Martin Skea’s Post

Great article Jade; I do wonder how effective the proposed changes will be. To my mind we need a fundamental look at green belt, we need to consider afresh what it is for, what we want it to do, consider the balance between it and providing people with homes and whether green belt should be a local rather than national designation. I have doubts as to how much grey belt there is to viably develop and it may be in quite unsustainable locations whereas true green belt release may be better. I have also pondered on the "new towns" travel of direction, in the interests of speed and perhaps slightly less controversy, it may be better to expand/densify existing successful settlements rather than provide infrastructure for something from scratch. The fundamental issue I think we will find, (and I speak from a place of trying to find a builder myself), is that there is a massive labour shortage in the industry to build anything which will take years to work through. We shall see ......

The NSW Government has announced the establishment of a new Housing Delivery Authority (HDA), aimed at boosting housing supply and tackling housing affordability challenges across the state. While this initiative holds great promise, it seems the HDA’s primary functions will likely be administrative—potentially including the assessment of major residential DAs. Importantly, the Minister is expected to retain the final responsibility for determining these DAs. This approach could streamline processes and ensure a more coordinated response to NSW's housing needs, but it also raises questions about how efficiently this model can address broader challenges in housing delivery. 💡 Key Points to Consider: 1️⃣ What are the established criteria for selecting proposals? (Hopefully, this will be clarified after Christmas.) 2️⃣ Will the HDA’s administrative focus lead to faster approvals, more flexible planning controls—or both? 3️⃣ If a major project is already being led through rezoning by a council, will the HDA intervene or wait for the rezoning process to finish? 4️⃣ How will this impact collaboration between local councils, developers, and other stakeholders? I’m optimistic about the potential of this initiative to drive innovation and address systemic barriers in the housing sector. However, its success will depend on how well the HDA can balance its administrative role with the need for practical, on-the-ground outcomes. What are your thoughts on this approach? Let’s discuss it! #HousingAffordability #UrbanPlanning #PropertyDevelopment #NSWPlanning https://lnkd.in/edDYaQns

Planning Reform: Can It Solve the Housing Crisis? In an article yesterday for Co-Star I explored the government's consultation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (which closes tonight) aimed at reforming the planning system in order to deliver 1.5 million homes. However, as am sure we all know, viability of schemes with the increasing burden on developers, rising costs, resourcing issues in the public sector mean planning reform alone won’t fix the issue. More collaboration across sectors, clarity in planning processes, long term strategy and change and greater funding will be needed to truly address the housing shortage. And even though Angela Rayner is not willing to consider this right now but perhaps the government needs to accept that if we are to get anywhere near close to 1.5million homes in this parliament the public sector will need to start building again. You can read my full article here: https://lnkd.in/emPT46xC #RealEstateRealChangeRealExpertise #PlanningReform #HousingCrisis #GreenBelt #AffordableHousing #UKHousing

To help the UK construction sector meet its ambitious housing targets, 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. Here's what this entails: • 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬. These will require councils to boost housebuilding where it's needed most and help more people buy their own homes. • 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚. • 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬. The government will step in if an area goes off track. This announcement is a strong follow-up to Labour's initial ambitious plans and I'm looking forward to seeing it in practice. #Housing #HousingPolicy #HousingTargets #PlanningSystem

Major Overhaul of Planning Committees to Get Britain Building 🏗️🏡 Exciting changes are on the horizon for the UK's housing and infrastructure sectors, as the government announces a comprehensive reform of planning committees. These updates are designed to tackle the delays holding back critical housing projects and drive progress toward the ambitious goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2030. Key Reforms Include: 🕒 Faster Decision-Making: Committees will now have clear deadlines to approve or reject housing applications, streamlining processes that often take too long. 🏢 Mandatory Annual Performance Reports: Councils will be required to publish detailed updates on their progress, ensuring transparency and accountability. ⚖️ Standardised Guidelines: New rules will simplify and clarify the decision making process, ensuring consistency across councils. 📈 Unlocking Development Potential: These changes aim to empower housebuilders and developers to meet demand while addressing housing shortages in high-need areas. Housing Minister Rachel Maclean emphasized the urgency of these reforms, stating: "Planning committees play a pivotal role in delivering the homes we need, but delays have become an obstacle. These changes will help councils prioritize housing applications and remove barriers to unlocking Britain’s housing potential." This initiative builds on ongoing efforts to simplify planning systems and promote economic growth, ensuring the UK remains competitive and well-prepared for future challenges. What’s Next? These changes promise to reshape the planning landscape, making it more efficient, transparent and growth focused. At United Kingdom Development Corporation, we support efforts that enable smoother project approvals, creating opportunities for investment and community development. 📩 Let’s discuss how these reforms can benefit your projects! 🌐 Visit: www.ukdevelopmentcorp.com ☎️ Call: 01642 917330 📧 Email: [email protected] Together, we can get Britain building! #PlanningReform #HousingGrowth #EconomicDevelopment #BuildingABetterBritain

UDIA National strongly supports the Government’s ongoing commitment to address the nation’s lack of housing supply, through the targeted strategies announced in tonight’s Budget,” said Col Dutton, UDIA National President. However, for the Government to reach its ambitious National Housing Accord target to build 1.2 million new homes over 5 years, 97% of its target will be delivered by private housing providers. They will need the support from all governments, if they are to significantly increase their delivery capacity, as they struggle to return to their pre-Covid productivity. Market-wide solutions will be necessary to tackle a range of fundamental problems, particularly at a time when completions are in freefall. These include chronic lack of development ready land, significant shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry, accelerated cost of construction materials and inhibited project finance, all of which are holding back projects.  UDIA National encourages the Government to keep a laser focus on the implementation of the initiatives announced in tonight’s Budget, to stabilise house prices and rents and ease the increasing cost of living pressures. Particularly important are those measures that enable our industry to build the homes for the people of Australia, so that they realise the dream of home ownership,” said Col Dutton. Our full media release can be found at this link https://lnkd.in/gZFYiuYD UDIA NSW, UDIA SA. UDIA NT, Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Victoria, UDIA Queensland, Urban Development Institute of Australia (WA)

NSW has a housing target requiring an average of 75,000 new homes a year for 5 years. At least 72,500 or 97% of those homes will have to be delivered by private providers. The $1 billion dollars in last nights Federal Budget to be given to state governments to support new housing developments is a step in the right direction. So too is the funding for important roads like Mamre Road in Western Sydney which is critical for the development of future employment lands close to where people live. A smaller share of GST for NSW, particularly while the state takes the lion share of new migration, however is a step in the wrong direction. This makes it harder to invest more in the infrastructure required to make creating homes more feasible and deliverable. Too much money is being used to subsidise a broken GST system that doesn’t reward efficiency in government and a commitment to improve economic productivity. We have a lot of work to do if we are going to deliver 75,000 new homes a year but I know UDIA NSW and its members are ready to collaborate with government to meet this challenge. Jacqueline Vozzo Gavin Melvin Chris Minns Daniel Mookhey Paul Scully Courtney Houssos Jo Haylen John Graham Steve Kamper Anoulack Chanthivong Kiersten Fishburn

Great news for the UK housing market! Angela Rayner is making affordable housing delivery her top priority! As highlighted in a recent article by Housing Today, Rayner's commitment to addressing the housing crisis is set to take centre stage. #HousingCrisis #AffordableHousing #UKHousing #Infrastructure #PolicyChanges

Focus on building homes welcomed by UDIA NSW but more work required to get keys in doors. UDIA NSW welcomes a state Budget that puts planning and delivering new homes at its centre. The NSW2-24-25 Budget handed down today by NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, acknowledges challenging economic factors including higher interest rates and construction costs, have negatively impacted the feasibility of new residential projects, contributing to a decline in the number of dwelling approvals over the past year to their lowest level in a decade. “This budget has a number of positive initiatives to tackle the housing crisis however more needs to be done to get keys in doors earlier,” said Stuart Ayres, CEO UDIA NSW. NSW is in the midst of a housing crisis and this budget takes critical steps toward solving the crisis. However UDIA NSW recognises many of the interventions will take years to deliver homes, and more can be done sooner to address this significant social and economic challenge. Our full media release can be found at this link https://lnkd.in/gDZie5Ey #udiansw #nswbudget #nswgovernment #housing #housingcrisis

If you wanted to understand the myriad challenges facing any significant increase in housing delivery (not just housing targets) then todays piece in the FT, provides a really good case study of all of the hurdles that need to be overcome. Even in a pro-growth authority like Wiltshire, the ability to upscale delivery is thwarted by the usual multiple challenges - whether that’s local planning authority resource, a sticky land market or inability to unlock infrastructure, is taking it’s inevitable toll. Ultimately though - this is a market and funding challenge. Unless the macroeconomic mood music changes and interest rates soften - the market decides what will be built and sold. Unless the State is prepared to return to 1970s levels of Government house building (which it isn’t) then we are dependent on wider economic recovery - and that’s beyond the housing market’s borders. Let’s keep debating the issues - but ultimately in a market economy, it’s liquidity and confidence that rules. #housingmarket #economicconfidence #planningreform