Our reaction to the Chancellor's economic growth speech

Today we've shared our reactions to the government's plan to kickstart economic growth. Here are comments from our Chief Investment Officer, Amanda Williams in response to Rachel Reeves' speech:

“The UK needs to go further and faster in housing delivery, and today’s plans to unlock brownfield land around railway stations is a positive example of the government thinking innovatively about how to do that. It’s clear the Chancellor recognises the challenges that have hampered homebuilding in the past, and any efforts to transform the planning system and land availability are welcome. But it’s important to make sure affordable homes are baked into these plans – particularly when we know demand is so acute.

“We know from experience that brownfield sites can prove to be more costly and complex to remediate, so viability challenges could make committing to delivering affordable homes even harder.

“Underpinning any of these changes is the commitment in terms of financial backing to the housing sector. Looking ahead to the spending review, it would be encouraging to see the Affordable Homes Programme, Housing Infrastructure Fund and brownfield funds strengthened to make sure affordable housing delivery is viable.

“Housing associations will be a critical enabler to help deliver affordable options for people and complex schemes that meet local needs. While there is no silver bullet to solving the housing crisis, this type of collaboration will be crucial to delivering the variety of homes needed, not just the volume.”