Housing Market Intelligence Conference 2015

Housing Market Intelligence Conference 2015

Housebuilders were challenged by the government and the Labour party to improve their performance and meet the challenge of new homes supply at Housebuilder’s Housing Market Intelligence Conference yesterday (October 8).

The theme of the day was whether, given the positive outlook for the market, the industry will now step up and deliver a significant increase in new home building.

Peter Schofield, DCLG’s director general of housing, posed a series of questions to delegates, reminding housebuilders that solving the housing shortage “isn’t a job for government alone.”

He asked the industry if it was doing enough to turn planning permissions into new starts. While acknowledging the “complicated relationship” between the two, he said: “Now is the time for you to make the case for increasing volumes.”

He also called on housebuilders to join the government in building 200,000 starter homes, building on prime minister David Cameron's speech to the Conservative party conference the day before.

Labour's shadow housing minister John Healey also challenged the industry, questioning whether Help to Buy is still needed and justifiable. “No-one’s mentioned the scale of taxpayer underwriting - £2.5 billion,” he said.

Taylor Wimpey ceo Pete Redfern gave delegates his view on the market and the path ahead. He urged government not to focus on the housing numbers at the peak of the market, but at the low point. That way the focus will be on achieving more stability in the market and avoiding significant downturns.

Redfern explained the areas that TW was focusing on in the future, including retention, recruitment and development of employees and Project 2020, which seeks to look at what the home of 2020 could look like and what innovation is required to get there.
PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND BELOW

Where

Milton Court, Barbican, London

Agenda

HMI PRESENTATIONS - please click on the speaker below to download the presentation

QUESTIONNAIRE - delete and return to events@house-builder.co.uk

John Healey MP
Shadow Housing Minister

Peter Schofield
Director General of Housing, CLG

Pete Redfern
Group Chief Executive
Taylor Wimpey

Stewart Baseley
Executive Chairman
HBF

David Smith
Economics Editor
The Sunday Times

David Cowans
Group Chief Executive
Place for People

Grainne Gilmore
Head of UK Residential Research
Knight Frank

Anthony Codling
Managing Director
Jefferies International

Andrew Whitaker
Planning Director
HBF

John Stewart
Director of Economic Affairs
HBF

Simon Rawlinson
Head of Strategic Research & Insight
Arcadis

CONFERENCE CHAIR
Mike Quinton
CEO
NHBC