House building

ePolitix.com Stakeholders respond to shadow chancellor George Osborne's call for a "new bargain" on house building.

Stakeholder Response: Construction Products Association  

A spokesperson for the The Construction Products Association told ePolitix.com: "The Construction Products Association cautiously welcomes the new approach outlined by the Shadow Chancellor this week, which addresses some of the key issues regarding sustainable development and affordable housing, and is pleased that he and his party are planning to listen and learn from industry experts.

 

"The Association is encouraged to hear that George Osborne recognises the significant shortfall in new housing supply and its impact on the wider economy; it is detrimental to family life, undermines productivity, restricts growth and destabilises the overall economy.

 

"We welcome the Shadow Chancellor’s call for an increase in the supply of new homes. However, we are concerned that Mr Osborne views government targets for house building as a hindrance to ensuring that new homes are built.

 

"On the contrary, house building targets differ from centrally set targets in other policy areas, such as healthcare provision, because they offer certainty to the construction industry and provide a framework for measuring the government’s performance in delivering new homes. 

 

"The Association supports Osborne’s call for planning reform.

 

"Implementation of planning reform is vital if there is to be a sustained, long term improvement in new housing supply to meet existing and future demand.

 

"We also look forward to him progressing from identifying what should be done to saying what he will do.  

 

"The Association believes that the government needs to develop a more comprehensive strategy for improving home energy efficiency and for curbing emissions by all households, building upon the existing programme that is already delivering improvements in fuel poverty.

 

"We are accordingly encouraged by the news that the Shadow Chancellor is committed to improving the sustainability of existing and future dwellings, and welcome his call for sustainable development.

 

"The following measures would help facilitate sustainable development:

 

•  Allow owners of brownfield land to offset the upfront cost of cleaning-up contaminated sites against their Corporation Tax liability.
   
• The introduction of a time limited reduction in Council Tax for those who buy new private sector homes which meet the requirements of the proposed Code for Sustainable Homes."

 

Stakeholder response: Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE):

 

A spokesperson for the CPRE told ePolitix.com: "This seems a bit short on policy specifics and we'll be looking for a much more developed policy from Opposition on these difficult issues concerning housing needs and the environment in the coming months.

 

"We would have liked the speech to make stronger commitments about increasing the supply of state-subsidised, affordable housing for rent and for purchase.

 

"We'd also have liked the speech to clearly recognise that you cannot meet the market demand for more housing without trashing the countryside and the environment.

 

"The debate has to centre on people's needs for housing, with a strong, democratic planning system playing a leading role in meeting those needs."

 

 

Stakeholder response: British Property Federation

 

Chris Carter, director of public affairs, said: "The BPF represents the leading UK property companies who are involved in hundreds of developments across the country which are vital to regenerating Britain’s towns and cities.

 

"Regeneration projects such as the Paradise Street development in Liverpool, Piccadilly Place and PiccadillyGardens in Manchester, Broadmead in Bristol, Bankside 123 in London, the GreenwichPeninsula and Stratford in East London are examples of the BPF’s members creating successful, balanced communities on the ground.

 

"It is essential that any review of housing and planning should focus on creating truly mixed communities and avoid focusing on housing in isolation.

 

"Joined-up planning policies need to take account of the public infrastructure and the employment space needed to keep families and jobs within the local community to avoid the risk of creating acres of dormitory housing estates lacking essential healthcare, education and transport infrastructure provision as well as the commercial development needed to provide jobs locally.

 

"Any review of planning and housing policy avoid should address five key areas:

 

• Streamline planning by establishing clear lines of authority and rationalising the layers of bureaucracy and plethora of Government delivery bodies.  
• Explore ways of providing the public infrastructure that is essential for new communities.
• Examine competing models for planning obligations and introduce one that does not delay the planning process whilst providing developers with the certainty they require.
• Introduce Real Estate Investment Trusts to promote indirect institutional investment in property.
• Examine the factors necessary to promote a strong private rented sector to promote job mobility." 

 

Stakeholder response: UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA)

 

A spokesperson for the UK Timber Frame Association told ePolitix.com: "There is no doubt about the need for many more new homes to be built in the UK.

 

"Families and key workers across the country are calling out for high quality, well designed and affordable homes. 

 

"But in the rush to meet this need, we should not be resorting back to old-fashioned and wasteful construction methods.

 

"The timber frame industry is working closely with the country's most progressive housebuilders to use highly efficient, modern methods of construction which are tried and tested. 

 

"These methods, including traditional timber frame construction, were highlighted recently by the National Audit Office as capable of delivering good quality homes more quickly and efficiently - up to four times as many homes with the same on-site labour.

 

"Timber frame homes also make a particularly good long-term investment.  

 

"They provide low-risk, precision-engineered accommodation that is fast, efficient and cost-effective to build. 

 

"They are durable, and easily adapted for future needs. 

 

"Timber frame easily meets all the UK's aspirations for sustainable and eco-friendly building.  If all UK houses built since 1945 had been timber frame, then over 300 million tonnes of CO2 would have been saved.

 

"Mortgage lenders like timber frame construction – it satisfies all their key concerns about saleability, marketability and asset value. 

 

"And from the home owner's point of view, new timber frame homes are extremely well insulated, which makes them energy efficient, comfortable to live in, easier to maintain and cheaper to run.

 

"UKTFA statistics show that timber frame housing is increasingly popular among house builders, developers and the general public.  Its market share grew by 18 per cent in 2004, compared to a 7.4 per cent increase for all other methods of construction.

 

"Timber frame housing now has a 17 per cent market share in the UK, and one in six new homes is now timber frame. 

 

"We have the capacity to reach at least 30 per cent market share by 2010 - which in itself would make a significant contribution to meeting our CO2 targets - but we need the sustained support of policy makers to help progress the beneficial culture change that comes from embracing such modern methods of construction."