All articles by Brian Green – Page 17
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CommentWhy local authorities would be mad to grant planning permissions right now
The government has created an atmosphere of doubt by pulling apart the planning system before coming up with a new one
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Comment
Why the variation in house price indices?
What to make of the conflicting messages from the latest house prices surveys
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Comment
Buyers' index once again suggests growth in construction, but for how long?
However good the CIPS headline figures, they offer little hope until the effects of public sector spending cuts are clear
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Comment
Plant hire prices reveal continued downward pressure on construction supply firms
There’s little hope of a respite for suppliers from downward price pressure as the construction industry reshapes itself for lower levels of work
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News
Brickonomics: Plummeting private housing completions
It’s time for a reality check on just how bad the situation is
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Comment
Private housing completions in England have dropped by more than half since the credit crunch
We all know it’s been bad in house building, but sometimes you have to look at the figures again to remind yourself just how bad things have been. The release of the latest housing figures provides that reality check, as the graph below so clearly illustrates. It's been carnage ...
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Comment
The problem with surprises on inflation
Could it be that we are about to witness the beginnings of widening concerns over rising inflation?The Consumer Prices Index “surprise” jump to 3.7% yesterday will certainly increase rumblings in the markets and elsewhere.Although for the time being I suspect attention will be more focused on June 22 and ...
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Comment
The big question for Mr Shapps
I would like to be among those welcoming Grant Shapps to his new role as housing minister and wishing him well. I must admit I have not been particularly kind to his ideas to date. It’s my job to be critical I guess.But for the record I do have a ...
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News
Redundancies remain high and vacancies low
Rising unemployment is one of the harsh realities facing the new government
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Comment
Construction redundancies remain high while vacancies remain low
As the real business of governing the UK begins to wind up again, the latest employment figures will do little to cheer the incoming government as it prepares to put chalk marks on where deep public sector cuts will be made.The overall figures showed the rise of unemployment continuing above ...
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NewsThe timing of construction's rapid growth seems a little ironic
The latest buyers' index by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply indicates some of the strongest growth in a decade
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Comment
Buyers’ index suggests rapid growth in construction, how ironic
How ironic that just as the construction industry is sucking in its tummy and preparing for savage cuts the latest survey by the buyers’ body CIPS shows some of the strongest growth experienced over the past decade.As can be seen from graph on the right the current level of the ...
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Comment
Bank figures provide more jitters for the housing market
The latest data on mortage lending from the Bank of England will do little to steady the nerves of those in the house building world.The figures show the number of approvals for house purchases on a seasonally adjusted basis has taken a dip in the first quarter of this year.The ...
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NewsWe're back to double-digit growth in house prices: oh dear
House prices are booming again – crack open the champagne! Or maybe not
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Comment
We're back to double-digit growth in house prices, oh dear
House prices are booming again, crack open the champagne!Well maybe not.If I was a house builder reading the latest survey from the Nationwide building society showing a double-digit rise in prices over the past year (see graph) I would be worried.Looking at my short-term prospects, naturally I would be chirpy ...
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NewsBrickonomics: Latest construction forecasts suggest a gloomy outlook
If you're looking for signs of hope in the industry, perhaps you shouldn't read this week's round of predictions...
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Comment
Latest construction forecasts suggest there is more to fear than hope for
The latest round of forecasting by construction experts paints a picture little changed from three months ago with little hope of significant growth, much uncertainty and the risks to growth heavily weighted on the down side.The general pattern they expect can be seen from the graph (right).It shows that after ...
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NewsBrickonomics: It's a double-dip for construction
GDP figures would indicate low growth for the UK and a worrying 0.7% fall for the industry