A fundamental review of housing design is needed if the UK is to produce successful low-carbon homes of the future, advises a new guide by the NHBC Foundation.

The number of new homes registered with the National House-Building Council (NHBC) in the UK during the first quarter of this year has reached 31,739 – the highest level for this period since 2008.

Trade creditors of Ocon Construction stand to receive 14p in the pound following the collapse of the student accommodation specialist.

Travis Perkins and Elliott Group are among the trade creditors chasing £6.5m unpaid contracts after the collapse of the Nottinghamshire-based contractor Herbert Baggaley Construction. Travis Perkins is owed £20,452 and Elliott Group £27,499.

Recent figures from the National House-Building Council (NHBC) have revealed the capital experienced a 61 percent increase in the registration of new homes during Q1 this year compared to the same period in 2012.

Reforms to drop Section 106 requirements on housing schemes and fast track major projects through planning have become law, following Royal Assent of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has partially reversed plans to relax planning rules on home extensions in the face of a House of Commons backbench objection.

Merchant exposure to bad debts from insolvencies remains high with 625 construction companies going bust this year – 48 a week. The latest casualties bring the number of industry names who have disappeared since April 2011 to 5,500.

Bellway sold 2,597 houses in the year ending January 2013 – up 5.8 percent on the previous year.

The length of time it takes to complete pre-qualification questionnaires is the biggest challenge faced by construction companies when tendering for work, according to the latest survey by Constructionline.

The Accord Group, which opened timber-frame factory LoCaL Homes in 2011, is now forming a construction management team to build 22 timber-frame houses in Wolverhampton.

Costain has signed up to the Government’s Prompt Payment Code, but Berkeley Group is the only stock-market-quoted volume house builder to sign up.

A quarter of SME building firms have missed out on contracts because they can’t secure vital funding, with many claiming banks and building societies are “actively discriminating” against construction companies, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned.

Manchester-based Ocon Construction is to appoint administrators.

The Government is researching how it might introduce licensing arrangements for builders in an effort to clamp down on rogue traders.

Housebuilder Redrow has reported a 50% jump in pre-tax profit during the second half of 2012. Steve Morgan, chair of Redrow, says reservations were up 8% the start of 2013 against 2012 and the company was on track to increase outlets from 82 to 90 by June.

House builder Barratt highlighted its commitment to driving down supply chain costs as it posted a 113.4% rise in pre-tax profits.

Morgan Sindall and McLaren Construction Group have reported that their profits are down. 

The mayor has announced the first phase of a £100m housing fund which he says will support "thousands of jobs in the capital's construction industry".

JS Hay Construction is in administration with Matt Howard and David Merrygold of PKF accountants and business advisers joint administrators of the firm.

Bellway reports improved sales and reservations over the past six months in a trading statement for the six months to 31 January.