Government's new plans to ‘get Britain building’ can lead to more affordable housing says Sussex building contractor

Government's new plans to ‘get Britain building’ can lead to more affordable housing says Sussex building contractor

 

The new Labour government’s vow to ‘get Britain building’ is being welcomed by one Sussex construction company, which believes it can lead to more affordable housing in the region.

 

Rachel Reeves used her first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer to announce new housebuilding targets for England, and the loosening of planning rules to encourage the building of more homes.

 

Alan Corbett, Managing Director of Pilbeam Construction, based in Southwick, sees major benefits for local businesses and local people.

 

 

He said: “Compulsory housebuilding numbers could be a big driver for Housing Associations and Local Authorities, and that’s something which will benefit our business. So, we are very much in favour.

 

“In particular, affordable homes delivered by those bodies is good news for us and the people of Sussex.

 

“There are a considerable number of private developments in Sussex that do not benefit first time buyers and we need to change our focus.”

 

Pilbeam specialises in heritage and ecclesiastical, leisure, education, healthcare and commercial builds across the South East, as well as residential projects for both the public and private sector. So, loosening planning restrictions could also prove beneficial.

 

Alan added: “Although much of Sussex is hemmed in by the South Downs National Park and the sea, we should not think of this as a restriction

 

“We need to think more about re-use, increases in height and remodelling to provide more innovative solutions that deliver housing in the tight space we have.

 

“We have worked on 19th Century properties in the Lanes in Brighton, converting them from office accommodation to residential, for instance. “

 

He does, however, have some caveats – pointing out the prospect of increased labour costs due to a lack of labour and coping with a slow planning process.

 

“There is always a knock-on effect from increased housebuilding which should be considered,” said Alan.

 

“The increased demand for labour creates shortages which in turns forces labour rates to rise, and this impacts the whole of the construction industry.

 

“Within this parliament, there must be a push for training in the construction industry.

 

 “The Chancellor’s comments in respect of planning being ‘the greatest single obstacle’ are also true.

 

“The planning process is very slow, almost certainly due to a lack of resources for local authorities. The new government must invest in training planning engineers to reduce that response time and subsequently speed up the process if these new proposals are to achieve what they are intended to do.”