Monthly Archives: August 2013

Architects in the UK launch campaign for more spacious homes

Everyone is aware that the UK needs hundreds of thousands of new homes in the next decade but little thought seems to have been given to the size and quality. Indeed, there is no national minimum standard for the size of a new home in England. This is worrying, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which points out that the UK has the smallest homes in Western Europe.

Imagine living in a Jubilee Line tube carriage. It may sound far fetched, but 46 square meters, the size of a Jubilee Line carriage, is the size of the average one bedroom new build home being built in Britain, RIBA reveals in a new study; The Case for Space, the Size of England’s New Homes.

This kind of cramped, environment is a day to day reality for those living in many new build homes yet research also shows that space and light are the top things people care about when looking for new homes.

People are concerned about the space and natural light when they are looking for homes but these are not luxuries, they are basic needs which are proven to impact on our health, happiness and wellbeing.

In a few weeks’ time UK government will be making crucial decisions about the future of homes including minimum standards for space, energy, security and natural light. The Government’s Review of Housing Standards in England could result in the current meagre housing standards being reduced or even abolished, according to RIBA.

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Persimmon escape prosecution after four-year-old boy died in defective new home

National house builder Persimmon, charged after a four-year-old boy was crushed by a fireplace fitted in one of their new homes, have escaped further action due to “inconsistencies” in the inquiry. 

Matthew Green, died from chest injuries when the fireplace stone mantel fell on him at the Persimmon-built family home in Towcester on 15 October 2005. He was taken to Northampton General Hospital by air ambulance, but later died from his injuries. 

Persimmon escape prosecution after the four-year-old boy died due to a defect in a new home they built.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) charged Persimmon Homes with a health and safety breach, which the company denied. An HSE spokesman confirmed “the charge against Persimmon has been dropped. It emerged there were inconsistencies in the way HSE had treated Persimmon Homes compared to other companies who had had fireplaces installed by Stonemason KD Childs. The decision was therefore taken to withdraw the charges against Persimmon Homes.” 

Matthew’s parents said they were “at a loss to understand” and felt “justice has not been achieved”. 
Kristian Childs, whose company KD Childs of Northampton fitted the fireplace, pleaded guilty in April 2012 at Northampton Crown Court. The court heard the fireplace was held in place with small patches of mortar, rather than proper metal fixings, and it came away from the wall. In June 2013 Mr Childs was fined £7,500 and also ordered to pay £2,500 costs in June 2013.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Alan Craddock, head of operations for the HSE’s Midlands construction division, said:

“This was a tragic incident, made so much worse by the fact it could have been so easily prevented. Mr Childs was well aware of the risks of falling fireplaces yet failed to take the correct steps to ensure the fireplace he fitted was safe, with appalling consequences.” 

A statement from the Green family said:

“We have been fighting for justice for Matthew for over seven years and major inconsistencies in the way in which HSE have investigated this case have ultimately led to this case being dropped. While we are grateful to HSE for pursuing the responsible parties, we do feel that had this been investigated in a different way then the charges against Persimmon Homes would not have been dropped. We will never get over the needless and preventable death of our son and do not feel that justice has in any way been achieved by this outcome.” 

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House builders report profit rises due to Help to Buy

Help To Buy jpgAll is rosy for the house builders as they continue to pig out and increase their profits due to Help to Buy, the government’s taxpayer-funded subsidy for the house building industry.

Barratt announce profits up 72% and average selling price up 8%

Ahead of their end of year financing report, Barratt released a trading statement on 10 July 2013 stating that the number of completions to 30 June 2013 is forecast to be 13,663 – up 16.1% on last year. With the average selling price up 8% to £192,000, it is not surprising Barratt are anticipating operating profit (“before exceptional items”) to be up 32% to £252 million (10.4%) and profit before tax up a massive 72% on last year to £192million (9.7%) on sales of £2,605 million.  Barratt stated:

“that since the launch of Help to Buy on 1 April, net private reservations per active site per week were up 34.7% on the prior year” “We are targeting Group completion volumes of c. 16,000 units (including JVs) from our current structure, and recognise this may be achieved more quickly than previously anticipated reflecting the benefit of the Help to Buy scheme.”

Barratt have around 380 active developments nationally.

Taylor Wimpey report a 42% rise in profit and 7% rise in average selling prices

Yesterday, Taylor Wimpey reported first half 42% rise in profit before tax of £143.1 million, up from £99.1 million a year earlier. Despite only building only 5191 new homes up just 108 in the H1 period, their average selling price is up 6.8% to £188,000 (from £176,000) on the same period a year ago.

Taylor Wimpey also announced an interim dividend of 0.22p a share, up 16% from 0.19p a year ago.

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