All Comment articles – Page 2
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CommentSpring statement and Trump tariffs… How can the built environment respond?
Fiscal developments over the past 10 days pose a multifaceted challenge for industry leaders to negotiate. Planning, innovation and collaboration will be key if we are to succeed, writes Richard Steer
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CommentWe urgently need a government that can stoke industry optimism
The prime minister has a golden opportunity to inject confidence in the UK for investors, developers and financiers, says Richard Steer. Only then will his much-touted growth agenda stand a chance
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CommentConstruction industry gossip: Tales from the riverbank
The latest chatter around the industry
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CommentPlanning reform and housing delivery in the year ahead – a lot to do but the signs are promising
Paul Smith describes the current planning reform landscape and finds positivity in the government’s general direction of travel
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CommentWe’ve survived another year… So what happens next?
We may be approaching the end of a particularly turbulent and damaging few years but the outlook is still full of obstacles and challenges, says Mark Farmer
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CommentIn 2025 we will see the economic consequences of 2024’s political decisions
With a relatively stable government in place, a plan to build 1.5 million houses, investment in green energy and a new infrastructure fund, we may well be viewed as a better bet by those who deserted us post Brexit, says Richard Steer
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CommentWhat exit of ‘the Peters’ means for the future of Homes England
The departure of both the chair and chief executive of the government’s housing agency sends a strong message that the ministry wants to build more homes and work with partners in a different way, writes Joey Gardiner
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CommentConstruction industry gossip: Long months spent at conference…
The latest chatter around the industry
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CommentThe net zero carbon buildings standard: tough but achievable?
The new standard is the most ambitious attempt to limit carbon emissions from buildings to date. What is behind it, and when will it start to make a difference?
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CommentHere we go again… if the industry won’t change, we must change the way we operate within it
The collapse of ISG is the latest illustration of a trading model still stuck in ‘inexorable decline’. The industry’s survival requires wise leadership, better decision-making and a focus on what is working rather than what is not, says Mark Farmer
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CommentGrenfell shames us all – but our politicians are just as culpable
Those named and blamed in Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report largely got what they deserved, but they were not alone in the way they operated. We may have learnt and changed since 2017, but there is still a long way to go, says Richard Steer
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CommentGrenfell: a tale of systemic failures
A legal overview setting out the findings of the inquiry’s final report, its recommendations and the potential ramifications for construction
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CommentLabour’s housebuilding dream could be a nightmare to realise
It seems shrewd of the new government to have got housebuilders onside at an early stage, bt is all the talk of large-scale social, affordable and accessible housing provision realistic, asks Richard Steer
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CommentWill Labour backbenchers try to block planning reform?
The election result means many traditionally anti-development constituencies now have Labour MPs with small majorities. Will they oppose Starmer’s green belt plans? And if so will he stand up to them, asks Paul Smith.
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CommentA new government – and a chance for construction to be heard
Keir Starmer steps in to No10 with much to do and the economy in a perilous state. He would be wise to engage with the built environment sector more successfully than his predecessors, says Richard Steer
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CommentWhat we need now is good governance
With the general election looming, it is worth reflecting on what is required to deliver the best outcomes within our industry, writes Paul Beeston of RLB