Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor, writes… Get cracking with fracking is the message from the UK Prime Minister this week as an energy supply crisis looms.  After years of dithering, including by Ed Miliband when he was Energy Minister, we are facing the prospect of power shortages. So tax incentives to councils are part of a[…]

Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor, writes… We begin this first Buildingtalk newsletter of the year with a quick look back at some of 2013’s most read stories. Almost 500 readers used the link to the Buildingtalk website to read all about the Geberit toilet installed at The Shard, with this highest loo in Europe featuring in[…]

Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor, writes… House building news this week: latest ONS statistics show that new residential construction orders are up 41.6% and are now nearly 20% of all construction output. Planning permissions for new homes are up 33%, the highest since 2007.   With London’s population growing faster than anytime in history, Boris Johnson[…]

As usual, you should turn to the BBC for the best objective ‘at-a glance’ review of the Autumn Statement, and for interesting comment, Robert Preston is always good for the money. If you want to read the 130 pages of the actual report you can get this for £45 from HM Treasury – or just[…]