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Crown Paints has unveiled a specialist training programme to help architects and designers consider neuroinclusive principles more confidently within their practices

The launch of a neuroinclusive training programme is a direct response to findings from the Designing for Neurodiversity report, which revealed a significant knowledge gap across the professions.

Jemma Saunders, colour consultant at Crown Paints, stated: “Our research revealed designers want to create more accessible spaces but need practical support to make it happen.

“This programme brings together useful frameworks, prompts and expertise to help professionals consider neuroinclusive design more confidently in their everyday work.”

79% of practices unprepared for neurodivergent needs

The research found that while 62% of architects now see neurodiversity specified in project briefs, 79% of practices lack the expertise to design for neurodivergent needs.

The programme is designed to give professionals practical knowledge, useful prompts and greater confidence to factor neuroinclusive thinking into design decisions across their work.

Championing neuroinclusive training for better environments

The programme forms the next phase of Crown Paints’ Designing for Neurodiversity campaign and reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to helping shape more accessible environments through research, collaboration and education.

Led by neuroinclusive design specialist Dr Katie Gaudion alongside Crown Paints’ expert consultants, the training explores how sensory considerations, inclusive design principles and colour specification can support more considered environments for neurodivergent individuals.

Participants will take part in hands-on co-design activities and collaborative tasks to gain a practical understanding of sensory needs. They will learn how to apply these insights directly to live projects and real design choices, moving beyond standard, one-size-fits-all approaches to create spaces that work for everyone.

Dr Katie Gaudion explained: “Designing for neurodiversity requires understanding how different people experience built environments and creating spaces that respond to that diversity. There’s no single formula, but principles and sensory considerations can be applied reliably.

“This training bridges the gap between research and real-world practice, helping designers make neuroinclusive thinking genuinely achievable across their profession.”

Saunders concluded: “By working with Dr Katie Gaudion and our consultants, we’re bringing together research-backed insight and specification expertise. The goal is to give architects and designers greater confidence to ask the right questions and build neuroinclusive thinking into their practice.”

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Viki James, managing director, consents management at Ardent, explains the preparation needed between achieving Development Consent Orders and actually delivering a project

The government has set an ambition to deliver decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects during this Parliament. But will 150 Development Consent Orders (DCOs) mean 150 projects moving successfully into delivery?

Will the country get the green energy infrastructure, nuclear power stations, hydrogen pipelines, roads and reservoirs those consents are intended to enable – or simply 150 planning permissions?

Achieving a DCO is not reaching the summit. It is reaching base camp. You’ve done a huge amount of preparation to get there, but this is where you check you have the right equipment, supplies, and oxygen for the climb ahead.

The same applies to major infrastructure. A significant, but largely unrecognised, gap remains between securing consent and delivering a project. Consent needs to be integrated throughout the journey, not acquired, handed over, and treated as a completed task.

Different languages, same destination

Preparation largely happens during planning, but the summit is the infrastructure itself.

Planning and construction work toward the same ultimate outcome; one cannot exist without the other, but they have different remits, speak different languages, and can be working toward very different immediate outcomes.

The consenting process is focused on securing permission within defined parameters, requirements and commitments. Construction is focused on delivering safely, efficiently and cost-effectively. Joining the two together can be like trying to connect Lego with Meccano.

After a DCO examination concludes, the planning team’s role changes significantly. Instead of promoting and defending the scheme at examination, attention turns towards discharging Requirements and preparing for delivery.

Meanwhile, construction teams can be handed an enormous body of documentation. On nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), this can run to between 60,000 and 80,000 pages. Simply telling a contractor to “comply with the DCO” therefore vastly underestimates the challenge.

Planning itself is not a barrier. Properly understood and respected, it is an enabler. The problem arises when the drive, and the glory, of getting something built becomes disconnected from an understanding of everything that went into securing permission in the first place.

Bridging the gap

A myth remains that you can receive a DCO decision on a Friday and start construction on Monday.

In reality, construction teams can be procured against design and delivery programmes that have not sufficiently accounted for the DCO. Problems can then emerge when alternative methodologies or sequencing would save time or money but conflict with commitments already made through the consenting process.

Neither side is failing in its remit. Consent teams are there to secure consent – a process which does not always require detailed scrutiny of exactly how something will ultimately be built. Construction teams build it safely, quickly, and cost-effectively.

As I was once told, you can build almost anything with enough time and money. The challenge is joining those two remits together so that the same infrastructure outcome can be achieved in practice.

That is where consent integration comes in: creating continuous feedback between consenting and planning teams and their construction counterparts, rather than a handover from one distinct entity to another. Consent should be actively managed as a living part of a project throughout its lifespan.

There is also a valuable opportunity between examination and construction. Following the end of examination is a six-month statutory determination period, followed by a less clearly defined pre-commencement period before work starts on site.

Used wisely, the determination period can help maximise, and potentially shorten, the pre-commencement phase by translating commitments, obligations, and compliance requirements into something tangible for delivery teams.

Crucially, this is also often when members of the consent team are released onto other projects, meaning valuable knowledge can be lost just when it is needed to bridge the transition into construction.

An emerging discipline

Consent integration is still an emerging discipline, but it can make this transition significantly smoother.

Sitting between consent management, planning, legal, environment and land on one side and construction and delivery on the other, it can prevent small gaps in understanding from becoming much larger problems.

It requires a specialist skill set: a detailed understanding of planning and legal requirements, alongside enough technical and construction knowledge to understand how a project will actually be delivered.

People across the industry are undoubtedly already doing this. But if the UK is serious about accelerating infrastructure, we need to recognise consent integration as a distinct part of project delivery.

Securing a DCO is a major achievement and an important summit in its own right. The challenge is ensuring the planning expertise that got us there doesn’t get left behind at base camp, but stays with the project as it moves into delivery and helps shape the infrastructure the country needs.

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By Craig Collier, Director, StructAssure

 

A permit to work is often treated as a form to be signed before a job can start. It is not. 

A permit is the written record of a decision that a high-risk task has been made as safe as it reasonably can be, that the right precautions are in place, and that everyone involved knows what those precautions are and who is accountable for them. 

When an incident happens on a hot works, confined space or excavation task, the permit is one of the first documents an HSE inspector or an insurer asks to see, because it shows whether the work was controlled or merely authorised. The two are not the same, and the difference is usually visible in the detail on the page.

What a permit actually controls

The Health and Safety Executive sets out the principles in HSG250, Guidance on permit-to-work systems. A permit is appropriate where the risk is high enough that ordinary method statements and supervision are not a sufficient control on their own, and where the work needs to be positively coordinated, isolated and time-limited. 

A permit that earns its place does five things: 

It names the specific task and location, not a general activity. 
It confirms the isolations and precautions that must be in place before work starts, and that they have been checked by someone competent. 
It sets a time limit, so that a permit cannot quietly remain live after the conditions it was issued under have changed. 
It cross-references the risk assessment and method statement that the precautions come from, rather than restating them loosely. 
It provides for a formal hand-back, so the person who issued it confirms the area is safe and the permit is closed. A permit with no hand-back is a permit that never actually ended.

The most common failing is the permit that is filled in once and then detached from reality. The work takes longer than planned, a second crew joins, the isolation is briefly broken to test something, and none of it reaches the permit. By the time anyone looks, the document describes a job that no longer exists. 

A good system treats the permit as live: if the conditions change, the permit is suspended or re-issued, not quietly overrun.

Hot works permit

Hot works, meaning any task that produces heat, sparks or a flame, such as welding, grinding, cutting or the use of a blowtorch, are a leading cause of avoidable fires on site and in occupied buildings. 

The permit has to do more than record that hot works are taking place. Under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, a permit should confirm that:

    ✔ Combustible materials have been removed or protected within a sensible radius
    ✔ Suitable fire extinguishers are to hand
    ✔ The area has been checked for flammable atmospheres where that is a possibility

The single control most often missed is the fire watch after the work stops. Smouldering material can take time to develop into a fire, so good practice is to keep a fire watch during the work and for at least sixty minutes after it finishes, with a further check an hour or two later before the area is left unattended. A permit that ends at the moment the torch is switched off has closed too early. 

In England and Wales the fire precautions for work in occupied premises also sit within the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which the permit regime should reflect rather than duplicate.

Confined spaces 

A confined space is defined by its character, not its size: a place that is substantially enclosed where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of serious injury from hazardous substances or conditions, such as a lack of oxygen, toxic gas, or free-flowing solids. Tanks, sewers, ducts, manholes and unventilated voids all qualify. 

The Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, with the Approved Code of Practice L101, set the order of control clearly, and it is an order a permit should follow. The first duty is to avoid entry altogether where the work can reasonably be done another way, for example by cleaning or inspecting from outside. 

Where entry cannot be avoided, a safe system of work is required, and the permit records it: 

The atmospheric testing before and during entry
The ventilation
The control of the task
Communications with the person outside
The limits beyond which everyone withdraws

The duty that is most often underdone is the one the regulations treat as essential, which is suitable and sufficient emergency arrangements before the work begins. Rescue cannot be improvised. If the plan for recovering an unconscious person from the space is not written, rehearsed and resourced before anyone goes in, the system is not ready, whatever the permit says.

Excavations

Excavations fail quietly and then suddenly. A face that has stood for a week is not evidence that it is safe, because the ground changes with weather, vibration and time. 

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require:

     ✔ An excavation which could collapse is prevented from doing so by suitable support or by battering back to a safe angle
    ✔ Materials and loads are kept back from the edge
    ✔ Steps are taken to prevent people and vehicles falling in 

They also require that the excavation is inspected by a competent person at the start of every shift before work begins, and again after any event likely to have affected its stability, such as heavy rain or an unexpected collapse, with the findings recorded. 

A permit for excavation work should tie all of that together, and it should not be issued until the underground services have been located and proven. Striking a buried cable or a gas or water main is one of the most common serious excavation incidents, and it is almost always a failure of the checks that should have happened before the first bucket went in: drawings obtained, a cable avoidance tool used, and trial holes dug by hand where the risk is high.

Practical ways to measure whether the system actually works

A permit system can look complete and still fail, so it is worth asking how you would know it is working before an incident tells you it was not. The honest measures are leading ones, taken from the permits themselves. 

Sample live and closed permits and ask a plain question of each: could someone who was not there tell, from the permit alone, what the task was, what the precautions were, who checked them and whether the permit was properly closed. 
Track the proportion of permits that are formally handed back rather than left open or overrun, because open permits are the clearest sign that the system is being treated as paperwork.  
Watch whether permits are being raised for the right tasks and not for trivial ones, because a system that cries wolf trains people to sign without reading.  
Treat a near miss on a permitted task, a fire watch cut short, an atmosphere not tested, a service not located, as a reportable weakness in the system rather than a one-off, because it is telling you where the next incident will come from. Counting lost-time injuries tells you what already went wrong. Reading your own permits tells you what is about to.

What good looks like

A permit to work system that stands up to scrutiny is specific, live and honest. Each permit describes one real task, confirms the precautions have been checked by a competent person, sets a time limit, cross-refers to the assessment it came from, and is formally closed. 

Hot works carry a fire watch that outlasts the work. Confined space entry is avoided where it can be, and never begins without rescue arrangements that are ready rather than assumed. Excavations are supported, inspected before each shift, and never opened until the services are proven. 

None of this is onerous once the system is built to do the job rather than to produce a file. The test, as with so much in safety, is simple: hand a permit to someone who has never seen the site and ask whether they could tell that the work was controlled. If they cannot, the form has been completed and the task has not been made safe.

This is general guidance based on the regulations and HSE guidance current at the time of writing in October 2026. It is not a substitute for the regulations themselves, the relevant Approved Codes of Practice or professional advice, and it is written with Great Britain in mind; other jurisdictions differ.

 

About the author: Craig Collier

Craig Collier is Director of StructAssure. He’s a chartered construction and quality professional (MCIOB, CQP MCQI, MAPM) with more than twenty years on major UK programmes including Crossrail, the Woodsmith Mine and Transport for Wales. He writes about the practical side of health, safety and quality assurance in construction, and how the records that prove a job was done safely can be made to do real work rather than sit in a file. 

 

References

Health and Safety Executive (2005). Guidance on permit-to-work systems: A guide for the petroleum, chemical and allied industries. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg250.htm
Health and Safety Executive (2022). Fire safety in construction. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg168.htm
Health and Safety Executive (2014). Confined Spaces Regulations 1997. Approved Code of Practice, Regulations and Guidance L101. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l101.htm

The post Permit to work systems that stand up to scrutiny: hot works, confined spaces and excavations appeared first on HSE Network.

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Thames Water has selected nine contractor teams for a £4bn framework covering major water and wastewater infrastructure projects across London and the South East. The successful bidders include BAM Nuttall, Costain, Kier and Galliford Try, alongside a partnership between Taylor Woodrow and US engineering group…

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Respiratory protective equipment has a crucial role in safeguarding construction workers from chronic or even fatal health conditions. Ensuring its effectiveness goes far beyond simply supplying compliant masks, writes Ian Kelsall, RPE technical specialist at Draeger Safety UK

Few occupational health risks in construction are as significant, yet as difficult to see, as exposure to airborne contaminants such as silica dust, wood dust and welding fumes. Unlike other workplace hazards, the effects may not be immediate but long-term exposure can lead to serious and life-changing respiratory disease.

Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) plays a critical role in controlling these risks. However, effective protection depends on far more than simply providing compliant
masks. RPE will only provide the intended level of protection when properly selected, fitted, used, maintained and managed throughout its lifecycle.

Taking a structured approach to RPE management enables construction organisations to improve compliance, increase wearer acceptance and better protect their workforce.

The 8 key steps of an effective RPE management programme

1. Select: More than just specification

Selecting RPE for construction work requires more than choosing a compliant product. Equipment must be both adequate to protect against the specific hazard, and suitable for the wearer, task and environment.

Understanding the nature and level of exposure is therefore the starting point for selecting appropriate protection.

There are also practical considerations such as fit, comfort and compatibility with other personal protective equipment (PPE), and the duration and intensity of the task being undertaken.

Failure to consider suitability often leads to poor adoption, misuse or even an individual not wearing the device. Crucially, tight-fitting RPE must fit the individual wearer. Without fit testing and ongoing reassessment, even technically ‘adequate’ equipment can fail to protect the user.

2. Train: Turning equipment into protection

Even the most appropriate RPE will only offer protection if it is used properly.

Users must understand not only how to wear and use their RPE equipment but also why it is needed, how it functions, its limitations and what to do if it is damaged or not working correctly.

Regular and effective training covers the full lifecycle of use, from the correct way to put on and fit check through to cleaning, storage and disposal.

Without proper training, bad habits can quickly develop and once embedded, they can be extremely difficult to change.

3. Supervise: Maintaining standards in practice

Policies and procedures are only effective when consistently applied on site. Supervision plays a critical role in ensuring standards are maintained and that workers continue to use equipment correctly.

Typically, the most effective supervision is often proactive and supportive rather than punitive, and by focusing on key moments, such as the beginning and end of shifts, organisations can monitor and reinforce critical behaviours.

4. Check: Empowering the user

While supervision focuses on employer oversight, regular checks are the responsibility of the wearer. Pre-use inspections and fit checks are essential to confirm that equipment is clean, intact and functioning correctly and should be performed every time RPE is used, not just at the start of the day.

5. Maintain: Protecting the equipment

Construction sites are often demanding and dynamic environment where RPE may be exposed to dust, chemicals and moisture, and rough handling. As a result, cleaning and maintenance are crucial to ensuring equipment continues to function, as well as extending its life.

Many maintenance functions can be carried out by workers on a day-to-day basis  (charging batteries, replacing clogged or saturated filters, rough cleaning). However, for more involved steps, having people trained in the correct procedures is necessary to eliminate the potential for damaged or missing components in RPE.

6. Record: Demonstrating compliance

Construction projects can involve multiple contractors, transient workforces and large amounts of equipment, making accurate recordkeeping essential for effective management and regulatory compliance.

Fit testing, training and maintenance records provide evidence that systems are in place and working effectively.

They also support continuous improvement, helping organisations identify trends, gaps and opportunities for refinement.

7. Store: The overlooked link

Even regularly cleaned and maintained equipment can be compromised by poor storage, and construction sites can often pose a particular challenge. Guidance on storage should be provided by the manufacturer and typically advises on how to prevent exposure to environments where there is extreme temperatures, UV light or excess humidity.

Appropriate storage helps to prevent damage or deterioration, prevent contamination and cross-contamination, and ensures easy access to the RPE between shifts and after breaks.

8. Dispose: Managing the end of life

This applies not only to the RPE itself but also to individual replaceable components such as filters, which do not simply become ordinary waste at the end of life. In many cases, they may contain hazardous substances and must be disposed of accordingly.

Reputable manufacturers of RPE equipment such as Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) may design with end-of-life in mind, for example, the need to disassemble equipment to separate plastics from electronics. In some cases, manufacturers may also offer return schemes for responsible recycling to fulfil their regulatory obligations.

A shift in thinking

For health and safety professionals in construction, RPE should never be viewed as merely a procurement exercise but as an ongoing process.

RPE has a crucial role in safeguarding workers from chronic and even fatal respiratory conditions. However, if the equipment is to be effective, it is essential that it is managed and maintained throughout its lifetime.

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The Crown Estate has launched a search for a contractor to deliver the £222m second phase of St James’s Market in central London, with an option to increase the contract’s value to £322m. The project involves building a new office development around the Grade II-listed…

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Several industry voices have shared their opinion or desires for next week’s budget, with John Healey set to make announcements related to tax and devolution

**UPDATE: This article has been updated with further comments

Alongside changes to local taxes and funding, the Autumn Budget 2026 is expected to see a crackdown on ‘cowboy builders,’ including a new trader register to allow businesses to demonstrate that they meet standards.

Details of the new first-time home buyer scheme will also be announced, allowing buyers to get a mortgage with just a 2.5% deposit, and hopefully stimulating the housebuilding market.

Below, industry experts share their desires, opinions, or warnings

Allan Wilen, economics director at Glenigan: “A first-time buyer scheme could help housebuilding. Many buyers struggle to save a deposit, so help with that would bring more people into the market. Faster sales mean faster completions, and developers get more reason to open new sites.

“Not increasing capital gains tax rates would help bolster investor confidence. That matters for private non-residential construction, where investment decisions depend heavily on expected returns.

“Avoiding a cut in the mansion tax threshold to £1.5 million would help protect the housing market in London and the South East. Any disruption in there would quickly spread to related construction work.

“Retention of the fiscal rules and delivering the capital funding increases already promised is essential. Better public services depend on it, and so do the construction opportunities that come from government-funded projects.

“Any acceleration in defence spending could also open up significant new work for the construction industry.”

Kelly Macfarlane, CEO – social infrastructure at United Infrastructure: “The latest figures showing record spending on temporary accommodation highlight the scale of the housing challenge facing the UK.

“It’s a reminder that housing has an impact far beyond the homes themselves. Safe, warm and secure homes are some of the most important social infrastructure we have.

“When families move into decent, permanent homes, the benefits extend far beyond the front door. Health outcomes improve, communities become stronger, educational outcomes can improve, and pressure on public services, specifically the NHS, can be reduced.

“That’s why the conversation shouldn’t just be about the cost of temporary accommodation. It should be about the long-term value of investing in existing homes.

“As we look ahead to the Budget, continued support for housing investment has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for residents, communities and the public sector alike.

“We’ve long believed that housing is health infrastructure. The quality of homes directly influences quality of lives, communities and outcomes.”

Nick Statman, CEO of Bettermove: “There’s no doubt the property market is having a difficult time.

“Inflationary pressures are keeping borrowing costs elevated, and when lenders increase mortgage rates, the impact is felt right across the market. Buyers can afford less, sellers struggle to achieve their asking prices, and transactions start to slow down. Whilst demand hasn’t disappeared as people still need to move, we’re noticing that they’re understandably more cautious about making big financial decisions.

“Given the state of the public finances, I’m not expecting the Chancellor to announce any major giveaways for the property sector.

“My concern is that the Government could end up making an already difficult market worse by introducing further costs for homeowners, landlords and businesses. We need to encourage investment, construction and transactions, not create more reasons for people to sit tight.

On the Your First Home scheme: “I suspect we’ll see in this Budget targeted support for first-time buyers alongside measures intended to raise additional revenue. I welcome anything that helps people onto the property ladder. The Government’s proposed Your First Home scheme could be helpful, particularly for people struggling to save a deposit while paying rent. The principle of a 2.5% deposit and a 20% equity loan is a good one, provided the scheme is affordable for buyers over the longer term.

“However, I’d like to see this scheme extended to existing properties and accompanied by measures that increase housing supply. Otherwise, there’s a risk that additional support simply pushes prices higher.

“It would also be good for support to extended beyond new-build homes. There’s a huge amount of existing housing stock that could be suitable for first-time buyers, and we need to encourage movement throughout the whole property ladder.”

“If the Budget encourages people to buy, sell, invest and build, that would be a positive outcome. My concern is that further taxation and uncertainty could have the opposite effect.”

Adam Jennings, head of residential at Chestertons: “Andy Burnham has already put forward a number of measures aimed at supporting households and improving affordability, which is a positive step and shows that there is a clear focus on helping people navigate what remains a challenging housing market.

“However, the real test will be whether these ambitions translate into realistic and sustainable measures that can make a meaningful difference. The Budget will be an important indicator of what we can expect from the housing market as we move towards 2027, particularly when it comes to affordability and helping more people take their first step onto the property ladder.

“The ‘Your First Home’ approach is positive in principle, particularly if it can provide genuine support for those struggling to bridge the gap between renting and homeownership. But ultimately, the success of any initiative will depend on how accessible it is in practice, and whether it addresses the wider affordability pressures facing prospective buyers in London.

“There has clearly been effort to put housing firmly on the agenda. Now, the Budget needs to provide the clarity and realism needed to turn that ambition into actual support for buyers and the wider market.”

Tim Sargeant, chairman of City & Country: “This Budget feels like a reset for the Labour Government – with a new Prime Minister and Chancellor steering the ship. This is Labour’s chance to clarify its economic priorities and, more importantly, explain how it intends to pay for them.

“I don’t imagine there will be any rabbit out of the hat announcements for the property sector. The new Your First Home Scheme will give us plenty to get to grips with, though as more details are revealed, the programme will perhaps be less generous than initially hoped.

“The changes I would like to see are not so neatly summarised into a soundbite or single headline announcement. What we need is a radical shift in how Government views housebuilding. If roads, rail and energy are recognised as essential infrastructure, housing should be too.

“Government should therefore stop seeing housing principally as something to tax and regulate, and start recognising it as an engine of growth. This needs to be achieved by stimulating activity and generating tax revenues through healthy growth, rather than putting greater financial burden on the most productive sectors. The OBR’s own data shows that reforms unlocking 170,000 additional homes could increase GDP by 0.2%, worth around £6.8bn in today’s prices.

“Ultimately, more homes mean more jobs, more opportunities for first-time buyers, stronger communities with better infrastructure and ultimately greater tax revenues generated through growth.

“Fairer taxation, a more stable policy environment that reduces risk, and greater support for smaller and medium-sized builders will enable them to compete again. The single greatest thing that it could do is undertake a full review of the cumulative tax and regulatory burden placed on housing delivery, ensuring each new measure is assessed not in isolation but for its impact on the viability of building new homes.”

Support is “welcome and much needed”

Adrian Watts, chief executive, Croudace Homes: “The support for first-time buyers that was recently announced through the Your First Home scheme is welcome and much needed. However, to stimulate the wider housing market, there is also a need to support other buyer demographics and encourage movement across the property ladder. Targeted Stamp Duty Land Tax relief, for example, could help unlock transactions and boost confidence across the market.

“Alongside measures to stimulate demand, the Budget should also address the cost of delivering new homes. Housebuilders continue to face significant cost pressures, with additional regulatory requirements and levies adding to the challenge of bringing forward viable developments. The Building Safety Levy is one example of how these costs risk placing further pressure on development viability.

“Ultimately, supporting buyers must go hand in hand with supporting supply. The Budget should recognise both sides of the equation if the Government is to improve access to homeownership and deliver on its ambition to build 1.5m homes.”

Trevor Dempsey, CEO of Dandara: “The Autumn Budget comes at an important moment for the housing industry. There is no shortage of ambition around increasing supply and helping more people into new homes, but the test now is whether the Government can turn that ambition into measures that give buyers and the industry the confidence to act.

“The launch of ‘Your First Home’ is a welcome step, particularly for first-time buyers who do not have access to family wealth. But reducing the deposit hurdle is only part of the affordability equation. Buyers need confidence that the homes they are purchasing will remain within their own cost of living budget following the deposit assistance.

“The same principle applies to housing supply. If the current Government is still genuinely serious about delivering 1.5m homes in this parliament, then we need policy and an environment that supports both demand and delivery. Developers need certainty around planning, infrastructure and the wider costs of bringing new homes forward. Without that certainty, new investment decisions are so much harder to make for house builders.

“We would like to see the Autumn Budget focus on removing the barriers that are holding back both buyers and housebuilders. Measures that improve access to new housing are important, but they need to sit alongside action that makes it viable to build the homes that buyers and renters need. At the same time, we need to ensure that housing delivery meets the needs of communities, today this means facilitating multi-tenure housebuilding at scale.

“The housing market has been waiting for greater clarity for some time. The Budget is an opportunity to provide it. What matters now is not simply announcing more ambition, and more taxation, but creating the conditions for people to buy, developers to build and the market to move forward with confidence.”

Matt Glazer, co-founder and director at GLPG: “This Budget could be a make-or-break moment for the Government’s first-time buyer plans, with Chancellor John Healey expected to set out further details of the ‘Your First Home’ scheme.

“Getting the price caps right will be crucial. Housing markets vary significantly across the country, so a regional approach, similar to the previous Help to Buy scheme, is needed. In London, for example, a £600,000 cap would better reflect local property values. If thresholds are set too low, many first-time buyers could find there are simply too few homes available to them.

“It’s also important that the Government provides greater support for those looking to buy existing homes, rather than focusing solely on new builds.

“First-time buyers play an important role in getting property chains moving, enabling existing homeowners to take their next step too. Supporting them across the wider market could therefore stimulate activity well beyond first-time buyer purchases alone.”

Paul Godfrey, CEO of The Gracie Group: “As we approach the Autumn Budget, the Government has an opportunity to demonstrate how its housing ambitions can translate into more homes being built, greater access to homeownership and a development sector that is able to invest with confidence.

“For developers, the central issue remains viability. Rising construction costs, planning delays, infrastructure requirements and an increasingly complex regulatory environment can make even well-conceived schemes difficult to deliver. That is particularly relevant to regeneration, where the upfront costs of bringing a site back into use can be substantial.

“Measures such as the proposed Your First Home scheme may help some first-time buyers overcome the deposit barrier, but supporting demand is only part of the equation. We also need to address the underlying reasons why it has become so expensive and difficult to build new homes in the first place.

“At the same time, we need to consider the wider tax environment in which the property sector operates. The planned increase in tax on rental income from April 2027 and the High Value Council Tax Surcharge due from April 2028 add to the range of costs and considerations facing property owners and investors. There is a legitimate debate to be had about how property is taxed, but policy needs to take account of its wider effects on investment, housing supply and the choices available to people at different stages of their lives.

“The Government should therefore use the Budget to look at the cumulative impact of its policies, rather than treating each measure in isolation. We need to maintain high standards and deliver the housing communities require, but we also need to ensure that the economics of development allow schemes to progress.

“With changes to property taxation under discussion, clarity and certainty are especially important. Businesses and investors need to be able to make long-term decisions based on a reasonably predictable policy environment.

“Ultimately, the test of this Budget should be whether it helps more homes get built, supports homebuyers and gives developers the confidence to invest. We need a housing strategy that brings together a functioning planning system, sensible taxation and a financially sustainable private sector. These are all complementary parts of the same solution.”

“Longer-term view of energy efficiency” needed

Oliver Luard, partnerships and investment director at Greencore: “The Government should focus less on headline-grabbing announcements in this Budget, and more on creating better conditions for delivery. There is already welcome support for first-time buyers via a new equity loan scheme.

“Early details show that developers will be expected to contribute to the Your First Home scheme. The structure must be carefully considered to ensure that it is fair and equitable for all housebuilders, and doesn’t disproportionately favour the largest volume housebuilders, leaving SME developers at a disadvantage. Smaller developers play a vital role in delivering sustainable, design-led schemes and increasing housing choice.

“The Budget also needs to take a longer-term view of energy efficiency beyond tweaks to the energy price caps or small-scale retrofit schemes. Households are exposed to energy price shocks resulting from global events outside of their control. Rather than focusing solely on interventions, Government should do more to encourage the delivery of homes that permanently reduce energy demand and household bills.

“While policy levers are an important aspect, the Government must prioritise a national programme of housebuilding that low, or ideally zero, energy bills homes. Developers who go further should be recognised and incentivised to do so, helping create a housing stock that is more affordable to run, more resilient and better for the environment.”

Jerry Tate, founder and director at Tate+Co: “If the numbers do not add up, homes do not get built. Viability and funding remain consistent challenges in the residential market, and the industry needs the Budget to address this. Upfront seed funding to get schemes started, as well as dedicated support to bring stalled projects back into delivery and properly resourced planning authorities would all help housebuilders get building again. But delivery also must include homes that people can afford to live in. We want to see funding commitments, including the Your First Home scheme, translated into practical support that gives developers the confidence to proceed and buyers a realistic prospect of securing a future home.

“The same practical approach is needed across other sectors. In education, funding to retrofit existing buildings would help improve the places where young people learn, while targeted investment for key learning areas, such as AI, would help to futureproof spaces. For hotels and leisure businesses, easing the burden of business rates and property taxation would give them more room to invest in their buildings and improve the experience for visitors.

“We all know the Government faces difficult financial choices. However, the built environment needs support to unlock development, without requiring huge spending increases. Targeted tax incentives, business rates reform and a planning system with the resources to make timely decisions could help bring forward projects that are currently standing still. The purpose should be clear: to make development viable so that we can deliver the homes, schools and hospitality buildings people want and need.”

Simon Cox, managing director, Walter Cooper: “Against the backdrop of significant economic and geopolitical pressures, I’m not expecting this Budget to deliver a housing spending bonanza – the Government doesn’t have the room to do that anyway.

“Housing doesn’t actually need another big-ticket intervention, which the market has seen a lot of in recent years. What it does desperately need, however, is confidence. The big question now is whether the Government can create the conditions for people and businesses to believe that they can plan, invest and build with some certainty.

“The Your First Home scheme is a good example, although its success will come down to the detail. Will the scheme genuinely increase purchasing power, or simply add another layer of support around a market that is already struggling with affordability? Get it right, and it could give buyers a much-needed boost while giving housebuilders greater confidence that the demand will be there.

“That confidence matters because housebuilders are already navigating a difficult combination of planning delays and viability pressures. If the Budget simply prolongs that uncertainty, it risks making it harder to get new sites moving, regardless of how ambitious the Government’s housing targets are.

“It’s easy to focus on the homes at the end of the process and overlook what needs to happen further upstream. Land may not grab the headlines, but without a steady supply of viable sites, there is nothing to build on. If the Government wants to deliver more homes, it needs to make sure the conditions are there for land to come forward.

“The same applies to affordable housing. Targeted measures that improve viability, unlock stalled schemes or support affordable delivery could have a much wider impact than their initial cost might suggest. They can help turn sites that are currently unviable into homes that can actually be built.

“So, while I’m not expecting the Budget to solve the housing crisis overnight, I do think it needs to do something arguably more important – give the industry a reason to keep investing.

“When the dust settles, the real test will be whether housebuilders and landowners feel more confident about bringing sites forward than they did before the Chancellor unveils his red box. If the answer is yes, the Budget will have done something meaningful for housing. If not, we risk simply kicking the can further down the road.”

John Rozenbroek, managing director of Capify, on late payments for small businesses: “The priority should absolutely be certainty. Small businesses simply can’t make confident decisions about hiring and investment if taxes, employment costs and support keep changing the way they have been.

“The Government should provide a clear, long-term framework and avoid adding further costs to employing people and growing a business.”

“Tackling late payments would make an immediate difference. Larger organisations and the public sector should be held to proper payment standards, while viable SMEs need access to funding when cash is tied up in unpaid invoices.

“A profitable business should never have to miss an opportunity just because a customer paid 30 or 60 days late.”

“The financial challenge the Budget simply must address is the working-capital squeeze. Customers may pay late, but payroll, tax bills and suppliers do not move with them at the moment.

“Better payment practices and access to responsible finance would give SMEs the room to absorb pressure, invest and act while an opportunity is still readily available.”

Tom Rowlands, managing director at Global EV Solutions at Corpay, on electrification of business vehicles/fleets: “We cannot ask fleets to electrify faster while making electric vehicles harder to operate.”

“The practical reality for businesses is becoming more complex. Fleets are already managing home, workplace and public charging, different reimbursement arrangements and changing tax treatment. From April 2028, electric cars will also become subject to the new mileage-based Electric Vehicle Excise Duty, initially set at 3p per mile for battery-electric and hydrogen cars and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids.”

“At the same time, investment decisions are being made against a changing policy backdrop. The current 100% first-year capital allowances for qualifying zero-emission cars and EV chargepoints presently run only until spring 2027.”

“For businesses investing over several years, that lack of long-term visibility makes planning more difficult than it needs to be.”

“The next stage of electrification has to be about operational simplicity. Clearer policy, practical administration and greater certainty over future costs will help fleets make the transition with confidence rather than adding another layer of complexity to an already significant investment decision.”

Lisa Wilson, partner at law firm Spencer West LLP: “Chancellor John Healey, as many Chancellors before him, has the unenviable task of achieving balance in UK taxation and spending. Whilst there have been a few property rumours in the press, they are notably quieter than in years gone by.

“Over the Summer months there was chatter around an ‘Autumn Bounce’ for the UK Property Market, but this has not materialised in practice.

“The widely-hoped ‘Autumn Bounce’ for the UK property market has failed to materialise. Buyers remain cautious, mortgage products are rapidly changing, and transactions are being delayed to the point where this can no longer be viewed as a seasonal slowdown.

“Prior to the 2025 Budget I certainly felt that buyers were holding in making any big property decisions until the Budget was announced later than usual at the end of November 2025. The market therefore entered 2026 carrying the effects of those deferred decisions.

“Winter led into Spring, where we would normally see more activity in terms of sales and purchases completing, but the eruption of the Iran War, had an instant upwards impact on UK mortgage rates, leading to more Buyer uncertainty.

“The introduction of the Renters Rights Act, and abolition of ‘No Fault’ evictions from 1 May 2026 has impacted upon market activity. Leading up to the 1 May deadline, Agents and Landlords worked hard to serve Section 21 Notices whilst they still could.

“The evictions meant lots of investment properties were up for sale, but with increasing mortgage rates and Buyer uncertainty, buyer appetite was perhaps not what Landlords were expecting. Many of those properties are still sat on the market without tenants or buyers. Could new Investor Buyers be the answer?

“I would welcome reform to Stamp Duty in the 2026 Budget in the form of reduced rates for Additional Properties to help restore liquidity. This would bring new investors to the market who are entering with 2026 laws and taxation already in place, rather than having to adjust existing plans retrospectively.

“In any market, buying property should be viewed as a long-term investment to weather inevitable political storms. By long term, I suggest 10-20 years – gone are the days of making a ‘quick buck’ in property. Let’s wait and see if The Chancellor prioritises property, as after all, a strong property market means a strong economy.”

Max Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of Pocket Storage: “If the Government is serious about reviving Britain’s high streets, I think we need to ask a more fundamental question – do we actually need all the retail space we’ve got?

“There’s a tendency to assume that every empty shop needs to become another shop, but shopping habits have changed. A thriving high street isn’t just about retail. It’s about having a mix of businesses, services, homes and other uses that give people a reason to spend time in an area.

“Rather than focusing solely on filling vacant shops with new retailers, the Government should be making it easier and more financially attractive to repurpose commercial properties. Converting suitable retail space into residential accommodation, for example, could bring more people into town centres, which would also benefit the businesses that remain.

“The Autumn Budget is an opportunity for the Government to show how it intends to support that transition. One area worth looking at is permitted development rights. While certain changes of use are already allowed without full planning permission, expanding these rights and simplifying the process could make it easier for businesses and property owners to bring underused spaces back into use.

Another option is to offer stronger, more immediate financial incentives for businesses willing to invest in vacant commercial properties. Taking on an empty building can involve high upfront costs, from refurbishment and fit-out to professional fees and planning. Existing reliefs don’t always address those initial expenses.

“For example, the Government could introduce a targeted business rates holiday for businesses taking on and investing in larger, long-term vacant properties. Commercial landlords already offer rent-free periods to help new tenants get established, so why not look at a similar approach to business rates? That could give businesses some much-needed breathing room while they get a new site up and running.

“Ultimately, reviving Britain’s high streets shouldn’t mean trying to recreate the retail landscape of the past. With the Autumn Budget approaching, the Government has an opportunity to rethink how we use our existing commercial spaces, reduce the barriers to investment and encourage a wider mix of uses that will make our town centres viable for the long term. The Autumn Budget would be a good place to start.”

Kenneth Wood, managing director at Drees & Sommer UK: “The built environment and place more generally has a huge impact on economic prospects and social outcomes. The sector has for some time now been wrestling number of complex, entrenched challenges and many will be hoping for announcements that will simplify problems and stimulate opportunities. 

 

“The financial pressures facing the government mean no one is expecting John Healey to unveil massive new spending commitments, however there are levers that can be pulled to help unlock potential and overcome viability challenges. Regulation and energy are at the top of this, admittedly quite long, list. 

 

“Developments have faced frustrating delays due to backed up applications sitting with the Building Safety Regulator and even well considered schemes are concerned about the impact of the Building Safety Act. Providing clarity and simplicity in the planning regime will allow paused projects to get underway while giving confidence to developers and investors that they’ll be able to progress new plans at pace.

 

“Energy costs have not only driven up costs across the supply chain, but land prices are ballooning as developers must either pay a significant premium for places already well connected to the grid or they must pay for expensive new connections. Speeding up the roll out of infrastructure while finding any way possible to cut the UK’s historically high energy prices is critical.

 

“There is a tendency to follow the money, and some will view defence and the wider regeneration it can inspire in areas like housing and community facilities as something of a lifeline. With Andy Burnham committing to the £298bn Defence Investment Plan there’s a lot of hope that this will give construction a much-needed boost in 2027. Although even here the government needs to be careful, as it can’t put more into the pipeline than the sector can deliver given its talent and capacity constraints.”

 

Paul McFadyen, chairman of metals4U, with four key points:

Construction stimulus

“There’s no doubt that the construction sector as a whole is struggling in the current economic climate. Recent data1 shows that many areas of the industry, particularly new private investment such as housebuilding, are declining due to rising costs and a subdued buyer market, which are making fresh investment in construction projects less attractive for developers.

“The government can inject targeted stimulus to support the sector while the wider economic landscape stabilises and improves. This can be achieved by continuing to invest in public infrastructure projects, which can also carry wider economic benefits at regional and national levels, as well as supporting construction jobs and output.

“Beyond this, government initiatives such as ‘Your First Home’ can help to kickstart the buyer market for new-build housing, as well as tackling the chronic national housing shortage. Housing developers must also play their part to see the benefits of this scheme, matching government initiatives with increased investment to deliver the required projects. They must also resist the urge to take advantage of the scheme by increasing property prices, a move which would undermine the initiative by putting first-time buyers off due to high prices.”

Targeted industrial relief

“British manufacturers are facing a number of pressures including  rising global tariffs, increased material costs and soaring energy prices. This situation is not conducive to sector growth, and the industry will need targeted support to ease the burden.

“Measures to reduce energy costs for manufacturers, as well as cutting business rates and reducing compliance pressures, will help to provide impactful improvements for the industry which are realistic and achievable given the Chancellor’s limited fiscal headroom. They will also help manufacturers to tackle the high material costs, whilst also encouraging further investment.”

Strengthening the skills pipeline

“Continuing investment in construction and manufacturing projects not only supports the current workforce, but also encourages employers to continue hiring new workers and take on apprentices. This is vital for the long term health and stability of these sectors and cannot be neglected.

“Additionally, announcements aimed at restructuring the education sector to support vocational and technical training will be well received by the industry, and will help to ensure a continued flow of young talent into our industries. Acting now could allow these trainees to develop and enter the workforce at a time of increased investment and activity, should the economic picture improve over the next few years.”

Proof of the ‘back British’ promise

“Government rhetoric of backing British industry has been an encouraging sound bite, but this budget needs to see words matched with ambition. Demonstrating proof of government support for British industry will help encourage investment and strengthen the sector by prioritising UK firms.

“Investment and procurement decisions in active sectors such as public infrastructure and defence, should be awarded to British suppliers where possible, whilst further measures to improve conditions and competitiveness for UK manufacturers would also be welcomed. The government can also reinforce the domestic supply chain by prioritising sourcing materials from UK companies where possible, such as purchasing British steel.”

Allan Wright, managing director of Civils & Lintels: “The government has made some significant commitments to tackle the housing crisis and support the construction sector since their election, most recently with trailing ‘Your First Home’. These are undoubtedly welcome, but announcements and funding commitments alone aren’t enough.

“From our conversations with stakeholders across the industry, we know these proposals build hope, but they don’t create confidence and that’s quite a distinct difference – confidence will only come when we start to see clear evidence of policies translating into actions on-site!

“We urgently need definitive timelines for delivery, clarity on how these programmes will be implemented and, critically, a pipeline of projects that the industry can plan around. Rhetoric is fabulous, but it’s substance that we need.”

Fred White, co-founder and CCO of DEScycle: “This government was elected on a mandate of growth. The Autumn Budget is a test of whether that promise holds for the people building Britain’s next generation of businesses and infrastructure.

“Raising Capital Gains Tax risks the opposite. UK capital markets are already struggling to attract and keep companies. Making it less rewarding to invest in, build and scale businesses here works against the growth the government says it wants.

“For founders, the details matter. Most co-founder and employee incentive schemes are designed so that value created is taxed as a capital gain, reflecting the risk taken on. Moving from today’s 24% towards income-tax rates of up to 45% would nearly double the tax on the value a founder creates, often over a decade of personal financial risk and below-market pay.

“There has been talk of exemptions for entrepreneurs. But unless they are clear, stable and designed to cover how co-founders are actually rewarded, they won’t reach most of the people they’re meant to protect. Existing relief is capped at £1 million of lifetime gains, which is a fraction of what it takes to build a scale-up.

“Founders are mobile, and so are the companies they build. Every founder I know wants to build in the UK. But if the reward for taking that risk here is materially worse than elsewhere, many will choose to build elsewhere, and the jobs, infrastructure and tax base will go with them.

“If the UK wants onshore industry, sovereign supply chains and companies that scale here rather than sell early or relocate, it needs a tax system that rewards the people who build them. We’re asking for clarity, stability and reliefs that work for co-founders, not special treatment.”

The post Autumn Budget 2026 construction wishlist appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.

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