Thousands of homes to be built in flood zones – BBC
Almost 10,000 new homes could be built on some of the most flood-prone areas of England, a Greenpeace investigation has found.
They include hundreds of new-builds in Sheffield and Doncaster, the towns hit hardest by the latest floods.
The Environment Agency told the BBC that virtually all planning applications last year followed its advice on flood risk.
But it predicts the flooding risk will increase because of climate change.
The Greenpeace study comes as hundreds of flood-hit homes in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire are still evacuated.
It identifies plans to build a total of 9,688 new homes in high-risk areas.
More than 5,000 homes have been proposed in high-risk zones of Lincolnshire, where roads and thousands of acres of farmland have been flooded in the last few days.
______________________________
More first-time buyers jump onto the property ladder as home purchases are ‘fuelled by super-cheap mortgages and Bank of Mum and Dad’ – This is Money
The number of first-time buyers entering the market has continued to creep up as buyers take advantage of parental help and near-record low mortgage rates.
Figures released today by banking trade body UK Finance show there were 29,100 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in September 2019, some 1.6 per cent more than in the same month last year.
In fact, there were more first-time buyers taking their first steps onto the housing ladder this month than there were existing homeowners moving.
While the number of home movers was also up year-on-year, with 1.8 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier, overall there were 50 fewer movers than first-time buyers in September.
Furious couple claims removals company charged them £2,500 to move house just FOUR miles away – Daily Mail
A couple have slammed a removals company who ended up charging them £2,500 to move house – just four miles away.
Kevin White, 51, and his wife Allison had packed up their house and had been quoted £660 from Bristol 1st Removals to help transport their things.
However, on the day of the move, there was a delay in the couple getting the keys to their new house.
When they phoned the removals firm to let them know, the company said they would have to store the couple’s items overnight – at an extra cost of £1,920.
The furious couple ended up forking out a whopping £2,500 to Bristol 1st Removals – but not without threatening to call the police during a heated discussion.
Click here to read the full story
If you’re looking for a removals company, compare quotes now with our online comparison tool.
______________________________
House prices could rise by an average of 15.3% in the next five years – The Times
House prices could rise by an average of 15.3% in the next five years, Savills estate agency predicted last week. Homeowners in the northwest of England would see the typical value of a home in the region go from £169,000 to £210,000: a 24% increase. In London, on the other hand, your home might be worth just 4% more, with the average price set to rise from £462,000 now to £480,000 by 2024.
They took what they knew about the fundamentals of Britain’s housing market, and projections from the global forecaster Oxford Economics, then added in the assumption that we agree a Brexit deal with the EU by the end of 2020.
So, what scenarios could make this forecast better or worse?
Find out by reading the full article.
Find out what’s happening with house prices in your area with our monthly House Price Watch.
______________________________
