Early in 2017, the Government published the housing white paper “Fixing Our Broken Housing Market” which is a long-awaited move on their part to set out plans to reform the housing market as we know it, and to boost the supply of new homes within England, which has caught the attention of construction firms within England and likewise, the attention of construction North Wales.
For many within Wales, this move was worthy of very little attention, as what happens over the border is usually irrelevant to life within Wales. The white paper and the Government’s plans are anything but irrelevant however, as quite a few of these measures would affect housebuilding in a very positive way toward a nation where the same problems are encountered as in England, though if anything – a little more acutely thanks to the disparity of building projects within England and those within Wales.
The English Government’s plan to address the housing deficit within England is a combination of four steps, which takes into consideration planning for the right homes in the right places, building homes faster, diversifying the market, and last but not least putting a priority on to helping people as soon as possible.
The English Government’s aims toward planning for the right homes in the right places are ambitious, to say the least. These measures will force councils to produce an up-to-date plan for housing demand, simplify planning, as well as maintaining existing protection for the Green Belt – as well as increase planning fees by 20% should the land in a particular development not be appropriate or conductive toward meeting housing demand.
The English Government aren’t stopping there. They intend to build homes faster by reducing the time needed between planning permission and the start of building from 3 years to 2. While indeed 2 years is still quite a lot longer than many civil engineers and construction companies were expecting, it is still a step in the right direction, and many hope that this term can be lessened even further in days to come.
The steps that the Government has taken to address skill shortages by growing the workforce as well a holding developers and local authorities into account are still ambiguously vague, but they are welcome news to a housing industry which over the years has become parched.
The fact that the housing deficit is finally being addressed is welcome news for a generation which has lost all hope, and it is up to construction companies and civil engineers to make these plans into solid buildings.
