Congratulations to all the house builders that managed to achieve a 5 star rating in the annual industry customer satisfaction survey. To attain such high levels of satisfaction takes commitment from every area of a business and is an achievement that should be recognised.
“The use of the word Nimby is a distraction tactic. It prevents a serious discussion of the housing crisis and its true causes”
We agree a considered, mature debate around home building is needed…
… but it must be informed by robust evidence.
In this opinion piece, a number
"The increasingly anti-development and anti-business policy environment poses a real threat to housebuilding and is inevitably at the forefront of minds when investment decisions are being made"
- Stewart Baseley, HBF Executive Chairman
“The evidence is now clear; the Government can no longer ignore the housing crisis facing people across the country. People generally are accepting of the need to build more homes and elected representatives need to ensure they are representing all the people in their
The collapsing
#Planning
process & proposed reforms that have seen 58 local authorities withdraw or pause local housing plans, disproportionate action taken by Natural England, & the growing number of new taxes, regulations & policies are devastating home builders
#SaveOurSMEs
🏘️
"If no further action takes place it's inevitable we're going to see more
#SMEBuilders
exit the sector. Unless Government acts and acts quickly to enable those small builders to flourish and survive" 🏡📉
🗣️ Stewart Baseley
#SaveOurSMEs
🚨🏠
@RishiSunak
@10DowningStreet
In advance of this afternoon’s debate on nutrients in rivers it's worth reiterating;
🔹 New homes make a negligible contribution towards the nutrient pollution of our rivers
🔹 70% of the issue is agriculture; 25+% is due to water companies’ infrastructure being unable to
#NutrientNeutrality
4 years on…
Since June 2019, advice issued by Natural England has disproportionately impacted homebuilders across the country, preventing thousands of homes from being built where communities need them.
👉
#Nutrients4YearsOn
It is with great sadness that we announce that John Stewart, our former Director of Economic Affairs passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer. He will be missed by many. Our thoughts are with John’s family.
Nutrient neutrality is currently one of the biggest issues facing the home building industry. A new report by
@LichfieldsUK
finds that
@NaturalEngland
has significantly overestimated the impact new housing has on nutrient pollution...
To help keep our members updated on
#coronavirus
, we have produced a resource page with links to helpful information, guidance and advice:
HBF members also have access to our briefings which summarise the latest developments:
In London half of the bricklayers on house building sites are from abroad; 72% of joiners; 63% of painters and plasterers. Housing supply in the capital highest since 1930's but continued access to labour post Brexit key to delivering Mayor's housing nos
Very balanced piece summarising some of the challenges house builders face; that so called ‘land banks’ actually aren’t ; and recognising achievement of huge increases in output. Housing supply up 74% in 4 years.
@IanKingSky
Good Morning, it's Mental Health Awareness Week! We will be running a number of projects throughout the week to raise awareness of mental health. To get involved and show your support we have created a helpful guide
#mentalhealthawareness
#MHAW19
"What I want from the Government is a recognition that some of these issues are under their control. If no further action takes place, it's inevitable that we're going to see more SME builders exit the sector"🏘️💼➡️ 🚪
🗣️
@StewartBaseley
#SaveOurSMEs
"Research across more than 170 councils found that, on average, local authorities had £8 million in unspent funds given to them by developers to pay for local infrastructure improvement as a condition of new developments."
✒️
@thetimes
Help to Buy has delivered on all its pre-set objectives; 170k households have used the scheme, 81% of which are FTBs with average household income of £49k; housing supply up unprecedented 74% since scheme launch; 150k jobs supported due to extra supply.
Brutally honest and fascinating reflection from
@bovishomes
Keith Carnegie on ‘storm’ that hit them last year on quality & how they have totally refocused the whole culture and organisation of the business towards their customers.
#lessonsforall
#hbfpolicy18
"Houses in England are generally less affordable and of a lower quality than those in every other European country, making it the “most difficult place in the developed world to find a home”, a report has claimed."
🖋️
@tomhtimes
for
@thetimes
👇
Also worth noting reference in Chancellor's speech to Letwin Review acknowledging that house builders do not land bank. Latest in a long line of reports to say the same! We look forward to working with them on his other recommendations to increase output further.
This morning The Times covers new research which shows that the occupancy of new homes accounts for just 0.29% of total nitrogen emissions each year and 0.73% of total phosphorus.
It also confirms that agriculture accounts for 70% of the nitrogen released into our rivers, with
'Brookbanks has concluded that nutrient neutrality rules are a “disproportionate restriction on the construction of new homes”'
✍️
@tomhtimes
for
@thetimes
.
@HBSP
has launched a Pathway supporting women into home building careers in Site Management and Quantity Surveying. Delivered with
@WIConstruction
initially in N London, find out more at the info session 30 Oct Supported by
@CITB_UK
#ConstructionCareers
Figures released today show 227k homes added to housing stock last year. Supply up 74% in past 4 years. 578k more homes in England than 3 years ago. Clear evidence house builders are delivering and have responded to Gvmnt stimuli.
It's New Homes Week! Follow
#NewHomesWeek
on social media and
@newdashhomes
on Twitter for interior design tips from
@sophierobinsons
and lots of advice around downsizing, new family homes and buying your first house!
What have house builders ever done for us? Well, last year developer contributions via planning agreements totalled more than £6bn, including £4bn on affordable homes for councils and housing associations
Removing the requirement for local housing needs assessments will result in further falls in supply.
House building in some areas will collapse, taking investment in jobs and communities down with it.
The long term consequences for housing and communities will be bleak. 🏡📉
“We built 230k+ homes last year and more than 900k in the last 4 years – we’re on course to meet our target of 1m in this Parliament. But strong as that record is, it could be stronger still.”
@michaelgove
speech on next stage of Long-Term Housing Plan
#PlanningForTheFuture
The Prime Minister has confirmed construction work can continue in Tier 4 areas and that home builder sale suites, estate agents and removal firms can continue to work. The national guidance on moving safely can be found here
Demand for new build homes rockets post lockdown, with 40% of people wanting a home office.
@Zoopla
research also shows that first-time buyer demand is now outpacing pre-lockdown levels. More info here:
#NewHomesWeekUnlocked
We are pleased to launch our new report 'Building Communities: Making Place a Home'. The report explores the contributions that the home building industry makes to help create and build
#localcommunities
Read the full report here (2/2)
As of now, 56 local authorities have stopped advancing or significantly slowed down their work developing local plans as a result of
#PlanningReform
proposals
#HBFPolicyConference
Our Exec Chairman Stewart Baseley hands over a donation of £100k on behalf of our members to Bill Hill, CEO of
@LighthouseClub_
, as part of our new
#MentalHealth
campaign
Yesterday we joined homeowners, members and ministers at the New Homes Quality Code and Ombudsman launch in England. The increased protections for our members’ consumers will inevitably lead to even higher quality builds and improved customer service across the industry. 🏘️
A new report published yesterday by HBF &
@LichfieldsUK
shows the huge contribution house building is making to the economy in the West of England, including supporting 16,703 jobs. The full report is online:
Next up it's CEO David Thomas from
@Barrattplc
who underlines the duty of house builders to recognise the issue of mental health in the workplace, and highlights the successes of the recent partnership between Barratt and
@MatesInMind
🏠 150,000 homes are on hold due to disproportionate
#NutrientNeutrality
guidance yet supply is plummeting.
After 4 years of political failure, the focus must now be on effective solutions to:
1️⃣ improve the condition of our rivers
2️⃣ tackle the deepening housing crisis
"The number of housing projects granted planning permission in England last year fell to the lowest level since 2006
"At the same time 55 local authorities have suspended their development plans, which specify how they will meet demand for new homes in their area."
🖊️
@thetimes
Focus on quality and customer service sees house builders deliver successive annual increases in satisfaction levels. Overwhelming majority of new home buyers happy; 86% of buyers would 'recommend their builder to a friend'; over 90% would buy new again.
Interim New Homes Quality Board launched - move is first step towards the appointment of a New Homes Ombudsman. New independent body will oversee quality of new homes and strengthen consumer redress.
.
@RedrowHomes
Chairman, Steve Morgan tells
#hbfpolicy18
how drastically different the business environment is for today’s SME builders compared with his experience growing Redrow in the 1980s
Earlier this year we launched the Women into Home Building Programme in partnership with
@WIConstruction
and nine home builders to support more women to explore careers in site management👷♀️🧱🏠
Today we launch the third cohort of the work experience, training and insight
Our ambassador for
#NewHomesWeek
this year is Interior Design Specialist,
@sophierobinsons
Follow
@newdashhomes
this week (13-17 May) and discover her top tips on designing in a new-build home for Families, First Time Buyers & Downsizers. 🏠
This year, due to the Covid-19 crisis, New Homes Week was postponed from May. We are happy to announce that New Homes Week Unlocked will be back on 20th July 2020.
@newdashhomes
#NHWunlocked
#NewHomesWeek
@ExploreOffsite
Hi, I'm Pete Andrew, Deputy Chairman at HBF, we are the industry body representing 80% of homebuilders. My role is to oversee the policy team which seeks to engage with Government and other bodies on all things to do with new homes
Up for a game of football? HBF is playing a charity match with
@STAtimber
for
@MatesInMind
. We need players to make the winning 11, and supporters to come cheer/laugh. Please get in touch with freya.scott
@hbf
.co.uk to register your interest.
Housebuilders call on government o recognise huge progress being made by industry . Housing supply at 1950s levels and increasing at fastest rate on record. Satisfaction levels high and improving. Help to Buy helping tens of thousands into home ownership
Up for a game of football? HBF is playing a charity match with
@STAtimber
for
@MatesInMind
. We need players to make the winning 11, and supporters to come cheer/laugh. Please get in touch with freya.scott
@hbf
.co.uk to register your interest.
"Underlying the housing crisis is a basic and simple truth: not enough new homes are being built"
@itvlondon
's latest The Late Debate explored the
#HousingCrisis
and importance of building new homes.
Full episode 👉
Going forward, a top priority for the industry is to increase the reach of mental health support to its supply chains and site-based colleagues 👷🧠👷♀️ (5/6)
#mentalhealth
#MentalHealthAwareness
England is falling behind European neighbours in terms of number of homes per population 📉
Supply falls significantly behind similar-sized economies:
🔻France
🔻Italy
🔻Austria
🔻Belgium
🔎 📄 Housing Horizons: Examining UK Housing Stock in an International Context
To meet the challenge of building 300K homes every year, the home building industry needs to attract the very best. Hear from the diverse workforce making this ambition a reality in our new report, Building a Future: Opportunities in Home Building launching tomorrow
#BuildAFuture
Best of luck to the first cohort on our Women into Homebuilding programme who began their two week work placements today! 🙌👍
What a way to kick off
#NationalCareersWeek
!
More info:
HBF’s Executive Chairman Stewart Baseley alights on local authority planning resource as a much bigger priority than an overhaul of the entire planning system
As we look to the Covid-19 recovery, it is more important than ever to explore the ways home builders can best support
#communities
as we seek to rebuild the economy (1/2)
Here at HBF, we are helping to coordinate the donation of PPE equipment from home builders to
@NHSUK
. Please contact ppe4nhs
@hbf
.co.uk to find out more or get involved
#coronavirus
#protectheNHS
In addition to the risks to housing supply, research shows these changes threaten:
❌ Nearly 400k jobs – including 4,000 apprentices
❌ More than £20 billion economic activity
❌ More than £3 billion investment in affordable housing
"Natural England... has blocked construction of some 160,000 homes, helping to drive housebuilding down to their lowest levels since the 1920s" 📉
💬 Tom Jones, Councillor for Scotton and Lower Wensleydale
@93vintagejones
#Nutrients
The myth that housing developers are hoarding land after gaining planning consent in order to benefit from a rising market has been debunked again in new research by leading planning consultancy
@LichfieldsUK
#PlanningPermissions
for new home sites fall to record low – and will plunge further as 55 Local Authorities withdraw housing plans following Government capitulation to NIMBYs 📉🏡
Our latest
#HousingPipelineReport
is available now:
@Glenigan
"The fear is that it will not only be homes that are kiboshed, but new schools, clinics and the rest. Social and affordable housing will also fall. We, councils and government cannot have it both ways."
✒️
@c_blackhurst
for
@Independent
#PlanningReform
The results of our 2022 Mental Health Feedback Survey are now in and show that the home building industry remains committed to raising awareness of the importance of good mental health🧠🧵(1/6)
#mentalhealth
#MentalHealthAwareness
🔹 Housing targets are needed.
More than 60 Local Authorities have either paused work on or withdrawn their local plans since Government announce proposed plans to scrap mandatory housing targets, despite local need.
🔗