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HOUSEBUILDER & DEVELOPER
Publisher Anthony Parker
JackWooler Deputy Editor
FROMTHE EDITOR
In September, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove was appointed to head the Department of ‘Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC). This is the new, and not universally popular name for what was the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. While arguably a step down for Gove, who has twice run for party leader, the move was touted as a chance to ‘gear up’ the sector and ‘Build Back Better.’
If nothing else, the appointment of this high-profile figure does seem to have had some impact in terms of the amount of traction gained by recent announcements from the Department. These include £624m released for brownfield projects, and a potential ‘street referendums’ Private Member’s Bill for housing developments, both of which were backed by Gove and highlighted in much of the mainstream media.
The Department’s name change has come under fire for two linked reasons – the dropping of ‘Local Government,’ and, in its place, the awkward-sounding inclusion of Boris Johnson’s favourite ‘levelling-up’ slogan. Since then, however, despite the Department’s slightly higher profile in the news cycle, fresh criticism is raining down on it due to a continued failure to tackle stubborn issues in housing, and its recent watering down of key policies.
ONTHE COVER
Canada Gardens by Quintain Living is a major part of Wembley Park’s transformation
Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders looks back at a very tough year for SME housebuilders
Gove releases £624m of funding intended to ‘kick-start’ 116,000 brownfield homes across the UK
HOUSEBUILDER & DEVELOPER
DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
The Department is also facing criticism for being cowed by MPs, based on their and their constituents’ sensitivities. Long-hoped for reforms to planning rules were paused in September amid backlash largely from Tory MPs in the south, and a further recent Private Member’s Bill introduced to tackle ‘cowboy builders’ has just been thrown out by MPs.
This lack of progress flies in the face of the Government’s theoretical aims of ‘levelling up’ disadvantaged areas of the UK, as well as alleviating issues in the construction industry, such as around skills, material shortages, and our changing climate.
MINING THE ‘POLDARK EFFECT’
The Nest is a collection of 15 boutique properties in the Cornish seaside village of Charlestown, created to tempt fans of local heritage and the TV show that’s set there
©The Nest, Cornwall go to page 28
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Clearly, Gove has some colossal issues to overcome – both in the Commons and out on the streets – but despite the swathes of positive PR his Department is producing, the housing crisis won’t be solved with words.
Jack Wooler
Focusing on issues such as extensions for example has been criticised as being somewhat misplaced currently, as the country continues to face a serious and long running housing crisis. New figures have shown in fact that the number of units built between April to June 2021 totalled only 43,660, a 10% decrease compared to the previous quarter. As such, the 300,000 new homes per year pledge to meet housing demand remains a seemingly unachievable ambition – painting a grim picture for many in the UK.
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