The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has released a report titled ‘Proud to call home’, which recommends measures to ensure that quality standards are maintained in housing delivery
UK housing quality is a continuing hot topic in construction, as worries rise that the push towards the 1.5m home target will see corners cut.
The report comes from the All-Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment (APPGEBE) and makes recommendations to raise and ensure industry standards.
Quality assurance doesn’t end when the build does
The report doesn’t just cover the building of houses, but also the design, aftercare, and information residents receive when moving in.
The report especially highlights that while new planning guidance promotes wellbeing and sustainability in new homes, this is not always the case in practice.
Key recommendations include:
- Making design reviews mandatory in the planning process for developments of more than 250 homes and for strategically important or historic sites
- Requiring local authorities to appoint a chief planning officer at cabinet level to help drive quality in local plans and in negotiations with developers as they come under pressure to meet new housing targets
- Improving placemaking by considering legislative options to ensure developer contributions, such as Section 106 funding, are spent by local authorities for their agreed purpose, including monies ring-fenced for green spaces, and within agreed timescales under a ‘use it or lose it’ approach
- Driving up build quality and consumer confidence by setting a minimum number of inspections by building inspectors and warranty providers during construction
- Mandating a ‘soft landings’ approach and greater post-occupancy evaluation of energy performance in new homes to help close the performance gap and ensure homeowners get the best from their systems
- Improving consumer protection by mandating housebuilder participation in a single consumer code and registration with the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) and New Homes Ombudsman. Currently, only half of new homes are covered.
“A once-in-a-generation opportunity”
Mike Reader MP for Northampton South, chair of the group and its commission of the inquiry, said: “The 1.5 million homes this Government has pledged can be a legacy of which future generations are proud. That will only happen if quality is woven through every decision, in policy, planning, design, and delivery.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape not just how many homes we build, but how well we build them. We must seize this opportunity and build homes and places people will want to live. Places where people are proud to call home.”
Graham Watts OBE, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, and secretary to the APPGEBE, said: “This report aims to advance all aspects of housebuilding quality – and to set out practical solutions that will help deliver the homes we need, at the standard the public deserves. The CIC is proud to support this important work.”
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