Resi wrap: BTR city spotlight

Welcome to your weekly round-up of residential stories from EG. The regional build-to-rent market is outpacing that of London, with twice as many new homes added in the regions than in the capital last year. There were 16,797 BTR homes added to the pipeline in the regions, compared to 8,065 in the capital, according to new figures from the British Property Federation and Savills. The research highlighted Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds as the top cities after London. In Leeds, a trio of planning applications from Platform_, Hub and Glenbrook could see a further 1,780 build-to-rent homes. The three schemes are set to be debated at Leeds City Council’s planning committee on 27 January. Mark has teamed up with Hub for its first BTR scheme, selecting Birmingham’s Snow Hill area on the edge of the CBD. The scheme will be Hub’s second in Birmingham, after securing consent for 2,000 homes in Digbeth. Croydon Council has sold the hotel at the centre of failed property plans to build-to-rent developer Amro Partners and joint venture partner Flemyn for £24m. Amro has appointed HTA Design to work up plans for a £200m scheme of 600 flats and expects to lodge a planning application in the third quarter of this year. Elsewhere, Sowden Group is planning a 387-home BTR and student scheme in Leicester. Local developer Sowden previously built one of Long Harbour’s first BTR assets after securing forward funding in 2017 and is now raising the scale in its next scheme, as investors flock to the city. Further BTR investment activity focused on the South, with a £120m deal from Oaktree Capital Management and CompassRock, backing Crest Nicholson schemes in Farham, Southampton and Walton-on-Thames. In annual results, Crest Nicholson said it had more than doubled its profit, with chief executive Peter Truscott stating that the company’s turnaround had been a success. View the magazine, download the app (iOS and Android) and read on for more of the week’s headlines: MPs launch inquiry into Gove’s £4bn cladding plan Wellness in the city: Designing for post-pandemic residents Joint venture plans £280m Leeds Whitehall Riverside development Urban Splash secures £100m for BTR fund L&G expands rental housing with Great Haddon buy Glenbrook buys £150m Leeds BTR site Cortland hires president of investment management DTZ cleared for Manchester office-to-resi scheme Hillingdon loses Master Brewer Inland Homes wins Staines scheme approval Watkin Jones posts profit and revenue rises Sigma and Countryside map out next North West schemes Countryside shares continue to tumble PRS REIT records strong occupancy and rent collection Taylor Wimpey on target to make £820m profit Springfield seeks 1,000-home consent To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@eg.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @EGPropertyNews Photo © Staniforth Architects