The key to building for the future – Lisa Kerford

The result of the general election – which saw Labour sweep into power – is set to herald a supercharged drive to get Britain building more homes with a focus on sustainability. Here, managing director, Lisa Kerford, discusses some of the pressing issues the government needs to address if it is to meet its ambitious targets, and expands on some of the prevalent themes from our recent Aptus Academy Workshop.

A positive step

There can be uncertainty when a government changes, but Labour has been clear in its pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes over the next parliament. This promise to ‘get Britain building’ is welcome; the country needs more affordable, future-proof homes, and a booming construction sector is key to unlocking growth, creating job opportunities, and revitalising our towns and cities. Those in power must act quickly, however, to clarify a raft of regulations to give the industry certainty on how the ambitious target will be met.

Goodbye gas?

Clarity is required on the scheduled shift away from gas boilers, with heat pumps set to take their place. The phasing out of gas was set to begin in 2025, but the details around what constitutes the deadline is required in order for everyone to plan more easily. The uncertainty is generating more work for all involved and in reality, the demand for heat pumps will outweigh production.

Capacity issues

The proliferation of heat pumps though will only serve to exacerbate the current issues with the electricity infrastructure’s lack of capacity, which is presently causing significant delays to a range of housing schemes in the north west. It has even forced some network operators to change their stance on “load grabbing”, where connection points are secured too early. This has to be high on the government’s list of priorities over the coming months as it could seriously hamper their building plans.

Train to gain

Elsewhere, concrete net zero targets must be outlined so that developers and ancillary businesses have certainty and can prepare accordingly. Transparency, especially in relation to requirements around solar, gas and heat pumps, will also help businesses equip the next generation of the utilities workforce with the correct skills and knowledge to meet the future demand for greener, more sustainable homes.

We’re here to help

Irrespective of the government’s plans, we pride ourselves on supporting housebuilders and developers from the very beginning of a project, and are experts at adapting schemes to meet customer requirements. Whatever the future brings, we’ll be on hand to adapt to new regulations. Being agile and responsive – which is what we do best – has never been more important.

Published on 25th July 2024