Our Managing Director, Sarah Barraclough, recently joined BBC Radio 4 to discuss the Office for Budget Responsibility’s optimistic forecast that the UK could soon build more homes than it has in over 40 years. You can listen from 6:16 am on BBC Sounds!
The government’s reforms to planning policy, including changes to Green Belt regulations and additional funding for construction skills, are being welcomed in some circles. But for smaller, independent housebuilders like us, the story isn’t so simple.
Speaking candidly on the Today Programme, Sarah laid out the real challenges our industry is facing:
“The planning reforms released this week are old news as far as we’re concerned. It’s an ambitious target, but it’s flawed without resource.”
Every day, we’re navigating a planning system that is under-resourced and overstretched. Statutory timeframes are rarely met. Conversations with planning departments, which should be the foundation for collaborative development, are often impossible.
While changes to the Green Belt and public land sound promising on paper, many come with conditions that are simply unworkable for landowners or for SME developers like us. And while unlocking land may benefit the larger national housebuilders, it does little for the SMEs who employ local people, support local economies, and build homes that families aspire to live in.
“This isn’t land for people like us. We’re not the ones building new towns. We’re the ones creating beautiful, quality homes for real families in the places they already love.”
Sarah also touched on one of our biggest concerns: the skills shortage.
“Our workforce is aging. We try to support apprenticeships, but the entry requirements for young people, especially in English and Maths, create blockers. These kids want to be electricians, joiners, painters. They don’t need to write an essay about it.”
At Skipton Properties, we’ll continue doing what we do best: building homes that people fall in love with. But to meet the nation’s housing goals, the voices of SMEs need to be heard, and supported, at every level.
We’re proud of Sarah for championing our industry on a national platform. Because if we want to build a better future, we need to start with an honest conversation.
