Entries for February 2009

Roughly 40% of the world’s energy is consumed in buildings and more than a third of carbon dioxide emissions come from them. Attention must now focus on existing buildings as well as new projects, as these make up the vast majority of stock.

A set of proposals aimed at ensuring all British homes are zero carbon has been announced by ministers in the Government’s climate change and planning departments. Simon Napper outlines the scale and scope of the measures.

In these uncertain economic times, the property sector faces tremendous challenges but it is not all ‘doom and gloom’. Story from Property Forecast.

Yes on the face of it the outlook for the residential market looks pretty grim. After all the latest RICS survey showed the average number of transactions per surveyor showing little fluctuation over the last three months. But, and it is an important but, buyer interest rose for the third successive month.

Story from Property Forecast.

“Under this [economic stimulation] plan, we would double the production of alternative energy – double it from where it is right now...” President Obama, 9 February

Tearle Phelan of Knight Frank in Sheffield discusses prospects for the Sheffield city centre residential market which seems less battered than those in cities such as Leeds and Manchester. Story from Property Forecast.

Google is developing a new piece of software to help consumers track their home energy usage online, and therefore lower their emissions.

The Government’s eco-town plans have received another blow following the announcement by O&H Properties that it was withdrawing from the scheme for 20,000 eco homes to be built in Marston Vale, Bedfordshire because of the time constraints and requirements required for an eco-town.

The Treasury is being badly hit by a major shortfall in tax income because of shrinking stamp duty revenues from property sales and the stock market. Story from Property Forecast.

Town planners have awarded Manual for Streets, a design guide that calls to end car-dominated street design, the planning process prize at the Royal Town Planning Institute Planning Awards 2008.

Most councils undervalue and under-invest in their public parks, according to a report by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, which found that most are valued at just £1.

Mayors from 15 cities from across the UK have agreed to drastically reduce their CO₂ emissions, beyond the EU’s objective of a 20% reduction, by 2020.

Auctioneers have been pleased with the start they have made to the year while the number of private investors looking for short term loans for auctions increased by 30% in the last quarter of 2008, according to specialist lender Auction Finance. Story from Property Forecast.

It would be nice to report that Halifax reporting that average house prices rose in January by 1.9% to £163,966 marks a fundamental turning point in market sentiment. However it doesn’t.

The IPD has confirmed what we all knew by announcing that capital values fell by a record amount last year and that effectively five years of growth has been cancelled out in a mere 18 months. Story from Property Forecast.