House of Lords Construction Report

Innovaré are pleased to have contributed via our holdings company to the House of Lords inquiry into the emerging off-site manufacturing solutions for the construction industry and welcomes their report ‘Off-site Manufacture for construction: building for change’ released today. The report highlights that the construction sector requires a radical overhaul if it is to meet future needs and demands.

The report states currently, should the construction industry continue to operate as it does, the UK cannot meet the need for housing and may struggle to meet the need for infrastructure. The UK is already lagging behind many other countries in construction productivity and, when also faced with a growing labour shortage, the Government and construction sector must urgently find solutions.

The report continues, highlighting that off-site manufacture (OSM) can be utilised to greatly increase productivity whilst reducing labour demands, improving the quality and efficiency of builds and reducing the environmental impacts associated with traditional construction. It also concluded that in many cases, OSM is suitable for the construction of important social infrastructure including hospitals and homes and if the Government is to achieve its aim of building 300,000 houses a year by 2020, OSM would be the only feasible solution to meet this target, as traditional construction methods do not have the capacity to build enough homes.

It is essential for UK productivity and skills that Government deliver a positive response to the challenge set by the House of Lords and maximise this opportunity to unlock the social and economic benefits of off-site solutions.

You can read the House of Lords report here.