News
Future of house building at What’s Next Summit
Home builder Thakeham hosted the #WhatsNext2022 Summit at Epsom on Wednesday 23rd November. The award-winning community creator assembled a panel of five industry experts to help bring unique insights and a clearer vision of the future of sustainable placemaking.
Delegates at the annual summit for Thakeham partners and subcontractors discussed the impact of the increase in the cost-of-living, interest rate impact, increasing energy prices and the recovery from the global pandemic.
The event also responded to the urgent need for local authorities, planners, place makers and housebuilders to come together and deliver a clear response to the challenges our communities face. It was the third time that the What’s Next Summit had been hosted after a two-year break during the pandemic.
The event featured renowned industry speakers. Each speaker was challenged to inspire the audience to share unique insights and offer a clearer vision of the future of sustainable placemaking.
Lucian Cook, Head of Residential Research at Savills demonstrated how a spike in interest rates was stretching affordability and how no area is immune to the pressures of higher costs. Robert Colvile, Director of the CPS and Editor-in-Chief of CapX lifted the lid on the politics of house building. John Richards, Chairman of Brickability warned against adversarial purchasing whilst Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman, HBF opened with a detailed industry overview.
Rob Boughton, who hosted and summarised the event, spoke about how Thakeham are facing the challenges. He said:
The demand for well-designed and constructed sustainable housing hasn’t gone away. Nor has the need for skills in our industry, nor the drive to zero carbon. Thakeham is contracted to deliver well over 1000 affordable new homes for Housing Associations and Registered Providers across the South East in the next year.
There are always variables in business. As a company we remain hopeful that we can retain momentum and the skills agenda through the work that we have booked and our balanced portfolio but it’s clear as an industry there is much uncertainty. Despite the obvious challenges faced by many industries like ours, we enjoyed a positive debate with a strong sense of resilience and optimism.
Join the debate on social media using #WhatsNext2022
