The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee
has launched a new inquiry into Modern Methods of Construction
(MMC) and their potential role in boosting housing supply.
Modern Methods of Construction utilise a range of approaches,
such as off-site manufacturing and improvements to the
supply-chain, and are intended to produce more, better quality
homes in less time. Compared to more traditional forms of house
building, MMC can improve predictability of work and costs,
mitigate material shortages and the impact of developments on the
local area.
According to the Government's Industrial Strategy, MMC have the
potential to reform the residential construction sector so as to
meet its target of 300,000 new homes each year, and 1 million
between 2017 and 2020.
However, there have been challenges to implementing the strategy
more widely. The Government has identified inconsistent demand in
the housing sector and lack of collaborative construction supply
chains in expanding MMC practices.
The HCLG Committee found in a previous inquiry, Capacity in the
Housebuilding Industry, that increased use of MMC would require
greater Government support to give "lenders, consumers and builders
the confidence to use new methods".
This new inquiry will look at the benefits achieved by
housebuilders who have used MMC techniques and some of the
drawbacks that have been experienced. It will examine how national
and local government can support the use of MMC by and encourage
innovation in the sector.
The Committee is inviting submissions on:
- What are the benefits of MMC, and how can they sustainably
boost the housing supply?
- What are the primary risks to increasing the use of MMC?
- How could the Government, Homes England and local authorities
(a) increase demand for MMC to meet its homebuilding targets and
(b) support the construction industry in increasing the use of
MMC?
- How can small and medium sized housebuilders better utilise
MMC, including to support innovation and competition in the
construction industry?
- How can challenges related to access to finance (for both
homebuyers and developers) be overcome.
Click here for further details of the
HCLG Committee inquiry into MMC.
The deadline for submission of evidence to the Committee is 30
January 2019.
The Government's support for MMC and the role it could play in
accelerating the construction of a new generation of council
housing following the scrapping of Housing Revenue Account
borrowing caps will also feature on the agenda for the next meeting
of the ARCH NewBuild Network. Watch out for further
details.