Neal Hudson
@resi-analyst.bsky.social
UK housing market analyst. Personal account.
Analysis and commentary at https://builtplace.com/
Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School.
Columnist for FT Weekend’s Money.
Analysis and commentary at https://builtplace.com/
Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School.
Columnist for FT Weekend’s Money.
Pinned
Neal Hudson
@resi-analyst.bsky.social
· Oct 11
Pinned Post: I publish a weekly email summarising the latest housing data and reports, any new BuiltPlace research, and what housing data to expect next week.
You can sign up here
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You can sign up here
builtplace.com/sign-up/
Reposted by Neal Hudson
Re-upping this - important point in a good thread. A lot of people seem to think that 'changing the regulatory environment' is like switching from Windows to Apple in terms of increasing housebuilding and lowering prices, and not a thing that takes ages if you just leave it to its own thing.
Oh, couple of other things I meant to include:
- juice housing demand. no, really. people can't afford to buy, so builders have stopped building and the whole system is gummed up, planning reform or not. they're going to have to do something to substantively help buyers.
- juice housing demand. no, really. people can't afford to buy, so builders have stopped building and the whole system is gummed up, planning reform or not. they're going to have to do something to substantively help buyers.
November 10, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Re-upping this - important point in a good thread. A lot of people seem to think that 'changing the regulatory environment' is like switching from Windows to Apple in terms of increasing housebuilding and lowering prices, and not a thing that takes ages if you just leave it to its own thing.
Reposted by Neal Hudson
This summer, Andrew Milne - a City of London solicitor - bought up hundreds of freeholds in west Sheffield.
Then the letters started to arrive. They included threats of high court action and offers to sell the freeholds - for £25,000.
Read today's story: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
Then the letters started to arrive. They included threats of high court action and offers to sell the freeholds - for £25,000.
Read today's story: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
This summer, Andrew Milne - a City of London solicitor - bought up hundreds of freeholds in west Sheffield.
Then the letters started to arrive. They included threats of high court action and offers to sell the freeholds - for £25,000.
Read today's story: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
Then the letters started to arrive. They included threats of high court action and offers to sell the freeholds - for £25,000.
Read today's story: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...
Reposted by Neal Hudson
Seems like a thing the government *should* maybe consider stepping in to address - not to bail out the company but to support the pipeline by protecting frontline workers - given how close this is to a key priority
November 6, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Seems like a thing the government *should* maybe consider stepping in to address - not to bail out the company but to support the pipeline by protecting frontline workers - given how close this is to a key priority
This is not good
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
Building control giant Assent ceases trading
Shockwaves to hit Building Safety Regulator approval process
www.constructionenquirer.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This is not good
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
www.constructionenquirer.com/2025/11/04/b...
No reason other than might be of interest:
Planning application (listed building consent) for the refurbishment of an Eaton Square house by an investment company controlled by the founder of Inditex (Zara etc)
idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-appli...
(design and access statement has photos/CGIs)
Planning application (listed building consent) for the refurbishment of an Eaton Square house by an investment company controlled by the founder of Inditex (Zara etc)
idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-appli...
(design and access statement has photos/CGIs)
November 5, 2025 at 8:27 AM
No reason other than might be of interest:
Planning application (listed building consent) for the refurbishment of an Eaton Square house by an investment company controlled by the founder of Inditex (Zara etc)
idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-appli...
(design and access statement has photos/CGIs)
Planning application (listed building consent) for the refurbishment of an Eaton Square house by an investment company controlled by the founder of Inditex (Zara etc)
idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-appli...
(design and access statement has photos/CGIs)
Reposted by Neal Hudson
Important piece by @resi-analyst.bsky.social this. Successive governments seem not to have understood that your regulatory framework over the longterm shapes who your market participants *are*. If want short-term (i.e. over the next 5-10 years) benefits of planning reform, need to be more active.
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
We’re often told housing demand exceeds supply — so why are new homes struggling to be built and bought?
www.ft.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Important piece by @resi-analyst.bsky.social this. Successive governments seem not to have understood that your regulatory framework over the longterm shapes who your market participants *are*. If want short-term (i.e. over the next 5-10 years) benefits of planning reform, need to be more active.
My latest for the FT
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
www.ft.com/content/9080...
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
www.ft.com/content/9080...
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
We’re often told housing demand exceeds supply — so why are new homes struggling to be built and bought?
www.ft.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:28 AM
My latest for the FT
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
www.ft.com/content/9080...
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
www.ft.com/content/9080...
Reposted by Neal Hudson
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them on.ft.com/3Levumr | opinion
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them
We’re often told housing demand exceeds supply — so why are new homes struggling to be built and bought?
on.ft.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:37 AM
New homes: even if you build them, there’s no one to buy them on.ft.com/3Levumr | opinion
Example of the current challenges in London development:
Developer completed this mixed use site in Nine Elms with 22 flats (2beds from £760k) last month. Normally they'd all be sold by now but haven't, so developer needs a £16.7m loan to keep selling.
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2180...
Developer completed this mixed use site in Nine Elms with 22 flats (2beds from £760k) last month. Normally they'd all be sold by now but haven't, so developer needs a £16.7m loan to keep selling.
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2180...
Blue Shield completes £16.7m loan for London new build
Blue Shield Capital has provided a £16.7m loan against a residential-led new-build scheme in Nine Elms, London.
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Example of the current challenges in London development:
Developer completed this mixed use site in Nine Elms with 22 flats (2beds from £760k) last month. Normally they'd all be sold by now but haven't, so developer needs a £16.7m loan to keep selling.
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2180...
Developer completed this mixed use site in Nine Elms with 22 flats (2beds from £760k) last month. Normally they'd all be sold by now but haven't, so developer needs a £16.7m loan to keep selling.
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2180...
Reposted by Neal Hudson
I think this is the weirdest story I've ever reported. www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball...
The snail farmer of London, his mafia friends, and a £20m vendetta against the taxman
Terry Ball runs elaborate mollusc-based tax avoidance schemes that are costing London councils millions of pounds. Yet when London Centric tracks him down, an even stranger story emerges.
www.londoncentric.media
October 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM
I think this is the weirdest story I've ever reported. www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball...
There's a lot of people out there (apparently incl. Gov) that don't realise we can have a massive number of people that need new homes but, at the same time, a problem where there's very limited demand for new homes because prices and rates are too high while construction viability is squeezed.
October 17, 2025 at 11:54 AM
There's a lot of people out there (apparently incl. Gov) that don't realise we can have a massive number of people that need new homes but, at the same time, a problem where there's very limited demand for new homes because prices and rates are too high while construction viability is squeezed.
Reducing the affordable housing on new developments in London might improve their viability on paper but it's unlikely to reduce the price developers charge for their market homes.
Demand is constrained at current prices, so there will still be a limit to how many they can sell and hence get built.
Demand is constrained at current prices, so there will still be a limit to how many they can sell and hence get built.
October 17, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reducing the affordable housing on new developments in London might improve their viability on paper but it's unlikely to reduce the price developers charge for their market homes.
Demand is constrained at current prices, so there will still be a limit to how many they can sell and hence get built.
Demand is constrained at current prices, so there will still be a limit to how many they can sell and hence get built.
London set to loosen planning rules in drive to boost housebuilding
on.ft.com/42NFr06
on.ft.com/42NFr06
London set to loosen planning rules in drive to boost housebuilding
UK housing secretary and mayor in talks to make provisions on windows and bicycles less onerous as construction slumps
on.ft.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:25 AM
London set to loosen planning rules in drive to boost housebuilding
on.ft.com/42NFr06
on.ft.com/42NFr06
Reposted by Neal Hudson
Homelessness stats just out show another new record in households (132k) and children (172k) living in temporary accommodation. Up 7.5% in last year
www.gov.uk/government/s...
www.gov.uk/government/s...
October 16, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Homelessness stats just out show another new record in households (132k) and children (172k) living in temporary accommodation. Up 7.5% in last year
www.gov.uk/government/s...
www.gov.uk/government/s...
Saturday night at the Rec.
October 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Saturday night at the Rec.
A quick £15.75m bridging loan arranged between exchange and completion on a £22.5m house in Chelsea
(another reminder that these markets are more debt dependent than the agents might tell you)
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2179...
(another reminder that these markets are more debt dependent than the agents might tell you)
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2179...
October 11, 2025 at 8:18 AM
A quick £15.75m bridging loan arranged between exchange and completion on a £22.5m house in Chelsea
(another reminder that these markets are more debt dependent than the agents might tell you)
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2179...
(another reminder that these markets are more debt dependent than the agents might tell you)
bridgingandcommercial.co.uk/article/2179...
One of the many depressing things this year was realising that there is no clear strategy across the whole of government and not just with housing.
(1.5m new homes is a target, not a strategy)
(1.5m new homes is a target, not a strategy)
It's never the comms. Labour's comms is grey because in the absence of a clear strategy for what the government wants to achieve, no-one can defend or articulate what the government says in an interesting or exciting way.
I do wonder if Labour might look at the sorts of people dominating the discourse and dominating the content wars and maybe, just maybe, rethink the sorts of grey figures they routinely put up for interviews, instructed at that to be as cautious as possible. Things have changed. Their comms hasn’t.
October 10, 2025 at 8:43 AM
One of the many depressing things this year was realising that there is no clear strategy across the whole of government and not just with housing.
(1.5m new homes is a target, not a strategy)
(1.5m new homes is a target, not a strategy)
Reposted by Neal Hudson
As I wrote back in Feb, the government's focus on building homes with no apparent strategy beyond "planning reform" is dangerous and their ongoing failure to hit their stupid 1.5m target makes is more likely they'll be stuck with only the bad options to choose from.
builtplace.com/still-search...
builtplace.com/still-search...
September 19, 2025 at 9:12 AM
As I wrote back in Feb, the government's focus on building homes with no apparent strategy beyond "planning reform" is dangerous and their ongoing failure to hit their stupid 1.5m target makes is more likely they'll be stuck with only the bad options to choose from.
builtplace.com/still-search...
builtplace.com/still-search...
MHCLG SoS in his “build baby build” cap at conference
September 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
MHCLG SoS in his “build baby build” cap at conference
Locations of proposed new towns
September 28, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Locations of proposed new towns
Reposted by Neal Hudson
I’m immensely grateful to the New Towns Taskforce, under the expert leadership of its Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker, for producing such a considered and comprehensive set of final recommendations 👇🏻
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
New Towns Taskforce: Report to government
The government has published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report.
www.gov.uk
September 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I’m immensely grateful to the New Towns Taskforce, under the expert leadership of its Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker, for producing such a considered and comprehensive set of final recommendations 👇🏻
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Yet another UK data source that is not currently fit for purpose.
The VOA Council Tax stock of properties data is usually a great leading indicator for net additions and useful for local level housing stock detail but changes to their systems means there's a bigger backlog of new homes to be added.
The VOA Council Tax stock of properties data is usually a great leading indicator for net additions and useful for local level housing stock detail but changes to their systems means there's a bigger backlog of new homes to be added.
FYI there are bigger issues with the data than the lack of detailed breakdowns. I'm not convinced they should've published this data at this time given the issues.
builtplace.com/weekly-summa...
builtplace.com/weekly-summa...
September 26, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Yet another UK data source that is not currently fit for purpose.
The VOA Council Tax stock of properties data is usually a great leading indicator for net additions and useful for local level housing stock detail but changes to their systems means there's a bigger backlog of new homes to be added.
The VOA Council Tax stock of properties data is usually a great leading indicator for net additions and useful for local level housing stock detail but changes to their systems means there's a bigger backlog of new homes to be added.
Reposted by Neal Hudson
The UK establishment has already permissioned a dangerous shift in political norms - shadow cabinet ministers turning up at protests outside asylum hotels FGS. This is not a time to triangulate. It is a time to oppose, full-throated, the enfranchisement of the radical right. To redraw boundaries.
September 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
The UK establishment has already permissioned a dangerous shift in political norms - shadow cabinet ministers turning up at protests outside asylum hotels FGS. This is not a time to triangulate. It is a time to oppose, full-throated, the enfranchisement of the radical right. To redraw boundaries.
Reposted by Neal Hudson
FFS: Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
As I wrote back in Feb, the government's focus on building homes with no apparent strategy beyond "planning reform" is dangerous and their ongoing failure to hit their stupid 1.5m target makes is more likely they'll be stuck with only the bad options to choose from.
builtplace.com/still-search...
builtplace.com/still-search...
September 20, 2025 at 6:08 AM
FFS: Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
FFS: Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
As I wrote back in Feb, the government's focus on building homes with no apparent strategy beyond "planning reform" is dangerous and their ongoing failure to hit their stupid 1.5m target makes is more likely they'll be stuck with only the bad options to choose from.
builtplace.com/still-search...
builtplace.com/still-search...
September 20, 2025 at 6:08 AM
FFS: Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“One agency source said the staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were “pushing development at any cost”.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...