Housing Minister Esther McVey has brought out the big guns to shakeup the UK’s housebuilding industry. Mark Farmer, CEO of Cast, has been named the new ‘champion’ for Modern Methods of Construction as part of the government’s drive to make the UK the global leader in housing standards.
Mark Farmer is a well-known industry mouthpiece and cheerleader for MMC. He brings 30 years’ experience in construction to the role and will provide independent scrutiny and advice to the government on how to increase the use of MMC in housebuilding. He will also be charged with developing the ‘Construction Corridor’ in the North and promoting wider innovation in the sector.
Farmer will also act as an ambassador overseas for the UK’s MMC activities in housebuilding, using international networks and trade opportunities to attract investment into an industry that could be worth an estimated £40 billion once mature.
The newly named MMC champion Mark Farmer said: “I am delighted to have been asked to carry out this new role. This is a really important time for the construction industry and there is an urgent need to rethink how we build homes, delivering better quality, improved safety, carbon reduction and an array of exciting new career opportunities.
“I look forward to working with both industry and Government to make sure we now accelerate the uptake of modern methods of construction.”
It follows a major funding deal the Housing Minister announced recently, in which the government will inject £30 million into ilke Homes, the biggest ever government investment in an MMC factory. This new, transformational funding will play a crucial role in the scaling up production, bringing down production costs and allowing up to eight homes, which will create less waste and be more energy efficient, to be built a day.
Housing Minister Esther McVey MP said: “I want to see modern methods of construction – the new gold standard of building – being used up and down the country to usher in a green housing revolution. That’s why it is such fantastic news that Mark Farmer has agreed to be our new MMC Champion – to really drive forward innovation, and to help the government deliver a new generation of green homes.”
Russell Pedley, co-founder at Assael Architecture who co-chairs the Urban Land Institute UK Residential Council with Mark Farmer, added: “Mark is the perfect ambassador for the sector and this welcome appointment shows ministers are really prioritising ways to build cleaner, better quality homes more quickly in factories.”
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