RESPONSE TO THE QUEEN’S SPEECH
10th June 2014

In response to the speech given by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament, the Build Show welcomes the announcements of reform and new legislation that will help the housebuilding sector to grow.

The Queen announced a number of measures that will benefit the industry including: a reform to the planning system supporting small housebuilding firms, new legislation to sell high-value government land for development, a continued promotion of the Help to Buy and Right to Buy schemes and a pledge to increase the number of apprenticeship places to two million by the end of parliament.

A crucial announcement to highlight is the change in Zero Carbon Homes, whereby the government is introducing ‘Allowable Solutions’ that will support small housebuilding firms that struggle to meet the ever-increasing environmental standards. The changes are designed to encourage the acceleration of housebuilding across the country by recognising the difficulty in building to the new level five standards for firms that lack large capital backing.

Paul Godwin, Managing Director of the Build Show, commented: “The Queen made some significant announcements that are a real encouragement to the sector. We are pleased that small housebuilding firms in particular will be supported and given a fair chance to grow and develop through the easing of planning regulations and the release of more land for development.

“Also the Queen’s pledge to increase the number of apprenticeships is a welcomed commitment that will help address skills shortages and enable the industry to flourish in the years to come.”

www.buildshow.co.uk