Jennie Daly and Greg Fitzgerald voice concern over policy
The chief executives of housebuilding giants Taylor Wimpey and Vistry have become the latest industry figures to criticise the government’s policy direction on housebuilding.
In comments reported by the Times newspaper, Jennie Daly, the boss of £4.3bn Taylor Wimpey, said the planning system is the “worst I can remember in my 30 years of experience”.
She said the government’s plans to water down mandatory local housing targets was a “retrograde step”.
She added: “I’m pleased that the government is retaining [the 300,000 target] but I can’t see them having the tools to deliver that.”
The government is proposing giving councils flexibility to depart from housing targets.
Instead of being calculated through a central formula, from which councils can only depart with strong reasons, the targets would instead become merely an advisory “starting point”. Lichfields has said the changes could reduce output by 77,000 homes a year to 156,000, barely half of the government’s manifesto pledge target.
Meanwhile, Greg Fitzgerald, criticised the government over uncertainty surrounding proposed new rules prohibiting second staircases in taller tower blocks, which he said was delaying 11 of his developments. He said: “I just want the government to come out and say what we’re going to do so that at least we can get on with it, as opposed to dilly dallying around for a year and then coming up with an answer.”
Thousands of homes are also on hold due to nutrient neutrality requirements while Gove has also taken a combative stance on building safety remediation, by threatening to stop house builders trading unless they pay up.
The comments follow mounting concern government actions are combining to make housebuilding more difficult.
Steve Morgan, the founder of Redrow and a past Conservative donor, told Building last month that it was “like the government is trying to destroy the industry”.
Rishi Sunak earlier this month said he effectively dropped housing targets after concerns from “thousands and thousands” of Conservative party activists.
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