A government-backed pilot scheme to unblock infrastructure delays on housing developments has been launched today.
The scheme, set up by the Housing & Finance Institute (HFI), will aim to identify, assess and then unblock infrastructure problems in order to speed up house building. It will pay particular attention to delays caused by lack of utilities or transport connections.
‘When we speak to housing developers, they often say it is water, electricity, gas, broadband and roads which are impeding their ability to build more homes faster,’ said Natalie Elphicke, chief executive of the HFI.
‘Our hope is that this new pilot scheme, which brings together key players from the private and public sectors, will provide us with a blueprint for fixing these issues and facilitating accelerated housing growth.’
The scheme will run until May 2017 and, if successful, will roll out across the UK later in the year.
Housing and planning minister, Gavin Barwell, added: ‘I welcome this new pilot scheme and its focus on identifying ways of working together to overcome infrastructure barriers, and I look forward to seeing the initial report on its findings.’