The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) has welcomed the Government’s recent announcement of further support for the development of Garden Communities.
Launching the new Garden Communities Prospectus last week, Housing and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said the Government wants plans to come forward to support developments that would deliver significant housing and economic growth.
The SELEP area is leading the way in the development of Garden Communities, with almost half of the 200,000 garden settlement homes already supported by the Government earmarked to be built within East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Thurrock and Southend.
In all, 96,500 new homes are earmarked for Garden Communities in North Essex; Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, Dunton Garden Suburb in Essex; and Ebbsfleet and Otterpool Park in Kent.
Prioritising garden towns and villages
The Government’s prospectus says it will prioritise proposals for garden towns of more than 10,000 homes, but would also consider bids for garden villages providing upwards of 1,500 units.
The document outlines a three-month application process and lists a series of criteria against which bids will be judged. Successful garden community proposals will be announced in the new year, the government said.
Successful bids will receive packages of support which could include loans and investment, advice and development corporation status.
Commenting on the Secretary of State’s latest announcement, Christian Brodie, Chair of SELEP, said: “We are very supportive of the Garden Communities programme in our area and are doing all we can to help accelerate their development.
“Representatives of the North Essex Garden Communities presented to our Strategic Board in June, we will be hearing from Ebbsfleet at our September meeting and Harlow, Gilston and Otterpool Park will be sharing their aspirations with us later in the year.
“We are glad to see the Government supporting the concept, which is about more than just building homes; it is about placemaking, creating employment, skills and a quality of environment to serve a growing population.
“We would encourage local authorities and developers to work together to take advantage of the Government’s latest incentives, identify suitable sites within their areas and put forward further proposals.”
Nick Fenton, Chair of the SELEP Housing and Development Group, added: “Under the Garden Communities programme, we have the largest number of planned homes officially recognised by Government to date and a proven ambition to plan holistically.
“Garden Communities provide the opportunity to build new settlements that are fully supported by the necessary infrastructure and social welfare networks to help them thrive.
“I would urge developers across the area to working closely with local planners and SELEP to make sure these significant investments build communities that people will want to live in and be proud of for generations to come.”
Addressing skills shortages
One of the key areas SELEP is supporting developers is in helping tackle the skills shortage in the construction sector and the need for the industry to change and adapt to new methods of working.
The LEP launches its Skills Strategy in September which has been developed in conjunction with businesses and education providers and which aims to increase apprenticeships and industry relevant qualifications and simplify the skills landscape for employers. The strategy particularly recognises the importance of skills in the construction sector in supporting these ambitious development plans.
It is also supporting iConstruct, a project focussed on driving change in the Construction industry, tackling the skills issue and helping it adopt new pre-manufactured solutions via off-site and modular building.
A decision on funding for the project is expected this autumn, with launch in January 2019.