With the UK’s housing crisis increasing evermore, the government has started to investigate alternative methods to accommodate the UK’s growing population.
Part of this includes revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to make it easier for developers to build upwards rather than outwards.
Not only would this create new homes for those who so desperately need them but it would also increase housing density across cities.
To raise awareness, Insulation Express have investigated the benefits of building upwards before uncovering the cities that require it the most – https://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/blog/britain-benefit-building-upwards/
The Benefits of ‘Building Upwards’
It Could Help Save What’s Left of the ‘Green Belt’ Every year, an increasing number of houses are being built on the UK’s protected neighbouring countryside, otherwise known as the Green Belt.
In 2017/18 alone, 264,498 residential homes were built on this land – which was an increase of 34% from the year before. (See the GIF highlighting this) With pressures mounting to release further of the Green Belt land, focusing on ‘building upwards’ on existing residential buildings would be the perfect alternative.
It Would Help Overcome Construction’s Current Challenge of an Ageing Workforce. Did you know that nearly half (47%) of UK construction workers are aged 45 and over? Whilst this means that we currently have a critical employment challenge, ‘building upwards’ could be the solution. Upwards extensions are built using the modular housing methods – where houses are manufactured on a production line. This means that workers only need to be semi-skilled to work the production line, therefore, making the hiring process easier.
Top 10 Cities That Would Benefit From ‘Building Upwards’. What’s more, rather than forcing people to live outside of cities – such as on the Green Belt – ‘building upwards’ would allow them to live and work in cities. To help, Insulation Express have uncovered which cities are the most over-populated and, therefore, has the most ‘building upwards’ potential:
The research reveals that developers should be focusing their ‘building upwards’ projects in Brighton and Leeds as these are the most densely packed cities. Surprisingly, Brighton residents have just 109 sqm. to themselves which is considerably lower than London residents (147 sqm. each).
Are you interested in the full findings?
