Latest news with #HighWycombe-based
Western Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Western Telegraph
1950s Newport bungalow to be replaced with new home
In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, High Wycombe-based Mr and Mrs Shorrocks, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought permission for a replacement dwelling at New Court, Fishguard Road, Newport. A supporting statement said the current bungalow is 'is a circa 1950s post-war bungalow and is typical for its time, with limited renovations or modernisations,' adding: 'The dwelling is in poor overall condition, both internally and externally. There are all necessary connections to the dwelling. The property also has a small single detached garage in poor state of repair, with large overgrowth.' It went on to say: 'This application seeks full planning approval for a three-bedroom dwelling on site, with internal garage and detached garden shed/store. This replacement is sought to create a dwelling capable of modern habitation and to serve future generations and to create a single harmonious dwelling, instead of trying to retrofit additional living accommodation onto the original and trying to bring it up to modern regulations, which would create an inharmonious development, which would look unforgiving in its landscape. 'Further to this, the current dwelling has no cavity insulation with limited cavity width which will not allow for retrofitted insulation and makes the property prone to cold bridging. The existing layout is not suitable for modern living and does not provide an accessible dwelling. The proposed dwelling is in a similar position within the plot and comprises a one-and-a-half storey dwelling to match the surrounding dwellings. The orientation of the dwelling is to remain the same with identical ridge lines and access arrangements.' An officer report recommending approval said concerns were received about the height of the proposed dwelling, property boundary and overlooking. It added: 'Amended plans have been received during the course of the application to address the authority's concerns in relation to design, the impact upon amenity and light pollution and materials palette. 'The design of the proposal is now deemed to be acceptable, and it is deemed that there would be no significant impact in terms of amenity, the character or appearance of the immediate area, or the wider landscape.' The application was conditionally approved.
Business Mayor
30-04-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Taylor Wimpey margins under pressure as homebuilder costs rise
Updated: 12:17 BST, 30 April 2025 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey expects margins to come under pressure from lower selling prices and rising costs this year despite demand holding up well over the spring. The housebuilder still anticipates completing 10,400 to 10,800 properties this year, excluding joint ventures, with around 45 per cent of these homes being delivered in the first half of 2025. It also expects operating profits of £444million even though first-half operating margins are set to be lower. Taylor Wimpey blamed the effects of underlying pricing in its order book at the start of the year and a modest return of build cost inflation. Despite current economic volatility and affordability pressures, the High Wycombe-based business said there remained 'good quality customer interest' for its homes. Its weekly net private sales rate for the year to 27 April was 0.76 per outlet, compared to 0.70 in 2024. Outlook: Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey reiterated its full-year guidance on Wednesday Consequently, the company's order book totalled over £2.3billion and 8,153 houses as of Sunday, versus £2.1billion and 7,742 properties at the same time last year. Read More Here's Two Keirs: 10 Things We Learned This Week Jennie Daly, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, said: 'The spring selling season has progressed in line with expectations, with good levels of customer demand reflected in our sales rate. 'Notwithstanding the wider macroeconomic backdrop, affordability is improving with lenders remaining committed to the housing market, albeit first-time buyers continue to experience some challenges.' Average UK house prices dipped by 0.6 per cent to £270,752 in April, according to figures released by Nationwide. It follows changes to stamp duty rates at the beginning of the month, with the zero threshold halving to £125,000 and the first-time buyers' threshold dropping from £425,000 to £300,000. All major British lenders now offer fixed-rate mortgage rate deals of under 4 per cent in the expectation that the Bank of England will continue cutting the base rate. The UK base rate currently stands at 4.5 per cent after being cut by 0.25 percentage points in February. Financial markets currently point to three more cuts of the same size this year, taking the base rate to 3.75 per cent at the end of 2025. Taylor Wimpey told investors: 'We operate in an attractive market with significant underlying demand for new homes. 'We have set the business up to deliver sustained growth with a high-quality landbank, strong balance sheet and experienced teams.' Anthony Codling, head of European housing and building materials research at RBC Capital Markets, remarked: 'As wages continue to grow and the expectation is for mortgage rates to fall, the outlook for Taylor Wimpey looks rosy.' Taylor Wimpey shares were 1.8 per cent lower at 116.3p on Wednesday morning, making them one of the FTSE 100 Index's ten worst performers.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Taylor Wimpey margins under pressure as homebuilder costs rise
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey expects margins to come under pressure from lower selling prices and rising costs this year, despite demand holding up well over the spring. The housebuilder still anticipates completing 10,400 to 10,800 properties this year, excluding joint ventures, with around 45 per cent of these homes being delivered in the first half of 2025. It also expects operating profits of £444million even though first-half operating margins are set to be lower. Taylor Wimpey blamed the effects of underlying pricing in its order book at the start of the year and a modest return of build cost inflation. Despite current economic volatility and affordability pressures, the High Wycombe-based business said there remained 'good quality customer interest' for its homes. Its weekly net private sales rate for the year to 27 April was 0.76 per outlet, compared to 0.70 in 2024. Consequently, the company's order book totalled over £2.3billion and 8,153 houses as of Sunday, versus £2.1billion and 7,742 properties at the same time last year. Jennie Daly, chief executive of Taylor Wimpey, said: 'The Spring selling season has progressed in line with expectations, with good levels of customer demand reflected in our sales rate. 'Notwithstanding the wider macroeconomic backdrop, affordability is improving with lenders remaining committed to the housing market, albeit first-time buyers continue to experience some challenges.' Average UK house prices dipped by 0.6 per cent to £270,752 in April, according to figures released by Nationwide. It follows changes to stamp duty rates at the beginning of the month, with the zero threshold halving to £125,000 and the first-time buyers' threshold dropping from £425,000 to £300,000. All major British lenders now offer fixed-rate mortgage rate deals of under 4 per cent in expectation the Bank of England will continue cutting base rate. The UK base rate currently stands at 4.5 per cent after being cut by 0.25 percentage points in February. Financial markets currently point to three more cuts of the same size this year, taking base rate to 3.75 per cent at the end of 2025. Taylor Wimpey told investors: 'We operate in an attractive market with significant underlying demand for new homes. 'We have set the business up to deliver sustained growth with a high-quality landbank, strong balance sheet and experienced teams.' Anthony Codling, head of European housing and building materials research at RBC Capital Markets, remarked: 'As wages continue to grow and the expectation is for mortgage rates to fall, the outlook for Taylor Wimpey looks rosy.' Taylor Wimpey shares were 1.8 per cent lower at 116.3p on Wednesday morning, making them one of the FTSE 100 Index's ten worst performers.
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Van trapped in London car park for two years costs firm £40k
The owners of a small family-run business say they have been left £40,000 out of pocket after their van became trapped in a mechanical stacked car park in central London more than two years Lucas, co-owner of HCS Furniture in Buckinghamshire, parked his electric Vauxhall van at Rathbone Square, a building complex near Oxford Street, in December being unable to retrieve the van because of a "mechanical malfunction" in the car park, he was told in January 2023 that new parts were required by engineers but 26 months on, no update has been provided. The BBC has approached Rathbone Square and the car park installer, Double Parking Systems, for comment. A stacked car park is a system where cars are parked on top of each other, using mechanical platforms and lifts, in order to save ground on space. "It was about six o'clock that evening, we went back to the concierge and said, can we have the van back? To which he said, 'we're very sorry, but you can't, because the stacking system has malfunctioned'," Mr Lucas Lucas was reassured his van would soon be returned, so he and company co-owner Steve Davies, decided to temporarily hire another van at a cost of £800 a Davies said: "We were told it's just a bit further away. So we carried on renting, expecting to get the van back, but it never did. We get the occasional update, but we call them constantly to say, 'what's the news? what's happening?' And we get little or no response."The High Wycombe-based company's costs continued to mount, hiring the second vehicle while also paying off the monthly loan for the trapped Davies said: "After a couple of years of renting, we decided we can't afford to do this anymore, so we gave the hire van back and took out another loan to buy a second van. In total I estimate we are currently about £40,000 out of pocket." Initially, the delay to the repairs was blamed on engineers needing new parts and in January 2023 the head concierge at Rathbone Square said this would take 40 weeks.A year later Mr Lucas was told the repairs were unlikely to take place before May 2024 but that any losses would be recoverable from the party found to have overall responsibility for this incident. However, until this happens, the business owners are unable to claim back any money through insurance."I was very upset, we had a six-month-old van that we no longer had access to. I've been quite frustrated with a lack of communication," Mr Lucas said. He added: "While we're trying to grow the business, we can't, because we have all this, this money tied up, how can you plan for anything when you don't know what is going to happen in in the near future'?"Double Parking Systems who designed and installed the car park said it could not publicly comment as it had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).The BBC has also approached the management for Rathbone Square.
