The government must address barriers to building new homes in order to tackle the housing crisis, according to a new report from The Built Environment Committee.
The report found that the role of SMEs in the housebuilding industry has collapsed, and they need to be supported by reducing planning risk, making more small sites available and increasing access to finance.
It also found that the country needs more specialist and mainstream housing suitable for the elderly, with one in four people in the UK predicted to be over 65 by 2050.
The report also calls for planning reform to address need for more up to date local plans, which are simpler, clearer and more transparent, with uncertainty and delays to planning reforms having a ‘chilling effect’ on housebuilding and creating uncertainty for housebuilders and planners.
The Government’s own figures show that skills shortages accounted for 36% of all construction vacancies and 48% of all manufacturing and skilled trades vacancies.
The Committee calls for skills shortages to be addressed through broadening the base of talent, upskilling and reskilling, including for the green skills needed to address climate change.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Chair of the House of Lords Built Environment Committee, said: ‘The Government’s ambitious target of 300,000 new homes per year will only be met if Government takes action to remove the barriers for housebuilders, particularly for SMEs who 35 years ago built 39% of new homes but now build just 10%.
‘The planning system needs urgent reform. Currently, less than half of local authorities have an up-to-date local plan: more councils need simple, clear and transparent local plans. Any new planning system will only work if local planning authorities have the resources and staff to implement it.
‘Skills shortages in the construction, design and planning sectors must be addressed to unlock the required development, including the green skills needed to address climate change. Uncertainty and the absence of a clear policy direction has only exacerbated housing problems. Our report provides a package of proposals to help deliver much needed housing and address the critical undersupply of new homes.’
The full report, Meeting Housing Demand, can be accessed here.
In related news, eleven councils will receive funding to boost engagement and participation in neighbourhood planning, with the aim of encouraging more people in urban and deprived areas to engage in the planning system.
Photo by Benjamin Elliott
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