New national housing blueprint aims to deliver one million affordable homes by 2032

Reports warn if ongoing delivery trends continue, the UK could miss the 1.5 million target by nearly half.  

The newly published strategy by Low Carbon Construction Plc sets out a manufacturing-led housing model designed to operate at national scale, arguing that traditional building methods alone are unlikely to bridge that gap due to labour shortages, material constraints and planning delays.  

Bridgette Farrow, Main Board Director of Low Carbon Construction Plc, said the intention was to move the debate from whether the target is achievable to how it can be delivered.
“The ambition to build 1.5 million homes reflects the scale of the housing crisis,” she said. “But the delivery trajectory is already faltering. If we continue building at current rates, the shortfall will be significant as the numbers show.
“Without structural change in how homes are approved, funded and constructed, output levels will not meet the target first outlined by the Labour Party. The industry simply does not have the current capacity to accelerate at the pace required.”

Low Carbon Construction Plc, headquartered in Hampshire, describes itself as a new-generation national housebuilder seeking to disrupt industry norms through its proprietary Offsite/Onsite build system. 

The company shared that its model enables high-volume housing output while maintaining compliance with national technical and environmental standards by using offsite factory-manufactured components, standardised designs and coordinated onsite assembly processes that improve quality control, reduce delays and ensure consistent adherence to building regulations. 

Under the proposal, Low Carbon Construction Plc would focus on delivering one million affordable homes across a combination of new towns and urban extensions. 

The plan proposes between 75 and 100 new large-scale communities nationwide, alongside 100 to 200 smaller urban extensions, supported by up to 1,000 ‘flying assembly factories’ operating concurrently.  

Developments would incorporate schools, transport links, renewable energy infrastructure, employment hubs and public open space in addition to housing.

The proposal suggests that large housing projects should be labelled as important national projects, allowing planning decisions to be determined through the Planning Inspectorate rather than solely by local planning authorities.  

This route is intended to support approvals at the pace required for nationally scaled housing delivery and allow multiple major developments to progress simultaneously. 

Low Carbon Construction Plc states homes produced through its Offsite/Onsite system meet Technical Housing Standards, Nationally Described Space Standards and Part M of the Building Regulations requirements and are designed to align with the Future Homes Standard principles of the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard. 

According to the company, approximately 180 UK organisations have expressed support for the initiative and that further engagement is underway with infrastructure providers, financial institutions and commercial partners.