Britain’s lack of capacity to produce building materials is a fundamental barrier to the government’s promise to build seven new towns, says a report from the House of Lords Built Environment Committee.
In March the government announced the new town locations. They include Thamesmead and Milton Keynes, which are hardly new. There’s another question: why build anyway on green field sites, destroying farmland and natural habitat.
Reserves of sand and gravel are low. Britain has to import about a quarter of the building materials used. New towns will require constant and reliable supplies of water, energy and digital connectivity, which the report says represents a “challenge” for the government.
The report finds “minimal spare capacity” in supply of water in particular. It warns new towns will have to compete with industry and new data centres for scarce water. That issue applies across the board to the government’s target of 1.5 million new houses.
Houses cannot be built by AI. They need skilled construction workers from many trades. Decades of under-investment in apprenticeships and vocational education will make it hard to recruit the workers.