Sustainable construction, the ability to adapt, the creation of an accessible property ladder, consideration of mental health in planning, and improving the performance of homes, have all been identified by industry experts as crucial elements in the future of housebuilding in a new industry whitepaper – The Homebuilders Insight Report. 

The report, designed specifically to help housebuilders prepare for the future of homebuilding and build homes for the next generation, draws on five leading experts, all of whom share their insights on the challenges and opportunities the future of housebuilding presents. Curated by Victoria Brocklesby, COO and Co-Founder at Origin, the whitepaper includes in-depth thought-leadership from Cat Smith, Director & Co-Founder at Pixel; Matthew Richards, Partner at Ridge and Partners LLP; Karen Curtin, Managing Director at Graven Hill Village Development Company and Melissa Balk, Associate at Fisher German.

“The housebuilding industry is at a pivotal point and those who do not adapt will be left behind. The way people live is changing and homeowners’ priorities are evolving – and fast. The industry must recognise this. With this in mind, we have collated the opinions of some of the industry’s most high-profile and well-regarded thought leaders, to share their views on what they predict for the future of housebuilding and how industry professionals should adapt,” commented Victoria Brocklesby.

For professionals particularly concerned with homeowner lifestyle changes and the impact they are having on buying habits, Cat Smith looks at how the evolution of the homebuyer has been accelerated by the pandemic, whilst offering advice on how the industry can prevent being left behind. Also feeding into this pool of thought is Melissa Balk, who considers the importance of mental health and wellbeing in planning. She discusses how this should be considered alongside climate change and biodiversity to deliver homes fit for the modern buyer. 

Matthew Richards considers the retrofit challenge for housebuilders in creating homes that consider the energy and carbon required to run them. Similarly, Victoria Brocklesby argues that taking a holistic view of sustainability should be at the top of the industry’s agenda to ensure it is able to respond to the changing and realigned priorities of the modern homebuyer. 

Finally, Karen Curtin considers the property ladder and the options available to buyers looking for personalised homes, offering food for thought to industry professionals considering the framework for the future of their business. 

Aberdeenshire Housebuilding and Construction : Bancon Group reports positive trading performance, despite COVID

Bancon Group has announced positive trading results for the year ending 31 March 2020.

A marked improvement in margins at the Aberdeenshire housebuilder and construction group led to an increase in operating profit from £10.3milion in 2019 to £13.2million. This is despite turnover dropping from £92million to £85million as a direct result of the inability to trade during the final weeks of the financial year due to the COVID-imposed lockdown.

Since coming out of lockdown in the summer of 2020, Bancon Group has reported a strong recovery and trading performance and now has a positive forward sales position across its homes, timberframe and construction businesses.

Notwithstanding the on-going market challenges in the North-east of Scotland, Bancon Homes has continued to deliver its ambitious growth plans. Three new developments were launched in the period, with further sites secured since its year end, including its first site in the Central belt as part of its expansion outwith its traditional North-east market.

Deeside Timberframe delivered a record year after capitalising on the increasing demand for off-site construction methods by growing  repeat business with existing customers.

Trading performance and margins were ahead of expectations at Bancon Construction. This is attributed to the clear strategy of  focusing on higher margin work and extending its reach throughout Scotland.

Exceptional costs of £3million, incurred in the period, have suppressed the group’s overall position of improved margins and trading performance, resulting in a loss before tax of £0.5million in the annual accounts. These were due to a non-cash impairment to write down the value of a long-held development and a one-off loss on a historic construction contract.

John Irvine, chief executive of Bancon Group, said: “These robust results in a financial year, which was impacted by the pandemic and the subdued market in the North-east at the time, reflect the overall health of the group.  

“With significantly improved margins and trading performance across all three of our businesses, coupled with a very encouraging future order book, we have firm foundations from which to build sustainable, profitable growth once the impact of the pandemic is behind us.”

This confidence is shared by Santander who have signed a three-year extension to the group’s banking facility.

Mr Irvine added: “Three months of not being able to trade during lockdown and the subsequent reduced levels of activity as restrictions eased in 2020 will inevitably impact on our current financial year. But, thanks to actions taken and the support of our employees, we have emerged strongly and 2021/22 will see continued strong operating profits and a return to profit before tax. The longer-term outlook for Bancon Group is very promising indeed.” Bancon Group, head-quartered in Banchory, Aberdeenshire operates in North-east and Central Scotland and employs over 260 people.

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