Risk of missing housing targets if modern methods are not embraced
An influential group of MPs has warned the government that it risks missing its target to build 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s if it does not shrug off a reliance on traditional construction methods.
Fears over a current shortage of housing have been underlined in a new report from the housing, communities and local government committee, which has urged policymakers to “unlock the potential for modern methods of construction” (MMC).
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Suggestions made by the committee include the use of new materials, digital working and precision manufacturing techniques to speed up the rate at which residential homes could be built across the UK.
“The housing system is in urgent need of a major boost and if the government is to have any chance of meeting its ambitious target it must grasp every opportunity new technologies allow. But they must act fast and act now,” said Clive Betts, chair of the committee.
Betts added: “The perception is that the building innovations of the sixties created homes that failed to survive half a century, while rows of Victorian terraces are still standing. Proving quality and longevity will be key. That is why we have called on the government to collect and publish the data that prove new building methods work, and also show if they have failed.
“The government will also need to support the industry to grow the capacity needed for MMC to play a greater role in national housebuilding. They will need to ensure that the right training schemes and apprenticeships are in place so that we have the skilled workforce that can utilise MMC techniques.”
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Among the recommendations is that the housing ministry should report annually the total amount allocated to MMC developments across all its different funding streams and implement a coordinated strategy across all relevant government departments to increase MMC homebuilding.
The news comes days after the government announced a shake-up of Britain’s planning system that is designed to let councils approve applications more quickly and enforce tougher Help to Buy rules on developers.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire revealed plans to introduce new quality controls on housebuilders, while also pledging to prevent developers from selling leasehold houses through its Help to Buy Scheme.
The government has instructed Homes England to renegotiate contracts with all Help to Buy developers to explicitly rule out the building and selling of leasehold houses, in a move that it claims will stop taxpayers’ money from directly supporting the unjustified sale of leasehold houses.