Written By Em

With the current issue of new house building moving at a slow rate, there has now been a call for changes that should speed up the process. These changes aim to get thousands more British Bricklayers trained in order to help meet government targets.

A study by Conservative Politician Rt. Hon. Sir Oliver Letwin, commissioned by the government, was released yesterday, showing that the system is being slowed down by developers limiting the number of new build homes that are available for purchase at any one time.

The idea behind this staggering is that it should help prevent the prices of properties in the local market from falling, and it is known as the ‘absorption rate’.

However, when it comes to the design, size and tenure of new homes, the report shows how these choices could be increased without having an impact on the local market. This could therefore speed up the rate of buying and selling for the properties concerned.

The analysis goes on to address the shortage of bricklayers within Britain, which it states will have a “significant biting constraint” on the Government’s plans to further the advancement of new homes built, bringing it from 220,000 to 300,000 a year.

A total of 15,000 additional bricklayers has been called for by the analysis, to be trained over the next five years. It suggests that to “raise production of new homes from about 220,000 to about 300,000… the government and major house builders work together … on a 5 year ‘flash’ programme of pure on the job training.”

Sir Oliver Letwin said: “I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Review Panel’s work to date in analysing all possible reasons behind the slow build out of housing sites.

“It is clear that the main cause for delay is the absorption rate. We found that if house builders were to offer more variety of homes and in more distinct settings then overall build out rates could be substantially accelerated.”

Secretary of State for Communities Rt. Hon. James Brokenshire MP said: “We want to help people onto the housing ladder, and so I would like to thank Sir Oliver and the expert panel for their excellent work.

“I was particularly interested to see that increasing the choice of design, size and tenure of new homes in helping to speed up build out rates and help deliver the homes we need and communities want. I look forward to receiving the final report in the autumn.”

The draft analysis for the study is available to view here.

The target has been set by Chancellor Phillip Hammond to see 300,00 new homes built per year by the mid-2020s. However, a recent report by Policy Exchange discusses the importance of the design, style and quality of these new homes. The report intends to start a debate about these factors, and how the needs of those who will be living in these homes should also be met.

In the executive summary of the report Building More, Building Beautiful, it is stated: “People don’t want excitement or drama from the design of their home. They want a sense of community, comfort and togetherness.

“The phrase ‘fittingness’ has been used in previous research and perfectly sums up the desires of most people. They don’t want identikit soulless developments or alienating expansive glass towers. They want homes that fit in with those already there. They want a sense of belonging and happiness to radiate from their properties. And they want to feel proud of their home.”

The report shows results from a public polling that there is a keenness for new builds to fit in with the style of the existing built environment. This poll was answered by 5,013 respondents from London and the South East, with 74% saying that new homes should fit in with their surroundings.

The poll also revealed that there is a desire for homes to be private, spacious and with design qualities such as feature windows and exposed brick facades.

However, it should be considered whether a focus on the design might cause an increase in prices for such housing. A planner in one of the focus groups gathered for the poll commented: “The problem with pushing for design, and if that pushes the cost up, is the viability of the scheme affects whether or not you get affordable housing, which is a massive need… there comes a point, the land values are so high that you’re in a trade-off situation.

“Do we want to really push on design? Actually you’ll find that local people, and local councils generally do want to push on design, but there’s a cost to that. You might not get health and education contributions, you really struggle to get affordable housing, so actually, there’s a limited pot that developers are able to commit.”

Is it time to reconsider the design of new homes? Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire believes this is so. He contributed the foreword to the report, in which he underlines our current government’s commitment to meeting the country’s “pressing housing need”.

He goes on to say that more can be done about the major concerns of design, style and quality of new homes. He recognises that it is a particular need in London.

The full report by the Policy Exchange can be viewed here.