More Comment – Page 15
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CommentWill the new government really have the political will to increase housebuilding?
Increasing delivery to 300,000 homes a year and beyond will mean overcoming serious political and financial challenges, warns Richard Jones
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CommentConsiderate communication with residents is key
Nicole Smith has returned to housing management for the first time in eight years and is staggered at how things have got more pressurised. Despite this, social landlords must not forget the importance of effective communication, Smith argues.
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CommentWhy Starmer should look to Milton Keynes for new towns inspiration
As Labour stands on the brink of power, Lee Shostak and John Walker give six lessons for the party on how it can meet its pledge to ‘build a new generation of new towns’
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CommentEnsuring delivery of healthy homes
A new procurement framework could help us deliver homes that are safer and fit for purpose, writes Martin Gladwin
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CommentWhy service charges are rising and how Southern is seeking to keep them down
Many of the factors leading to cost increases are outside associations’ control, but there are nevertheless steps they can take to curb charge increases, writes Paul Hackett
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CommentHow voters look at housing as an election issue: a short history
Ben Marshall of polling firm Ipsos looks at how housing has ranked as a priority for the electorate over the decades and what it says about the gap between politicians and people
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CommentHow building with factory-precision can help the next government hit its housing targets
The parties’ election manifesto delivery pledges will remain unattainable using traditional building methods, writes Christy Hayes
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CommentWhy power connection delays are more likely to slow development in Scotland
As the Scottish government declares a national emergency, Nicky Grant outlines one area of regulation that could be changed to speed up housing schemes north of the border
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CommentWhy housebuilders are increasingly looking to set up for-profit registered providers of social housing
Colette McCormack and Matt Cowen explain why the affordable housing development landscape is changing
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CommentWhat should co-design in the local planning process look like?
Rather than standardising physical parameters, authority-wide design codes should be utilised by the next government as a “patchwork of participation”, writes Ben Derbyshire
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CommentDevelopers’ profit margins should not be dictating UK housing policy
The political parties may be promising to build more homes but it is improving the building standards of those homes that is key to tackling the UK’s housing, energy and fuel poverty crises
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CommentWe need a national, collective vision for delivering homes
Unlike with the NHS, there is no clear idea of what we are trying to achieve from housing policy, writes David Orr
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CommentWith support from the next government, HAs can build on their growing confidence in using MMC
Research by Building Better and the NHF suggests the sector is maturing and grappling with the practicalities of MMC delivery, writes Trina Chakravarti
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CommentWhy the resident liaison officer role is crucial to net zero
Decarbonisation has many challenges, but helping residents understand new heating systems is crucial and often overlooked, writes Matthew Scott
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CommentHousebuilders have a responsibility to make apprentice schemes attractive
As new figures show a sharp fall in apprenticeship starts, David Thomas discusses what the industry can do to encourage more young people into the housebuilding sector
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CommentIt’ll take 10 years to solve the housing crisis – but here’s how we might do it
The UK housing crisis is so entrenched that it needs to be put onto a war footing and fought through a cross-party accord, says Jackie Sadek
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CommentFix planning to fix housing? It’s just a mantra, not the truth
Over and over, politicians have sworn to slash the red tape, but that’s not the key – housebuilders won’t build if there’s no prospect of profit, writes Peter Bill.
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CommentThe sector must realise the importance of embedding digital methods into housebuilding
BIM along with virtual and augmented reality, must be implemented more widely in the sector to help reverse the housebuilding slowdown and improve customer service, writes Mark Knight
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CommentA Labour government can’t rely on ‘grey belt’ delivery alone to achieve a step-change in housing delivery
We will need to build on green belt land that does not fit neatly into Keir Starmer’s ‘grey belt’ definition, writes Katy Davis
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CommentWe’ve been here before with New Towns – they are difficult
With the parties gearing up for a snap election, Labour has put New Towns at the heart of its housing policy. Paul Smith explains why they are unlikely to have much of a short-term impact