by admin | Dec 5, 2025 | Blogs
What Does The 2025 Budget Mean for Construction?
The recently announced 2025 budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves has caused a mixed reaction throughout the construction industry. The widely anticipated announcement offers both fresh hope and new challenges across the industry. Here at John Burke Associates, in this month’s blog, we consider what the budget means for our clients and ourselves.
Landfill tax stability offers certainty.
Starting with the positives, the U-turn on the landfill tax reform has come as a big relief to many in the industry. The Government confirms it will not proceed with the proposed landfill-tax reform. This means that the convergence of the standard and lower rates is abandoned. Therefore, the standard rate remains £126.15 per tonne, while inert waste stays at £4.05 per tonne. This is a welcome decision, preventing additional disposal costs and supporting predictable project forecasting.
Infrastructure Funding and Regional Development
The government has pledged major investment in infrastructure, with £890 million for the Lower Thames Crossing. This strengthens national transport resilience and supports long-term economic growth. With additional regional allocations for projects, such a £20 million for the Peterborough Sports Quarter. This signals a continued support for local regeneration and, in turn, an increased stability in the project pipeline within the construction sector.
Skills Investment and Apprenticeships
The 2025 Budget also introduces funding for training and work placements for 18–21-year-olds. This means there will be more apprenticeship opportunities available, providing a broader entry-level talent pipeline. The commitment to make apprenticeships free for under-25s in SMEs represents a significant change. Recruitment is a long-standing challenge within the construction industry. As such, new skills and more encouragement at the entry level can only be positive.
Wage costs and operational pressures
While the decision to invest more in entry-level employment is undoubtedly a positive one, it is sullied by the decision to increase the minimum wage. The National Living Wage for adults aged 21 and over rises by 4.1% to £12.71 per hour. Rates for 18–20-year-olds increase by 8.5% to £10.85 per hour. We do not dismiss the national cost of living crisis by any means. However, this increase may not be as beneficial to workers as it seems. With the income and national insurance tax thresholds remaining frozen, this wage increase could push many into higher tax brackets. In turn, this creates a higher wage bill for the project and resulting in less disposable income for the workers.
How can we support your project?
The rise in wage costs places new pressure on contractors, developers and public-sector clients. As RICS Chartered Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Clerks of Works, John Burke Associates supports clients by strengthening cost control, programme efficiency and project assurance. Our services help mitigate the financial impact of wage inflation while maintaining quality and compliance. Speak to our friendly team today to find out more about how we can help you.
Get In Touch With Us Today!
by admin | Nov 19, 2025 | Blogs
Judicial Review Reform
The UK government plans to shorten the timeframes for judicial reviews of nationally significant infrastructure and other construction-related projects. The objective is to prevent long legal delays, which have affected energy, transport and large-scale development schemes across the country. Judicial reviews can currently take more than a year to conclude. The government suggests that removing up to six months from that process will help accelerate housing, infrastructure delivery and private investment. Ministers argue that many legal challenges do not succeed, yet still impose long pauses on critical national programmes.
However, any reform of judicial review raises a fundamental question: how do we pursue efficiency without reducing the integrity of public decision-making?
The Opportunity and the Risk
Speed is valuable, particularly for schemes with economic, energy or strategic importance. Prolonged uncertainty can increase programme costs, dilute investor confidence and have downstream effects on communities reliant on infrastructure upgrades. Yet judicial review exists to ensure that decisions are lawful and transparent. It protects environmental interests, affected communities and public outcomes. A compressed legal timetable must not prevent legitimate challenges from being heard with rigour. This is where professional governance and early risk management become essential.
The Role of Robust Professional Oversight
The most resilient projects are those that anticipate scrutiny before it arises. Independent technical due diligence, risk-based project monitoring, and rigorous compliance pathways reduce the likelihood of judicial review and improve the chances of defending against one if it does occur. At John Burke Associates, we see continued pressure for faster delivery but also a heightened expectation that professional teams demonstrate documented accountability, from the planning stage to delivery. The solution is not simply speed. It is intelligent acceleration aligned with governance.
What Comes Next
Judicial Review Reform is expected to shift more emphasis onto front-loaded assurance, as project teams seek to minimise exposure to legal challenge.
For developers, investors and public sector bodies, this means:
- Governance will need to be demonstrable, not assumed
- Early-stage due diligence will hold greater value
- Independent oversight becomes a strategic asset, not an audit exercise
- The line between speed and risk will narrow but not disappear
A Future Built on Preparedness, Not Just Pace
Acceleration is welcome when it unlocks national benefit. But true progress comes from combining speed with certainty. Judicial review reform may reshape the legal framework around major infrastructure, but it will not remove the need for competent, defensible and professionally governed project decision-making. That is where long-term resilience is secured.
by admin | Sep 9, 2025 | Blogs
Recent figures released by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) underscore the considerable challenges currently facing the UK construction industry. Data indicates that as many as 75% of high-rise residential buildings are failing to comply with the latest building safety requirements. This situation raises profound concerns for asset owners, developers, and residents alike.
Safety Case Submissions Under Review
Of the 1,454 high-risk buildings for which owners have submitted mandatory safety case reports, the BSR has thus far reviewed 170. Alarmingly, 125 of these reviews identified shortcomings against the required standards. Consequently, legal enforcement notices have been served on the respective owners, compelling them to take immediate action to address significant safety deficiencies.
These deficiencies range from incomplete safety assessments and absent resident engagement strategies to structural and compartmentation shortcomings necessitating extensive remedial works. The findings serve to emphasise that compliance extends well beyond documentation and requires substantive safety management and robust construction practice.
Delays in Gateway Approvals
The BSR’s first formal performance update also draws attention to a growing backlog in planning approvals. Developers are currently experiencing an average waiting period of 36 weeks for Gateway decisions, a delay three times longer than the stated 12-week target. Between late 2023 and early 2025, 2,108 applications were lodged, yet only 338 received approval.
Although recent improvements are reported, with the volume of approvals beginning to outpace incoming applications, the prolonged delays have created uncertainty across the development sector.
Strengthening the Role of the Regulator
In response, structural reforms are being advanced. The BSR, formerly part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is in the process of being reconstituted as a standalone authority. Furthermore, a dedicated Innovation Unit has been established with the aim of accelerating approvals, particularly for schemes that demonstrate exemplary safety strategies or utilise modern methods of construction.
To strengthen technical scrutiny, the regulator is also undertaking the recruitment of experienced engineers and building safety professionals following concerns regarding the expertise applied in earlier reviews.
The Role of John Burke Associates
At John Burke Associates Ltd, we recognise both the complexity and the urgency of the evolving building safety regime. As a practice of Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Building Consultants, and Clerks of Works, we provide independent, authoritative, and technically rigorous advice to clients across the private, commercial, and public sectors.
Our services are directed towards ensuring that clients are fully prepared to meet the latest requirements:
- Regulatory Navigation – guiding clients through the intricacies of the BSR framework, ensuring that safety case reports, documentation, and resident engagement strategies achieve compliance.
- Technical Oversight and Quality Assurance – delivering Clerk of Works services that provide independent inspections, identify non-conformities, and safeguard construction quality.
- Risk and Compliance Management – advising on remedial solutions for existing buildings while ensuring new developments are designed and executed to the highest safety standards.
- Comprehensive Expertise – drawing upon more than four decades of experience to provide clarity, continuity, and assurance across complex projects nationwide.
By engaging John Burke Associates, clients benefit from a trusted partner committed to ensuring that their projects achieve not only legislative compliance but also long-term safety, resilience, and value.
by admin | Jul 31, 2025 | Blogs
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act became law on 24 May 2024. This represents one of the most significant overhauls of property law in a generation. Aimed at improving transparency and fairness for leaseholders in England and Wales, the Act introduces changes that could have wide-reaching implications for property developers and investors alike.
While the Act has now passed, secondary legislation is still required to implement its provisions fully. These details, including critical guidance on valuations and enfranchisement procedures, will depend on the priorities of the post-election government. As such, leaseholders are strongly advised to remain alert to ongoing developments and to seek specialist advice before making any major decisions.
What’s Changing?
The legislation brings forward a series of landmark reforms, including:
• Abolishing the presumption that leaseholders must pay their freeholders’ legal costs during enfranchisement or lease extension claims.
• Standardising lease extension terms to 990 years for houses and flats.
• Simplifying and broadening eligibility for collective enfranchisement and lease extensions.
• Measures to ban the sale of new leasehold houses (except in exceptional cases).
• Improving transparency of service charges and administrative practices.
These changes are designed to empower leaseholders, offering more control over their properties and greater clarity in dealings with freeholders.
The Importance of Professional Advice
Despite the promising nature of these reforms, leasehold valuation remains a highly specialist area. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) advises all leaseholders to consult with RICS-regulated professionals before proceeding with lease extensions, enfranchisement, or any related decisions. At John Burke Associates, our Chartered Surveying and Chartered Building Consultancy divisions offer the depth of knowledge required to navigate these complexities.
We work across private, public, and commercial sectors, ensuring that each client benefits from tailored, cost-effective strategies. Our team combines innovation, sustainability, and deep market understanding to deliver exceptional outcomes that exceed expectations.
Why Choose John Burke Associates?
As a RICS-approved firm, we pride ourselves on our integrity, independence, and client-first ethos. With extensive experience in leasehold valuation, we are ideally placed to support leaseholders throughout this period of legislative transition. Don’t navigate these changes alone. Contact John Burke Associates today for expert advice that protects your interests and unlocks the full potential of your next project.
by admin | Apr 14, 2025 | Blogs
This Professional Guide details the necessary steps to achieve Chartered Surveyor status.
We recognize the importance of professional accreditation for construction and property services at John Burke Associates. As a leading practice of Chartered Surveyors, Clerks of Works, and Chartered Building Consultants, we are often asked: How to become a Chartered Surveyor?
The article explains the essential steps necessary to achieve Chartered Surveyor status in the UK and describes the educational qualifications and professional standards required for this esteemed career.
What Is a Chartered Surveyor?
A Chartered Surveyor represents a qualified professional who operates under the regulations of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The designation indicates excellence in competence and integrity combined with professional practice across multiple surveying disciplines including building and quantity surveying as well as land surveying and project management.
John Burke Associates operates at the national level by providing surveying and consultancy services to clients in the private, commercial and public sectors. Chartered status enables professionals to deliver accredited expertise that builds client trust—a core value for our team at John Burke Associates.
Step 1: Obtain the Right Qualifications
Most individuals start their professional journey through obtaining a RICS-accredited degree from a relevant field.
Building Surveying
Quantity Surveying
Construction Management
Real Estate
Those who graduate without an accredited degree can advance through a different path by obtaining additional academic credentials or through relevant professional experience.
Step 2: Join the RICS As a Candidate
After securing the required academic credentials you should enrol as a candidate member with RICS as the subsequent action. After enrolling as a candidate member of RICS you can begin professional development through the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) which represents the recognized way to achieve chartership.
Step 3: Complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC)
The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) functions as a structured two-year training program. It requires candidates to:
Candidates must obtain hands-on training in the surveying field they have selected
Candidates must gain practical experience while working alongside a Chartered Surveyor who holds proper credentials.
Demonstrate competence in core and pathway-specific areas
Candidates must prepare and submit both a professional development plan and a written submission as part of their assessment process.
Complete a final interview session with a panel of evaluators
Through this rigorous procedure, candidates with essential expertise and ethical standards become Chartered.
Step 4: Pass the Final Assessment
In the RICS Assessment Interview which concludes the process candidates exhibit their professional background while assessors evaluate their understanding and application of standards together with their professional conduct. Successful candidates achieve the elite MRICS title which stands for Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Alternative Routes
Individuals who lack a conventional degree can achieve Chartered status using alternative pathways.
Members can initially obtain Associate (AssocRICS) Membership and have the option to upgrade it later.
Extensive professional experience opens the way to Senior Professional Routes leading to Chartered status.
Specialist Assessment in niche surveying areas
These career paths acknowledge diverse abilities and enable individuals to create customized career development plans.
Why Become a Chartered Surveyor?
Chartered status offers numerous benefits:
Enhanced career opportunities
Greater earning potential
Professional recognition
Access to global networks
Commitment to high ethical and technical standards
Our active support for continuous professional development within John Burke Associates stems from our understanding of its benefits to both our clients and the entire industry.
Final Thoughts
The initial step to build a respected career within the surveying and construction industry involves learning how to become a Chartered Surveyor. Chartership serves as an important professional milestone regardless of whether you are a newcomer or a seasoned professional in your field.
John Burke Associates takes pride in our collaboration with top-tier professional experts. We uphold the highest standards of excellence, which align with both RICS and construction industry requirements.
by admin | Apr 14, 2025 | Blogs
What Does a Building Surveyor Do? Understanding professional roles remains essential for construction and property management. One question we often encounter is: Building surveying involves specialised expertise within construction and property management that applies specifically to projects in the UK.
John Burke Associates delivers extensive surveying services tailored to private, public and commercial sectors. Our extensive industry experience positions us perfectly to detail the current role building surveyors play within the built environment.
What Is the Meaning of Building Surveying?
Building surveying represents a specific discipline within property construction that addresses building design and maintenance while managing repair operations. This discipline delivers professional consulting services on new construction projects as well as established buildings while prioritising safety and regulatory compliance alongside efficient practices.
Building surveying encompasses multiple responsibilities which extend from detecting structural problems and overseeing renovation projects to making sure construction work meets regulatory requirements. The profession requires both technical knowledge and practical understanding to maintain building integrity and value over time.
What Does a Building Surveyor Do?
Building surveyors maintain building quality and performance during every stage of its existence. Common responsibilities include:
Conducting condition surveys and structural inspections
Advising on repair and maintenance strategies
Overseeing refurbishment and conservation projects
Evaluating adherence to regulatory building codes and planning statutes.
Preparing reports and documentation for clients
Construction sites gain project management leadership from this role.
John Burke Associates Chartered Surveyors deliver dependable, practical advice throughout every phase of a building’s construction and operation.
Who Needs Building Surveying Services?
Building surveying services are fundamental to various client groups such as:
Property developers
Commercial landlords and tenants
Housing associations
Local authorities
Educational institutions
Homeowners and private investors
Our specialised knowledge enables us to deliver listed building restorations and major commercial developments that prioritise quality, safety and value creation.
Why Is Building Surveying Important?
The meaning of building surveying demonstrates how important surveyors are to the construction industry. They help clients:
Identify potential risks and liabilities
Maximise the value of their investment
Ensure legal compliance and safety standards
Manage costs through informed planning
Maintain the longevity of properties
John Burke Associates operates nationwide and provides expert surveying services that match the unique requirements of each client with over 40 years of industry experience.
Building Surveyors and RICS
The majority of building surveyors in the United Kingdom, including practitioners at John Burke Associates, hold Chartered Surveyor status under the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Our work follows stringent professional standards while maintaining strong ethical principles and technical proficiency.
RICS accreditation guarantees that clients always receive expert services regardless of their project size or complexity.
Final Thoughts
The scope of building surveying covers a broad range of expertise, which plays a fundamental role in sustaining, enhancing, and creating the buildings we use. Building surveyors manage every part of a building’s structure and condition through detailed inspections and construction works management.
John Burke Associates specialises in offering complete surveying solutions that reflect our extensive industry experience and numerous industry accolades. We offer professional advice and support whenever you need assistance with your next project.
