industry news
Trio of announcements bolster self-build association’s Task Force
The National and Custom Self Build Association (NaCSBA)’s Right to Build Task Force has announced its new director Mario Wolf, as well as a self-build expert who will be joining his team, and the second organisation which will be receiving its specialist support. NaCSBA has appointed Wolf from the Government to lead the team as its founding director. He has
taken up the role while on secondment from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In 2015 Wolf was seconded to NaCSBA to lead a research and development project that introduced the first comprehensive implementation toolkit for custom- and self-build housing in the UK. At the DCLG he recently led the implementation of the Government’s Starter Homes policy, and prior to
Mario Wolf
this Wolf led the introduction of the custom- and self-build homes programme which consequently led to the introduction of Right to Build.
Commenting on his appointment, Wolf said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Right to Build Task Force as its founding
director. As recognised in the Government’s housing White Paper, the Task Force can play an important role in supporting the delivery of significantly more affordable custom- and self-build homes.”
New expertise
NaCSBA also confirmed it has appointed a planning expert to the Task Force team, Joanne Ellingham, a senior consultant within the planning and design firm HTA Design. Prior to joining HTA, Ellingham worked as a planning officer at Broadland Council in Norfolk. She will work closely with Mario Wolf in advising projects. Commenting on the announcements, Richard Bacon MP – who initiated the Right to Build legislation and is ambassador for
the Task Force – said: “I’m very happy to see the Task Force taking big steps forward to give advice so soon. I couldn’t think of a more suitable candidate than Mario Wolf to lead it.”
east NorthamptoNshire help
The Task Force has announced the second project to receive support, which will begin “imminently” – advising East Northamptonshire Council on how self- and custom-build housing can be promoted across the district. This will include “the potential for the proposed Tresham Garden Village to include this type of development.” The Task Force will also advise North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit on its ambition to bring forward custom- and self-build across the wider North Northamptonshire area, including six identified Sustainable Urban Extensions. This follows the Task Force helping to research the potential for custom- and
self-build housing to play a significant role in a 1,100 home mixed-use development for Buckinghamshire Advantage. Since its launch in February 2017, the Task Force has received “significant interest from organisations nationwide.”
Picture by Heather Dixon
Research reveals four month wait for good builders
New research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed that home owners should book in their builder at least four months before their project begins or “risk working with a cowboy”. The research also shows that the majority of consumers don’t ask their builders for essentials such as a contract or
references when embarking upon a major piece of building work. Key statistics from the research show: • More than 40 per cent of builders need at least four months notice from consumers who want to hire their firm. • 90 per cent of builders say that the majority of home owners don’t ask for a written contract. • 80 per cent of builders report that most consumers don’t ask for an agreed payment schedule. • Fewer than 10 per cent of builders say that clients normally request to see vital insurance policies such as public liability or employer’s liability insurance.
FMB chief executive Brian Berry explained that consumers should be concerned if a builder is available at short notice. “If a builder is free to start work tomorrow, alarm bells should ring,” he said. “Demand for building work is incredibly high at the moment and it should be no surprise that almost one in two builders need to be contacted at least four months in advance of when a client is looking to start a home improvement project.” Berry also explained how home owners are leaving themselves vulnerable to problems with the wrong approach. “The
vast majority of builders say that most clients fail to ask for references and even fewer ask for a written contract on their work,” he said. “There is a similar trend when it comes to asking for critical things like an agreed payment schedule and key warranties on work. These protections really are essential to helping clients weed out the cowboys and mitigate against any issues that could crop up during the build. A quality builder will insist on these things and if they don’t, consumers ought to question why.”
july/august 2017
www.sbhonline.co.uk 9
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