16 COMMENT


for this policy assumes that housebuilders will be able to pass on 90 per cent of the extra costs to the landowner, however this simply won’t be the case for many small housebuilders. Many of our members have told us that it has been extremely difficult to pass on the costs of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to the landowner, and many have just absorbed the costs themselves. This has an impact on supply, as 62 per cent of respondents to our survey indicated that there were sites they would otherwise be interested in but believed to be unviable because of Section 106 or CIL. So, there is a risk that the cost of these new measures will fall to the builder, who is already under a lot of pressure financially.


again after a significant downturn. Our most recent House Builders’ Survey, which asks SME housebuilders what the major barriers to building more homes are, found that planning was the second highest barrier, with over half (51 per cent) saying this was a constraint on their ability to increase the supply of new homes. When


asked what the most important cause of additional cost was, ‘excessive information requirements’ was the top reason as small firms lack the in-house expertise that large consultancies have so must rely on expen- sive consultants, who can charge thousands of pounds for a survey. The Government’s impact assessment


NEW DEVELOPMENTS


Apex delivers on Tooting airspace


Developed by Apex Airspace (Apex), and available on the government’s Help to Buy scheme, the apartments will range in size from 672 ft2


F to 916 ft2 . The specifications will include floor-to-ceiling glass windows, maximising the flow of


light in the living spaces while providing panoramic views across London. Two of the apartments will also have ‘wrap-around’ terraces. The apartments will be constructed off-site, and once created, they will be transported and positioned on top of Marion Court by crane in days, intending to cause minimal disruption to the residents living below.


A range of upgrades will also be carried out to the existing building as part of the


development. This includes newly renovated communal areas, a new entrance, new fire alarm system and signage, upgraded refuse and recycling, new cycle racks and a new lift. The development has been made possible through funding from Homes England. This, alongside a partnership with the Greater London Authority, has seen Apex secure £19m in recent months to roll-out new developments in London. Arshad Bhatti, CEO at Apex Airspace said: “We are committed to creating sustainable and closely-knit communities. Improving the use of existing assets and infrastructure has become a central feature to our success, as we add maximum value to our developments for both existing and new residents. “Our pioneering model, which doesn’t encroach on the green belt in any way, should serve as a blueprint for other boroughs. Innovative solutions like ours are essential to addressing the chronic shortage of homes in the capital.”


WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK


our two-bed penthouse apartments have begun construction on the unused airspace of Marion Court, a five-storey residential block on Tooting High Street in south London.


The Government consultation looked at exempting small sites from this policy and this is something they should seriously consider. However, if this is not possible, the Government should do a full impact assessment on the ability of small sites to achieve a net gain in biodiversity, the cost of doing this, and then make provision for supporting small housebuilders financially. Protecting and enhancing biodiversity in new housing development is critical but it can and should be done in a way which doesn’t disproportionately hamper the smaller housebuilders.


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