Last night, our Head of Partnerships, Clint Walker, joined the Future Homes, Skills and Innovation APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) in Westminster to discuss the task of building 1.5 million new homes and retrofitting 5 million more.
While the targets are ambitious, the takeaway from the night was clear: The numbers don’t matter if the “how” isn’t figured out.
The Collaboration Gap
At Eco Approach collaboration is a core value. Currently the industry faces a massive coordination problem.
“Building and retrofitting at this scale is no mean feat. As Becci Taylor and David Adams pointed out, this is never going to happen unless we learn how to work together. Currently, there are too many disconnected departments and locations, and all too often, policy is being set by people who aren’t the ‘boots on the ground’ doing the work.” — Clint Walker
Simplifying the Mission
Amidst the complex administrative layers of housing policy, Gary Porter CBE FRSA provided what Clint described as the most honest, “plain-speak” breakdown of the evening:
We have people. We have buildings. We just need to work on the connection between the two. The rest—the paperwork, the red tape, the bureaucracy—is just administration. If we lose sight of the residents living in these buildings, the policy fails.
Delivering the Warm Homes Plan (WHP)
With the Warm Homes Plan (WHP) on the horizon, the message to Westminster was urgent. We cannot afford to simply “go through the motions” or pay lip service to green targets.
To make an actual difference to residents’ lives, the industry needs:
- Joined-up thinking between local authorities and installers.
- Policy informed by reality, not just spreadsheets.
- A commitment to delivery over administration.
The Road Ahead
As Clint put it: “Let’s get cracking.” The targets are set, the need is urgent, and the residents are waiting. At Eco Approach, we are ready to bridge that gap between policy and the frontline to ensure the next scheme doesn’t just look good on paper—it works in practice.
