The housing minister has announced that the government is creating a PropTech Steering Board to enable housing, planning and regeneration reform.
The decision by Rachel Maclean and the DLUHC comes as a response to increasing market opportunities as well as a growing appetite in the housebuilding industry for a speedy transformation.
Maclean outlined that the new board will co-design the government’s role and aims in promoting market growth and the adoption of PropTech services across the housing, planning and land ecosystem.
The minister of state for housing and planning, said: “Our new PropTech Steering Board will ensure we’re using cutting-edge technology to revolutionise planning and housing across the country. We are already using PropTech to speed up local planning decisions – providing £8.7million to 65 pilot schemes to help councils build more homes in the right places with the consent of local people. This new technology will play a valuable role in delivering our ground-breaking reforms in the Levelling Up & Regeneration to ensure the planning system works for everyone.”
Sammy Pahal, managing director at the UK PropTech Association, said: “I’m pleased to be part of this steering board to facilitate greater collaboration between government and the industry. It’s encouraging that the department and the Housing Minister recognise the power of PropTech in addressing national challenges in the sector and are keen to create a thriving ecosystem for PropTech companies.”
The creation of the steering board is intended to not only transform the UK housing, planning and land markets, but also to help deliver the government’s long-term plan for housing which was outlined by the secretary of state in July.
The DLUHC also established the PropTech Innovation Fund in 2021 which aims to act as the facilitator between the supply and demand sides of the market and encourage public sector innovation.
The board will focus on finding solutions with PropTech to tackle a number of key areas:
- The regeneration of towns and cities to create vibrant communities and restore local pride
- Affording local communities more control by making it easier for communities to respond to planning consultations
- Facilitating public sector land owners and developers to easily identify suitable sites to build on to deliver more affordable homes whilst protecting the environment
- Enabling a faster and more efficient home buying and selling process and boosting alternative routes to home ownership
- Improving the quality of private rental and social housing provision and increasing residents’ voice to provide them with better protection against rogue landlords
The board will be led by Joanna Key, the director general (Regeneration, Housing and Planning) of the DLUHC, and will be made up of representatives from across the sector.
We will invite additional guests including representatives from PropTech companies, local authorities, and established industry to join for selected meetings to ensure a well-rounded discussion takes place.
