The new Labour government plans to build 1.5 million homes – here’s what it takes

While there is a strong case for releasing greybelt land into the greenbelt, there is a risk that this proposal, if poorly drafted, will create a perverse incentive for those engaged in productive farming in the greenbelt to convert their lands to bushland in order to sell them at higher prices.

The UK needs to build more homes quickly but must face the known risks of future climate change. As we know from the Met Office’s climate forecasts, higher temperatures, more extreme weather and rising sea levels will affect the way houses are built in the UK. It will be necessary to choose building materials and designs that can withstand changing conditions, avoiding areas with increased flood risk, while using durable materials and energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

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Poorly thought-out reforms to bypass planning regulations to spur new developments could result in poorly planned communities and substandard housing that fails to meet the UK’s net zero targets, with the costs passed on to future generations, particularly homeowners who will have to make more expensive retrofits.

Getting high-quality development projects off the ground should reduce community opposition and avoid months of negotiations. More and better planning regulations are therefore needed, not least to create high-quality and sustainable communities.

First, building blocks are needed

For planning reforms to be successful, other building blocks are first needed, such as better training of construction workers, building inspectors and planners. Reforming building regulations to take climate change into account, particularly the energy efficiency of new buildings, is also needed, as is ensuring adequate water and sewerage infrastructure and improving electricity distribution networks.

If these building blocks are not implemented early, there is a risk that the scale of planned housing will undermine other policy goals, such as curbing inflation, reducing energy costs and achieving net zero targets.

For example, if housebuilding continues at the proposed pace over the next two years, it could lead to skilled labour being diverted from other growth sectors (such as the necessary retrofitting of heat pumps or solar panels). It could also lead to labour shortages and regional and national wage inflation, particularly in the South East where the gap between housing demand and supply is large and affordability is such a serious issue.

While some wage increases would be desirable after several years of stagnation, it is important to avoid a repetition of previous periods when regions experienced a shortage of skilled labour and higher labour costs. It is particularly important to avoid this development now that we can no longer rely so heavily on recruiting labour from EU countries.

Training a sufficient number of new construction workers, retraining existing workers and attracting back those who have either left the labour market or moved to other sectors will be key.

Finally, as we develop new solutions to the undersupply of new housing, it is important to recognise the value of public consultation on new plans and development proposals. So let’s focus first on providing the necessary building blocks and reforming planning by making it more efficient and better for everyone.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Graham is a member of the Town and Country Planning Association and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). He has previously received ESRC funding for two planning projects, one on sustainable urbanisation and one on flood risk governance.

Anupam Nanda’s research has been funded/sponsored by various UK and international public and private funding bodies and corporations including UKRI, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (formerly), IPF, RICS. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS with IBG). He is a Board Member of the European Real Estate Society.

Richard Kingston is currently in receipt of funding from the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council. He is a registered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a member of the Town and Country Planning Association.