Barratt boss appointed chair of Future Homes Hub

David Thomas will chair the new cross-industry collaboration Future Homes Hub (FHH), it has been announced today.

Thomas, chief executive of Britian’s largest housebuilder Barratt, will head up the hub’s drive to accelerate the transition to net zero.

The FHH was set up last November by the housebuilding industry, with support from government departments including the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Businesses Enterprise and Industrial Strategy.

Its board includes figures from Homes England, the Construction Products Association, the Green Finance Institute, the Home Builders Federation, Fairgrove, The National House Building Council and Platform Housing Group.

Its main priorities for collaboration include changes to Parts F, L, O and S of the building regulations, and the Future Homes Standard 2025 (see box below).

Writing exclusively for Housing Today, Thomas this morning called on the government to “set the direction” on net zero and then the house building industry “must lead the change.”

He wrote: “To succeed, and to succeed quickly, we need the government to work with us to fill in gaps on our roadmap to net zero.

“The government can also help align related sectors, with energy, construction products and homes all moving together. T

“The roadmap can help the sector navigate related challenges too, like embodied carbon, biodiversity and nature, adapting homes for hotter, wetter climates and encouraging sustainable lifestyles.”