Gray Matters: August Edition
August brought steady progress within Thomas Gray alongside several significant developments across housebuilding, planning and affordable housing. This edition of Gray Matters examines what these updates mean for delivery across the sector.
Team Updates
People & Progress 👥
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Jonty Miller to Junior Consultant.
Since joining Thomas Gray in 2025 as Research Support, working alongside our marketing team and Senior Consultants, Jonty has made a strong impact. He now focuses on candidate engagement and resourcing for roles within the construction function across the UK.
Congratulations Jonty 🌟
Industry Insights
🏘️ Bellway Increases Housing Delivery
Bellway Homes has reported a stronger than expected year, increasing completions by 10.8% despite continued pressure across the UK housing market.
Key figures for the year ending 31 July 2026:
- Completions increased to 9,695 homes, up from 8,749
- Housing revenue rose by 13.4% to £3.14bn
- Adjusted operating profit is expected to reach approximately £320m
- The average selling price increased to £324,000
- Bellway ended the year with 253 sales outlets, following 59 new openings
Chief Executive Jason Honeyman has called for targeted government support, including a reduction in stamp duty and a deposit scheme for first-time buyers, to improve affordability and stimulate demand.
💷 £9.58bn Allocated for Affordable Housing
The Government has announced the first major funding allocations under its ten-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
A total of £9.58bn has been awarded to 33 Strategic Partners, supporting the delivery of approximately 73,600 homes across England outside London. Nearly two-thirds of these homes are expected to be for Social Rent.
The allocations range from £96.4m to £350m, with organisations including Abri Group, Vistry Group, Clarion Housing Group, Orbit Group, Places for People and Sanctuary among those receiving the largest awards.
🌳 Homebuilding Generates £60bn for Communities
New research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has highlighted the wider contribution made by housing development across England and Wales.
New homes built during the last year generated approximately £60bn in community investment, including:
- More than £9bn in affordable housing
- Funding for approximately 42,000 school places
- Over 1,640 football pitches’ worth of community open space
- Support for hundreds of thousands of jobs across the economy
The figures demonstrate that housing delivery extends well beyond the homes themselves. New development also supports schools, transport, green spaces, employment and wider local infrastructure.
🌿 Barratt Redrow Launches Placemaking Framework
Barratt Redrow has launched Great Places, a group-wide framework for designing healthier, greener and better-connected communities across its future developments.
New schemes will be assessed against eight principles covering healthy communities, local amenities, connectivity, nature and wellbeing, inclusive housing and long-term legacy.
The framework responds to Barratt Redrow research showing:
- 90% of prospective buyers value access to nature and wellbeing features
- 87% prioritise local places and amenities
- 85% consider the legacy created by a development important
The framework will apply across Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes and Redrow, providing a consistent and measurable approach to placemaking.
👷♀️ Women into Home Building Opens Ninth Cohort
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has opened applications for the ninth cohort of its award-winning Women into Home Building programme.
The fully funded three-week initiative combines online training and industry insight with a two-week work experience placement on a housebuilding site.
Since launching in 2023:
- More than 215 women have completed training and work experience
- Over 60 participants have secured employment within the industry
- The programme won Career Development Initiative of the Year at the 2026 Women in Housing and Housing Heroes Awards
The initiative provides women with a practical route into site management while helping housebuilders widen access to careers and strengthen the industry’s future talent pipeline.
Applications close on 20 September 2026, with placements beginning in November.
