Soaring cost of building materials, lack of affordability and planning bottlenecks are some of the obstacles thwarting housing target
At South and City College in Birmingham, dozens of young people clad in hi-vis vests and hard hats are building mini-walls and plastering half-formed rooms.
Some weave in and out of stacks of bricks with wheelbarrows, while others use spirit levels to check the walls are straight and flat. In a few days time, these walls will be demolished and the plastering scraped away, for a new class to come in and try their hands.
This is the new generation of Britain’s construction workers, eager to rise to the task of building the 1.5m new homes the government has repeatedly proclaimed will solve the country’s housing crisis.
But despite ploughing ahead with extensive planning reform, cutting affordable housing targets and accessibility requirements in the name of a “Build Baby Build” philosophy, many in the sector think reaching the 1.5m target is impossible.
