More Comment – Page 19
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CommentBoosting SME builders would have the biggest impact on housing delivery
The government must do much more to encourage smaller builders to contribute to delivery and making it easier for them to access land would be a good start, argues Richard Jones
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CommentTruss must remove red tape and reform planning to build homes for first-time buyers
Making it easier to develop affordable, energy-efficient homes in areas of deprivation must be a key focus for the new prime minister, argues James Thomson
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CommentPro-development free marketeer or nimby? Which Liz Truss will we get?
Liz Truss now says she wants to scrap housing targets, but back in 2019 she wanted to build on the green belt. How likely is a return to pro-development principles now she is in office?, asks Joey Gardiner
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CommentSimon Clarke must urgently press ahead with planning reform
The high turnover of housing secretaries is leading to planning reform hiatus, so the new holder of the post must clarify his plans early, writes Paul Smith
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CommentWhat the rent cap will mean for social landlords
Introducing a cap on the amount by which housing associations can raise rents could jeopardise investor faith in the sector for a generation and have a disproportionate effect on new build social housing, argue Andrew Cowan, Gemma Bell and Jonathan Corris
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CommentIs levelling up about to level off?
Housing can help spark economic growth in deprived parts of the UK but levelling up needs resources and trust in equal measure, argues Ben Derbyshire
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CommentOur housing crisis must not be ignored by the new PM
If either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak want to solve the housing crisis they need to raise their ambitions, says Kush Rawal, director of residential investment at SO Resi
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CommentTruss must keep to her promise to tackle nutrient scourge
The planning hiatus caused by the nutrient neutrality issue is having a devastating impact upon SME housebuilders and the next prime minister has to deliver a solution before more businesses collapse, argues Chris Winter
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CommentWhat are the key lessons from Hyde cladding judgment?
Last month’s victory for Hyde subsidiary, Martlet Homes, over contractor Mulalley, has big implications for organisations grappling with post-Grenfell fire safety rememdiation work, writes Tim Hillier
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CommentSocial housing providers are hamstrung in their efforts to make homes more sustainable
Planning policy and high retrofit costs are holding providers back from delivering more sustainble homes, says Jonathan Pearson from Residentially
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CommentWhat might a fair affordable rent settlement look like?
If rents are prevented from rising with inflation next year, as is now expected, social landlords must be permitted to claw money back at a later date, or investment will be hit, says Paul Hackett
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CommentThe green belt is strangling the life out of planning
The ‘green belt’ concept is misunderstood, polarising and toxic and needs to be reimagined for the 21st century, argues Samuel Stafford
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CommentTruss or Sunak must keep 300,000-home target and make building affordable
Homes are becoming too expensive to build in many parts of the UK and we need tangible policies backed up with ambitious targets to tackle the problem, argues Lauren Atkins
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CommentMarket and political failures are behind our lack of cheap, warm housing
A lost decade in insulating homes has led to the government needing to subsidise energy costs and it’s time to rethink the system, writes Chris Brown
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CommentChanges to compulsory purchase order regime could delay regen projects
The government’s proposed changes to the compulsory purchase order regime could delay the process of assembling land for regeneration, argues Richard Lloyd
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CommentGovernment must step in and resolve difficulties around cladding pledge
Serious questions remain about housebuilders’ pledge to carry out fire safety works on existing blocks, not least about the role of building owners, writes Charmaine McQueen-Prince
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CommentWhy the levelling up bill may hold back housing delivery
Proposed changes to the primacy of the development plan and removal of the duty to co-operate are causes for concern to housing delivery, warns Jason Towell
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CommentWhat happened to the information revolution in housing?
The fragmented state of housebuilding has made the data revolution difficult to take off in the sector, but this might now be changing, writes Ben Derbyshire
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CommentWhy development rivalry among HAs could be limiting offsite construction
Too many housing associations are reluctant to share information with development ‘rivals’ but trust and co-operation is vital to make MMC widespread in affordable housing, writes Jake Snell
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CommentStronger accessibility rules for new homes are welcome but we must go further
The changes to building regulations announced last week may prove significant, but any exemptions must be limited and there is still more for government to do, writes Holly Holder