// News Building a safer, healthier and more sustainable future for all
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has published policy recommendations for the new Government in its report, “Building A Safer, Healthier and More Sustainable Future for All.” These recommendations aim to enhance economic growth and public well-being through an improved built environment. CIC emphasises the exceptional benefits a strategic construction plan can offer.
Formulated with input from CIC members and committees, the recommendations leverage CIC’s extensive experience and government engagement in areas like planning, housing, building safety, net zero, and future skills. Representing around 500,000 professionals and 25,000 consulting firms, CIC provides a broad perspective on industry needs.
CIC Chair Dr Wei Yang highlighted the importance of a high-quality built environment, stating, “A long-term commitment will enhance energy, food, and water security, provide sustainable homes, improve local amenities, promote healthier families, and combat global heating and biodiversity loss.”
CIC Chief Executive Graham Watts urged the Government to recognise construction’s role in growth, emphasising the financial and public benefits of addressing climate obligations, improving building safety, and establishing a comprehensive skills plan to meet national housing and infrastructure goals.
National Federation of Builders launches innovative ‘Ask NFB’ digital advice platform
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched the Ask NFB digital knowledge hub, a state-of-the-art platform designed to offer instant, comprehensive advice to construction businesses.
This new platform follows the rebranding of NFB’s advice lines and document library into a single, national desk that provides services in HR, legal, policy, technical support, procurement, and health and safety.
Ask NFB features search-first functionality, categorised advice documents, and an AI assistant to enhance user experience.
It offers a wealth of resources including customisable templates, industry guidance, and best practices to help members stay competitive and drive business success.
James Butcher, NFB’s Director of Strategy and Operations, stated, “Ask NFB is the ultimate construction expert resource, designed to help our members thrive.” Sean Houlston, Membership Services Manager, added, “It’s a powerful tool for achieving business growth and success in the construction sector.”
‘Game-changing’ British heat pump unlocks gas-free home heating for the masses
Kensa has launched its Shoebox NX Ground Source Heat Pump, a key step towards decarbonising UK home heating by 2050. This innovative, compact heat pump is part of Kensa’s Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps solution, designed to make renewable heating and cooling accessible for every home, from new builds to Victorian terraces and urban flats.
With one-third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from heat and 6.5 million homes in fuel poverty, Kensa’s technology aims to replace imported gas with domestic renewable electricity.
Tamsin Lishman, Kensa Heat Pumps CEO, stated “The Shoebox NX is a game-changer for the UK heating market. It simplifies the mass rollout of heat pumps, offering efficient, low-cost solutions for winter warmth and summer cooling while reducing carbon emissions. We are poised to make green home heating a reality.”
HBF supports government’s steps to unblock planning system in King’s speech
In the first State Opening of Parliament, King Charles set out new legislation prioritised by the new Government to “get Britain building” with a Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Following the speech, Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive of the Home Builders Federation, said “The ambition on housing delivery and policy proposals put forward to deliver them are positive and welcome. Planning has been the biggest constraint on house building in recent years and the measures proposed will address the main areas of concern by bringing more land forward for development more quickly.
“Housing delivery has a range of determinants and will require a number of policy areas are addressed. Moves to unblock the planning system are a huge step forward but we will also need to see moves to help increase mortgage availability, especially for young people, if we are to get to the levels Government is aiming to deliver.
“Building the homes the country needs will address the social issues our housing crisis is creating, provide young people with access to decent housing, whilst creating tens of thousands of jobs and boosting investment in communities in every area of the country.”
Let’s get Britain Building, says FMB
The Government has hit the ground running with ambitious plans to reform the planning system and build the homes we need, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the King’s Speech setting out the Government’s legislative programme for the coming year.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said “It is positive that the new Government has already made tackling the UK’s housing crisis a key priority. For too long we’ve under delivered on housing delivery and pushed out smaller house builders from the market. However, these bold plans will only be successful if the current skills crisis in the construction industry is addressed. We are substantially lacking the skilled workers required to build new homes, and to upgrade our existing homes with the energy efficiency improvements which Labour have pledged. The UK is in desperate need of a long-term skills plan, to establish clear pathways into careers in construction. Unless this is delivered it is difficult to see how 1.5 million new homes will be built over the next five years.”
“One startling omission is the lack of plans to upgrade the existing housing stock. We had been expecting to see a bold plan to retrofit five million homes to make them greener and more energy efficient but clearly the purse strings have not been opened enough to allow for this. While we should be looking to build more homes we mustn’t take our eye off the existing housing stock, which is the oldest and leakiest in Europe.”
4 Summer 2024 M32
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