As Christmas approaches, I find myself clock-watching burning time on Parliament.tv, waiting for the year to end, so I can enjoy the festive break, hoping next year brings greater successes. This year has been a dismissal performance from a many local planning authorities and the positive planning system we were advised of last year are yet to arrive.

One of yesterdays statements in Parliament (16/12/2025), made by Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning caught our eye. It marks a significant moment in the government’s ongoing attempt to reform England’s planning system. Framed as the “next phase” of planning reform, the announcement seeks to tackle a problem that has stubbornly resisted decades of policy change: how to deliver enough homes, in the right places, at the right time. Just in time for me to moan it around the xmas table.

Last August, we speculated on what might be attempted to reinvigorate an otherwise dismal area of governance in planning (SilverTeal Blog, August 2024). Today, for those of us working in the built environment, many themes were familiar: slow delivery, inconsistent decision-making, and a system accused of being overly discretionary and risk-averse. What is different this time is the strength of national direction and the explicit willingness to curtail local flexibility in favour of speed and certainty. Yet we still see red tape. We have all just about got our heads around biodiversity net gain targets and fee hikes (which saw an almost doubled fee).
​
As ever, the ambition is clear. Whether the outcome matches it is another question something I will continue to ponder. Remember the below has been made in conjunction with an additional £ 48m investment over 3 years in local planning.

The new High Value Council Tax Surcharge, the rebranded mansion tax, is being sold as a tidy revenue raiser. Yet for many in the Southeast, where perfectly ordinary family homes now push past £2 million, it is anything but. Within this blog post, we will discuss what the government is planning to do with the UK tax system, which is causing a financial challenge for homeowners. 

It’s been another summer of rolled-up shirt sleeves, limp sandwiches, and spontaneous debates about whether a desk fan qualifies as “adequate ventilation.” While some revel in the British heatwave as though they’re in a Tuscan vineyard, the reality for most of us stuck in poorly performing buildings is less Chianti and more clammy. From homes to high-rises, there’s one increasingly urgent question we are asked when approached by clients: why are so many buildings still designed, built, or retrofitted without proper consideration for thermal comfort? Or in their wordings "can I make my house less hot?"
 
As a building surveyor working in the construction, I’ve seen how easily comfort is sacrificed for aesthetics, cost-cutting, or simple ignorance. But with rising temperatures, tightening regulations, and increasingly disgruntled occupants, the topic of thermal comfort is no longer niche, it’s essential.

Let’s be honest, nobody gets into property development or construction because they love paperwork. But if there is one thing that consistently makes or breaks a project, it is the contract administration and the quality of the documents that support it. At SilverTeal, we specialise in project management, contract administration, architectural design, building surveying, tender documentation, procurement, and even helping you avoid those dreaded contractor disputes.
​
We have seen it all, from dream residential conversions to commercial refurbishments and everything in between. While most of our work does not involve your average loft extension or kitchen upgrade, we often assist first-time developers or property enthusiasts who are taking their first steps into the world of new builds or refurb projects. And believe us when we say that first step is best taken with the right team and the right documents by your side.

One quiet Thursday evening, I was sitting at home, diligently working through a few lingering tasks, when my evening peace was shattered by a thunderous crash. This wasn’t your average domestic thud. No, this was a full-bodied, echoing clatter that immediately had me upright and on alert. The kind of sound that makes you instinctively mutter, “Well, that can’t be good."
​
At first, I assumed a vehicle must’ve veered off the narrow lane that winds through our quiet countryside hamlet. But as I stepped outside, it quickly became clear that the chaos had occurred far closer to home. The noise, reminiscent of a tonne of bricks being hurled from a great height, had in fact come from next door. My neighbour’s garage had entirely collapsed—front and side walls reduced to rubble, the timber and slate roof in splinters, and the poor car inside looking like it had narrowly survived a war zone.
​

​Cavity walls have been common place in construction and have been since the late 1800s. Their implementation in Britain became the go-to method of post-war era construction and continue to be widely used. Although timber frame systems are often used in twenty first century home building due to their cost and time saving benefits they bring generating improved profits for the developers.

​The method of construction grew in application due to the walls superior characteristics. The cavity (air gap) is good at keeping heat in and stopping issues like condensation caused by thermal bridging often observed on traditional solid wall construction. The gap between the internal and external layers of the wall acts as a thermal barrier/break, helping to keep homes warm and dry. According to the BRE Report 262: Thermal Insulation—Avoiding Risks, a well-maintained cavity reduces damp and mould inside the house. Early cavity walls up to the late 1975s were not generally insulated. This upon reflection has left them vulnerable to moisture and overtime may be a hidden pandemic.

Typically the internal leaf of a cavity wall structure is load bearing and the outer portion play a more stability and aesthetic purpose. The two leafs are held together by metal ties ensuring a sturdy structure. Cavity wall ties are metal pieces/clips installed, spanning the cavity, to hold the inner and outer walls together. This in effect should be the only breach in the structure and have been knows to create a potential weak spot. Modern ties are generally stainless steel and designed to hold their integrity far better than their earlier ancestors; however, most ties made in the mid-20th century used galvanised steel. Unfortunately the galvanised coating and manufacturing practices wasn’t always up to scratch, as noted in the BRE Good Repair Guide 59: Understanding Cavity Wall Construction. Over time, exposure to moisture has caused some ties to corrode behind their protective coatings. The occurrence of tie deterioration in a lot of properties has been leading to serious issues and it may be getting worse. 

As observed the front of your house could just fall off which it isn’t suppose to do.


​

A couple of years ago, I made the move from a suburban London borough to the countryside in a Home County, seeking a better quality of life while still maintaining proximity to transport links for work. The move opened my eyes to rural life. I’ve become increasingly aware that 70% of the country’s land area is used for farming, with a significant portion protected under agricultural designations. These protections make it challenging and almost near impossible to repurpose land for development, even amidst a housing crisis that demands innovative solutions. (Message from Labour “watch that space”.

With substantial economic and housing demands and an eager new government, the perspective many take is to target rich “Tory” farmers suggesting they turn farmland into housing and are taxed more. Whilst my expertise is property and building I personally feel that in a world of uncertainty, being an island is a blessing, and self-sufficiency offers great benefits—it allows control over food quality and cost. Basic supply and demand principles suggest that losing supply will drive costs. Farmland may be vast, but its value, particularly for farmers, is limited and doesn’t always equate to money in the pocket. The land may be worth a lot (to some), but ultimately, it needs to be worked by farmers—an occupation that is in gradual decline. 

I believe it is never beneficial to encourage farmers to sell or develop their land or, worse, to convert lush green fields into the red-brick developments of Taylor Wimpey new-builds but there may be more modest opportunities to make an extra buck and support regional economies. Yet maintain the farming culture.

What opportunities currently exist for farmers to diversify their land, ensures financial stability, yet avoid the temptation to turn to new-build developments, which seem to be the most obvious solution to the housing crisis?

This blog has been written in light of recent changes in inheritance exemptions for farmers, which may create significant challenges for those who feed the nation.

Personal note:
I recently become interested in the topic of the farming industry when I watched a TV series which opened my eyes and may have even been a factor into where I moved to. The series Clarkson’s Farm saw former Top Gear host (and public disappointment) Jeremy Clarkson attempt to show the difficulties of running a farm. Of course, there were plenty of innuendos and a few instances of tractors reversing into hedgerows, but the show did open the nation’s eyes to some of the difficulties. In particular the challenges of securing planning permission for developments that would enhance a farm’s financial stability. I found this aspect of the show to be sensationalising town planning, but it made me realise there is some merit in assisting farmers, as we’ve started to see. It’s put farming in the public eye and may even be a substantial contributing factor in why recent taxation announcements and protests have made the 6 o’clock news. It is important to note that Clarkson did buy the land to avoid tax and as a result there may be some merit in better executed tax changes with further exemptions.  Furthermore most farmers do not have millions of followers who would happily turned a portion of the Cotswolds in to a weird kind of motor enthusiast Mecca or queue in the rain for a pint of “cow juice”.

Buying a flat—whether in a Victorian conversion, purpose-built block, or a modern development—comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. These often far differ from owning a house which many fail to understand. One of the most common questions we’re asked by potential buyers, particularly in Greater London and other bustling areas like Birmingham, Oxford, and Worcester, is:
"Should I get a survey on a flat?" 
The short answer? Absolutely.
Obviously as with all large purchases in your life you to want to be sure upon purchase it is as expected and a flat is no difference.
But let’s dive into the details to understand why this is so important.

Every now and then, my team and I like to play a little game I call the "Surveyor’s Where’s Wally". The purpose of this is to  keeps the young ones out of trouble but also top up our skill of spotting defects (as the kids say IRL "in real Life"). We drop a random pin on a map—urban, suburban, or occasionally rural (if you fancy seeing something somber). We then Inspect the area virtually. It’s all in good fun, but what we find is anything but amusing. Drop a pin anywhere in cities like London, Manchester, Oxford, or Birmingham, and there’s a high chance you’ll land with some pivoting on a building that’s suffering from maintenance issues. Rotten windows, failing brickwork, leaking gutter and dodgy roofing are par for the course. Even worse on occasions, we do also witness deterioration such as Structural lintel failure.
​
Recently, I realised that this isn’t in isolated cases either. A staggering 20% of England’s housing stock predates 1919, with over 35% built before 1945. That’s millions of homes—many privately rented or owned by social landlords—creaking under the weight of time and neglect. (Source: English Housing Survey, MHCLG).

I have never completed a survey or a building (other than spanking new builds) that have had zero defects to report!!

​As we barrel towards the festive season, the time for family dinners and holiday cheer also sparks a wave of reflection on how our homes serve us. January through February often sees a surge in inquiries about extensions and improvements. So, whether you're dreaming of a larger kitchen, brighter spaces, or a more functional layout, this guide will walk you through the DOs and DON’Ts of home improvement with a sprinkle of wit and practical advice.