Construction Housing Boost for South East and Midlands
Posted by Stuart Hackett on Monday, May 14, 2018
In the Autumn 2017 Budget, the government pledged to build 300,000 new homes per year until the mid-2020s with £15 billion of financial support made available. This financial stimulus is now in full swing, with construction sites in South East England and the Midlands in need of qualified staff.
South East Takes the Lion’s Share
As of February 2018, over 70% of the Home Building Fund had been allocated to projects in London and the South East, with the Midlands accounting for a further 15%. This additional funding is increasing demand for skilled quantity surveyors and claims and delay managers with house building experience in these locations.
Figure 1 – Percentage of HBF loans by region. Source: Construction News
Associated Civil Engineering Infrastructure Opens Opportunities
To support these house building efforts, the Housing In frastructure Fund was introduced to help build key local infrastructure projects to make housing developments viable. The first wave of financing was announced in February 2018, with many large projects announced in both the South East and the Midlands, such as:
- £10 million for local highway infrastructure at Ashton Green, Leicestershire, for 3,000 homes
- £3.9 million for improved transport access infrastructure for the Priors Hall Park Scheme in Corby, Northamptonshire, a development of 5,100 new homes, 3 primary schools, and commercial areas
- £13.4 million for roads and utilities infrastructure at the Long Marston Airfield Garden Village near Stratford-Upon-Avon, providing 3,500 new homes
- £9.9 million for improved roads and healthcare facilities for the Peel Development site in Brent, delivering 2,300 homes
This is good news for engineers, construction staff, and quantity surveyors with roads, utilities and building experience as many professionals will be needed to deliver these projects and ensure that the 300,000 homes per year target is reached.
If you are looking for your next career move within the construction industry as an engineer, quantity surveyor, project manager, or construction professional, have a look through our vacancies.
Stuart Hackett
Senior Recruitment Consultant