Barratt Redrow cuts UK housing outlook amid planning delays

Barratt Redrow, the UK’s largest housebuilder, has reported a rise in annual completions to 17,667 and a 48% jump in statutory pre-tax profit to £363.5 million following the integration of Redrow. Despite these results, the company has lowered its completions guidance for the current financial year to a range of 17,500–17,900, citing continued planning delays and economic headwinds.

Company leadership and analysts noted that rising mortgage rates and build-cost inflation are squeezing margins. Chair Caroline Silver called for government action to reduce regulatory and tax burdens to support housing demand, particularly for first-time buyers. The downgrade follows comments from Housing Secretary Angela Rayner regarding the slim chance of meeting the government’s 1.5 million homes target.

In a separate development regarding UK housing trends, research from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and Bidwells indicates that the build-to-rent (BTR) sector accounted for 61% of new homes in eight key UK regeneration areas over the last decade, despite representing less than 2% of total national housing stock.