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Wales Business Insider: Building Communities
Building Communities: Affordable Housing and Regeneration
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CF11 8AZ
Date: Tuesday 28th September 2010
Direct challenges were issued at Cardiff City Stadium when the private sector, third sector and public sector came face-to-face at Insider’s Building Communities event.
The morning was split into two debates. The first, on creating new communities, heard a plea from audience member Richard Keogh of Persimmon Homes, who warned that companies like his would stop building in Wales if forced to meet sustainability standards that were too expensive.
But Carole-Anne Davies, chief executive of the Design Commission for Wales, said builders may not have an option. She called for more sophisticated financial models and deals, adding: “The Westminster government is going to be the greenest we have ever seen. Scotland are doing the same. It’s a legal commitment in Wales. So where are you going to go? This agenda is going to find you wherever you go.”
Lex Cumber, head of business development at house builder Mi-Space, said replacing the Code for Sustainable Homes requirements with Passivhaus methods could make life easier for builders. “It’s great that Wales is looking to steal a march on England,” he said. “But the Assembly Government has written a cheque with its mouth that our sector now has to deliver on. (The code) is expensive and there is no working definition of zero carbon yet.”
The planning system came in for criticism from panelists. Miles Thomas, head of development at Savills, suggested penalising councils when they don’t make decisions on time. “How can it be right that it is the norm to allow programmes to slip?” he asked. “It wouldn’t be acceptable in any commercial environment and it shouldn’t be acceptable in planning.”
A show of hands showed a proportion of the audience concerned about finance for social housing and regeneration. But Andy Jones, social housing specialist and corporate relationship director at Barclays, said the banks had “appetite” provide funding for social housing. “Social housing is seen as great to have on the books,” he said. “It’s a good thing for a bank to be involved in because we have a corporate social responsibility.”
The second debate, on regenerating existing communities, garnered more forthright views. Dennis Hellyar, director at Austin-Smith:Lord, said more effort should go into the buildings we have, rather than building from scratch. “In St Mary Street in Cardiff we have fantastic buildings that on ground floor are retail,” he said. “Above, you see lots of boxes stacked in the windows. They are just not being used. Why can’t we do loft-style apartments and make use of the existing stock of buildings?”
Nikki Cole, head of development at Wales & West Housing Association, said her organisation hoped to use renewable energy to cut power bills for its residents. But she added: “I get a bit annoyed that our residents are used as guinea pigs for all new technology. We have to pick up the long-term costs. It would help if the private sector would just help out a bit.”
Andy Sutton, associate director at BRE, said communities should be involved early, when development plans were being drawn up, rather than late on when objections could delay projects. He said: “Understand places before we start tinkering with them. Get a good understanding of communities and how they work, and don’t assume that they need a piece of public art in the middle of a park.”
Section 106 obligations are too prescriptive and are crippling development, according to Rhiannon Webber, senior associate at Morgan Cole. “It is taking too long to negotiate because there is too much variation between councils.” she said.
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