Home Building Fund
The Home Building Fund was initially administered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) on behalf of government. It provided a a flexible source of funding, development finance, loans to meet the development costs of building homes for sale or rent, infrastructure finance, loans for site preparation and the infrastructure needed to enable housing to progress and to prepare land for development with funds being tailored to individual circumstances.
On 11 January 2018, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was replaced by Homes England as a executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The fund itself was also renamed as the Levelling Up Home Building Fund under the Conservatives. In 2024 under the new Labour government Homes England was somewhat repurposed to support its target of building 1.5 million homes.
In December 2024, the government announced its intention to extended the existing Home Building Fund for the following year providing up to £700 million of support to SME housebuilders, delivering an additional 12,000 new homes.Launched a New Homes Accelerator to unblock thousands of homes stuck in the planning system. Along side this it planned and completed a number of other initiatives designed at increasing the stock of UK housing including:
- Setting up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create large-scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
- Awarding £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
- Awarding £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.
- An additional £3 billion in housing guarantees to help builders apply for more accessible loans from banks and lenders.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/find-out-how-the-levelling-up-home-building-fund-can-support-you
https://www.urbanandcivic.com/application/files/9515/7554/4616/HBF_UC_Presentation.pdf
Featured articles and news
Committee report criticises UK retrofit schemes
CIOB responds to UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report.
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.