There are many reasons why housing supply in the UK fails to meet demand, not least the arrival of some 900,000 people each year. But mass migration has just highlighted the endemic problems such as Nimbyism, lack of vision on declining High Streets, re-use of former industrial sites and joined up thinking on retail regeneration schemes, most of which fail to understand that the internet has won, you cannot modernise shopping malls or city centres and lure back consumers. Instead convert the empty shops, car parks, pubs and old factory sites into high density housing and provide segregated cycleway/e-scooter tracks to make commuting and goods delivery safe and efficient.
The new Labour govt would like to build millions of new houses. One way to accomplish that is to reform the rules on planning and development, especially urban housing projects where there is less chance of resident newts, bats or birds blocking permission and local action groups are formed to mount endless legal challenges. Many UK cities could follow the example of Manchester and build upwards, although fire risks and low budget materials could mean the mistakes of the 60s might be repeated.
Gated inner city communities for vulnerable people, or the over 50s might also prove a vote winner, because segregating the victims from the criminals is perhaps the best way to reduce risks like cuckooing, drug gangs controlling estates etc. Features like built-in solar panels on rooftops of domestic and commercial properties should have been law years ago, ditto Ring doorbells, rainfall catching/re-use tech for apartment and office blocks.
If politicians are serious about climate change they need to take these obvious steps. Pass the laws, get on with it. Stop trying to steal farmland for solar when there are thousands of sites in urban UK where solar panel arrays could only improve the decaying, litter-strewn landscape.
Most all a new realism on housing is needed, policies of action, not words. Train 100,000 skilled workers in the sector, end worthless politics/gender studies degrees and replace with trade apprenticeships on student loan schemes. Ring-fence housing budgets within Councils and Mayoral boroughs, with independent local adjudicators making decisions on schemes not Westminster. Stop letting Khan and other Mayors take tax money for housing and spend it on their own pet vanity projects.
Here’s the word from ACE;
The Association for Consultancy and Engineering, the trade association for the infrastructure sector with members ranging from global companies such as ARUP, Jacobs, Mott McDonald and AECOM to SMEs and micro developers, has welcomed the Government’s announcement to streamline the development process for SME housebuilders.
The announcement made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will ensure complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous regulatory burdens eased and financial firepower is provided to SME builders.
Kate Jennings, CEO of ACE Group, said: “We fully welcome the government’s commitment to streamlining planning decisions, easing regulatory and financial pressures, and backing it with meaningful funding.
“For years, our members have faced disproportionate barriers in the planning system – with small developments subject to the same costly and time-consuming processes as major schemes. Today’s reforms mark a critical shift towards a more proportionate, practical and pro-growth approach.
“They will enable our members to get on with the job of building the homes people need – supporting local employment, apprenticeships and regional economic growth of cities, town and villages across the country in the months and years ahead.
“We look forward to working closely with Ministers and Homes England to ensure these reforms deliver real results on the ground and further enhance, not restrict, BNG.”
Sean Keyes, CEO of Sutcliffe, a civil and structural engineering firm, said: “As an SME the proposed streamlined regulation, will make it enormously easier to deliver biodiverse habitats alongside building the homes the nation desperately needs.
“At Sutcliffe, we strive for excellence in delivery and sustainability is at the heart of everything we do; the focus on easing the process to deliver BNG rules will not distract from that and empower us to build communities and enrich lives.”
Piers Burroughs, chair of ACE’s SME group and managing director of civil and structural engineering firm Burroughs, also added: “Today’s announcement is a real breakthrough for local housebuilders.
“For far too long, smaller developers have been held back by a planning system that treats a 10-home scheme the same as one with 100. These reforms will finally help create a level playing field, cut restrictive red tape, and unlock the kind of community-led, high-quality development that we specialise in.”
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