More Comment – Page 11
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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
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CommentThe new PM must recognise housing is key infrastructure for growth
It is time to realise a lack of homes makes it harder for people to find somewhere to live close to labour markets, hitting the UK’s growth and productivity, writes Paul Smith
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CommentThe nutrient neutrality ‘fix’ won’t break development deadlock
The government’s new package of support to get housebuilding going won’t work in the short or medium term and is a missed opportunity to help SME builders, writes David Lohfink
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CommentWe need clarity on the Infrastructure Levy
The government’s plan to scrap the section 106 and community infrastructure levy and replace it with a general levy raises some fundamental questions, writes Ian Fletcher
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CommentWe need a long-term strategy so we can agree on what good looks like
We must deliver 300,000 homes a year but we also need an easily understood, national housing plan, argues David Orr
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CommentMinisters must take long-term, difficult decisions to boost housebuilding
Ministers can secure A Fair Deal for Housing by limiting house price inflation, reforming housing taxation and using compulsory purchase powers to capture land value uplift for affordable housing, writes Matthew Bailes
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CommentA holistic approach is needed on nutrient neutrality
After a slow start, the government is at least taking the nutrient pollution issue seriously but now more joined-up thinking is needed, argues Andrew Watson
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CommentThe importance of designing homes for social value
Amid the ‘wild west’ environment of ESG reporting, we must take a step back and think about what social impact really means when designing housing schemes, writes Jo Cowen
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CommentHA ‘mega mergers’ can boost development and improve services
L&Q boss Fiona Fletcher-Smith argues increasing size through ‘mega-mergers’ and improving services to existing residents are not mutually exclusive
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CommentHousebuilders must stay ahead of the curve on energy contracts
Keeping future schemes low-cost and low-carbon in a rapidly changing market is a huge challenge but flexibility with energy providers is key, writes Frederick Davies