![Berkeley Group is making progress on its Oval Village development in the capital, on the site of the old gas works, overlooking the famous cricket ground [photo © Oval Village Community Instagram]](/assets/news_articles/2025/09/1757055513_oval-village.jpg)
Berkeley Group Holdings has issued an upbeat trading statement ahead of its annual general meeting today, expressing confidence that the much publicised planning hurdles facing house-builders in the capital, including the logjam of building control applications at the Building Safety Regulator, will soon be sorted.
“The government's positive stance on planning reform demonstrates its determination to drive national growth through new housing delivery and has been greatly welcomed by Berkeley and the industry,†it said.
“The latest data published by MHCLG [the housing ministry], the GLA [Greater London Authority] and the independent research agency Molior, however, indicates a continued decline in new housing starts in London to levels not seen since the global financial crisis over 15 years ago.آ This is due to a confluence of well-documented regulatory, economic and market factors.آ The government is now increasingly focused on addressing the regulatory and viability challenges facing London's housing industry, which we are confident it can resolve through collaboration with the sector and applying the same single-minded determination to deliver the necessary change that has been so successful in driving its wider planning reforms.â€
It added: “The focus must be on de-regulation, resolving the challenges of the Building Safety Regulator and not increasing taxation over and above the Building Safety Levy introduced in the period; be this through the changes to landfill tax, currently being consulted upon, or further property taxation, as this will deter investment.â€
It said that trading had been stable for Berkeley over the first four months of its current financial year – May to August – following a similar pattern to last year.آ The company remains on target to achieve its pre-tax earnings guidance of آ£450m for the full year to 30th April 2026, 85% of which has already been secured through exchanged sales contracts, and it remains on target to achieve a similar level of profit in the 2027 financial year.
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