Bill Esterson, shadow minister for business and industry, has visited David Wilson Homes’ Sundial Place development in Sefton, hosted by NHBC, to discuss ongoing skills shortages in housebuilding, preparing for the Future Homes Standard 2025 and the advancement of off-site manufacturing
On Wednesday 15 February 2023, Bill Esterson received a demonstration of the low carbon technology at Sundial Place and was shown a ‘smart roof’ – manufactured off-site, then brought on-site and tiled – that cuts build time from two weeks to just one day.
Sundial Place is a luxury development of 2-4-bedroom homes in Thornton, Sefton.
He praised the use of timber frame being used on site and the new technologies being embraced by the new build housing sector, commenting: “there is much to learn regarding technologies that can cross over to the retrofit sector.” Talking about skills shortages, he said, “greater flexibility of the Apprenticeship Levy is needed to encourage greater business engagement and uptake among young people.”
Demonstrating the advancement of offsite manufacturing
NHBC regional director for the North West, Darren Horner, said: “We were delighted to welcome Bill Esterson MP to David Wilson Homes’ Sundial Place development and talk to him about the advancement of off-site manufacturing and NHBC Accepts, our comprehensive review service for innovative construction systems.
“With the demands on the industry to increase the volume of new homes’ supply and the simultaneous challenges around materials and skills, we are at a critical stage in the development of modern methods of construction (MMC).
“We are proud to be using our scale, expertise and knowledge of house building to work with manufacturers to provide developers, investors, lenders and home buyers with the confidence that innovative systems can meet the same high standards of quality and durability as traditionally-built homes.”
Building low-carbon, high quality homes in Sefton
Robert Holbrook, managing director at Barratt David Wilson North West, added: “If we are serious about achieving net zero carbon, we need to innovate and invest today in the right technologies and the right skills for the future.
“The team at Sundial Place were proud to show Bill Esterson MP how we are building low carbon, high quality homes in Sefton, and to discuss the importance of diverse and accessible routes into the construction sector.
“This includes a wide-ranging and flexible apprenticeship programme and a pathway for experienced workers, from inside and outside of the sector, to upskill or retrain, so we have the depth of knowledge to continue to innovate and evolve.”
