4 INDUSTRY NEWS
FROM THE EDITOR
Jack Wooler, deputy editor
Though of course the real changes are yet to come, the 31 January Brexit date seemed to come and go with little fanfare. There is however no shortage of other barriers facing housebuilders and developers to keep them busy as we speed through 2020. Eager to show progress on these pressing issues for the sector, the Government has released a flurry of statements early on in the year.
From Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick’s release about ‘beautiful homes,’ looking to reform planning by fast-tracking more attractive sites, to the details released on the Government’s First Homes scheme aimed at cutting the costs of getting on the ladder – this administration appears to be applying a more hands-on approach to the sector’s challenges.
Alongside these new pushes, its response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report has also been released (see page 5), laying out its plans to act on chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s recommendations. This response provided a little more detail on the much-discussed ban of combustible materials on new high-rise blocks of flats for example, alongside information on the upcoming Fire Safety Bill.
While any step towards preventing another event as devastating as Grenfell must be positive, many may perhaps cry ‘too little too late,’ arguing that too few steps have been taken, and that the response includes too many ‘actions in progress.’
ON THE COVER
MHCLG releases response to the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1 report – explaining what it’s done so far
02.20
HOUSEBUILDER & DEVELOPER
A few cost-effective solutions were put forward at the event, including the use of engineered timber frame as a more carbon-friendly material than traditional steel frame – though timber has been under attack in the recent cladding ban over certain heights – as well as the Dutch-led Energiesprong model as a way to fix our ageing, leaky housing stock. As Caterina Brandmayr of the Green Alliance argued, “80 per cent of the buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built; retrofit is key.”
THE LUXURY OF INDEPENDENCE
London’s first luxury retirement community offers retirees independent living alongside hotel-inspired amenities, all within sight of Albert Bridge in Battersea
With all this finger-pointing, political shuffling (including yet another Housing Minister), and overhanging threats of climatic doom, it can be hard to make heads or tails of what’s ahead in the coming months. As I hope you will find explained in this month’s issue, whatever the forecast may be, the weather is changing.
Battersea Place, Lifecare Residences. Go to page 14
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK Jack Wooler
Is sustainability an ethical or economical issue? Jack Wooler reports from a recent construction seminar
David Sheridan of Ilke Homes gives the lowdown on the economic realities of moving to offsite
In the midst of all this, despite 1.4 million new homes being registered in the 2010s decade (see page 6), the industry continues to struggle to meet housing targets, with planning and skills still proving to be some of the main barriers. And, to some, even the housing shortage appears to be but a backdrop to the fact that our climate is creeping further and further towards the ‘1.5 degrees increase’ red line that no one wants to cross, with the built environment causing 40 per cent of global C02 emissions.
As discussed in a recent Climate in Construction event I attended (see page 10), questions are beginning to be raised as to whether, in 2020, the matter is now a financial issue, or an ethical one. While in the long-run the situation could be life and death for humanity, as one audience member rightly pointed out, housebuilders and developers cannot ignore their bottom line.
HOUSEBUILDER & DEVELOPER
Publisher Anthony Parker
Managing Editor James Parker
Deputy Editor Jack Wooler
Editorial Assistant Roseanne Field
Studio Manager Mikey Pooley
Production Assistants Georgia Musson Kimberley Musson
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