NewsWhy construction is looking up: How tall buildings will play key role in new homes target

Posted by Lucy Moore
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Before the decade is over, Britain will have more than 1.5 million new homes.

The new Labour government’s “Get Britain Building Again” campaign is attempting something unprecedented: Creating an average of 300,000 net new homes each year to tackle what they have called “the most acute housing crisis in living memory”.

The plan involves an ambitious overhaul of the planning system and will require councils to ensure development is proportionate to the size of existing communities.

But it still leaves one big question unanswered. Where are all these new houses going to go?

The only way is up…

Labour has stated that “Get Britain Building Again” will be spearheaded by construction on brownfield sites, but will also remove the privileged and protected status of lower-quality green belt land – opening the door to previously inaccessible space for builders.

One of the key methods to which accelerated building will be achieved, however, is by going up, rather than across.

Land may be limited, but there is still ample space in the clouds – so we could be set for a complete transformation of skylines across the UK.

Manchester is a case in point in how rapid, vertical construction can proceed in cities. In 2018, the city became the home of the tallest UK building outside of London with the completion of Deansgate Square South Tower, and the city is continuing to build up at speed. Local property developer Renaker has received the go-ahead to build one skyscraper which will stretch even higher than Deansgate Square’s colossal building – representing part of a £1bn next-generation of high rise buildings at the Great Jackson Street site.

Development is also going ahead near the Northern Quarter, with Church Street Markets being closed in order to make way for a skyscraper climbing 22 storeys to house 361 apartments.

Manchester has long labelled itself a trend-setter in music and culture and style, but if Labour’s housebuilding drive is a success, it may also be regarded as a trailblazer in the construction sector in time. We’re fortunate, as a Manchester construction PR agency, to be right here in the mix.

A changing landscape

Whilst the government is promising to push ahead with its plan to get the cement mixers whirring, the construction industry will not have carte blanche to build wherever it likes, however it likes.

The publication of The Grenfell Inquiry’s final verdict included recommendations for new independent regulators and an updated process for reviewing building regulations, which will change how construction is conducted as buildings go up.

The bureaucracy involved in creating and establishing new bodies and rules will create a tighter funnel – at least initially – for construction plans to get the green light. What this means is that everyone will need to adapt to new processes at the same time the government is leaning on the construction sector to hit the “go” button.

It is a complex situation and a watershed moment for housebuilding and the construction market – and effective communication is essential to navigate unchartered territory.

If you need any guidance manoeuvring through the market, contact Refresh’s construction PR and building products PR teams for expert guidance, advice and insight.

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