Building boost?
25 July 2023
More than three years have passed since former prime minister Boris Johnson declared that a focus on infrastructure development, new homes and building projects would be placed at the heart of the post-Covid recovery.
Since then, and two prime ministers later, nothing much has really happened. However, the housing and levelling up secretary Michael Gove delivered a speech yesterday in which he set out new measures to unblock the planning system and build more homes particularly in urban locations, while protecting green belt land.
If so, these measures could create opportunities for builders and the hirers supplying them with equipment at a time when there are concerns regarding a cooling of the economy.
He said that the government will also take steps to unblock bottlenecks in the planning system that are slowing down major housing developments.
Michael Gove said that regulations in the forthcoming Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill would provide flexibilities to convert empty shops, takeaways and betting shops into homes to rejuvenate the high street. Red tape would be cut to enable barn conversions and the repurposing of agricultural buildings and disused warehouses.
In addition, it would be made easier to extend homes, convert lofts and renovate buildings into new accommodation.
Commenting on Michael Gove’s announcement, Mark Reynolds, Chief Executive of the construction group Mace said: “One of our biggest challenge as an industry is a lack of clarity over the future pipeline of construction work across the UK. This welcome funding for more planning experts will help to decrease waiting times for planning decisions – a major cause of uncertainty and delay in delivery across the construction sector – and a review of permitted development rights could help to unlock UK-wide growth through the opportunity for more work across the country for the repair, maintenance and improvement sector.”
● Prime minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday that the government is on track to meet its manifesto commitment to build 1 million homes over the lifetime of the current parliament. The number to date since 2019 is estimated to be 680,000. Previously, another pledge to deliver 300,000 new homes each year was made advisory rather than mandatory.
