Kevin Sampath’s Post

The NSW Productivity and Equality Commission’s final report on housing supply challenges is now available, offering 32 recommendations to increase housing completions and address the shortfall. With a target of 377,000 new homes by July 2029, the State faces serious obstacles in delivering these numbers, which affects us all. Key barriers include development feasibility, stretched construction capacity, regulatory delays, and workforce shortages. The "Review of Housing Supply Challenges and Policy Options" outlines some necessary reforms such as streamlining approvals and boosting construction capacity. It will be interesting to see how the recommendations will be received and acted upon. Watch this space.

In addition to the four key areas in the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission’s final report, the recommendation to “Encourage innovation, productivity, and a ‘race to the top’” recognises the role that MMC plays in sustainability, innovation, and efficiency benefits. I am glad to see well-rounded considerations to facilitate the successful uptake of MMC, including the policy and regulatory context, financial policies, adoption and uptake of this methodology, training, and enterprise incentives. Benchmarking with Singapore, where prefabricated building elements are mandatory and enabled by the country’s policies, legislation, and regulations, these recommendations could further enhance our delivery targets.

Ahead of Tuesday’s Homes for Queenslanders Implementation Taskforce meeting convened by the Queensland Government, QS Executive Director Fiona Caniglia has today made the following statements - “We are encouraged by proposals from community housing providers to build thousands of homes through State and Federal funding streams and via new planning pathways. These homes will make a significant difference, but we also need to revisit what can be done immediately to add to housing supply.” “This is particularly important in the context that the construction industry is facing huge constraints with rising costs and workforce challenges” says Caniglia. As a member of the Homes for Queenslanders Implementation Taskforce convened by the State Government, Q Shelter will propose a clear focus on actions that respond to the current housing shortage while medium to longer-term housing projects are conceived and eventually delivered. “We know that latent supply has already been adapted to social housing which is incredibly positive. We just need an even greater focus on finding more latent supply and to facilitate optimal utilisation of existing homes and buildings.” “We have also strongly advocated for greater deployment of modular home builders to achieve more supply as quickly as possible and further exploration of prefabricated building materials. We need to put things in place to achieve the infrastructure needed to industrialise construction in the future which has the potential to increase and diversify the workforce, decrease cost and speed up delivery.” “We all need to be at the table considering anything additional that can help address construction industry constraints right now”. The Taskforce convenes on Tuesday. Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works #housing #homelessness #homematters #bettertogether #queensland

Interesting solutions to solve the housing unaffordability crisis in NSW, put forward by the Productivity Commission. One solution floated is to expand the development of high density housing construction, to within 800 metres of certain high volume train stations. As someone who does not own a car (or want to as it's a liability where I live), interesting insight that scrapping car parking arrangements for housing developments could reduce the cost by up to 20%. Notably missing is the simple solution that the government should directly intervene to build affordable housing options itself, like it did post world war 2. The market cannot fix everything.

Can Labour's Housing Proposal Solve the UK's Housing Crisis? Labour's housing proposal aims to build 1.5 million new homes within the first five years to address the UK's housing shortage. The plan prioritizes "ugly" parts of the Greenbelt while recognizing the need to develop some greenbelt areas. It emphasizes preserving nature spots and enhancing green spaces, with support from the National Federation of Builders. Will this ambitious plan be the solution the UK needs? Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3QJKclo #LabourParty #HousingDevelopment #Greenbelt #AffordableHousing #ConstructionExcellence #RealEstateVentures #ArchitecturalInnovation #BuildYourDreamSpace #PropertyDevelopment #DesignMastery #UrbanArchitecture #RealEstateInvesting #ConstructiveVisions #ArchitecturalWonders #THTribe

Great points by Marjorie and in the article. There are lots of genuine problems in the planning system (and I’ve spent much of the last two decades writing about them) but I’m very tired of a) planning and development industry commentary on housing supply that is basically speaking to narrow sectoral interests rather than genuinely working though what the actual issues are; and b) finger-pointing at councils when so many of the most critical levers are held by the state government.

Great to see the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner looking at ways to fix the housing supply challenges - the recommendations in the below report are broad ranging and equally apply outside of NSW... The graphic below, taken from the report, highlights the costs involved in building a Sydney apartment. A few of the 32 recommendations include . Addressing what governments can do such as freeing up residential construction capacity by reprioritising capital (ie less/better targeted public infra spending) and prioritising infrastructure that is essential to delivering housing quickly. . Rapidly remove barriers to density - for example, expanding transit oriented development boundaries and height limits. . Improving the development process by clearing bottlenecks, improving the post DA approval process and create a 'pro-housing' regulatory environment. . Supporting the construction sector which is at capacity by reducing the competition with government funded projects, shifting the migration intake to support the sector and grow the workforce through training and cultural reform. The report also calls out a need for productivity improvements and encourages innovation. . Ensure a diverse and equitable supply of housing with homes being built in the right places, family friendly apartments, more student accommodation and maximising medium density housing options (the 'missing middle').

I will leave it to others to provide a more technical analysis of the freeze in BPIC for construction projects over $100 million, announced earlier this week. However, the current conditions did quite clearly seem to be impacting major residential developments and causing a ripple effect throughout housing projects across the state. I must say, I have seen this first-hand in discussions with developers, builders and housing providers who have found it challenging to make various projects stack up. Whether in absolute terms or simply in denting confidence, it impacted our collective need to scale up housing developments as quickly as possible to address a huge gap in current need, let alone the significant population growth and housing targets ahead of us. In terms of the upcoming review of the NCC. I want to emphasise the importance of maintaining Queensland's approach to the National Construction Code. While some may view this as a tax on housing developments or an additional burden when we should be minimising project costs, it is crucial to consider the broader implications of rolling back any of the major 2022 changes. My view on the components of NCC that Queensland have adopted is that they are fair and just for a modern and contemporary society and good for Queenslanders. Accessible (liveable) homes and energy efficiency homes should be the basic standard of our future housing supply if you ask me. The changes will positively impact people in our community who are elderly, vulnerable, or perhaps in a wheelchair. They will also save individuals and families money in the long run, and likely defer costs from the health and residential care system. I also note Mike Zorbas’s recent comments from the PCA, where he noted the benefits of the NCC. Of course, in a housing crisis everything comes into sharp focus and the knee jerk reaction would be to cut everything back, but the values you uphold during these difficult times establish the foundation for a strong and sustainable future, if you ask me. #Building #Construction #NCC #Queensland #MiniumumStandards Q Shelter

RTPI reiterates need for resources in Planning System amid Labour's housing reform proposal The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has stated that, while it supports efforts to manage the UK’s housing crisis, policy interventions to get more people on the property ladder must come with adequate resources to the planning system. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We are currently dealing with a severe housing crisis, with an urgent need to build more affordable homes and help young people get onto the property ladder. “But we need to ensure these are the right homes, built in the right places. Our planning system, which would play an essential role in delivering these houses, can do more to make homeownership achievable and affordable, and to provide a wider range of affordable housing options. However, this can only happen if there is a step change in funding for the next UK Government provides funding to councils to deliver high-quality planning services” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals https://lnkd.in/eRR2AsHg

COST OF LIVING CRISIS!!! Whether you are in the world, it is likely that there is some form of crisis regarding the cost of living. Although I recruit for the US, I am still living in the UK where a big topic is the cost of Houses. It is tough for the majority of young people to get on the ladder and either keeping people at home or forcing them to rent. However, I saw this article today about how the Raleigh City Council have approved $22.8 Million in funding for a number of projects aimed to create 454 affordable housing units across the city. Not only will this benefit many locals to be able to afford to move out, but also benefit the Home Building market in Construction. Please see the article below for more information 👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/eJ-jj2d3