The RICS has hit out at a “frustrating” lack of detail on the garden cities concept and the immediate delivery of key infrastructure projects in the Queen’s Speech today.
However, it said there was a welcome prioritisation of investment in infrastructure over the coming year.
Jeremy Blackburn, RICS head of policy and parliamentary affairs, added: “It is good to see the green agenda highlighted and zero-carbon targets are important, but a lack of clarity could hinder housing supply and this makes the early definition of small sites crucial. Allowable solutions must not be seen as a ‘get out’ clause for the property sector to shy away from its responsibility to embodied and emitted carbon reduction.”
Neelum Mohammed, senior sustainability consultant, building consultancy and planning at CBRE, said: “The proposal for Allowable Solutions to consent housing developers to offset any residual carbon reduction not being attained through the built environment via energy efficiency scheme contributions is a solution that should be welcomed. However, the option to offset carbon should not permit developers to then backtrack from building quality energy-efficient housing.”
The BCSC welcomed the acknowledgement of infrastructure as a driver for economic change. But it said that the government had fallen short in addressing the needs of Britain’s town centres.
Michael Green, chief executive of the BCSC, said: “The Queen’s Speech was the perfect opportunity for government to acknowledge this need and put the wheels of change in motion, but the opportunity has been missed.
“The Beyond Retail report found that the scale of change required to turn our towns around is equivalent only to the construction boom of the Victoria era or the rebuilding post World War II. Such significant change needs drive from national government, as well as the will of the property industry and local authorities, to succeed. In the final months of this parliament, a bolder Queen’s Speech would have put town and cities firmly in the frame but it seems we, and town centres nationally, are still being left wanting.”
There was more cheer for measures aimed at the pub sector, which included a statutory code and a body to adjudicate disputes.
Peter Constantine, director, hotels and leisure at GVA, said: “Generally there will be relief that the government has chosen not to introduce mandatory free-of-tie or guest-beer options into the pubco/tenant relationships, which could have caused widespread disruption within the sector as Landlords and tenants rebased their agreements to reflect such changes. The introduction of an adjudicator or ombudsman for the sector will be welcomed by many, though the costs involved in creating and running this service will not.”
annabel.dixon@estatesgazette.com
