Prop-arazzi

As 2007 draws to a close The Times Property Section online - Bricks and Mortar has published an excellent report and run down of the UK property market winners and losers by region on a handy map with figures supplied by Halifax. The report also includes a brief forecast for 2008.

Here’s the skinny -

The look back!

London: Cut above the rest with the best homes oblivious to the global credit crunch

England Midlands: Middling. Growth has flattened and is likely to go on drifting

Scotland: Has set the pace - prices north of the border have risen the most

Wales: Lagged behind - low growth reflects caution by both buyers and sellers

Northern Ireland: Has had a good year. Although the tail end of the year has seen house price growth slow considerably

The look ahead 2008…

London: Knight Frank expects annual growth of 3 per cent across Greater London and Savills says that the market should recover to record growth of 5 per cent by the end of next year

England Midlands: Savills’ predictions are more positive, with a rise of 1.5 per cent in the West Midlands and 2 per cent in the East Midlands

Scotland: HBOS expects Scottish prices to rise by 4 per cent, more than anywhere else in the country

Wales: Halifax predicts a house-price growth rate of 0 per cent for 2008

Northern Ireland: Halifax predicts that house price growth in Northern Ireland will be 0 per cent in 2008

Shortly after Nick Clegg MP was voted in as the new Liberal Democrat leader he has made Lembit Opik MP the new party spokesperson for Housing. As the only MP in the House that brings a unique blend of Welsh, Northern Irish, Estonian and Britishness in one member we wish him all the very best for his new position.

London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, is counting down the days until his new planning powers in London come into force on 4th April 2008.  The changes are expected to have a major effect on the planning process in the capital and will demand extensive and early engagement between developers, Boroughs and the Mayor’s office. Under the GLA Act 2007, the long serving Mayor will have the ability to become the planning authority for strategic projects in the London Boroughs – a power significantly over and above his existing ability to direct the Boroughs to refuse planning permission.  The Mayor has cautioned that he plans to use the new powers “with extreme prejudice” in an effort to impose his vision for London on recalcitrant developers and London Boroughs.  The Mayor will be continuing the fight to increase these powers by seeking to change the definition of a strategic planning application from over 1,000 new homes to just 150 homes of which over 50% will be expected to be “affordable”. His unashamedly interventionalist agenda on climate change and affordable housing will be the central plank of his re-election battle with Boris Johnson (Ken has reported a 21 point lead this week) in the 2008 Mayoral election.  He will be pushing for “Merton plus” on climate change.
 
Meanwhile Ken’s policy officers admit that the Mayor’s office does not yet have the capacity to deal withthe potential influx of new applications – developers and boroughs should beware! 

The Lyric Theatre is one of those places in Belfast that once you go you will always return time and again. An intimate setting with a large low level stage allows for dramatic in your face kind of acting. The theatre will soon be re developed and it will no doubt be the pride of the city when it is complete.

One of the latest productions to be staged there is Bah, Humbug! by leading writers Conor Grimes and Alan McKee - a typical ghost of past, present and future type of romp, however this Scrooge is played by an over keen property developer who wants to sell off his latest “exciting development of townhouses and apartments”. Life imitates art? - our lips are sealed…

At midnight last night the rule to ensure that houses over a certain threshold (4 bedrooms) in England and Wales had a Home Information Pack (HIP) was extended to one and two bedroom properties being put up for sale.

One great benefit that a HIPs pack include for the first time will be an A-G green rating (seen above) for  properties which will help cut fuel bills and carbon emissions through Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

Shooting from the hip (sorry) the critics are panning the spread of the packs reach as they say they are a waste of money (about £300 - £350) and hold up sales but the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) claim that it will ‘knock speculative sellers from the market’ which in light of the current housing trend can only be a good thing.
 

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper MP has announced a package of measures and extra investment aimed at making social housing fairer and more effective. According to the Department of Communities and Local Government, the plans will re-focus social housing around the needs of tenants such as young families needing to move to larger homes, increase opportunities for elderly people to relocate closer to their families and grandchildren, and help tenants back into work.

The Government says that this will crackdown on cramped housing aimed at helping those living in the worst overcrowded households.

A new national Overcrowding Action Plan sets out proposals for increasing the number of larger homes nationally, with £15m funds over the next three years to help councils do more in the areas most under pressure. The funding will be targeted at 38 of the most overcrowded areas in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester.

As another Ford hits the scrap heap - Martin Ford, Chairman of the Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee that is - ‘The Donald’s’ plans for his 556 hectare pitch and putt in Scots-land-shire looks like it is still on.

With the Aberdeenshire Council making a dramatic U-turn after an embarrassing bit of, whats seems to be,  ill advised planning PR last week, the ‘application’ has now been ‘called in’ by the Scottish Executive for ‘another look’. Doesn’t look like Trump and his helicopter accompanied ‘Trumpites’ paid too much attention to his community relations and public affairs with the local Councillors and local residents. Lesson to be learned here is - regardless of the amount of money you have to build, or how much investment you will bring to the local area, decisions (yes even this one) are made by real people and real elected people with local mandates and you have to convince them that a vision is achievable and sustainable for local people and local businesses. Sometimes the cut and trust of deal breaking on the 73rd floor in a building overlooking Central Park just ain’t the way some things are done.

One burning question that everyone wants to know the answer to Donald and I think the debate should start here- who does your hair laddie?

Next Tuesday (18th) Kettering Conservative MP, Philip Hollobone MP will be tabling a Westminster Hall Debate right before winter recess on the issue of house building and infrastructure. We’ll have a brief synopsis next week.

Rarely does one have to opportunity to carry out a project on the Isle of Man, but here at Weber Shandwick we have had the chance to through an all Ireland client of ours - CEMEX. CEMEX are the third biggest building solutions company in the world and are deeply aware of the environmental impact of what they do and how they do it, and most importantly how they address it.

This month they have launched on the Isle of Man the CEMEX Scoillyn Glassey Award Scheme 2008 (which is Manx for Green School Award Scheme) in association with the Department of Education - the largest government department on the island. For more details log onto the DoE latest news section.

We have had the pleasure of initiating and running the award scheme on behalf of CEMEX on the Isle of Man and are now at the start of a 6 month project involving not just a handful but ALL the schools - primary, secondary and Manx speaking on the island. Over 40 schools and hundreds of students have been challanged to come up with innovative ideas to demonstrate their understanding of environmental sustainability and how their projects will contribute to the development of their local environment.

Commenting on the Award Scheme, Education Minister Anne Craine MHK said:

‘I am delighted that, in the Scoillyn Glassey Award, CEMEX  have come forward with such a worthwhile competition, which will encourage our students to participate in improving their own environment and in turn to make a valid contribution to the care of our Island and the world in which we live. I feel sure that schools will welcome this competition, which will give them a terrific opportunity to use the knowledge that they already have and explore new ideas.’ - What an endorsement!

CEMEX are taking a step in the right direction with this  project by providing thought leadership and most importantly facilitating action to address biodiversity, energy issues and healthy living. We will keep you up to date over the coming months with progress and anticipated success of the projects. In the meantime check out Planet 2050.

Conservative Member of Parliament for Sevenoaks, Michael Fallon MP,  has proposed a bill in the House of Commons  to give councils the right to implement the so called ‘Merton rule’ which will enshrine in law the rights of councils to insist that developments meet a certain amount of their energy needs from onsite renewable sources.

According to Building magazine the policies have been proposed by about 100 councils but as yet does not have the backing of the Government.