Jennie Daly and Greg Fitzgerald voice concern over policy
The chief executives of housebuilding giants Taylor Wimpey and Vistry have become the latest industry figures to criticise the government’s policy direction on housebuilding.
In comments reported by the Times newspaper, Jennie Daly, the boss of £4.3bn Taylor Wimpey, said the planning system is the “worst I can remember in my 30 years of experience.”
She criticised the government’s plans to water down mandatory local housing targets as a “retrograde step”.
She said: “I’m pleased that the government is retaining [the 300,000 target], but I can’t see them having the tools to deliver that.”
The government is proposing giving councils flexibility to depart from housing targets. Instead of being calculated through a central formula, from which councils can only depart with strong reasons, the targets would instead become merely an advisory “starting point”. Lichfields has said the changes could reduce output by 77,000 homes a year to 156,000, barely half of the government’s manifesto pledge target.
Meanwhile, Greg Fitzgerald, criticised the government over uncertainty surrounding proposed new rules prohibiting second staircases in taller tower blocks, which he said was delaying 11 of his developments… He said: “I just want the government to come out and say what we’re going to do so that at least we can get on with it, as opposed to dilly dallying around for a year and then coming up with an answer.”
Thousands of homes are also on hold due to nutrient neutrality requirements while Gove has also taken a combative stance on building safety remediation, by threatening to stop house builders trading unless they pay up.
The comments follow mounting concern government actions are combining to make housebuilding more difficult.
Steve Morgan, the founder of Redrow and a past Conservative donor, told Housing Today last month that it was “like the government is trying to destroy the industry”.
>> See also: It’s time for Gove to stop throwing stones at the housing sector
>> See also: Top 50 Housebuilders 2023
Rishi Sunak earlier this month said he effectively dropped housing targets after concerns from “thousands and thousands” of Conservative party activists.
Housing Today’s A Fair Deal for Housing campaign is calling for the government to re-commit to its manifesto pledge of building 300,000 homes a year with a plan of action to boost the industry.
A Fair Deal for Housing campaign
Housing Today believes the government should not back away from its manifesto pledge of building 300,000 new homes a year by the middle of the decade. We badly need more homes and a lack of supply is a major factor in creating problems of affordability for both buyers and renters.
Over the next few months, Housing Today will be exploring potential solutions to help us ramp up housebuilding to 300,000. These are likely to, include different ways of working, funding asks of government and policy ideas that could boost housebuilding.
We want to hear from you: what do you think can make a difference at a policy level?
What can the industry do better?
We believe that, with the right commitments from ministers and the industry, it is possible to build more homes and help the government to meet its objectives to “build beautiful”, improve quality and safety, boost home ownership and level up the UK.
Click here to find out more about the campaign
To contribute ideas to our A Fair Deal for Housing Ideas Zone database, click here.
A Fair Deal for Housing is part of the Building the Future Commission
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