Jody Vincent, Sales Director, the Commercial Window Group asks are the Government's house building targets deliverable?
As part of Labour’s five missions for government, Sir Keir Starmer promised “shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky”, to deliver “more beautiful cities [and] more prosperous towns”, demanding: “A future must be built.”
Meanwhile in a nod to the failure of successive governments of all political flavours who have failed to do so in the past, he added: “That is the responsibility of a serious government. And if we continually wash our hands of this task – we all end up stuck in a rut. Just like now.”
Labour’s house building targets to deliver 1.5 million new homes in five years are ambitious. The new build sector faces a number of distinct hurdles in delivery.
This includes not only headline planning reform, models of delivery and the skills shortage – but also underlying weaknesses in the building products supply chain.
This is why a new model of delivery and a shift to genuine partnership to deliver best value and support expedient delivery is going to be critical.
Planning shake-up
The first of the challenges to overcome is to shake-up the planning system. Local planning authorities meet deadlines for minor applications in only 10% of cases, and only 1% handle major applications within the legal 13-week time limit.
If Labour is going to make good on its pledge to be “builders, not blockers” that is going to have to change. Cue a series of measures designed to liberalise the planning system announced in the King’s speech in July.
This includes the reintroduction of compulsory population-based housing targets for local planning authorities.
Michael Gove, the former housing secretary, relaxed those targets last year, but government officials say they intend to reimpose them by this autumn after a short consultation over the summer.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill also promises to provide more resources to hire the 300 new planners.
The Government is also taking nimbysm on head on, so that going forward local communities will be able to determine only “how, not if” homes and infrastructure are built, while planning restrictions on the grey and the edge of the greenbelt, will be relaxed.
Skills shortage
Even if Labour can successfully renegotiate the planning process, there are a number of other significant obstacles for the sector to address if government targets are going to be reached.
Skilled construction workers are thin on the ground. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
According to the Construction Skills Network (CSN), a further 266,000 workers will be needed to meet projected UK construction demand by 2026, with carpenters, joiners and construction managers among the positions most in demand.
It makes retention of quality people key. You can have the most detailed designs and specifications – but ultimately, if building products aren’t installed to those specifications, they aren’t going to perform.
That creates a world of pain for housebuilders and often multiple sub-contractors, including those indirectly associated with individual elements of the build.
This is an area which we see as a particular strength in our regional delivery model. The Commercial Window Group Installation Network is fully qualified and independently audited to survey, estimate, call off, schedule and install windows and doors into new build schemes.
We’re also highly accredited, complying with a range of SSIPs including, Constructionline, SMAS, CHAS and CQMS, with fully qualified installation teams.
Local knowledge, with established and experienced fitting teams, combining to deliver a highly flexible service – but also setting new expectations of service in new build window and door supply.
Supply chain stability
The ability of the new build sector to meet demand is another consideration. The building products sector has come through a period of significant challenge. High energy prices and rising labour costs have combined to increase manufacturing costs.
That’s lead to significant under-investment in manufacturing capability and service, while unsustainable pricing models have also led to the collapse of supply partners – not least in the window and door sector.
This is another area where we believe our model of delivery generates unique opportunities for housebuilders. Our product ranges are manufactured exclusively in the UK by the Emplas Group, one of the UK’s largest and leading window and door manufacturers.
At the same time, built around a regional model, partnership with the Commercial Window Group allows national housebuilders to work with regional experts, nationwide.
A further advantage for national housebuilders is that they can develop a single specification across sites in different regions, reducing complexity.
We also have a 40-year partnership with Profile 22, one of the UK’s most widely specified window and door systems, and Saint-Gobain.
Our supply chainhips and national scale, combined with regional delivery, bring a high degree of stability to our model, which means that we’re able to offer fixed pricing for 12-months from placement of order to ensure stable and predictable project budgeting.
Specifications that deliver social value in the long-term
While the expedient delivery of new homes is important, the quality of build is equally key. The new build housing sector is frequently price driven but this can often negatively impact product quality and service.
The Commercial Window Group manufactures casement, flush casement, fully reversible and tilt-and-turn window profiles from Profile 22, one of the UK’s most widely specified window systems.
It’s a system which delivers ultra-low u-values and is manufactured and installed by us, to an exceptionally high standard with the backing, when rarely needed, of a dedicated remedial service.
Cheap deals with no support store up problems for the future. We need to deliver quality and affordable homes. Not cheap homes too quickly.
Genuine partnership is a way to deliver value for the whole supply chain – and to meet future demand for new, high quality and sustainable homes.
For more information on the Commercial Window Group’s next generation high performance window and door ranges and our regional delivery partners call 0800 254 5757 or email [email protected]
