiftlyforged a collaborative approach with the local planning

authority. Lucent’s planning team helped secure anallocation for the site within North LincolnshireCouncil’s core strategy. And, thanks to negotiationswith the Environment Agency (EA) and the Highways

Agency, plans are in place forthe execution of major newinfrastructure.

“Lincolnshire Lakes was acornerstone to the council’score strategy beingdelivered,” comments Flynn.Lucent secured outlineplanning permission forNorth Lincolnshire council inOctober 2014. And in goodtime, Lucent will be offering“shovel ready” sites withinthe scheme to developersand housebuilders.

“We’re a risk mitigationplatform,” Flynn says, explaining Lucent’s work. “Wedeal with what’s in the land, legal matters and theland title, ecology and infrastructure requirements inorder to get to net residual land value. This allows forthe housebuilder’s returns to be above average. They

can then focus on what they do best in anenvironment that’s sustainable in accordance to thevision of the local area, with the site masterplannedsustainably to its surroundings.”

Another opportunity for fans of development-readysites is the Royal Pier Waterfront in Southampton.Lucent is acting as master developer on the 35.4 acrescheme, which will take in – amongst other elements- up to 700 luxury apartments, premium food andretail space, a four/five star hotel and theredevelopment of Mayflower Park which houses theSouthampton boat show. A planning application for allof this rejuvenation will be submitted later in the year.

heritage“This project is exciting as we’re reinvigoratingMayflower Park,” Flynn says enthusiastically. “The sitehas a significant amount of heritage.” Heritage is aparticular passion of Flynn’s; he has a history degreeand appreciates the historical background of allprojects. Naturally he has been delving into the RoyalPier’s background. “The site was once a train depot,airport, pier and port. We want to bring back thatinteraction with the waterfront to Southampton and


Lucent


“There’s strong demand for new homes and

a growing demographic. But homes growth needs to happen sustainably”

Charles Flynn, chief executive, Lucent

The Royal Pier Waterfront which will feature up to 700 luxury apartmentsand see the waterfront rejuvenated with leisure, retail and culturalopportunities. Artist’s impression by Lyons, Sleeman and Hoare

039-40_HB_JUN15.qxp 26/05/2015 09:42 Page 40

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041_HB_JUN15 26/05/2015 10:38 Page 1

3continued from page 40create a vibrant centre – a place to live and work with

waterfront dining. It’s a large site but every squarefoot counts. We’re aware of how we can utilise thespace to maximise the feel and create a destination.”The firm has been researching markets from aroundthe world to perfect the epicurean aspect of thescheme, and the planned promenade is designed toreconnect the land to the water.

economic leakageLucent hopes the Royal Pier Waterfront will help toreverse Southampton’s long-term “economic leakage”.Southampton – like any city – has a diversedemographic and economic profile. Parts of the citylook less than prestigious, and in the absence of a focalpoint, for years local residents have opted to spendmoney outside of the city. Expectations for the schemeare certainly high – Southampton City Council chiefexecutive Dawn Baxendale describes the unbuiltscheme as “the jewel in the crown” of Southampton’s2030 masterplan. Previous regeneration promises ledto nowhere, so the firm is anxious to gain “buy-in” forthe scheme. “This has been a long time coming. Thefirst attempt to revitalise the scheme was in 1963,”says Charles Forsyth, Lucent’s communicationsdirector. “People are understandably a little sceptical

about any plans for the pier. But we’ve signed theCLDA and this is the furthest that anyone’s got withregenerating the site.” Lucent is already focused oncommunity engagement and will be increasing it oncethe planning application is submitted.

With the residential element of Royal Pier Waterfrontbeing “a key component,” a number of interestednational housebuilders have approached Lucent. “Butnothing’s finalised,” Flynn says. “We’re looking at thequality of residential developers as we’re striving to bethe highest quality deliverer of resi in Southampton.”

Having worked with the UK planning system forsome time, Flynn agrees that it is a convolutedmachine. “But it’s getting better and there’s a processto it, with local plans and core strategies in place.

“But in having surety, we have the benefit of a ‘when’ not‘if’ scenario when it comes to bringing forward strategicland. The investment can come in at the level that’sneeded to achieve the number of homes that are needed.”

At such a tender age, Lucent “is just getting started”.Flynn has impressive ambitions. “I want to see Lucentbecome the premier land delivery organisation in theUK. With the global investment we have, this isachievable. We’re investing £500 million in landprojects over the next two years.”

For those housebuilders interested in what Flynncalls “a unique offering,” the door is open. hb

Lucent


Investment partnerships (IPs)Lucent has agreed IPs with two councils inAllerdale and Peterborough.

The Peterborough Investment Partnership (PIP)was formulated in 2014 between Peterbrough Citycouncil and Lucent. PIP will support the sustainedgrowth and development of local communities inPeterborough, creating new jobs, retail, housingand leisure facilities. All funds raised will bereinvested back into the community.

Eight mixed-use schemes will be developed underthe PIP, the first being Fletton Quays, a riverfrontscheme providing 500 high quality homes and120,000 sq ft of office space alongside restaurant,leisure and retail opportunities. Lucent issubmitting an application in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the Allerdale InvestmentPartnership (AIP) is Lucent’s joint venture withAllerdale Borough council, also secured last year.Lucent is aiming to regenerate the localauthority’s land and develop key sites. A decisionon outline proposals for 290 new homes will bemade in the summer.

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Foundation claims are relatively low in volumebut have an extremely high impact, not just infinancial costs, but also in terms of disruption

to home owners and the negative impact on industry

reputation. Foundations perform a critical structuralfunction on all buildings and are crucial to the overallperformance; an area that should not be overlooked.

New statistics show that foundation defects arereducing year on year; in fact properties benefitingfrom Buildmark cover in 2012 are performing threetimes better (in claims volumes) than properties on

cover in 2005. This improvement correlates with riskmanagement changes made by NHBC in the past tento 15 years. Some of the most significant changesincluded the re-write of Chapter 4.2 Building near treesof the NHBC Standards, the introduction of aFoundation Depth Calculator and the Foundation KeyStage Inspections. continued on page 464

foundation defects


Foundation defects under the spotlight

NHBC’s technical project manager Marc Separoviclooks at foundation claims over the years as part of anew campaign to raise standards

Moisture extraction from adjacenttrees can cause clay soil shrinkage

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3continued from page 45Although improvements have been made and thevolume of foundation claims is reducing, the overallcost remains significantly high. Between 2005 and2012 there have been approximately 1,555 reportedfoundation claims with a cost of just over £57 million.In fact one reported foundation claim this year hascost £600,000. Of the 1,555 claims, 1,124 claims(72%) at a cost of £35.5 million were related to strip ortrench fill foundations in shrinkable soils near trees.Foundation depths were not in accordance with thedesign and/or lacked heave precautions, resulting instructural problems such as cracking and movement.

vegetation It is hard to believe how much influence vegetation canhave on soil characteristics, especially shrinkable soils suchas clay. The roots of all vegetation (shrubs or trees) takemoisture from the soil to replenish the water loss from theirleaves. In a shrinkable soil this can result in seasonalmovements, shrinkage in dry periods and swelling in wetperiods, or even with large or dense trees a permanent

shrinkage for the lifetime of the vegetation. It is thereforecritical that foundations are taken below this zone ofinfluence from vegetation. The zone of influence is likely toextend further than the physical root spread and is difficultto assess by the naked eye. From claims experience, forlarger high water demand trees the zone can extendgreater than 3.5m in depth and provide potentialdifferential soil movements inexcess of 150mm over a normalbuilding footprint.

To understand the underlyingrisks of a site an initialassessment and basicinvestigation should be carriedout in accordance with Chapter4.1 Land quality – managingground conditions of the NHBC Standards. Where trees havebeen identified – existing, proposed or removed withinpotentially shrinkable soil – for foundation purposesfurther investigations should be carried out under thesupervision of a consultant or specialist acceptable toNHBC, to confirm consistency, shrinkability of soils and thezone of influence in accordance with Chapter 4.1.

Chapter 4.2 of the NHBC Standards provides guidanceon foundation depths and heave precautions whenbuilding near trees in shrinkable soils. But it is importantto note that foundation depths are not those at whichroot activity or zone of influence and ground movementare non-existent but are of a depth that is considered toprovide an acceptable level of risk. To mitigate this riskfurther, especially when constructing a foundationadjacent to or over a cluster of dense or significant trees,an alternative solution such as piling could be considered.

Looking at foundation defects in further detail, onhomes completed between 2005 and 2012,foundation claims on these generations have cost £7.5million to date and affected 175 homes. Splitting thedefects into three main categories: settlement, heaveand subsidence, settlement appeared most commonaccounting for 47% volume at a cost of just over £3.4million, followed by heave related failures at 26%volume and subsidence at 21% volume.

When assessing causes of the defects, the largestcause was bearing stratum resulting in settlementrelated defects. The second largest cause was removalof pre-construction trees resulting in heave relateddefects. When assessing each defect categoryindividually these causes appeared most prevalent:

Settlements – Pad, trench,raft and strip foundationtypes – bearing stratum(poor performingengineered fill andinsufficient bearing) andshallow foundations. Piled foundations – designand varied foundation types.

Of the settlement failures 28% at a cost of £0.5 millionrelated to peripheral parts of a building, for exampleporches, bay windows, bike sheds and conservatories.Heave – Trench and raft foundation types – removalof pre-construction trees. Piled foundations – ingressof concrete into ground beam heave precautions.Subsidence – Trench foundations – removal of pre-construction and post construction vegetation(preconstruction being marginally greater than postconstruction).

Foundation related claims are an ongoing area ofconcern. Although significant improvements havebeen made and claim volumes are reducing, theoverall cost is still significantly high.

Over the coming months NHBC will be focusing onvarious foundation related initiatives. Some of thehigh level initiatives include:n Providing further information on foundation re-lated subjects: risks associated with fill and madeground, design of vibro stone columns, level of site in-vestigations, pile designs, heave precautions. n An accompanying tree identification app to add tothe existing popular foundation depth calculatorn A new post construction home owner landscapingguidance pack. hb

For any general enquires on foundations, call ourtechnical helpline on 01908 74738. For site specificenquires, get in touch with your NHBC engineer.

foundation defects


Advicen Complete an initial assessment and basicinvestigation to determine any hazards inaccordance with NHBC Standards CH4.1n Check past aerial photographs for anyremoved vegetation, utilising web sites such as www.getmapping.com andwww.maps.google.co.uk street viewnWhere hazards exist, such as nearby trees (existing,proposed or removed) in shrinkable soils, carry outfurther investigations to confirm consistency,shrinkability of soils and the zones of influence.n Check whether you are proposing the correctfoundation type for the hazards in question. For trees/shrinkable soils, engineeredfoundations may be a viable alternativen Ensure foundations are suitably designed, and if required include heave precautions and a suspended ground floorn Ensure foundations are constructed in accordance with the design

How NHBC can helpTo help assess foundation depths and heaveprecautions when building near trees in a shrinkablesoil, NHBC offers the following additional resources: n The Foundation depth calculator – available onWindows, Apple and Android operating systems,this foundation depth calculator can bedownloaded free of charge. n NHBC Standards Plus – Soil Identificationbook, Heave Precaution Data Sheets.

These imagesemphasise the importance of pre-constructionaerial photographyand suitablefoundation designs

It is hard to believehow much influencevegetation can have

on soil characteristics

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Increasingly airtight new homes have reduced theenergy needed to heat internal space, butgenerating warmth still accounts for a large

proportion of domestic energy use. So it is no surprisepolicymakers, home owners and, consequently,housebuilders have it in their sights.

Those supplying heating systems – and the ventilationthat goes with them to stop a home from morphing intoa sauna – are striving to provide answers that reducecarbon emissions and costs. The lurking 2016 zero carbontarget for new homes, even if the definition and deadlineare a little murky, has also encouraged developers to lookfor innovation in the sector.

So how are suppliers ensuring they provide systemsthat satisfy everybody’s needs? “At Worcester we’rehelping home owners to keep costs down bycontinuously designing energy efficient products. And we aim to make it easy for housebuilders torecommend and specify technology which uses lessenergy,” says Martyn Bridges, director of marketingand technical support at Worcester Bosch Group.

He adds: “Further pressure will come with the newEnergy Labelling Directive which introduces newefficiency classes with A+, A++ and A+++ on top ofthe existing A-rating reserved for the most energyefficient gas boiler products.” continued on page 504


Chris Windle talks to theheating manufacturers whoseenergy efficient systems arekeeping costs and carbon down.But if new build homes are to hitthe zero carbon standard, goodventilation is needed to ensure acomfortable living environment

Chillout zoneStelrad’s radiators are designed to work wellwith both traditional boilers and renewablesPictured: Stelrad’s Concord radiators

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3continued from page 49Marc Hipkin, national sales manager for new build andnew design at boiler manufacturer Potterton, part ofBaxi, says: “The current trend is towards high efficiencyboilers and insulation products to help ensure thehighest level of airtightness within the fabric of thebuilding. In this way, developers can achieve a highefficiency rating almost straightaway without havingto invest so much up front.”

SAP ratingWith this in mind, adds Hipkin: “All of our boilers arehigh efficiency and offer a good SAP rating, which isvery important to the housebuilder. Plus, the option ofvarious add-ons, such as gas heat recovery or weathercompensation kits, can increase SAP ratings forrelatively lower costs.”

Where then, if energy efficient heating systems andthe fabric of a building are today’s priorities, does thisleave renewable technologies?

Gas is still king, says Bridges. “We think the winnersin the domestic heating market will continue to beanything connected to mains gas. It’s safe to say thatgas-fired boilers are here to stay for the foreseeablefuture.” And Andrew Ogden, design office manager atCoates Design, Kingspan Environmental’s designconsultancy, admits: “The proposal that new buildshould not have gas boilers is at present somethingthat we feel is unachievable.”

However, hybrid systems that combine fossil fuelwith renewables are providing a way forward. “A combination of a hybrid boiler system accompaniedby carbon off setting technology, such as solar thermaland wind turbines, would be more achievable,”continues Ogden, who says Kingspan’s range ofrenewable technologies are ideal for this. “We areglobal manufacturers, we use only the latest ininnovative technology to ensure the highestperformance from our renewable technologies. Forexample our solar thermal vacuum tubes deliver anunrivalled transfer of solar energy into heat with theindustry’s leading product, Thermomax.”

Bridges also sees a bright future for hybrid systems.“There are a number of renewable technologies nowavailable which lend themselves to a partnership witha boiler. Air to water heat pumps can automaticallymaintain the best possible efficiency levels whenoperating in partnership with a boiler and have thepotential to become increasingly influential. Such is

the sophistication of some of these units that they canbe programmed to select the most cost effectiveoption based upon localised temperaturerequirements and fuel tariffs.”

However heat is generated it is vital that componentssuch as radiators can distribute it efficiently, saysStelrad Radiators’ marketing manager Chris Harvey.“Our radiators have been designed to share heatefficiently and to work well with both traditionalboiler driven heating systems and modern renewablesystems. We have introduced the Radical radiator toour portfolio because it offers an independentlyassessed – by testing body KIWA – energy saving ofup to 10.5% over traditional parallel feed radiatorswhere the two panels heat up together at the sametime. Radical heats the front panel first, up to 23%faster than a traditional radiator, providing up to 50%more radiant heat than a parallel feed radiator.”


heating and ventilation

Sharing the heating burden“The next big trend will be the emergence ofenergy plants, whereby community groups, withthe help of government funding, can reap thebenefits of renewable energy by creating ‘powerhubs’ in their area,” says Marc Hipkin, nationalsales manager for new build and new design atboiler manufacturer Potterton, part of Baxi.

Likewise heat networks are a more efficient way ofgenerating heat than traditional home-based boilersystems. And companies such as Guru Systemsprovide developers with state-of-the-art monitoringhubs that link homes to such networks and giveresidents independent control of their heating.

“Instead of installing 100 individual boilers,developers create a heat network by putting acouple of big boilers in a central plant room witha large energy connection,” explains Guru Systemsmd Casey Cole.

“That generates heat, which is distributedthrough a closed loop of pipework, sending outhot water at 70–80°C. Residents pay for the heatenergy they take out of that water, which iscalculated using a heat meter. The water thengoes back into the heat centre and it goesthrough that loop again. And the pipework staysthe same no matter how heat is generated.

“We provide modern pay- as-you go systemsthat allow residents to monitor their usage, costand carbon emissions. They can set up an accountand forget about it or they can control it in thesame way they would a traditional system.”

Worcester Bosch says that it aims to make it easy for housebuilders to specify technology that usesless energy. Pictured: solar panels on a new scheme

Hybrid systems thatcombine fossil fuel with renewables areproviding a way forward50 housebuilder june 2015

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3continued from page 50And, naturally, home owners are keen for thosecomponents on display to look good. Harvey says: “We are seeing orders coming in for new buildproperties where developers are upgrading to designerradiators, such as flat fronted or tubular designs and,increasingly, vertical radiators that provide additionalheat from a reduced horizontal radiator footprint.”

Keeping systems clean internally is another way toimprove their efficiency. The removal of dirt and airfrom a system can reduce annual energy use by up to7.4% and lower breakdowns by up to 48%, claimsSpirotech sales director Roger Williams. “Dirt blockagesand air pockets can slow waterflow, clog up valves andforce boilers and pumps to work harder, leading toexcessive component wear, higher energy consumptionand increased risk of system malfunction.

“Spirotech offers a broad range of dirt and airremoval solutions that protect and enhance theperformance and efficiency of renewable technologiesas well as traditional heating systems. And since the

capital cost of renewables is so much greater thantraditional boilers even more care should be taken,”adds Williams.

better insulationOf course with better insulated homes and moreefficient heating systems comes the need to ventilate.With this in mind “the domestic ventilation market hastaken definite steps toward whole house ventilationsystems,” says Jon Hill, technical manager of PolypipeVentilation. “This is reflected in the number ofdevelopments that have installed our Silaventmechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) andmechanical extract ventilation (MEV) systems.




District heating systemsThe history of district heating systems has beensomewhat “chequered” with early examples –by today’s standards – being inefficient andpoorly designed, according to Paul Sands ofStokvis Energy Systems.

“However with the advances in modulation,condensing, controls and renewable technology,communal heating systems are gaining rapidpopularity in response to the challenges ofreducing running costs and cutting carbonemissions for the nation’s housing stock,” he says.

District heating can serve a handful of homes or a large scale housing development involving a centralised plant room. “The heat can begenerated using the widest possible choice oftechnologies including high performance, fossilfuel boilers, through biomass units or heat pumpsto full scale combined heat and power (CHP)plants. They can even feature the use of wasteheat from sources such as incinerators.”

Circulated through modern insulated mains, theenergy in district heating systems is delivered toindividual customers via heat interface units(HIUs), such as the “compact and well-engineeredH-Series Econoplate models which Stokvis EnergySystems has developed,” Sands says.

“HIUs are multi-functional,” he continues,“offering meter reading both remotely or withinan access cupboard which can be mounted in alandlord controlled area. Ultra high efficiencyplate heat exchangers and controls within the HIU transfer heat to the appropriate heating ordomestic hot water system. Response is bothrapid and reliable, while customers furtherbenefit from lower energy bills.”

Spirotech offers a range of dirt and air removal solutions that protect and enhance the performance of renewable technologies and traditional heating systems

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3continued from page 53“Offering highly efficient levels of performance forlower dwelling emission rates (DER) and greater SAPratings, while also incorporating features that makeinstallation and user control easier, our HousebuilderProduct Award-winning HRX and HRX2 MVHR unitsare viewed by many developers as a perfect solution totheir statutory ventilation requirements.”

Equally, says Nuaire marketing director Andy Mudie,“our MVHR systems are highly efficient, intelligentproducts with integral sensors and controls to ensurethey ventilate based on carbon, occupancy and humidity.The energy they save in recovering heat more than

outweighs the cost ofinstalling MVHR oversimple extract fans.But the key thing isthat MVHR systemsguarantee goodindoor air quality at avery affordable price,and that isinvaluable.”

One attractive benefitof MVHR systems is the

potential to pay for themselves, explains Vent-Axia productmarketing manager Ian Mitchell. “Recent advances inenergy efficient MVHR technology, such as Vent-Axia’sKinetic Plus E, mean that these systems can demonstrate anet cost saving over their lifetime. A unit ventilating athree-bedroom house may consume 20 Watts, not muchmore than a low energy light bulb, which equates to anannual running cost of £22.77 at 13p kW/hr. The total costsaving of the Kinetic Plus E when compared to intermittentextract fans is £307 per annum and the Kinetic Plus Erecovers potentially ten or twenty times the energy it coststo run.”

Lee Stones, category manager for Xpelair says:“Where the choice of ventilation is concerned, it’s nosecret that whole house ventilation wins out in theefficiency stakes, and certainly for new buildproperties it’s a no-brainer for developers to opt forwhole house systems like MEV and MVHR, rather thanless efficient intermittent fan options.”

But MVHR systems are not the only option forhousebuilders, counters Peter Haynes, EnviroVentproduct manager.

PIV systems“Positive input ventilation (PIV) is an option forhousebuilders as it helps them to meet tighter carbontargets and is easier to install. PIV can recover up to550kwh of free heat from the loft every year accordingto the Energy Saving Trust, and also improvesdistribution of heat around the home by destratifyingand recirculating warm air trapped at ceiling level.

“PIV systems work by drawing in fresh, filtered, cleanair from outside and gently ventilating the home froma central position, usually above a landing in a house ora central hallway in a flat or bungalow. They work bydiluting moisture laden air, displacing it and replacingit to control humidity levels between 45% and 60%.”

Such sophisticated systems give new homes a markedadvantage over existing stock when it comes to creatinga comfortable indoor climate. By combining efficientheating and ventilation housebuilders can, literally,provide their customers with a breath of fresh air. hb



KEY CONTACTSDimplex www.dimplex.co.ukEnviroVent www.envirovent.comGuru Systems www.gurusystems.comKingspanEnvironmental www.kingspanenviro.comNuaire www.nuaire.co.ukPolypipe Ventilation www.polypipe.com/ventilationPotterton www.potterton.co.ukRinnai www.rinnaiuk.comSpirotech www.spirotech.co.ukStelrad www.stelrad.comStokvis www.stokvisboilers.com Vent-Axia www.vent-axia.comWorcester Heat www.worcester-bosch.co.ukXpelair www.redringxpelair.com/xpelair

Getting into hot waterTony Gittings of water heating specialist Rinnaipoints out that, as homes become betterinsulated, the energy saving focus will inevitablyshift to heating water. Luckily he has a solution.“A continuous flow hot water system is the bestoption for all types of domestic dwelling. With acontinuous flow water heater you can never runout of hot water no matter how many individualbaths or showers are taken simultaneously. Whywaste energy and money heating water for anumber of hours for only a brief period of use?”

He adds: “To make even greater savings, linking arenewable energy source to a direct system is veryeasy to accomplish. The flow of domestic hot water isheated by the renewable energy source and isthen fed through the water heater; the idea beingthat the water unit is pre-set to a temperature of60–65°C. If the renewable energy source does not getto this temperature the water heater makes it up.”

Top left: Vent-Axia’s Kinetic Plus E can reportedlydemonstrate a net cost saving over their lifetimeAbove: Nuaire says that its MVHR systems arehighly efficient, intelligent products withintegral sensors and controls

Positive input ventilation can recover up to550kwh of free heat from the loft every year,says the Energy Saving Trust Pictured: EnviroVent’senergiSava 250

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Insulation is a key component of sustainablehousebuilding. It also of course helps to keep thechill out. Springvale technical manager Greg Lynch

outlines the three key benchmarks housebuildersshould be aware of when choosing insulation for theirlow carbon builds.

“Insulation should be third party accredited with a U-value specific to the exact design of the elementinto which it is to be fitted. The insulation should beable to withstand the extremes of temperature andexposure experienced in that location and, lastly, itshould be robust with a long life and have a BRE GreenGuide Rating of at least A+.”

However, as SIG Insulation head of business

been documented in extensive research by the ZeroCarbon Hub. Housebuilders should be aware of thefactors that can potentially cause this gap and takesteps to minimise the risk.


insulation

Tim Palmerreports on the latest from theinsulation sector, which plays a crucial role in ensuring that new homesare as thermally efficient as possible. What should housebuilders beaware of when choosing insulation as part of a low carbon build?

Insulationexploration

Hybris from Actis is suitable for timber frame or masonry walls, pitched roofs or ceiling applications

development Andrew Orriss says, the potential for ashortfall to occur between as-designed and as-builtperformance is one of the biggest challenges when itcomes to specifying insulation materials. “It’s aphenomenon known as the ‘performance gap’ that has

“Housebuilders should be aware of the factors that can potentially cause the ‘performance gap’ and take steps to minimise the risk”Andrew Orriss, head of business development, SIG Insulation


057-62_HB_JUN15.qxp 22/05/2015 14:14 Page 57

3continued from page 57“For instance, it doesn’t matter how good yourinsulation is if it isn’t fitted correctly. This places aresponsibility on housebuilders to ensure their teamsare equipped with the necessary product knowledgeand installation training, and on manufacturers todesign products that are simple to install, as well as to

supply the appropriate technical guidance.”On the performance gap, Actis specification manager

Matt Rhodes says: “The Zero Carbon Hub has identified15 areas to help eliminate the problem that buildersare becoming more aware actually exists. Our Hybridrange was designed to specifically address this and hasbeen extensively tested to ensure it performs in real

life as calculations predict. Perhaps more importantly,an Actis Hybrid specification is difficult to break whichgives specifiers reassurance that the end result on sitewill reflect the original design.”

Major factors housebuilders should be aware of whenspecifying insulation on builds include footprint, overallthermal efficiency, thermal bridging, cleanliness, ease andspeed of insulation and cost. Of the former Rhodes says:“Traditionally it was believed that to achieve greaterthermal performance construction depths have to increase.With Hybris this isn’t the case. Although using acombination of Hybris in conjunction with vapour controllayer HControl Hybrid and breather membrane Boost ‘RHybrid can give an incredible U-value of 0.09, wherefootprints are at a premium, as in the majority of newbuilds, then installing the three Hybrid products in astandard 140mm timber framed wall will offer a U-value of0.17 on an 89mm stud with 45mm Hybris.”

fabric firstSpringvale’s Greg Lynch claims the company has led theway in promoting the fabric first approach to house design,incorporating vital increased insulation into the mostimportant possession in any person’s life – their home.

“For many years expanded polystyrene (EPS) wasseen as the poor relation to PIR, XPS and fibrousmaterials but through extensive testing anddevelopment we’ve proven that no other material has


insulation


High rise hopeLondon School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Housing andCommunities, in partnership with Rockwool, recently launched High Rise HopeRevisited, a report examining the social implications of whole building energyefficiency refurbishments in residential tower blocks.

Based on research conducted at the Edward Woods estate in Shepherds Bush,London, the report found that upgrading work carried out across 754 flats in three23-storey tower blocks had enhanced the quality of life and living conditions forresidents, with aesthetic improvements instilling pride within the community.

Rockwool BuildDesk software was used to calculate potential heat losses atthe outset of the project which used several of the company’s products. As wellas filling the cavity walls with granular insulation, external walls were cladwith Rockpanel Rockclad Xtreme board to further reduce heat loss and give afresh, clean appearance. On north and south elevations, existing brick claddingwas stripped away and filled with Rockwool Flexi insulation. Rather thanreplace the bricks, an energy-efficient lightweight steel frame system wasinstalled and filled with a further 100mm of Flexi and a 90 mm thick Rockshieldexternal wall insulation system was then applied.

Rockwool director of refurbishment and regeneration Darren Snaith says: “Weare delighted to have partnered with the LSE on this important research projectwhich will provide invaluable lessons for other local authorities keen toimplement large scale energy efficiency schemes.”

InnovationCompanies are continuing to develop products such as PUR injected cavitywall insulation, according to Chris Hall, chief executive of BRUFMA. “PUR/PIRcan be injected into the cavity by BBA approved contractors. With aninstalled lambda of 0.025 it compares very favourably with other injectedfull fill systems. Once installed the system bonds the inner and outer leafwhich can provide effective protection for wall ties, and in the case of retrofitprovide an effective remedy to walls where the wall ties have failed.”

Dawn McKee, product manager- facades at Saint-Gobain Weber, says thatversatility, speed and simplicity are the characteristics of weber.therm XP, aone-coat mineral render system which uses glass fibre mesh reinforcementand is suitable for application by machine or by hand.

“The BBA-certificated and Energy Saving Trust-accredited weber.therm XPEWI system uses One-Coat Technology which contributes to considerablyshorter application and onsite programmes compared to the drying time of atraditional two-coat system. It can be used with most insulant types andoffers exceptional levels of weather protection in areas of severe exposure.Excellent thermal performance can be achieved contributing to reducedenergy consumption and carbon emissions while simultaneously providing arobust, low maintenance finish.”

The performance gap is one of the biggest challenges for the industry when specifying insulationmaterials, says SIG Insulation

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3continued from page 58the flexibility, robustness, economy and builderfriendly credentials of EPS,” states Lynch. “Morestringent Building Regulations have broughtinsulation systems into closer focus so the introduction

of our Platinum products has been well timed. “Beamshield Plus was successfully showcased in the

AIMC4 project for Crest Nicholson and is now usedextensively to achieve fabric insulation targets within PartL1A and SAP 2012 and every level of the Code for

Sustainable Homes (before the coalition governmentwithdrew the Code in its conclusion to the HousingStandards Review),” he continues. “Beamshield Plus hasalso proven to be of help with the ever-increasing concernover health and safety on building sites. The advantage ofusing EPS over the concrete blocks it is replacing is amaterial handling success story and is certain to be amajor driver to the use of EPS infill systems in the future.”

cavity wallsIn walls, Platinum Ecobead gives a waste free, fast andeconomical solution to fully filled cavity walls, Lynchsays. “The Ecobead advantage over installed solutions isnow widely appreciated and the unsurpassed continuityof the thermal envelope will prove to become even moreimportant in years to come.”

Whether building a zero carbon home or looking toreduce emissions, David Birch, technical manager atPIR manufacturer Celotex, says: “It’s vital to get thefabric right first time, every time. The thermalperformance of a building envelope makes asignificant contribution to reducing the overall


insulation

Springvale’s Ecobead provides a waste free, fast and economical solution to fully filled cavity walls

057-62_HB_JUN15.qxp 22/05/2015 14:19 Page 61

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3continued from page 61building energy usage – so tighter U-values in walls, floorsand roofs will help to deliver the standards required. Butthis can lead to issues with the footprint of the building andits associated effect on room size and build cost.”

Birch says that for Celotex, the fabric first approach hasalways been the most direct route to regulatorycompliance. “We help housebuilders by providing efficientinsulation products such as the FR5000 range suitable forfloors, walls and roofs. This allows low U-values to beachieved in the fabric giving flexibility elsewhere withinthe design to meet required carbon targets.”

Celotex’s FR5000 helps housebuilders achieve betterU-values with thinner solutions in order to extractmaximum value from development sites. “Over 100%more thermally efficient than many mineral fibreproducts and up to 10% better than typical PIR,

FR5000 was developed specifically for use in pitchedroofs, floors and walls to meet the increasing demandsof housebuilders who require unparalleled productperformance,” Birch says.

PIRChris Hall, chief executive of BRUFMA (British RigidUrethane Foam Manufacturers Association) also extolsthe virtues of PIR: “PIR products offer superiorperformance for thickness than many commonly usedmaterials – manufacturers strive to improveperformance by improvements in thermal conductivityand the use of high performing facings to giveimproved emissivity values which improve U-valueswithout adding thickness”. A positive benefit of a lowlambda product, Hall explains, is that a thinnerproduct can be used, allowing insulation to beincorporated into existing plans without alteration ofdesigns and the cost that comes with it. hb

insulation


weber.therm XP EWI system uses One-CoatTechnology which contributes to considerablyshorter application and on-site programmes

KEY CONTACTSActis www.insulation-actis.com BRUFMA www.brufma.co.uk Celotex www.celotex.co.uk Rockwool www.rockwool.com Saint-Gobain Weber www.netweber.co.uk SIG Insulation www.siginsulation.co.uk Springvale Group www.springvale.com

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BUSINESS SERVICES & FINANCEUPDATE

Davon has recently focused on a development of seven four-bedroom new buildhouses in Raynes Park.

For this scheme, the development finance company created a finance structurethat allowed for 90% of total development costs to be funded.

Funding requirement: Davon says that the developer had secured a number ofopportunities and was keen to maximise its development pipeline by spreadingavailable equity among a number of schemes.

Facility provided: A mezzanine facility was provided to reduce the developer’s equity inthe scheme from 30% of total development costs down to 10% of total development costs.

Facility cost: The facility was provided on standard Strata terms which alongside

the senior debt lender allowed 90% of cost including site acquisition, build and feesto be funded. To minimise cost to the developer all professional reports were sharedwith senior debt lenders in the usual way.

The facility provided allowed the developer to maintain its level of activity across anumber of sites in different geographical locations and also to maintain therequired level of equity to pursue other opportunities, says Davon.

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065_HB_JUN15.qxp 26/05/2015 16:19 Page 65


Countrywide launches benefits to NHBC registered developers

Countrywide, the UK’s integrated property servicesand estate agency group, has launched a range ofbenefits to NHBC registered builders and developers.

Designed to help with the smooth running of ahousebuilder’s business, Countrywide says thatthe benefits include free guidance on currentnew build lending criteria through CountrywideSurveying Services and regional land sourcingthrough Countrywide Land & Planning. Bothservices utilise Countrywide’s national reach andbecame available on April 1.

Other benefits include a reduced rate to Countrywide’s Home Exchange Exclusive serviceand increased exposure of new build properties marketed by a Countrywide agent.

James Poynor (pictured), md of Countrywide Land & New Homes said:“Countrywide is dedicated to tailoring our complete range of property services forthe benefit of developers which is why partnering with NHBC, who represent a realmark of quality in the new build industry, was a clear choice.

“Selling exclusively using Countrywide agents means developers will receiveunbeatable cost savings with an unrivalled national reach through our New HomesSales and Homes Exchange Exclusive Services.”

www.countrywide.co.uk

Hampton Mortgage Servicing caters for shared equity needs

Hampton Mortgage Servicing (HMS) wasestablished in order to service the bespoke needsof shared equity mortgages. HMS says that theunique combination of features of shared equityloans (no/low interest, long dated, secondcharge security) mean these assets benefit froma specialist, proactive management approach.

Paul Morris (pictured), HMS’ md, confirms thatthe firm is regulated by the Financial ConductAuthority, with interim permissions, and thecompany is in the process of obtaining full

regulatory approval. The FCA’s latest directive will be implemented on March 212016 under which all owners or servicers of shared equity mortgages must beregulated.

HMS says that it will shortly take over the management of a substantial portfolioof shared equity mortgages owned by a major housebuilder that does not wish toapply for regulatory approval.

HMS manages a range of portfolio sizes from as few as 50 loans to more than1,500. It explains that as it does not charge a minimum fee, it does not penaliseowners of small portfolios.

www.hamptonmortgages.co.uk

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United Trust Bank on thesmaller builder’s side

The result of the general election removed atleast some of the uncertainty about what liesin store for the property market. “Whateveryour view of the outcome, however, everyoneagrees that we need to build a lot more newhomes,” says Paul Keay, property developmentdirector of United Trust Bank (pictured). “Muchof that responsibility will fall to SMEdevelopers and we continue to provide muchneeded finance to that sector. UTB offers

development finance solutions up to 60% of gross development value (GDV) andour experienced and knowledgeable team provide quick decisions on proposals andexpert support throughout the build.”

Keay comments that UTB has “always supported SME developers” and hasconsistently increased its lending by funding a wide variety of projects ranging fromtown centre brownfield redevelopments to Code for Sustainable Homes level fiveeco homes in the middle of an ancient wood. “Whatever project they have in mind,in whatever style or location, if a developer has the drive and expertise to createoutstanding homes, then we want to hear from them,” Keay says.

www.utbank.co.uk/development-finance


No building is an island Regentsmead recently completed the funding on a new build in Rod Eyot Island, asmall collection of residential properties sitting in the middle of the River Thames inHenley. The property, accessed only by boat, was engineered in order to account forthe ground and heavy risk of flooding.

The borrower faced an “endless stream of challenges,” Regentsmead explains,including having to load materials and building apparatus onto a pontoon and pull itacross by boat, and an encounter with an“aggressive goose” nesting in the front garden.

The client commented: “As usual it was very quick to get the money, very easyafter just one phone call”.

Regentsmead’s ceo James Bloom commented: “We have been working with Paulfor several years but this really required an extra level of expertise and knowledge ofproperty to assist with his build. It really was a unique building programme whichrequired flexibility and above all common sense from a lender, so what better placeto come than Regentsmead.”

Regentsmead provided a facility of £180,000 to assist with site acquisition andcover the full cost of works.

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067_HB_JUN15 26/05/2015 14:27 Page 67

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PRODUCT & SUPPLIERUPDATE

Open-plan and wetroom style showering areas are apopular option among architects and designers looking tocreate a luxurious and spacious finish in bathrooms of allsizes, according to Geberit.

Designed specifically for such situations, the new GeberitCleanLine shower channel has an elegant design that canbe cut to length on site, the company says.

Available in three designs, Geberit says that its CleanLineshower channel offers a “simple, easy to install solution towetroom drainage, combining aesthetic appeal and hygiene

benefits in a stylish stainless steel strip.”Whether placed directly along the wall or in the floor of

the shower area, Geberit CleanLine creates a surface-evenfinish, with the shower channel being available in twolengths of 0.9 or 1.3 metres which can be easily cut downto the required size during installation for the perfect fit,Geberit explains. Once installed the shower channel acts asan open profile for water to collect and flow to the drain.

www.geberit.co.uk

Building the home of their dreams “was a breeze” for theBurdon family after they used the Kingspan TEK BuildingSystem to form the walls and barrel roof of their newDutch barn styled house.

Clad in feather edged boarding, the New House wasdesigned in collaboration with chartered surveyorMalcolm Hutchings and includes four upstairs bedroomsand traditional features such as a wood burning stove. Torealise these plans the owners wanted a building solutionwhich was straightforward to construct and would keeprunning costs low. This led to the selection of the

Kingspan TEK Building System.Kingspan explains that the Kingspan TEK Building System

comprises high performance SIPs which allow buildings toachieve U-values of 0.16 and below, whilst its OSB3 facingjointing system reportedly keeps air loss to a minimum.For New House, Kingspan TEK Delivery Partners GlosfordTimber Solutions designed and factory cut the KingspanTEK Building System panels to the project’s specificrequirements, including the feature barrel roof.

www.kingspantek.co.uk

Residential balustrades are situated right by the track ina new development at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire.Sapphire Balustrades provided more than two miles ofbalustrades to balconies, terraces and internal stairwaysfor around 400 apartments.

Terraces and balconies with clear glass balustrades are a“key architectural element of the development’s track-sideapartments,” according to the company, ensuring thatresidents can “enjoy stunning views over the racecourse”.The balconies are integrated structures, with concrete decks

that form an integral part of the structural façade, ratherthan being bolted on to it. Sapphire was able to achieve thearchitect’s desired effect of a clean, continuous line of glassusing its Crystal frameless, structural glass system, it says.

Sapphire explains that high aesthetic appeal ismaintained with its concealed fixing details and bespokeconnections, specified to tight tolerances, where balconybalustrades return back to the façade’s ceramic cladding.

Sapphire’s project package also included internal balustradesolutions for the apartments’ communal stairways.


Spacious showering

Kingspan TEK brings Dutch comfort to Hampshire

Sapphire right on track

www.sapphirebalustrades.com

069_HB_JUN15 26/05/2015 15:24 Page 69


Nuaire launches Q-Aire Supply & Extract Valve Nuaire has launched the Q-Aire Supply & Extract Valve to solve common problems withMVHR commissioning, balancing and performance, it says. It is available in threeversions: standard supply and extract, and filtered extract with or without integralhumidistat. Nuaire claims that its Q-Aire Supply & Extract Valve is the only lockable,filtered valve on the market and is fully compliant with the latest NHBC guidance.

The filtered extract version removes the need for a ducting cleaning regime and accesspanels because air is filtered before it enters the ducting, Nuaire explains. It adds that

the valve is lockable oncecommissioned and evenwhen the filter is removedand changed, once replacedit returns to thecommissioned position.

The Supply valve is “fullylockable and features aclever deflector plate so,even if positioned in acorner, it is able to deflectair evenly across the room”.

www.nuaire.co.uk

Metropolitan and E.ON deliver lower carbon district heating Metropolitan is to provide the district heating system powering the next phase ofthe Greenwich Millennium Village (GMVL) development in London. The energy andutility infrastructure will be supplied by a new energy centre owned and operatedby E.ON, serving 1,743 new houses built over the next eight years.

Metropolitan says that its district heat network will help GMVL achieve carbon-reduction compliance, a key planning requirement amid growing interest as the2016 zero carbon target approaches.

The network will distribute the heat generated from a gas-fired combined heat andpower energy centre. Through it, E.ON will provide a heat supply service to customersgiving them price protection and peace of mind for the next 50 years, Metropolitan claims.

Metropolitan will deliver a complete site multi-utility package connection including one“of the fastest broadband networks available in the UK,” through its Fibre To The Home.

www.met-i.co.uk

Solar Windows delivers for Crest Nicholson

Voted Installation of the Year bysystems company REHAU and itscustomers, the recent contractcompleted by Solar Windows forCrest Nicholson in Colchester featuresmore than 1,000 tilt and turnwindows and open out French doors.

In each of the properties,commercial specialist Solar Windowshas fabricated and installed tilt andturn windows in the REHAUTOTAL70C PVC-U window systemand French doors in the reportedlyhigh performance REHAU GENEOcomposite window and door system.

The tilt and turn windows are tripleglazed achieving a U-value of 1.0 and the low threshold French doors in REHAU’scomposite RAU-FIPRO material are double glazed to achieve a U-value of 1.1. Theywere specified by project architect Broadway Malyan.

Caerphilly based Solar Windows is a preferred window supplier to Crest Nicholsonand has supplied and installed REHAU windows on a number of large scale projectsacross the southern half of the UK.

www.rehau.co.uk


ADVERTISERS’ INDEXThe list below details advertisers in the issue

and their page numbers.

ABC ................................................62

Actis SA ..........................................56

AEG ................................................25

Amtico ............................................17

Asimla ............................................IFC

British Gypsum................................20

BSH Appliances ................................6

Build Show......................................55

Cavity Trays ....................................69

Celotex............................................59

CIH Housing ....................................26

Daikin Airconditioning ....................43

HBF Autumn Conferences ..............64

HBF Ball ..........................................60

Housebuilder Awards......................34

Housebuilder News ........................41

Housebuilder Product Awards ........63

Housing Market Intelligence ..........35

Jacksons Fencing ............................52

Jeld-Wen ........................................27

Marshalls ......................................IBC

MPW Insurance Brokers ..................67

NHBC ....................................9, 44, 68

Norbord ..........................................13

Orbit Homes....................................65

PX Partnership ................................33

Redland ........................................OBC

Regentsmead..................................65

Rehau ............................................51

Resi ................................................48

Sky ..................................................22

Solarcentury....................................38

Spiral Cellars ..................................41

SQA ................................................47

Sterling Housing ............................65

Stovkis Industrial Boilers ................51

Target Timber ................................41

Tobermore ......................................28

TriConnex..........................................4

United Trust Bank ..........................66

Virgin Media ..................................36

Wavin ............................................31

Weber UK........................................61

Wolsey Securities ............................67

070_HB_JUN15 26/05/2015 15:23 Page 70


Alumasc EWI Systems boost energy efficiency Swisslab and Swistherm External Wall Insulation (EWI) Systems from Alumasc havebeen used in the refurbishment of the Victoria Estate in Featherstone, WestYorkshire - a large housing estate of terraced properties managed by Wakefield andDistrict Housing (WDH).

In total, Alumasc Registered Contractor CPM Contracts installed Alumasc EWIsystems to 109 properties, in order to provide an energy efficient, weatherproofexterior to the solid brick construction homes, Alumasc says.

The lower halves of the properties were fitted with Alumasc’s Swisslab EWI system,faced with a brick-effect render in dark terracotta. This provided a weather resistantexterior, which is highly resistant to impact damage, Alumasc explains. The upper wallareas were completed with Alumasc’s Swistherm EWI system, incorporating a tintedSilkolitt silicone render. 90mm of EPS insulation formed part of both EWI systems,enhancing thermal performance and resulting in warmer homes, the company adds.

www.alumascfacades.co.uk

Innovate togetherTunbridge Wells-based company Modular 105 is utilising the enhanced propertiesof Medite Tricoya Extreme in its design and build projects.

As a “forward thinking design company,” Modular 105 designs each of its modularbuildings which range from residential bin and bike storage units for two of the UK’slargest housing developers, to bespoke garden building such as a recent installationoverlooking the Pacific Ocean on a Hawaiian island.

With such a modern approach to building design, an equally advanced woodenpanel was required to surround the structures’ aluminium frame, according toCoillte, producer of panel product Medite Tricoya. Used as cladding for each of theoutdoor structures, Medite Tricoya Extreme’s proprietary acetylation treatmentprocess reportedly transforms the panel’s durability and resistance to fungi which isessential for the longevity of outdoor structures.

One of Modular 105’s most recent projects saw the design and build of a modularoffice building. Created from Medite Tricoya Extreme and SmartPlyOSB, the officebuilding was exhibited at Grand Designs Live in London.

www.meditetricoya.com

Tobermore is top choiceDeveloped by Rosther HillDevelopments, Beswick Green is aperiod-style development in theheart of Staffordshire. In a privatecourtyard setting on the outskirtsof the historic Swynnerton villageand countryside, thedevelopment comprises aselection of 22 classic cottages,houses and apartments,constructed by Speller Metcalfe.

Built on greenbelt land, thelandscape has been designed byStaniforth Architects andenhanced with the installationof Tobermore products.Tobermore’s Tegula Trio blockpaving and Kerbstone in Bracken was chosen by Lord and Lady Stafford ofSwynnerton who oversaw the design aspects of this project.

Tegula Trio evokes timeless style and elegance, Tobermore says, complementingthe style and ambiance of Beswick Green. Tegula Trio displays a naturally weatheredstone appearance and is available in a wide range of solid and blended colours.Kerbstone, meanwhile, “embodies an aged appearance and harmonises beautifullywith Tobermore paving products”.

www.tobermore.co.uk

Five shades of grey fromVicaima With grey reportedly beinga “very popular choice”with interior designers anddevelopers at the moment,door manufacturer Vicaimasays it has come up withwith five finishes “thatseem sure to satisfy the growing desire for shades of grey”.

The shades include Dekordor 3D Grey, Grey stained Oak veneer, Dekordor HD DarkGrey, Straight Line veneer Grey and Dekordor SD Grey Walnut.

Dekordor 3D Grey – With its embossed and tactile surface, the doors make “anideal choice” for apartment entrances.

Grey stained Oak veneered door – With its natural wood tones these doorsprovide the perfect accompaniment to the current fashion for stained woodflooring, stairs, and kitchen cabinets, Vicaima claims.

Dekordor HD Dark Grey – This durable, scratch resistant laminate finish providesprotection from UV shading, Vicaima says, making it “ideal” for more demandinglocations such as student accommodation and social housing.

Grey Straight Line veneer offers an even grain configuration, otherwise lacking inconventional veneered doors, while new Dekordor SD Grey Walnut introduces a foilfinish that gives a slightly weathered look.

www.vicaima.com


071_HB_JUN15.qxp 26/05/2015 15:39 Page 71

The Home Quality Mark is a voluntary standardbeing developed and promoted by BRE tohelp housebuilders differentiate their offering

in the eyes of customers. Under its proposals,housebuilders will be able to apply to have theirprojects assessed by qualified BRE professionalsagainst a wide range of criteria and awarded a starrating based on their performance.

The criteria are grouped under three broad categories:“knowledge sharing”, which covers the design andconstruction processes including skills & training; “oursurroundings”, which looks at the house’s location,sensitivity of design, public amenities and transportprovision; and “my home”, which relates to differentqualities that could impact on occupants’ wellbeing, e.g. energy efficiency, air quality, light, noise, space, etc.

BRE launched the concept at Ecobuild in March 2015and is asking stakeholders to provide feedback on itsplans before opening for registrations in autumn 2015.But what will uptake look like, and how effective willthe standard prove in achieving its goals?

To date, the focus of this scheme has very muchbeen the consumer. BRE has explained that its aimsare to raise general awareness about important issuessuch as energy efficiency and the performance gap,and to enable house buyers and renters to make amore informed choice when choosing between newproperties. In the long term, it hopes the scheme will“help to drive continuous improvement inhousebuilding for the benefit of householders”.

Improving public awareness of issues such as energyefficiency is certainly much-needed, but introducing anew housebuilding standard may not be the mosteffective way to approach the challenge. There is a dangerthat BRE is putting the cart before the horse; consumersneed to have greater understanding of these issues inorder to care about them, and they need to care in orderfor a rating to have any value or meaning to them.

The scheme might resonate with people moreimmediately if they were educated about the directcorrelation between these issues and the impact theycan have on their lives. For example, house buyers wouldbe more likely to pay attention to the thermal efficiencyof a property if they understood that investing moreupfront could mean lower energy bills in the long run.

It is also vital that housebuilders are encouraged andmotivated to build higher quality homes in a way thatcontributes to industry growth, rather thanpresenting more challenges. The UK desperatelyneeds more housing, but throwing yet anotherstandard into the mix may potentially slow downprogress. Is there a risk that it might add to developer

costs without delivering any meaningful value? Couldit be used by councils as a condition of planningconsent, potentially inhibiting development?

One of the primary reasons for the government’srecent scrapping of the Code for Sustainable Homes –which BRE originally helped to design and implement– was to rationalise the regulatory landscape forhousebuilders and make the Building Regulationstheir main focus. The Code’s demise has left someissues which are not addressed in the BuildingRegulations, but rather than immediately creating areplacement for the Code, perhaps industry shouldcampaign for important categories to be incorporatedinto the Building Regulations in the future.

This seems to be the thinking behind the government’srecent announcement, as part of the conclusion to itsHousing Standards Review, that it will be adding someoptional standards to the Building Regulations later thisyear. The additions will cover water efficiency, access,and space, enabling local authorities to specify beyondthe minimum building requirements where appropriate,as well as a new regulation for security.

BRE has suggested that its new standard will help tocombat the phenomenon of the “performance gap”,the documented shortfall between a building’sdesigned energy performance and as-builtperformance. It is not clear, however, how it will gobeyond the measures already in place for comparingenergy performance between properties, such as theenergy performance score (EPS).

practical actionCompanies from across the supply chain are alreadytaking practical action to tackle the performance gap,and potential causes as identified by the Zero CarbonHub’s research. Product manufacturers are looking atdesigning simple-to-install solutions; contractors areinvesting in skills and training; and here at the SIG360Technical Centre we have been working closely withhousebuilders to provide “fabric first” guidance onachieving the best performance from their build.

We know from our customers there are still manychallenges facing housebuilders in the current market,particularly SME developers, so we want to see themencouraged and supported to build high performancehomes without feeling like the Home Quality Mark isyet another hoop to jump through. It will beinteresting to see what take up of the scheme lookslike when it is launched in the autumn, and whetherBRE is able to address the sector’s concerns. hb

www.sig360newbuild.co.uk

Making its mark

TheLastWord

Andrew Orriss, head of business development at

SIG Insulation, examines BRE’sproposals to introduce the Home

Quality Mark – a voluntaryhousing standard designed to target consumers – and

questions how effective it will be


072_HB_JUN15.qxp 22/05/2015 14:23 Page 72

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