Structural timber is the solution to new planning reform proposals

The Structural Timber Association (STA) has welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s assertion that local authorities must consider “how to deliver new homes, not whether to,” and is again calling on Government to recognise that the solution to this question lies in adopting greater use of sustainable building technologies, such as offsite timber frame.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government unveiled the Labour Government’s proposal for planning reform, which includes increasing the overall housing targets to more than 370,000 per year and releasing greenbelt land for development, while also ensuring at least 50 per cent of new properties are designated affordable homes, with the necessary social infrastructure to support new neighbourhoods.

Image: Paintworks, Crest Nicholson

Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the STA, commented: “To meet such ambitious figures, more than 1,000 new homes will have to be delivered across the country – every single day. The STA believes that the only way to meet this demand for homes and achieve our net zero obligations, is by embracing change. Change in how we build, the materials we use, and the way we attract new people into the construction industry. There is existing capacity in the established structural timber manufacturing sector of 120 members to double timber frame manufacturing output to achieve 100,000 homes per annum – quickly reaching almost a third of the annual target.

“What’s more, boosting production represents a significant economic opportunity – with £10 billion gross value already added to the UK’s economy by the timber industry. The sector currently employs more than 300,000 people in 51,000 businesses, and expanding capacity has the potential to unlock many new jobs while also overcoming the skills crisis that has plagued previous attempts to increase housebuilding.

“Our industry requires clear actionable policies, policies that put MMC and Carbon Reduction, and therefore structural timber, at the forefront of supporting Government in the delivery of their housing goals. The policies put in place now will have a significant impact on the UK’s ability to deliver housing targets, great places to live and reducing carbon to achieve net zero. This will be the legacy for decades to come.”