Housing Market Intelligence Conference 2021

Housing Market Intelligence 2021 - Live Event!

HMI returns to discuss the market, collaboration and design

Housing minister Christopher Pincher called on the industry to harness the spirit showed during the pandemic as the country moves towards a “brighter future” in his speech to the Housing Market Intelligence Conference on October 7^th.

Pincher noted the “remarkable resilience” the sector displayed in responding to Covid and the buoyancy of the housing market. He outlined the measures the government had taken to support the industry and more recent announcements including the Affordable Homes Programme, under which 32,000 social rent homes were set to be built, more than double than that offered in the previous programme.  

Also speaking at the conference, which was making a welcome return as a live event, Pete Redfern, ceo of Taylor Wimpey, said that a lack of investment for more than a decade had left housebuilding less prepared for the challenges of delivering energy efficient homes. “If we’re honest, we’ve underestimated in the time, people and the kind of regulation we need [to tackle the environmental agenda] since the financial crash. We’re playing a huge catch up”.  

HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley took the opportunity to outline the challenges facing the industry, but also to remind delegates – and the minister – of the many positives that housebuilders deliver which, he said, were not always reflected in newspaper headlines.

Steve Wood, NHBC’s ceo, stressed the importance of collaboration to address the risks of the environmental agenda and other challenges. “We have to drive improvements, not just for the planet but for consumers and business. It’s in our interests to face this together. We’ve got to recognise it makes more sense to co-operate and collaborate.” 

The conference offered two examples of industry collaboration – firstly the cross-industry Future Homes Task Force, established in response to the environmental agenda. Neil Jefferson, md of the Home Builders Federation and Edward Lockhart, co-chair of the Future Homes Task Force, spoke about the work behind the collaboration, involving housebuilders, the supply chain, planning, infrastructure and other sectors.  

And David Craddock, director of Elite NuGEN Homes and Edwin de Silva, Travis Perkins’ business development director, gave the conference’s other collaborative example. The small developer and large builders merchant formed a partnership to deliver an Elite NuGEN scheme, with de Silva offering access to manufacturers and suppliers, allowing the developer to build low carbon, MMC homes. 

Sunday Times economics editor David Smith gave his view on the state of the economy and the influences that may affect the market, which Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, presented data and information on the market and the new homes sector as well as revealing new consumer research on attitudes to new homes.

Concluding the conference, which was chaired by business journalist Simon Jack, Nicholas Boys Smith of Create Streets spoke about the importance of beauty in design of new homes and developments.

HMI 2021 RECORDING COMING SOON *available for all delegates and report bookings.  To purchase a copy of the report please download the booking form here. and select report only.  complete and return to events@house-builder.co.uk with payment.