This week’s briefing covers planning and regulatory shifts, growing pressure in the shared housing market, construction sustainability methods and a selection of recent development finance transactions.
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
- Government to give sub-regional mayors call-in powers for schemes of over 150 homes from early next year, Planning Resource reports.
- A county council lost its five-year housing land supply after its housing requirement rose by 56 percent, Planning Resource reports.
- HMO planning refusals doubled to 1,203 in 2025 as application volumes rose, Property118 reports.
- HB Reavis has launched consultation on a retrofit-led redesign of One Waterloo that would retain existing structure and aim for lower embodied carbon, Construction Enquirer reports.
- LendInvest and other lenders completed several development and bridging facilities this week, Property Reporter reports.
PLANNING & REGULATION
Mayoral call-in powers for larger housing schemes
Planning Resource reports that the government will give sub-regional mayors the power to call in planning applications for schemes of more than 150 homes from early next year. The announcement prompted reactions from senior planning practitioners and others, as detailed in Planning Resource’s round-up of responses to the change.
County council loses five-year housing land supply
Planning Resource reports that one county council has lost its five-year housing land supply after its housing requirement figure rose by 56 percent. The article says the change followed the council updating its housing requirement, with the result that the five-year supply calculation no longer met the threshold.
Local plan allocation removed after consultation objections
Planning Resource also reports a city council preparing to consult on a final draft local plan that removes a proposed allocation for 3,000 homes and a 116-hectare employment site, following objections from consultation respondents. The authority is set to consult on the revised final draft plan.
BUILD COSTS & CONSTRUCTION
Materials management plans under the DoWCoP framework
Construction Management’s CPD article outlines materials management plans, noting they set out how excavated materials will be assessed, tracked and reused under the CL:AIRE DoWCoP framework. The piece describes key MMP components such as site investigation, materials classification, tracking procedures and the role of a qualified person in providing independent oversight.
Retrofit-led rethink for One Waterloo
Construction Enquirer reports that developer HB Reavis has unveiled a redesign for the stalled One Waterloo scheme that would retain much of the existing Elizabeth House structure and shift to a mixed-use, retrofit-led approach. The developer said retaining the structure could deliver a 75 percent cut in embodied carbon compared with demolition and new build, and the proposals include a mix of hotels, student accommodation, build-to-rent homes and affordable housing elements.
DEVELOPMENT FINANCE & MARKET CONDITIONS
Representative development and bridging transactions
Property Reporter details several completed finance transactions this week. LendInvest provided a £909k development facility to back two homes in Harpenden after an earlier lender withdrew. Pivot completed a £1.3m phased development facility for a two-phase residential scheme in Yeadon. Separate bridging facilities included an £1.836m 18-month bridging loan to support a Harlow commercial site acquisition at 57 percent loan to value, and a £350k second charge bridging facility completed at 43 percent LTV to fund refurbishment across a 40-property portfolio.
LANDLORDS & INVESTORS
Rising HMO refusals, record flatshare demand and Local Housing Allowance pressures
Property118 reports that councils refused 1,203 HMO planning applications in 2025, up from 590 in 2021, while noting that the number of decisions also rose from 1,848 to 3,454 among the 144 councils covered. Property118 also covers commentary on Article 4 directions and the implications for lawful HMO status. In related coverage, SpareRoom data reported via Property118 shows record demand for rooms in some commuter towns, with examples such as Bootle seeing more than 12 enquiries per room. Property118 also reports concerns from Propertymark about a widening gap between Local Housing Allowance rates and market rents, citing research that just 2.7 percent of private homes advertised were affordable to housing benefit recipients in early 2025.