Boris Says We Must ‘Build Build Build’

Prime Minister’s Speech

The Prime Minister has promised to “build, build, build” to help the UK combat the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is great news for homebuyers across the country. The Government has made a bold statement of intent. It brings a welcome focus on infrastructure and some certainty as our economy rebuilds.

The demand for affordable housing was already at a crunch point before the pandemic. We know from our work with housing associations just how many people are waiting for new homes. We welcome the £12 billion investment in the Affordable Homes programme, which will help reassure homebuyers seeking affordable, or starter homes that the Government is taking their needs so seriously.

Planning Policy Paper

To help our industry respond to the challenge, we are eager to read the planning Policy Paper in July. There are many opportunities to improve the planning process. Thakeham looks forward to working in partnership with local communities to bring forward the new homes needed across the country.

Improvements are already in motion. Tuesday’s statement acknowledges that there are opportunities to speed up development on brownfield and unused commercial sites. We hope that the forthcoming Policy Paper will seize the opportunity for sustainable recovery, championing environmental issues and low carbon developments.

Planning and Sustainability

The Policy Paper must take environmental issues into consideration. Last year Thakeham launched a new three-fold crusade to become Carbon Neutral by 2025. We pledged that every home we build will be zero carbon in lifetime operation; that each home built will be carbon neutral in production; and, Thakeham Group as a whole will also be zero carbon. We believe that planning has an important role to play in nurturing sustainable communities across the UK home-building sector.

This is our chance to do this the right way: meet demand and build thriving new sustainable communities as a legacy for future generations. This is our opportunity for the house-building industry, planners, homebuyers and residents to come together and make a real difference to people’s lives.

It’s an opportunity we look forward to seizing.