The government has missed its own deadline for responding to a scathing report into its modern methods of construction (MMC) strategy by a House of Lords select committee.
Peers on the built environment committee held an inquiry into MMC in the wake of several high-profile failures in the sector, criticising the government’s “undirected and nonstrategic” investments in MMC in its report at the end of January.
Committee chair Lord Moylan asked the government to respond to its recommendations within the standard six week time period, but former housing minister Lee Rowley wrote in March to ask for an extension, promising to respond by “late spring”.
Rowley was replaced as housing minister after the general election and the new government has given no indication as to when it might respond, although a spokesperson told Construction News that the department recognised the role of MMC in delivering its promise to 1.5 million homes.
The committee had also asked the government to publish its full MMC strategy by the end of March 2024 after casting doubt on whether it had one at all.
Moylan wrote that the committee had “limited confidence that a coherent plan to encourage the use of MMC is in place”, a position he dubbed “very disappointing”, given its importance to delivering the then-government’s housing ambitions.
Christy Hayes, chief executive of volumetric contractor Tide and manufacturer Vision, said he was waiting for the government’s response.
Hayes said the need for meaningful action to stimulate the sector was “critical”, as MMC can provide a significant portion of sustainable and efficient homes to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.
He added: “Volumetric construction, like other areas of the industry, is currently held back by an unpredictable planning and regulatory system.”
“Tide and Vision recently delivered 1,200 homes and have 2,000 more underway, a number that could grow significantly with a timebound planning policy.”
