New Build
Homes, what does the rest of 2022 hold in store?
2021 was a
good year for home building in the UK. Despite the financial challenges of the
pandemic, and the widely reported shortages of building materials, 49,470
new-build homes were built in England in the first three months of 2021. This
was the highest figure in over 20 years and a 4% rise against the preceding
quarter.
In the same period, work also began on a further
46,010 new-build properties, the highest number in nearly 15 years. Sounds
promising? It’s still not enough to meet the government’s target of building
300,000 new homes per year.
It’s a target that’s never been met. One strategy
to boost building figures is a new £2bn investment in bringing brownfield land
back into use for housing and related infrastructure. The main aim of this is
to regenerate underutilised land, which the government claims will bring
forward 160,000 new homes. Housing secretary Michael Gove announced plans to kickstart housebuilding for 2022, including encouraging the smaller builders who have been disappearing from the market over the past decades. In the 1980s, almost 40% of new homes were built by smaller developers and that figure is now only around 10%, due mostly to onerous regulations that favour larger housebuilders..
New building regulations for 2022 focus on
preventing energy loss and overheating as part of the drive towards fuel
efficiency and, ultimately, the phasing out of gas boilers. As of the beginning of 2022, it’s
also now compulsory to install electric vehicle chargers in all new-build
homes. This contributes to the ongoing high specification shown in modern new
build homes, which are now more sustainable, comfortable and efficient than
ever before.
Architecturally, new build homes are looking more
attractive than in recent years and there’s a clear trend for smaller
developments featuring stylish detached houses.
With housebuilding in 2022 looking set to continue to these high standards,
many people who might not have considered buying a new build in the past are likely to be
converted. After all, who doesn’t want a comfortably, energy-efficient and
well-designed home? As Adam Stackhouse, head of investments and commercial
developments at Winkworth explains: “If you are looking for hassle-free,
eco-conscious living with the added pleasure of outstanding sound insulation
and highly specified, brand-new internal fittings, all wrapped up in cast-iron
guarantees, then a new build is for you.”
Article
adapted from news story on Winkworth.co.uk – New Build Homes, what does 2022
hold? Published Jan 10th 2022