Senior figures from across housing, energy, planning and professional services have been brought together by Business News Wales’ new INFORM initiative to examine what Wales needs to do to increase the delivery of affordable homes while creating stronger and more sustainable communities.
The Housing Editorial Board forms part of INFORM Wales, a new Business News Wales initiative designed to bring industry leaders together around some of the biggest economic and social challenges facing the country.
Meeting at Aberthaw Power Station, the board considered one central question:
What does Wales need to do over the next five years to increase the delivery of affordable homes while creating healthier, more sustainable and resilient communities?
The discussion brought together
- Luke Takeuchi, Group Chief Executive of Beacon Cymru Group
- Rhea Stevens, Head of Policy and External Affairs at Community Housing Cymru
- Sara Faye, Head of Policy & Communications at Crisis Cymru
- Bethan Evans, Partner at Menzies LLP
- Jonathan Cosson, Chief Executive of Warm Wales
- Matthew Dicks, Director of CIH Cymru
- Cerys Williams, Business Development Manager for Wales at E.ON
- Mark Harris, Planning & Policy Advisor Wales at the Home Builders Federation
- Rob Davies, Acting Engagement Director Wales at CITB.
A major focus of the discussion was the challenge of increasing housing supply and creating the conditions in which more affordable homes can be delivered.
The board explored the different factors affecting development pipelines, including land availability, planning, infrastructure, construction capacity and costs, development viability and access to finance.
It also considered the respective roles of Welsh Government funding, private capital and public land, and how greater long-term certainty could help housing associations, local authorities, developers and investors plan for future delivery.
Alongside the number of homes being built, the discussion considered where those homes are needed and how housing development connects with transport, employment, public services and the wider infrastructure required to create sustainable communities.
The Housing Editorial Board is part of a wider programme of INFORM boards being developed by Business News Wales across key industries and regions.
Business News Wales Managing Director Mark Powney said:
“Few issues demonstrate the interconnected nature of the Welsh economy as clearly as housing.
“We need more affordable homes, but delivering them immediately brings us into conversations about planning, land, finance, infrastructure, construction capacity and skills.
“At the same time, there is a huge challenge around the homes we already have, how we improve them, make them warmer and more energy efficient, reduce costs for residents and ensure investment delivers genuine long-term value.
“INFORM gives us the opportunity to bring people with different perspectives and expertise into the same conversation, identify where the barriers really exist and then use our role as an independent media platform to turn that insight into evidence that can be shared more widely.”
The findings from the Housing Editorial Board will now contribute to Business News Wales' continuing coverage and the development of the INFORM evidence base.
