2020: a year bound by challenge. And, with these challenges, a renewed sense of why we exist as housing providers: to build high quality homes for the many, not the few, and support thriving communities based on equal opportunity.
This year has brought into sharper focus the simple truth that we need to work quicker and strive harder for an equal society that sees every person in a home. The government has responded quickly to this need, and as housing professionals, we are in a fortunate position to support them in achieving their goals.
Throughout every challenge 2020 has thrown our way, our purpose remains: to build homes, tackle homelessness and create communities that can thrive.
Building remains key
At the end of June, the government announced progressive plans and commitment to ‘build, build, build’ in order to boost the country’s infrastructure and skills, ultimately fuelling economic recovery, post-COVID-19.
Central to this is the announcement of radical reforms to the current planning system, which will be essential in ensuring we can move at pace and deliver safe homes for all. In addition, a new package of measures to support house building across England, including a £12bn affordable homes programme to support up for 180,000 new affordable homes for ownership and rent over the next eight years, will create opportunity for real change in our society.
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of safe, affordable, sustainable homes, and we remain committed to be a leading voice in making this a reality. As we move forward, it’s essential that the government works closely with housing providers to truly understand the issues our communities face, where the focus is most needed, and how we can support those most in need in our society. By delivering new affordable housing in key areas with the right supporting infrastructure, we can boost local economies, create jobs and training opportunities, and improve life-chances – all vital components in the overall UK economic recovery.
Optimising how we build
We are proud to be focusing on land-led delivery which will have community voices at its core, ensuring our delivery is done with communities in mind.
We aren’t just facing challenges born out of this pandemic, but ones too that existed in the industry already. We know there is a skills shortage, and the speed of builds is not what it should be, so we are embracing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), which is an innovative and safe approach to housebuilding that will also enable us to increase our development output.
MMC can play a meaningful role in addressing the housing shortfall and we have committed to delivering more than 250 homes per year via this method which will have a significant impact on the housing climate in the south and south west of England.
Our commitment to delivering on our building targets aligns with recent pledges from the MHCLG to supply thousands of new homes and tackle homelessness in the long-term. It is absolutely essential that we respond to the government’s targets, something which we feel confident we are doing successfully.
A moment of change
Like the government, we will use this moment of change to step up our response to the housing crisis. 2020 poses a monumental opportunity for essential growth and with this reform we can step up our delivery and explore new avenues, including the transformation of commercial residences.
We can, and we will, ‘bounce back better’, together.
– Stephen Lodge, Executive Director of Development and Strategic Asset Management