Call to developers
Housing Secretary Steve Reed has issued a “call to arms” to Britain’s housebuilders, pledging to break down barriers to construction and deliver 1.5 million homes during this Parliament.
Speaking after hosting a roundtable with leading developers and industry groups, Reed vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in accelerating one of the largest building programmes in modern history.
Reed, joined by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, met representatives from major firms including Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Berkeley, as well as Homes England and the Home Builders Federation. The discussion centred on planning reforms, new towns and ways to speed up stalled developments.
Major reforms underway
The government is pushing through its Planning and Infrastructure Bill, aimed at simplifying approval processes while maintaining local input and environmental protections. Ministers have also reinstated mandatory housing targets, which the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts could drive construction to its highest level in more than 40 years.
Reed said: “I want us to build, baby, build, so we can put the key to a decent home into the hands of every single family that needs it. We are backing the builders all the way.”
Investment and delivery
Since taking office, ministers claim to have unblocked nearly 100,000 homes through the New Homes Accelerator, invested £39 billion in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, and funded councils to bring brownfield land back into use.
Reed’s intervention comes ahead of further announcements, including the creation of new towns across England. During a visit to a Bedfordshire housing site, he said government and industry must now work “hand in hand” to turn pledges into bricks and mortar.
