It’s that time of year again when editors feel obliged to consider the prospects for the months ahead, but in a world where uncertainty seems to increase almost by the day, that is no easy task.
There are few reliable tools to hand to guide editorial forecasts; when one of the world’s most respected economists, the former US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, admits he falls back on men’s underwear sales statistics for alerts to possible economic slowdowns, what chance do we journalists have? (A decline in sales was a warning of a slowdown by the way *)
With that caveat, and without spending too much time observing activity at my local Marks & Spencer’s checkout, it seems the main hope for 2025 for the UK construction industry must be that the hiatus in new orders due to uncertainty ahead of the general election and then disappointment delivered by the new government’s first Budget, will lift and more projects will go ahead.
The new government’s first Budget did little to improve confidence across industries, but assuming those sorts of worries can be shaken off in the New Year there are solid reasons for expecting a better year for construction demand in 2025.
The commercial and industrial buildings outlooks are improving but much of the demand is expected to come from the public sector, and the good news from the new government is the pledge to start 150 infrastructure projects in 2025, the biggest building boom in half a century, the government announcement says. That will be quite an achievement, given the UK’s recent sorry record of public sector capital investment.
Housebuilders have warned that the skills crisis means government housebuilding targets will not be met. A drive to build as many as possible will still be made, and that is going to mean changing practices to streamline the process. The first challenge will be to unclog the planning system that is allegedly holding back projects, and the first steps to produce legislation to support that have been made.
Steel construction will play a major role in providing whatever new houses and infrastructure are required, and there has been significant behind the scenes work in the sector to make it easier than ever to confidently select sustainable steel solutions. For example, the first National Light Gauge Steel Specification was launched by the BCSA recently, as it is recognised that light steel is a modern method of construction that will be a major help in achieving the government’s housebuilding targets.
In News this month we carry a story about the launch of the BCSA’s fire protection guidance campaign, intended to make sure the supply chain understands what has to be done to ensure fire safety in buildings, and how that can safely be achieved using steel. The Building Safety Regulator has since announced a review of guidance on the Approved Documents that describe how post-Grenfell building safety is to be approached, and the proven safety performance of steel in real fires will give confidence to investors and the supply chain that they can deliver safe steel framed buildings in an increasingly safety conscious world.
If Mr Greenspan needs to forecast what safe buildings of the future will look like, he need look no further than the UK’s steel construction sector.
Forecasts suggest better times ahead underpinned by steel
It’s that time of year again when editors feel obliged to consider the prospects for the months ahead, but in a world where uncertainty seems to increase almost by the day, that is no easy task.
There are few reliable tools to hand to guide editorial forecasts; when one of the world’s most respected economists, the former US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, admits he falls back on men’s underwear sales statistics for alerts to possible economic slowdowns, what chance do we journalists have? (A decline in sales was a warning of a slowdown by the way *)
With that caveat, and without spending too much time observing activity at my local Marks & Spencer’s checkout, it seems the main hope for 2025 for the UK construction industry must be that the hiatus in new orders due to uncertainty ahead of the general election and then disappointment delivered by the new government’s first Budget, will lift and more projects will go ahead.
The new government’s first Budget did little to improve confidence across industries, but assuming those sorts of worries can be shaken off in the New Year there are solid reasons for expecting a better year for construction demand in 2025.
The commercial and industrial buildings outlooks are improving but much of the demand is expected to come from the public sector, and the good news from the new government is the pledge to start 150 infrastructure projects in 2025, the biggest building boom in half a century, the government announcement says. That will be quite an achievement, given the UK’s recent sorry record of public sector capital investment.
Housebuilders have warned that the skills crisis means government housebuilding targets will not be met. A drive to build as many as possible will still be made, and that is going to mean changing practices to streamline the process. The first challenge will be to unclog the planning system that is allegedly holding back projects, and the first steps to produce legislation to support that have been made.
Steel construction will play a major role in providing whatever new houses and infrastructure are required, and there has been significant behind the scenes work in the sector to make it easier than ever to confidently select sustainable steel solutions. For example, the first National Light Gauge Steel Specification was launched by the BCSA recently, as it is recognised that light steel is a modern method of construction that will be a major help in achieving the government’s housebuilding targets.
In News this month we carry a story about the launch of the BCSA’s fire protection guidance campaign, intended to make sure the supply chain understands what has to be done to ensure fire safety in buildings, and how that can safely be achieved using steel. The Building Safety Regulator has since announced a review of guidance on the Approved Documents that describe how post-Grenfell building safety is to be approached, and the proven safety performance of steel in real fires will give confidence to investors and the supply chain that they can deliver safe steel framed buildings in an increasingly safety conscious world.
If Mr Greenspan needs to forecast what safe buildings of the future will look like, he need look no further than the UK’s steel construction sector.