With the government agreeing that a sharp surge in housebuilding is required if it is to hit its 1.5 million target, insulation specialist Actis says constructing more offsite homes and increasing the construction workforce will play a key role in helping to meet that goal
“While planning reforms are expected to accelerate the number of homes built every year, we still need boots on the ground to actually deliver them,” says Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper.
“This means training and recruiting more people to the industry. And a greater percentage of homes must be built using Modern Methods of Construction, which are much quicker.”
He was responding to comments by housing secretary Steve Reed, who this week said that steep curve in housebuilding rates was essential to achieve its ambitious goal.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill hopes to boost housebuilding by reducing planning hurdles
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, in its final stages in parliament, aims to streamline the legislation around the construction of new homes and critical infrastructure. It will see developers potentially being given default permission to build homes near commuter and transport hubs.
The National Planning Policy Framework, revised in December 2024, includes mandatory housing targets for principal authorities, with increased quotas in areas facing the highest levels of unaffordability.
“In addition to overhauling the planning system, practical considerations need to be taken into account if the government is to achieve its aim,” said Mark.
Both the NHBC and the CITB say an additional 250,000 construction workers are needed by 2028 merely to meet current demand, before even considering upping housebuilding volumes.
Energy efficient building materials will be needed to deliver more efficent homes
Mark added: “We will need to increase the rate at which we deliver new homes, with offsite being an excellent way to achieve this as they can be built up to 30% more quickly than their traditional counterparts.
“Elements such as wiring, plumbing and insulation take place offsite, in the factory. The onsite build element typically takes between seven and 12 days, depending on the size of house.
“Our Hybrid insulation systems, which take between 25 and 50% less time to install than traditional alternatives, are used in many of these modular homes. As the products can be installed by less experienced members of the construction team, this frees up the longer serving colleagues to carry out some of the more skilled tasks.
“While they are quicker to build, the quality of offsite homes is far better controlled. Timber frame homes can be thermally superb, cutting carbon emissions and saving money and resources.”
The post Expanding workforce and using MMC are vital for UK to meet 1.5 million housing target, says Actis appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
