Is the construction industry ready to meet Labour’s ambitious housing targets?

Rob Norton (pictured), British film director, PlanRadar

The Labour government’s ambitious new target of building 370,000 homes a year has reignited efforts to “get Britain building again”. But the question remains: will they rise to the challenge where others have stumbled?

The housing market and the housebuilding industry have been under relentless pressure over the past decade. Despite almost three million homes being given planning permission since 2015, another million remain unbuilt, held back by everything from skills shortages to skyrocketing materials costs to an economy turned upside down. But to meet Labour’s ambitious targets, the pace of housebuilding needs to more than double – a daunting task compounded by increasingly stringent building safety regulations and net zero emissions targets.

Achieving these goals will require not only speed but also precision. However, in an industry that is widely known to lack digitalization, construction professionals still struggle with the challenges of project oversight and quality assurance.

To accelerate the construction of future homes, it is therefore necessary to optimize processes such as recordkeeping, reporting and compliance with stringent building regulations, including those required by the Building Safety Act (BSA). So how do we make this a reality?

Leg up with technology

The housing sector is poised to benefit greatly from today’s technology and innovative approaches to development and construction. By leveraging digital tools and supporting collaboration between design teams, it is possible to efficiently deliver high-quality homes while meeting deadlines and budget constraints.

Simple, easy-to-use digital platforms offer unprecedented operational efficiency and a holistic view of projects, helping teams comply with new regulations and manage the “who, what, where, how and when” of projects. For example, the Golden Thread requirement requires meticulous digital documentation throughout the construction process. Cloud-based platforms make this possible. Teams can document progress via instant messaging, images and video in a secure, centralized and accessible location, ensuring that no detail is missed and all stakeholders can collaborate in real time.

More speed, less rush

This level of transparency also speeds up construction by ensuring that potential issues are flagged and addressed proactively – before they turn into costly delays and potential rework.

Time-stamped, geotagged live site photos and videos provide solid evidence that work has been carried out to a high standard, satisfying both internal teams and external parties such as the Building Safety Regulator BSA. Fire safety checklists, EWS1 forms, envelope surveys and more can also be digitised, reducing the time spent on site reporting.

But beyond that, these platforms help reduce miscommunication and administrative burdens. Automated workflows increase efficiency, and customizable report templates allow users to create customized reports, ensuring consistency across multiple documentation formats. This frees teams to focus on what really matters: building homes that meet the highest standards.

Changing the way of thinking

We are witnessing a change in the dynamics of this traditionally “low-tech” sector, but there is still much to be done. The most effective quality assurance programs integrate seamlessly into everyday workflows and require minimal training, making them accessible even to those with limited technical knowledge. This not only saves time, but also ensures that everyone on the project can contribute to maintaining high standards. In addition, interoperability with existing technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) promotes data integrity and compliance among all stakeholders.

Keeping promises

A bold political statement will not be enough to secure the future of housing in the UK. But in the rush to achieve this – we need to ensure that safety, consistency and quality are consistently maintained. This means adopting software that enables them to work smarter, not harder. The UK has been given a new opportunity to solve its housing crisis, and its success depends on the ability of its leaders to adopt new ways of thinking. Only then will we see the progress that the country so desperately needs.