Plans for the Summer's Parliamentary Elections Stirred Reactions
Headline: Priorities for the Next UK Parliament: Addressing the Housing Crisis
In the lead-up to the upcoming General Election on 4th July 2024, industry experts are urging the next UK Parliament to prioritise accelerating housing development through comprehensive planning reforms. The housing crisis, with its financial and regulatory pressures, particularly on affordable housing, and practical challenges in workforce recruitment and development, has become a critical concern.
Expediting Planning Permissions and Reforms
A key focus is expediting planning permissions and reforms to meet the government’s 1.5 million home target by 2029. This includes the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill, designed to increase permissions by 50% in England.
Tackling the Skilled Workforce Shortage
Addressing the chronic shortage of skilled construction workers is another priority. This can be achieved by supporting industry-led workforce plans, such as the Home Building Sector Skills Plan, which aims to attract, train, and retain workers to sustain homebuilding levels.
Focusing on Affordable Housing Development
Affordable housing development is seen as a critical societal issue and priority for investment. Calls are being made to mobilise pension and private capital towards affordable housing solutions to meet demand for below-market homes.
Unlocking Brownfield and Disused Sites
Unlocking brownfield and disused railway land for residential development is another focus area. This is backed by a £1 billion government initiative and a new public body, Platform4, to oversee delivery of 40,000 homes on these sites.
Improving Coordination and Promoting Diversity
Improving coordination between government bodies, developers, and local authorities is essential to unlock stalled housing sites and invest in infrastructure that supports new housing and transport connectivity. Additionally, promoting diversity and inclusion within the construction workforce, and enhancing talent pipelines, is crucial to ensure workforce capacity aligns with housing delivery ambitions.
Other Suggestions
Other suggestions include creating a new Governmental department focused on tackling the housing crisis, re-introducing mandatory housing targets for local authorities, and a National Green Belt Review to ensure sustainable patterns of development. The Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, published last year, also highlights timber frame housing as a speedy, sustainable, and clean approach to meeting housing demands.
The Renters (Reform) Bill
The progression of the Renters (Reform) Bill is currently in doubt due to the General Election. Other proposals include introducing mandatory Section 106 standard template agreements, increasing funding for legal professionals within local authorities, and leveraging AI technology to aid in processing planning applications and engaging with local communities.
Images
The article features images of Rui Chamberlain, Andrew Carpenter, Antony Duthie, and Lawrence Turner, who are all key figures in the housing and construction industry.
Conclusion
As the UK approaches the local elections in 2024, it is clear that a cohesive and comprehensive approach is needed to address the housing crisis. With inflation expected to fall to 2.3% and the UK currently in an out-of/no recession category, now is the time for decisive action. The Conservatives, in particular, face a tough situation for the upcoming local elections, as the housing crisis continues to be a pressing issue for many voters.
- To effectively address the housing crisis in the UK, the next parliament is urged to prioritize policies centered around sustainability, such as the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap's promotion of timber frame housing as a speedy, sustainable, and clean solution to housing demands.
- In light of war-and-conflicts and their impact on global politics, policymakers must consider the implications of housing policy-and-legislation, as industry experts advocate for the re-introduction of mandatory housing targets for local authorities and a National Green Belt Review to ensure sustainable patterns of development.
- As part of a coordinated approach to tackling the housing crisis, it is crucial that the next UK parliament focus on general-news issues like improving diversity and inclusion within the construction workforce and enhancing talent pipelines to ensure workforce capacity aligns with housing delivery ambitions.
