"The housing sector has to deliver and all sectors must collaborate to address the critical blockages that remain in the process."
Panellists from Homes England, Close Brothers Property Finance, The British Property Federation and Notting Hill Genesis, sought to address how the Government intends to deliver on its target of 300,000 new homes per year.
The panellists discussed the major issues plaguing the housing industry and suggested how progress could be made.
Government intervention in housing, the critical role of the Build to Rent sector, how to mobilise SME builders and the simplification of the planning system were among the hot topics deliberated.
Ideas put forward by the panel to galvanise the housing sector included wholesale and meaningful reforms to the Compulsory Purchase System, additional government funding for housing associations, wider cooperation between all stakeholders in the UK housing market and more effective harnessing of the expertise present in the industry.
Kim Vernau, CEO at BLP Insurance, said: “It’s vital to continue to debate the issues that affect the housing sector and its ability to deliver on government’s targets. This event provided the ideal opportunity to get the perspective from many sectors of the housing market, from financers to housing associations to government, on what is working well and what needs to be changed.
"The housing sector has to deliver and all sectors must collaborate to address the critical blockages that remain in the process. Progress can only be made through frank and open-forum discussions like these.”
