CONFERENCE REPORT: UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK 11
‘Where Can We Build More Homes?’
From homes above shops, to building over the UK’s railway lines, a panel of industry experts met at UK Construction Week to discuss the crucial issue of where the indus- try can build, in order to meet the Government’s 300,000 homes target. Speaking at the Regeneration Hub were
Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB); Julia Riddle, direc- tor at Castle Planning; Bill Price, director at WSP; John Patch, technical consultant at the Association of Specialist Underpinning Contractors (ASUC),Willie Watt, director at Nicoll Russell Studios Architects; and chair Rolf Neilsen, associate partner at C.F. Møller Architects. Brian Berry was the first to speak, begin-
ning by noting that 1967 was the last time the country was building 300,000 homes a year, citing a complex planning system, tough land acquisition, a fall in SME builders, and the growing skills crisis as some of the reasons behind the industry’s current slower pace. Berry believes that building above shops
in UK high streets could provide the space for a significant number of new homes, as evidenced in the FMB report ‘Homes On Our High Streets.’ While he said that there are many challenges involved, with expenses such as new access, fire control and acoustic insulation, Berry believed that there are ‘untapped’ opportunities across the country. He also added that town centre homes can fit a wide variety of demograph- ics, including older people needing nearby amenities, and younger residents in terms of the night life. As shops are shutting across the UK, Berry hoped that high streets could be reinvented as living, entertainment and food hubs in market towns. Bill Price followed Berry, discussing how building over railways could provide a large
amount of space in dense areas such as London. The suggestion didn’t come without its caveats, Price listing the dangers of trains running off of tracks, fire, noise and vibrations as issues that must be dealt with to build above rail lines. The benefits he mentioned however
were that there is no extra land required, and the new structures can create an attrac- tive junction across the tracks to join up the city. He mentioned ‘overbuild’ projects that provide examples of success in this area, including Royal Mint Gardens at the Docklands Light Railway station, a devel- opment above Twickenham rail station, and a 50-storey residential block over the rail tracks at Principal Place, Shoreditch, near Liverpool Street Station. According to John Patch, utilising
brownfield land is the only way to meet the targets. He referred to figures from the CPRE report, ‘From Wasted Space to Living Spaces,’ which reported that councils have identified the capacity for at least 1 million new homes on brownfield land. He suggested three reasons that may be holding up the development of brown- field land: planning, fiscal issues, and site conditions. Patch reported however that the tools to deal with new foundations have vastly improved over the last 10 years, and have become far more cost- effective. As a director at a planning consultancy
firm, Riddle acknowledged that the challenge of planning was mentioned by each panel member. She said that the Government is clearly pro the delivery of new homes, and planning policy should further indicate this. Riddle argued however that different councils often have different issues with planning, and local pressures will frequently stop building projects in their tracks if they are deemed unsuitable for the area by locals.
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
