Construction and the housing market restart
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
On 13 May 2020, it was announced that buyers and renters in England could move home once again as long as they follow new guidance published by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. Restrictions were introduced in March 2020 during the coronavirus outbreak, and people have not been permitted to move unless the need was urgent. They will now be able to complete purchases and view properties in person, while estate agents, conveyancers and removals firms can return to work as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. This relaxation does not apply to properties in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
[edit] Construction resumes
A series of measures was also introduced to reactivate residential construction, including:
- Allowing builders to agree to more flexible construction site working hours with their local council. This includes measures such as staggering builders’ arrival times to ease pressure on public transport.
- Enabling local councils and developers to use social media instead of posters and leaflets to publicise planning applications.
- Allowing smaller developers to defer payments to local councils, helping those struggling with their cash flow while ensuring communities still receive funding towards local infrastructure in the longer term.
[edit] Safety prioritised
A new Safe Working Charter was also launched by the Government and the Home Builders Federation. The goal of the Charter is to help construction sites reopen in line with the latest health and safety guidance.
John Newcomb, chief executive office of the Builders Merchants Federation, said,“Safety has the highest priority as the industry returns to work. Since the publication of new branch operating guidelines [in April 2020], we have seen increasing numbers of merchants safely re-opening or expanding operations to support their trade customers.”
Guidance from Public Health England must continue to be followed. For example, anyone advised to self-isolate should continue to do so and not move home.
Government guidance makes clear that tradespeople including fitters can operate in homes, provided they do so in line with health guidance. Show homes can also re-open, following social distancing guidance.
The Safe Working Charter compliments detailed guidance available from the Construction Leadership Council on further reducing the risk of infection onsite.
These measures build on action from the Government to support the economy and protect the capacity of the construction sector, including:
- Introducing more than £330 billion of loans and guarantees to help firms continue operating.
- Deferring self-assessment payments until 2021 – crucial for a sector in which many are self-employed.
- Providing households with three-month mortgage holidays, including for landlords, alongside a three-month ban on tenant evictions.
Ref: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/housing-secretary-sets-out-plan-to-re-start-housing-market
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Beyond the pandemic.
- Builders Merchants Federation.
- Construction Leadership Council CLC.
- Coronavirus
- Coronavirus and force majeure.
- Construction sites urged to integrate test and trace.
- Engineering services bodies issue coronavirus site safety guides.
- Home Builders Federation.
- New deal for infrastructure 2020.
- New domestic electrical work video.
- Plan proposes to reinvent construction industry.
- Social distancing compliance marshal.
- The future of the coronavirus furlough.
[edit] External resources
- Construction Leadership Council: Site Operating Procedures Version 3 (This downloadable PDF is the basis for the Government's Safe Working Charter).
- GOV.UK: Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19).
Featured articles and news
This weeks guest editor, Ankita Dwivedi of Firstplanit.
Fropm practice to research and the business of materials.
Terms, histories, theories and practices.
Types of work to existing buildings - repurposing of buildings
Alteration and everything else before demolition.
2023 HSE data on workplace injuries and ill health
And CIOB's response.
Building Safety Act and Secondary Legislation
Presidential update from CIAT's Eddie Weir PCIAT.
Starting pistol Statement for an election campaign?
Rates freeze, NI cuts, full expensing; early election?
Positive pressure or positive input ventilation
Could this be a remedy for condensation, damp or mould?
Unlocking a Healthier Tomorrow
Report on Social housing retrofit in Scotland 2023
Call for ministerial group and National Retrofit Delivery Plan.
The Great Transformation 1860–1920. Book review.
2023 Autumn Statement in brief with reactions
Including the devolved governments, CIOB, ECA, APM and IHBC.
Irish Life Sciences HQ, an exemplar of adaptive reuse
AT awards small to medium size project category winner.
Formal and informal adaptive re-use or new use of buildings.
Broken Record. Emissions Gap Report 2023
Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again).
Environment Agency cuts waste red tape
No longer enforcing certain waste transfer documentation.
APM Project Management Awards 2023
Winners reactions during the event at the Park Plaza Hotel.
BSRIA Living Laboratory Innovation Challenge
An exciting opportunity for stakeholders to collaborate.
Discussing issues related to inside and outside air quality
Report from the BSRIA Briefing 2023, Cleaner Air, Better Tomorrow.