We convened with representatives from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in Cardiff to present a groundbreaking collaborative whitepaper to MS Lee Waters. The document outlines transformative proposals and key recommendations designed to tackle Wales’ housing challenges and drive positive impact across the public, private, and social housing sectors.
The whitepaper follows a pivotal roundtable held at our Two Central Square headquarters on 14 February 2025. Drawing on our 45 years of expertise in the housing industry, we brought together 26 key stakeholders to develop an integrated housing blueprint, chaired by Savills Director Nick Bennett. The recommendations outlined in the whitepaper are intended to play a critical role in shaping the outcomes of housing reform under the Welsh Government taskforce, which was announced by Jayne Bryant in November 2024 and has been led by Lee Waters since.
Key recommendations in the whitepaper include:
- Adoption of a risk-based approach to planning applications: Implement a tiered review process prioritising higher-risk projects to expedite approvals for developments aligned with local plans.
- Flexible funding timelines: Adjust funding structures to synchronise with project schedules, reducing delays and optimising resource utilisation.
- Pragmatic application of standards: Greater flexibility in applying the Welsh Development Quality Requirements (WDQR) and Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) to accelerate repurposing of vacant properties and facilitate new-build delivery.
- Data-driven housing supply monitoring: Establish a robust system to provide a continuous pipeline of land for new homes by introducing a new housing monitoring indicator that would trigger timely interventions and mitigate housing delivery shortfalls.
- Establish a brownfield register: Identifying urban sites that could be brought forward for housing/redevelopment thus increasing housing supply in sustainable locations.
- Career pipeline development for planners: Create cross-sector training and career opportunities that equip planning professionals to address modern housing challenges.
Speaking of the importance of cross-sector collaboration when tackling national challenges in the market, Alex Madden, Head of Planning, commented:
“We noted that all too often these conversations happen in silos, preventing any real headway from being made. With the network we have, there was real potential to get everyone in the same room to identify solutions that could work for all involved and avoid the roadblocks that occur when decisions are made without a holistic view of the issues. By collaborating with HBF and RTPI, we facilitated a roundtable to discuss both short-term and long-term ‘wins’ for consideration by the taskforce which has been led by MS Lee Waters.”
The roundtable brought together a diverse group of key stakeholders, including: Asbri Planning, Barratt Redrow, Bridgend County Council, Cadnant Planning, Cardiff County Council, Cardiff University, Community Housing Cymru, Davies Homes, Federation of Master Builders, Home Builders Federation, Kew Planning, Lichfields, Llanmoor Homes, Melin, Monmouthshire County Council, Persimmon Homes, POBL, RLH Architectural, Royal Town Planning Institute, Savills, Trivallis, United Welsh, Vale of Glamorgan County Council and WLGA.
