Don't just stand there...

Even just planning for Brexit is damaging UK construction along with the communities it serves, and it’s time to do something about it. This is not a re-moan, it is reality. And it needs urgent attention now to prevent an enormous economic slump and a catastrophic decline in wealth and the quality of life. 

Of course, a call to arms to save Britain from itself is bound to be met by the usual slurs: “re-moaners”, “undemocratic”, “unpatriotic”. It doesn’t matter. We should be through by now with the braggadocio of the Brexiters, those who so casually assert that Britain has the “entrepreneurial expertise” to globally trade its way to safety. Long-term gain in favour of short-term pain goes the argument. And all done in the name of the next generation who did not vote for any kind of Brexit but stand to suffer its consequences as the negotiations unravel and “no deal” becomes a real possibility.

It’s not a pretty picture. Juxtapose all of this against a Chinese consortium about to take over the £6bn Meridian Water scheme from Barratt in Enfield this week, and the UK’s housing storm and the Brexit narrative takes yet another twist. 

For be in no doubt: the economists’ warnings are coming true. The immediate consequence of the Brexit vote was a fall in the value of the pound which has brought about higher inflation. Meanwhile the uncertainty caused by the Brexit negotiations has reduced foreign investment in the UK. Result? The UK is no longer the fastest growing economy in the G7. It’s the slowest. The eurozone, bruised certainly and still ailing, is growing faster than the UK which is too dependent on financial services and a spluttering property market. It’s quite a turnaround, and the “we’ll be free to trade globally” platitudes of the pro-Brexit camp must by now begin to sound hollow even to them. 

All construction forecasts point to little growth next year, with the policy wonks claiming the situation will be even worse if we fail to negotiate a transition with our European cousins. Just this week, Skanska reports the negative impact of Brexit on its fortunes. Hardly the first, of course.

The political commentators’ warnings are coming true, too. Racial hate crimes are on the rise and social division is at an all-time high. But who can call the mood of the country? One minute Jeremy Corbyn is a clown, the next a messiah. So if you’re a housebuilder attempting to sell community, lifestyle and wellbeing along with your square meters and concierge, it’s difficult. 

London mayor Sadiq Khan, meanwhile, is berating housebuilders, challenging them this week to increase affordable housing at new developments. But he appears powerless to stop councils and developers determined to reduce social housing quotas, as the Battersea Power Station deal with Wandsworth council proved earlier this year. 

It’s about the importance of facilitating global, creative, scientific and academic communities who come together to exchange ideas, innovation and technology to drive our industry forward. 

It’s not a pretty picture. Juxtapose all of this against a Chinese consortium about to take over the £6bn Meridian Water scheme from Barratt in Enfield this week, and the UK’s housing storm and the Brexit narrative takes yet another twist. 

During the referendum, the infamous slogan to “take back control” was interpreted by some to have xenophobic even racist connotations. Well, you can forget arguments about cultural identity. It’s now simply about money, power and people in a deal the government has to negotiate raw. It’s about a negotiation that preserves the status quo for continued investment, stable trading conditions, certainty of regulation and the free movement of skilled labour.

And it’s about the importance of facilitating global, creative, scientific and academic communities who come together to exchange ideas, innovation and technology to drive our industry forward. To take one example, the RIBA warns of a post-Brexit exodus of design talent unless visa certainty can safeguard a generation of architects on our shores and harness their creative value. 

So now it’s time to think about what you and this sector stand to lose if the Brexit negotiations are flunked – it’s already too late to escape the consequences of the Brexit vote: just think how long it’s going to take to rebuild confidence and certainty even if a “good” deal is struck. So lobby through your companies, through your local MPs, through these pages and through your trade associations. Lobby now on what’s important to you – whether it’s investment in public sector housing and infrastructure, the need for foreign labour, regulation, trading terms or specific tariffs. But above all, lobby loud, because the reality of Brexit is emerging and it’s going to hurt.