Building Design.’s Post

"We need to build about 1.3 million homes to house our homeless, our existing building stock pours out carbon which must be addressed to meet our sustainability targets, the planning system is recognised to be dysfunctional by just about everyone, and the NHS consumes ever more alarming amounts of cash and performs worse and worse. Where do we start? Perhaps with the remedies that also deliver to our GDP and to our economy." "According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC) we need to decarbonise 29 million leaky, gas-guzzling or oil-fired homes all around our country that are uncomfortable to live in and cost a fortune to heat. We need a national retrofit strategy – a long-term plan and investment programme for upgrading the energy efficiency of our housing stock, funded by a green bank. The reduction in fuel bills can pay for the work over time. Sounds familiar? This time we need to get it right by addressing incentives for home owners and building a simple funding and execution mechanism that householders, landlords and tenants will engage in. The resulting investment – which the CCC estimates as £250bn over, say, a 10-year period – would be a welcome nationwide boost to GDP." #architecture In Building Magazine managing director of Studio Pringle and chair of RIBA board, Jack Pringle PPRIBA, discusses what he expects from the next government for sustainability, housing, planning and the public estate. https://lnkd.in/eYySFPTU

A really interesting read here from Jack Pringle, chair of RIBA board about what we as a nation need from the next government, however things pan out following the general election 4th July. The big takeaway for me being, in Jack’s words; “We have a lot to do, and little money to do it with” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be achieved, we just need to look at alternative strategies to deliver the outcomes we need. Findings by the Climate Change Committee state we need to decarbonise 29 million sub-standard homes to meet our carbon targets. This will only ever be achieved by central government putting retrofit first, I still fail to understand why VAT is charged on home improvement measures, but is waived in the event of demolition and new build. This is at complete odds to advice from the RIBA, who are continually pushing for a retrofit first approach to make use of embodied carbon. In the article Jack proposes a return to an updated version of PFI, implementing lessons learnt from times gone by. It’s not something I’d previously considered, but when the nation is in such dire need of high quality schools (free of RAAC Concrete of course) and an overhaul of NHS facilities, you can see a case for the private sector investing in the public estate. We know what is needed, and buy in from central government along with a fresh approach to existing problems could not only get us on the road to reaching our sustainability and delivery targets but also contribute to job creation and improving our GDP.

As we head into 2025, big changes are on the horizon for the UK property market! From potential interest rate cuts to major government interventions addressing housing affordability and sustainability, here are the key developments shaping the market: https://ow.ly/oH5b50Uhuh7 #UKProperty #PropertyInvestment #DevelopmentFinance #BridgingLoans #Sustainability

The Scottish Housing Regulator's new report on the finances of Scottish RSLs (https://lnkd.in/eZrq9AyN) makes for sobering reading - the "perfect storm" is a bit of cliche, but it's difficult to think of a previous point in time when the pressures, demands and expectations on RSLs were so many and so great. So it's no surprise to see an overall weakening in the sector's financial position, and reduced reserves. And as for the retrofit journey to net-zero, here's what the SHR is saying - "estimated decarbonisation costs in the period to 2030 could range from £4.8 billion to £9.6 billion, while RSLs' projections include just £154.6 million". The sector won't find that money down the back of the sofa.....

🎉Labour's Landslide Victory: Implications for the Property Market 🏡 With Labour winning the 2024 election by a landslide, a new era for the UK property market begins. The end of election uncertainty historically boosts the market, so we might see a rebound following the summer slowdown. 📈 Key Changes Labour Proposes: 🌳 Utilising Grey Belt Land: Developing unused lands like old car parks while preserving green spaces could increase housing without harming the environment. 🏘️ Community and Nature Development Rules: Ensuring new developments benefit communities and nature, promoting sustainable growth. 🏠 1.5 Million Homes in 5 Years: Prioritising first-time buyers could significantly boost housing availability and affordability. 🏡 Social and Affordable Housing: Increasing these options addresses housing shortages. 💷 Stamp Duty for Non-UK Residents: Higher rates might ease competition for UK buyers. 🔒 Extended Mortgage Guarantee Scheme: Helping first-time buyers access home ownership. 🔑 Tenant Protections: Banning no-fault evictions and allowing rent increase challenges strengthens tenant rights. 🏢 Leasehold Reforms: Abolishing new leasehold flats and defaulting to commonhold could make property ownership fairer. 🌲 Natural Spaces Protection: Creating river walks and national forests enhances community well-being and property values. These measures could improve the UK property market, but achieving these goals will be challenging. 🤔What are your thoughts? Do you think Labour can meet these goals? #GeneralElection2024 #LabourParty #Election2024 #RealEstate #PropertyMarket *Portrait image modified from Keir Starmer’s LinkedIn.

The National Warm Homes Council (NWHC) welcomed the Chancellor’s Budget delivering a considerable investment in the housing sector, particularly an additional £500 million for the Government’s Affordable Homes programme to build 5,000 extra social homes. 🙌 💡 While we are encouraged by the Chancellor’s investment in housing, the Government must not repeat the mistakes of the past. The UK has the least insulated and energy-efficient homes in Western Europe, with high energy bills and almost 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions coming from home heating. Without greater investment into the decarbonisation of our current homes, and mandating stronger measures for new homes, we will see a continuation of stubbornly high energy bills for families across the UK. 👈  🚀 To turn the tide on these draughty homes, investment in the UK’s home energy efficiency supply chain is vital. By tapping into the burgeoning SME industry to deliver across the UK, we will not only increase access to affordable and accessible solutions but will create the right conditions to make Labour’s Warm Homes Plan a success. However, the key to this is expanding the rules on VAT relief to more energy-saving materials, with examples including loft insulation protection and innovative insulating materials, such as sprayed-on cork and vacuum glazing. 💯 Without doing so, we risk the continuation of leaky homes, sky-high energy bills and a housing stock that hampers our net zero ambitions.  Let us know your thoughts by posting below. 👇 #VATrelief #WarmHomesPlan #loftinsulationprotection #warmerhomes #NWHC

Have you read our article on the Autumn Budget 2024? Key updates include a 2% Stamp Duty rise on second homes, a £3.1 billion investment in affordable housing, and incentives for eco-friendly upgrades. These changes aim to enhance accessibility and sustainability in the UK property market, benefiting first-time buyers and promoting green initiatives. For details, read more here: https://lnkd.in/e5qgNUV2 #AutumnBudget #AutumnBudget2024 #PropertyMarket #UKProperty

UK's New Direction in Housing. Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves promises to jumpstart the UK's housing sector by reintroducing compulsory #housebuilding targets. "The question is not whether we want growth, but how strong is our resolve? How prepared are we to make the hard choices and face down the vested interests?" Reeves questioned, highlighting the urgency of revitalizing the economy through robust infrastructure. #realestate

| Planning Reform The UK government has set out plans for 1.5 million new homes, but can new planning rules really solve the affordability crisis? 💭 With new developments focused on Brownfield and Grey Belt land, there’s a lot to consider. In our latest blog, we explore the reforms and question whether they can truly deliver affordable homes and tackle issues like land banking. 📲 Read the full blog now and share your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/eRz323Xy #HousingReforms #PlanningPolicy #LandSupply #RealEstate #Sustainability

After weeks of housing news culminating in Tuesday's Budget, Mike Moffatt, PhD has prepared a thorough analysis of alignment to Task Force for Housing and Climate recommendations (see analysis linked below). There are dozens! However, the climate imperatives we outlined are less front and centre, though the emphasis is rightly on accelerating new housing starts, and many of the new infrastructure funding conditions steer towards density and efficiency, which unlock many emissions benefits. Movement on growing factory built housing capacity was also positive. The Federal Lands initiative looks ambitious and impactful, along with other measures to unlock new sites with more financing and favourable tax incentives. More to come yet on building efficiency, retrofits, codes, etc. But an incredible amount of movement in the last month. Next we need all orders of government to come together around housing and climate objectives to really drive success. The efforts of our small but mighty team have already made a huge impact. Thanks again to Hon. Lisa Raitt, Kim Baird, Sheila Boudreau, Cherise Burda, Mark Carney, Jennifer Keesmaat, Leila GHAFFARI, Richard Joy, Adam Mongrain, Greg Moore, Celyeste Power, Ren Thomas, Tsering Yangki, Eric Campbell, Jason Clark, and Julianna (Julie) Charchun. #housingcrisis #climateresilience #HousingANDClimate #Budget2024