Wakefield Council launch ‘Build Wakefield’ event to tackle housing shortage

Wakefield Council is aiming to build partnerships and support small to medium sized local developers in an attempt to tackle the current housing shortage. Starting with its ‘Build Wakefield’ event this month, Wakefield Council is engaging with developers and offering guidance on the latest planning and building control regulations, along with providing information about working with Wakefield Council’s Apprenticeship Hub and Wakefield College, to help their workforce in gaining new skills and support new employees. The first event was held at Hatfield Hall on February 25 and Wakefield Councils Inward Investment team were on hand to discuss the support they can offer to businesses working or operating within the district. Representatives from the Homes and Communities Agency were also in attendance and offered developers support accessing funding initiatives to support their developments. The Build Wakefield event also launched Wakefield Councils ‘housing sites land match’ service which will provide builders with detailed information on housing sites with planning permission that are currently on the market. Wakefield Council’s Deputy Leader, Councillor Denise Jeffrey launched the event and commented: “We are committed to tackling the housing shortage across Wakefield, and we recognise that small and medium-sized housebuilders have a vital role to play in this. “Our Build Wakefield event will help to overcome any barriers faced by developers so we can work together to build more high quality new homes across the district.” John Saul, of Saul Construction, said: “We have developed many sites in the Wakefield district and we currently have three active sites in the area. We have always found dealing with Wakefield Council and its staff a positive experience, and a practical solution has always been achieved with the Council offering the appropriate advice and guidance. As a local garage door company we work with a number of small to medium sized developers and it’s great to see this kind of proactive approach to tackling the housing shortage. This kind of multi agency collaboration really helps support and nurture local businesses and we would really like to see this kind of initiative adopted across the region. Check out our Wakefield page for more information on our services.