Berkeley calls for ‘change of attitude’ to meet housing targets

Berkeley Group has said the government’s goals for housebuilding will require “a change of attitude and a refreshed partnership approach”. In a trading update covering the period from 1 May to 31 August ahead of today’s annual general meeting, the housebuilder said it is set to meet its pretax earnings guidance of £525m for the year ending 30 April 2025. Profit will be weighted to the first half, it added. “Berkeley supports the proposed changes to the planning system and the government’s aspiration to deliver 1.5m new homes across this parliament as part of its mission for growth,” the company said. “Achieving this ambition requires a change of attitude and a refreshed partnership approach to allow developments, that are currently stalled, to come forward and Berkeley is committed to playing its full part in delivering the new homes the country needs.” It added: “This ambitious plan from the new government brings with it a number of changes to the operating environment, the impact of which Berkeley will fully evaluate ahead of updating the market with its interim results in December.”