INDUSTRY VOICE
Construction industry sets out plan for recovery
PLANS FOR A post-Covid-19 revival of the UK construction sector have been published by the Construction Leadership Council’s Covid-19 Task Force.
The Task Force, which represents the entire construction supply chain from product manufacturers and merchants to contractors, housebuilders and specialists, has laid out proposals to secure the future of construction businesses nationwide, while setting the industry on a sustainable path towards recovery.
The proposals, which have been developed and agreed by the sector’s leading trade bodies, include recommendations to: • Get industry back to work wherever it is safe to do so • Maximise employment and retain key skills • Ensure a pipeline of future workload for all parts of the sector • Boost productivity to secure improved value
• Transform the industry through technology & digitalisation The task force was established as the crisis took hold to provide focus on industry efforts to combat the impact of coronavirus. In the early days of the crisis it tackled immediate issues such as development of Site Operating Procedures to safeguard workers and addressing shortages of product availability.
With the UK Government encouraging businesses to return to work wherever possible, the task force examined the challenges that would arise as the industry entered the recovery phase of the crisis. Today’s report looks at the short, medium and long-term actions that will be required to overcome these problems, while
Webinar with Minister of Housing
BMF DIARY DATES
BUILDING 100,000 EXTRA homes adds 1% to GDP and construction can and should continue where it is safe to do so, Christopher Pincher MP, Minister for Housing, has told the BMF. House-building is a key component of the Government’s “levelling up” agenda aimed at re-balancing the economy. The BMF took part in an invitation-only webinar and heard Mr Pincher re-iterate the Government’s aim to build 300,000 homes per year in England by the mid-2020s. The importance of brownfield re-generation was emphasised as vital to reach the target.
In light of the continuous changes to events due to COVID-19 precautions, please check the BMF website at www.
bmf.org.uk for all the latest news and events updates in this ever-changing environment.
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The Minister acknowledged difficulties faced in the ongoing pandemic but said that reservations for new homes are picking up although the medium- to-long-term Covid-19 effect remains unclear. Questioned about affordable and social housing, Chris Pincher MP said he will soon detail the next round of the Affordable Homes Programme. In the Budget, an extension was announced with a new multi-year settlement of £12 billion: a £3 billion increase to the current 5-year programme due to end in 2021.
grasping the opportunities to build a better industry in the future. Industry bodies will work together to develop four sector specific plans that align to the CLC’s overarching recovery plan. The Builders Merchant Federation will work with others to progress detailed plans for the Housing and RMI sectors.
The task force is now engaging with Government to test how the plans proposals might be delivered. Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “Our commitment to get Britain building is central to the mission of this government, which is why last month I ensured home building can restart in a way that is safe. We are a pro- development government that wants to build houses of all types in all parts of the country, so that people have the homes that they need. I welcome the CLC’s Roadmap to Recovery
and I will be continuing to work closely with the industry to ensure we’re backing the success of our construction sector.”
Builders Merchants Federation, Chief Executive Officer, John Newcomb said: “Since its formation at the start of the crisis the CLC’s Covid-19 Taskforce has shown how effective the industry can be when it works towards a common goal. As we enter the recovery phase we have a real opportunity to deliver a coordinated programme that will benefit the whole industry and support the UK economy.” Construction Leadership Council joint chair Andy Mitchell said: “The unprecedented challenge of coronavirus calls for unprecedented solutions. I am delighted by the way that the industry has collaborated at pace to develop this plan, targeting those interventions that will help the industry get back on its feet as quickly as possible. We hope that everyone will take the opportunity to read the plan and consider the part you can play in its delivery.” The CLC Roadmap to Recovery can be viewed online at the CLC website.
Garden Villages in doubt
THE BMF HAS learned of a serious setback to new house-building in Essex following decisions by the Planning Inspectorate that has ruled pans for two new garden villages to be unsound. Two sites to the west of Marks Tey, near Colchester, of 24,000 new homes and to the west of Braintree, of 10,000 new homes, were judged to be “not justified or deliverable” by the planning inspector. They rely on transport investment for the A12 and A120 roads that are delayed due to funding concerns. This despite £229 million from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to help local councils pay for road widening and other upgrades.
Rejection of these projects will affect the Government’s strategy to build 49 garden communities towards its target to build 300,000 homes per year in England by the mid-2020s.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net July 2020
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