All Comment articles
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CommentSpring statement and Trump tariffs… How can the built environment respond?
Fiscal developments over the past 10 days pose a multifaceted challenge for industry leaders to negotiate. Planning, innovation and collaboration will be key if we are to succeed, writes Richard Steer
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CommentWe urgently need a government that can stoke industry optimism
The prime minister has a golden opportunity to inject confidence in the UK for investors, developers and financiers, says Richard Steer. Only then will his much-touted growth agenda stand a chance
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CommentConstruction industry gossip: Tales from the riverbank
The latest chatter around the industry
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CommentPlanning reform and housing delivery in the year ahead – a lot to do but the signs are promising
Paul Smith describes the current planning reform landscape and finds positivity in the government’s general direction of travel
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CommentWe’ve survived another year… So what happens next?
We may be approaching the end of a particularly turbulent and damaging few years but the outlook is still full of obstacles and challenges, says Mark Farmer
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CommentIn 2025 we will see the economic consequences of 2024’s political decisions
With a relatively stable government in place, a plan to build 1.5 million houses, investment in green energy and a new infrastructure fund, we may well be viewed as a better bet by those who deserted us post Brexit, says Richard Steer
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CommentWhat exit of ‘the Peters’ means for the future of Homes England
The departure of both the chair and chief executive of the government’s housing agency sends a strong message that the ministry wants to build more homes and work with partners in a different way, writes Joey Gardiner
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CommentConstruction industry gossip: Long months spent at conference…
The latest chatter around the industry
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CommentThe net zero carbon buildings standard: tough but achievable?
The new standard is the most ambitious attempt to limit carbon emissions from buildings to date. What is behind it, and when will it start to make a difference?
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CommentHere we go again… if the industry won’t change, we must change the way we operate within it
The collapse of ISG is the latest illustration of a trading model still stuck in ‘inexorable decline’. The industry’s survival requires wise leadership, better decision-making and a focus on what is working rather than what is not, says Mark Farmer
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CommentGrenfell shames us all – but our politicians are just as culpable
Those named and blamed in Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report largely got what they deserved, but they were not alone in the way they operated. We may have learnt and changed since 2017, but there is still a long way to go, says Richard Steer
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CommentGrenfell: a tale of systemic failures
A legal overview setting out the findings of the inquiry’s final report, its recommendations and the potential ramifications for construction
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CommentLabour’s housebuilding dream could be a nightmare to realise
It seems shrewd of the new government to have got housebuilders onside at an early stage, bt is all the talk of large-scale social, affordable and accessible housing provision realistic, asks Richard Steer
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CommentWill Labour backbenchers try to block planning reform?
The election result means many traditionally anti-development constituencies now have Labour MPs with small majorities. Will they oppose Starmer’s green belt plans? And if so will he stand up to them, asks Paul Smith.
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CommentA new government – and a chance for construction to be heard
Keir Starmer steps in to No10 with much to do and the economy in a perilous state. He would be wise to engage with the built environment sector more successfully than his predecessors, says Richard Steer