A thread of things that the #LabourManifesto could mean for architecture as I work through it!
1. The Green Industrial Revolution will be huge for construction and design. Labour identify the energy use buildings as the largest cause of emissions and the promised roll out of heat pumps and solar thermal panels means nationwide upgrade and retrofit projects.
2. To develop the skills and knowledge needed to meet the climate emergency, Labour are promising 3% of GDP going into R&D. This could be a game changer for ecological construction techniques which sufferer from a deficit of research investment across the sector.
3. Local steel is clearly a priority of Labour and is coming up a lot in the manifesto including the promise of three new steel recycling facilities. For architects this could affect structures with a incentives to specify British steel rather than concrete frames.
4. A Climate Apprenticeships Fund to skill-up the workforce. It is likely many of apprenticeships will be in construction. Labour are targeting disadvantaged groups including BAME people which could help develop a more diverse construction sector.
5. Bus, train, walking and cycling infrastructure are all slated for investments. Architects have been arguing for more walkable and public transport in cities for years. The reinstatement of 3000 bus routes in particular suggests significant public work for transport architects.
6. Cars are in the slow lane out of town. A target of zero combustion engine sales by 2030, vehicle scrappage schemes and clean air zones suggest a winding down of car-based cities.
7. Labour say they will "make brownfield sites the
priority for development and protect the green belt."
priority for development and protect the green belt."
8. Fascinatingly, Labour propose an English Sovereign Land Trust, with powers to buy land more cheaply for low-cost housing. This could be the leaver which unlocked a wave of genuinely affordable housing projects which are often stifled by wildly high land costs.
9. On housing, Labour promise to be building 150,000 council and social homes *every year* by the end of their first term. Two thirds of these will be council-led meaning a both a massive amount of new public sector jobs for architects and in council housing departments.
10. The end of Right to Buy will be a gear-shift for local authorities, allowing councils to make far more long-term investments in their housing stock as they can be confident it won't be sold off. 200 year loans from pension funds will enable a very high standard of new homes.
11. New open-ended tenancies will bring the UK rental sector more in line with European countries like Germany. Along with other measures targeting cowboy landlords, this is likely to yield a gradual improvement in living conditions for renting Brits as the bar is raised
12. £1 billion a year for councils’ homelessness services and a pledge to end rough sleeping within five years suggests jobs designing new hostels for people experiencing homelessness (good news for Peter Barber Architects among many others!)
13. Tough measures to tackle the revolving door between public office and the private sector could mean the end of politicians and civil servants taking jobs with large property developers. This would help make a more level playing field between large clients & planning officers
14. Architecture relies on labour from the EU which is threatened by a hard Brexit. Labour will negotiate a soft Brexit which "guarantees EU nationals the automatic right to continue living and working in the UK." then give the public the final say on that soft Brexit vs Remain.
