The property industry's offer to the Government and other policymakers

The Government rightly sees the built environment as key to delivering on wider ambitions on growing the economy, housing, new towns, infrastructure and the NHS. Funding is part of this but so is regulation – the policy environment that can make or break growth. Government is seeking to ‘Regulate for Growth’ and we support this – relatively simple and low-cost reforms could drive significant change.

Policy stability and consistency, and a supportive political climate, is therefore paramount.

The prize on offer is significant. If the Government works in partnership with the industry and adopts the right policies and approaches, then looking ahead 10 years we can deliver a huge range of benefits across the built environment and beyond.

'A Plan for Growth' sets out how we can deliver this vision.

The British Property Federation's General Election manifesto 'Building our Future' sets out the property industry’s offer to the new Government.

Summary: We are the Government’s key partner investing to improve people’s lives. We invest hundreds of billions of pounds each year to rebuild and renew the UK’s buildings and public spaces – representing 7% of the country’s economy. Much of this money comes from the funds who manage our pensions and savings or insure our homes and belongings - whether here in the UK or overseas.

With the right policy and regulatory framework, we can do much more: invest more of our money in the priorities that matter to local communities, create more wealth and also deliver safer, healthier places for people to live, work and relax.

This manifesto is produced by the British Property Federation Retail Board - major owners, investors and managers of retail properties who are passionate about improving town centres and communities.

Our recommendations cover four policy areas:

• Attracting private sector investment;
• Business rates;
• Promoting sustainability; and
• Leasing arrangements.

This manifesto is produced by the British Property Federation’s Industrial Committee and Logistics Property Board.

This manifesto sets out eight recommendations for achieving this across three areas:

•  Plan-making;
•  Decision-taking; and
•  Delivery.

Our offer to the next Government is to deliver a step change in output of homes across a range of tenures: 

• Affordable housing;
• Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA);
• High-quality build-to-rent (BTR) homes; and
• Fit-for-purpose homes for older people. 

We have a driving passion to see a planning system that functions quickly, efficiently and with certainty - which in turn delivers the places that make the country more productive and sustainable.

This manifesto makes recommendations on four areas:

• Strategic planning to drive growth in the right locations;
• Creating stability by allowing the local plan system to bed in;
• Public and private investment in the planning system; and
• Planning obligations

This manifesto has been produced by members of our Sustainability Committee, which comprises some of the UK’s biggest investors, owners and managers of property, as well as real estate experts and advisors.

Our recommendations on how Government can help us do this cover five themes:

• Delivering policy and regulatory certainty;
• Financing the transition;
• Closing the data deficit;
• Transforming the UK’s electricity grid; and
• Reforming the planning system.

Following our Building our Future campaign, we have submitted our BPF Autumn Budget Representations outlining how the UK property sector can work with Government to make a significant contribution to national growth. Read more below more below.

Our BPF Autumn Budget Representations highlight how the UK property industry can work with Government across four themes: 

• Building new homes, employment space and critical infrastructure;
• revitalising our town centres and retail destinations;
• decarbonising our buildings; and
• embracing technology and utilising data.