News PRP Unlocks: Navigating the Future of Housing Delivery at UKREiiF

PRP Unlocks: Navigating the Future of Housing Delivery at UKREiiF

Events, News

May 29, 2026

As the UK housing crisis intensifies, the urgency for meaningful reform has never been greater. At this year’s UKREiiF in Leeds, PRP hosted the fourth instalment of our ‘PRP Unlocks’ roundtable series, gathering industry leaders to move beyond the rhetoric and confront the systemic barriers stifling our built environment.

The conversation in Leeds was candid, reflective, and underscored by a shared sense of responsibility. While the sector is ready to build, we are currently navigating a landscape where design, policy, and economic reality are increasingly out of sync.

 

The Hurdles to Delivery

Our roundtable participants identified four core obstacles that are currently stalling momentum across the UK:

  • The Policy-Reality Gap: A recurring theme was the disconnect between those setting policy and those on the ground. When regulations are drafted without direct industry experience, the result is often rigid policy that fails to account for the complexities of commercial viability.
  • The Viability Crisis: The statistics are stark: there are currently 750,000 homes with planning consent that remain unbuilt. The issue is often structural—in many instances, the total cost of scheme delivery simply exceeds current market value, rendering projects unviable.
  • Systemic Inflexibility: Our planning system remains archaic. It struggles to pivot in response to market shifts, forcing developers and architects to draft multiple “battle plans” for a single project just to account for potential policy changes or market volatility.
  • The Skills Drain: The industry is facing a critical talent shortage. This is two-fold: we are seeing a mass migration of experienced planning officers to the private sector, and a concurrent failure to promote and train the next generation of essential construction trades.

 

The Path Forward

Despite these challenges, the consensus in the room was clear: the housing crisis is not insurmountable. To unlock delivery, our roundtable identified several key levers for change:

  1. Housing as an Economic Engine: We must shift the narrative. Housing is not just a social requirement; it is a primary driver of the UK economy. Evidence suggests that every 100,000 homes built adds 1% to our national GDP.
  2. Targeted Reform: We discussed the potential of Stamp Duty reform as a strategic tool to stimulate the energy-efficient new-build market, incentivising sustainable growth while helping first-time buyers.
  3. Advocacy & Collaboration: The industry needs a formal seat at the table. We need housing-trained experts directly influencing government policy to ensure that new regulations are not just theoretically sound, but construction-ready.

 

With thanks to our roundtable contributors:
Neil Jervis (Red Loft), Christopher Browne (Mace), Paul Nicholls (Wates Residential), Simon Barry (Peabody), Anthony Boden (Lovell Partnerships Ltd), Barbara Richardson (Square Roots), Catherin Williams (Home Builders Federation), Dominic Fryer (Danescroft Land Limited), Mark Connell (Sphere 25), Naomi Crawford, Scott Sanderson, Richard Harvey, and Bhupinder Singh Chawla (PRP).

 

Continuing the conversation

The ‘PRP Unlocks’ series was founded on the belief that real change is only possible through collective action. While the current landscape presents significant hurdles, the shared pressure of the housing crisis is fostering a new, more resilient spirit of collaboration across our industry. 

At PRP, we remain committed to bringing these voices together. By continuing this dialogue, we will champion the regulatory easing, flexibility, and pragmatic reform required to finally deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes the country desperately needs.