Tag Archives: housebuilding

August Update

  • Inflation Rates – In the Bank of England’s June report, the inflation rate was 3.4%, compared to 3.5% in May. The Bank has predicted inflation will peak at 3.7% over the summer before falling back. The target was 2%.
  • Interest Rates – The Bank of England interest rate in June were 4.25%, unchanged from May.
  • GDP Growth – The UK economy is estimated to have grown 0.7% between January and March 2025 in a June update from The Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, also in June, the ONS reported that the UK economy had shrank by more than expected during April, down by 0.3%, with the services and manufacturing industry contributing to the fall.
  • Pound against the Euro – The Pound fell against the Euro at the end of June before rebounding to settle at 1 Pound being worth 1.16 Euros on the 3rd July.
  • House Market Prices – A survey from the Nationwide Building Society in June found that the average house price dipped by 0.8% per cent month-on-month (in June). The typical price of a property in June was £271,619, according to Nationwide.
  • Unemployment Rates – The UK unemployment rate climbed to 4.6% in the three months leading up to April.

Bills in Parliament:

  • Renters Reform Bill – Members of the House of Lords continued their further examination of the Renters’ Right Bill, with it due to enter the Report Stage on the 7th July.
  • Great British Energy Act  – The Great British Energy Act establishes Great British Energy as a new government-owned, clean energy company. The government has stated it hopes this new company will aid in the creation of jobs and investment in the clean energy sector.
  • Planning and Infrastructure Bill – The Bill had its Second Reading in the House of Lords on the 25th June 2025. The Bill aims to streamline the delivery of homes and critical new infrastructure.

Current Affairs

  • Rachael Reeves, along with Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Government, faced further scrutiny and difficult questions after their flagship Welfare Reform Bill was dramatically watered down in early July after a rebellion from backbenchers.
  • According to a national Sky News/YouGov poll, on the 3rd July, the Reform Party is on track to get the most seats if an election took place this year, with the combined support for the Conservatives and Labour collapsing to less than half of the national vote. It concluded that, with a sample size of 11,500 people, if a general election were to happen tomorrow, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would win 271 seats, the most of any party.
  • A man gets refunded his £70,000 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charge by Waverley Borough Council in a landmark case. According to BBC News, resident, Steve Dally, had been granted planning permission to replace an existing house extension that was exempt from CIL. However, he did not realise that an extra application to make minor amendments was subject to the charge. After the ruling, the Council agreed to launch a scheme which would review if CIL money, taken in error, could be routinely returned in the future.

Housing

“Chelgate has been working with me for over 20 years, at several companies, and have always provided candid political insights.” Martin Leyland, Vanderbilt Strategic (formerly Rapleys, Barratt Strategic and Wilcon Homes)

Housing is a national and a local priority, but building homes anywhere is always a challenge. Chelgate Local supports projects across the housing spectrum from large scale private development to regenerating town centres. Working with national housebuilders, leading housing associations, land promoters, land owners and planning consultants, we have promoted new home schemes across London and the Home Counties, the South East, East Anglia and the East Midlands.

Our programmes include political, community and stakeholder engagement

A selection of our recent projects include:

Chipping Ongar, Essex

Bellway Homes North Thames acquired a site on Greensted Road, Ongar, which already had a history: although an allocated site, a previous application had attracted 500 objections and had been refused, and a subsequent appeal in 2022 was unsuccessful

Chelgate Local helped with an extensive political and community engagement programme for an application for 85 homes. It was unanimously approved by Epping Forest District Council in February 2025, attracting just 12 objections. Five of the council members, including two ward councillors, unusually congratulated the development team on the early and comprehensive engagement. Comments included: “This is a really good development and it does reflect the cooperation between the parish council and the developer, and also the residents” and “…I think that they should be a lesson to other developers of how to do this”. Another councillor said: “This is one of those wonderfully happy stories where the residents have had great consultation with the developers: that’s really really lovely to see.”

Codicote, Hertfordshire

Taylor Wimpey North Thames was proposing 68 new homes on a former garden centre site in the village of Codicote. Chelgate Local assisted with political and community engagement as the project came forward to North Hertfordshire Council planning. It was approved in December 2022.

Heybridge North Garden Suburb, Essex

Chelgate assisted Bellway Thames Gateway with navigating planning at Maldon District council for 262 new homes on three parcels within the Heybridge North Garden Community, masterplanned by Countryside. The committee originally deferred its decision but subsequently consented the application unanimously in December 2022.

Wokingham, Berkshire

We are assisting Berkeley Homes with political and community engagement around a planning application for circa 375 homes in Wokingham. Proposals include a community building with flexible space for local classes and events and an on site SANG.

Neopost House, Romford, London Borough of Havering

Chelgate has provided Galliard Homes with political and community engagement for planning applications for a development of 123 homes and a health centre in Romford, Havering. Located around the historic Neopost House building, the proposed development will provide three blocks with affordable housing through social rent and shared ownership, as well as green recreation space for families.

Chelgate led on the extensive community and political engagement for the site, generating positive resident feedback and working with local councillors to agree wider improvements to the local area.

Walkern, East Hertfordshire

Chelgate is assisting Welbeck Land bring forward an application for an Inspired Village in this Hertfordshire village. The proposals are for 120 homes with communal and community facilities which could include a gym, shop, health centre and community space. Chelgate has helped with political and community engagement.

West Hemel, Hertfordshire

This development of 1,100 new homes to the west of Hemel was promoted jointly by Barratt DWH and Taylor Wimpey North Thames. We assisted with the political engagement as the planning application came forward for consideration by the committee at Dacorum Council. It was approved in early 2020.

High Halstow, Kent

A development of 68 on the edge of High Halstow, a village on the Hoo Peninsular in Kent for Redrow South East. Chelgate assisted with detailed political and community engagement including comprehensive canvassing around the site and engagement with health and education. The project gained consent from Medway Council in 2018. Chelgate has subsequently been retained by Redrow to promote the site opposite, this time for 780 homes.

Bracknell Forest, Berkshire

We assisted Warfield Park, the country’s second largest park home site, to secure planning consent for 82 new park homes on its 500+ site in Bracknell Forest. Park homes have different planning requirements as they are not development, they are a change of use of the land. Chelgate provided community and political engagement, as well as exhibition, drop-in sessions, door-to-door canvassing and newsletters. Work on the new homes starts later in 2023.

Springfield Mill, Maidstone, Kent

The regeneration a former paper factory to create a residential oasis in the heart of the town. The Whatman paper factory, originally established some 300 years ago, once employed over 1,000 people: it is an integral part of the history of paper-making. Redrow South East proposed a development of around 200 homes very much in keeping with the history of the site and the existing Listed buildings. Chelgate assisted with political engagement and local community and stakeholder consultation for this historic site – we were a finalist in the Planning Project of the Year category of the PRCA public affairs awards in 2019.

“Sometimes it is difficult to see the value of political and community engagement being carried out by a specialist consultancy, however with Chelgate that value is clear, measurable and has proved vital to gaining consent.” David Banfield, Planning Director, Redrow Homes