Earlier this week, the BBC’s Panorama asked whether the Government would hit its target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029 – and whether doing so will make housing more affordable. Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary, insisted he would “absolutely” meet the goal, telling Panorama that widespread scepticism would make “celebration all the sweeter” when he hits it, as reported by the BBC.
Whilst it’s easy to fixate on numbers, doing so risks the nuance and complexities of planning. What the 1.5 million figure and the “Build, baby, build” rhetoric doesn’t convey is why 1.5m homes are needed – and what infrastructure and quality has to come with them.
All the statistics show that a safe, secure home provides the backdrop for higher educational, social and health outcomes. With a good home, children do better at school, behaviour is better, and they are healthier. Building high quality homes would reduce costs elsewhere in the system.
Against this backdrop we strongly support the Government target to build 1.5m homes in this Parliament. But we also know that if we build poor quality homes, without understanding and engaging the communities where we are working we will create different problems in the future – not least in hardening community attitudes towards developers and development.
Cratus Group’s work in community engagement and Planning communications fosters meaningful, inclusive dialogue between developers, local authorities, and the communities they serve. The Panorama episode struggled to capture how this work builds trust and cohesion by going beyond traditional consultation methods.
By engaging directly with residents and using digital platforms, planning consultations can embody the consistent effort and perseverance of the tortoise, rather than the hasty sprints of the hare. While Panorama highlighted some strong local opposition to development, what wasn’t shown was the impact that purposeful public consultation can have — where communication consultants like us help reflect the needs and aspirations of entire communities, to overcome the vocal minority of objectors.
If you want to build, start with building relationships. We can help.