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Digital connectivity is vital to the UK’s housing boom
As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly viewed as the ‘fourth utility’, its omission from planning policies is a significant oversight, writes Gráinne Gilmore, director of research and insights at Cluttons
Gráinne Gilmore is head of research & insight at Cluttons
Digital connectivity is vital to the UK’s housing boom #UKhousingAs digital infrastructure is viewed as the ‘fourth utility’, its omission from planning policies is a significant oversight, writes Gráinne Gilmore at Cluttons #UKhousingAs the Labour government increases its annual housing target from 300,000 to 370,000, the latest Planning and Infrastructure Bill, published in March and making its way through parliament, outlines crucial reforms to help meet this ambitious goal. With a focus on accelerating the delivery of homes and vital infrastructure to support this, new policies are set to streamline the planning process, particularly for energy and transport projects.
However, there is significant room for improvement in one critical aspect: digital infrastructure.
While the government is committed to building 1.5 million homes – not to mention the additional community infrastructure required when building at this scale – and achieving its 2030 goals for standalone 5G, digital connectivity has yet to be explicitly integrated into the new planning processes outlined in the bill.
As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly viewed as the ‘fourth utility’, alongside energy and water, its omission is a significant oversight.
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The integration of robust digital infrastructure into planning considerations is crucial to support the scale of the housing boom to ensure new homes and communities are future-ready. As more people work remotely, schools rely on digital learning and essential services such as healthcare and banking increasingly move online, good connectivity has become critical. The inability to function effectively in a digitally connected world is no longer just an inconvenience, it is a pressing issue.
Organisations delivering homes, whether for sale or for rent, will increasingly need to consider the connectivity within those properties. Potential residents are increasingly seeing the ability to smoothly access reliable and fast connections in and around their home as a requirement, not a ‘nice to have’.
Last year, the UK dropped from 51st to 53rd in global rankings for mobile download speeds. Given that fast digital connections help support economic growth and the UK’s competitiveness on the global stage, smoothing the path for digital infrastructure to enhance better connectivity should be a priority, particularly at a time when the UK needs to be an appealing market for investment into the residential sector.
Better connectivity brings substantial economic benefits to local regions too, including improving access to jobs and increasing innovation. However, findings from Cluttons’ latest research report – called Connecting today for tomorrow, which entailed conducting a wide-ranging survey of 100 MPs and more than 500 local councillors – showed that only one in five (19%) MPs were confident that local authorities understood the full benefits of digital connectivity and would support its roll-out and only 12% were confident constituents would feel the same.
These results highlight the major disconnect between the need and appetite for connectivity, and the challenges in pushing through the infrastructure needed to deliver it, whether that is a lack of understanding of the benefits, a lack of clarity around planning, or a lack of communication between operators and local policymakers.
In the energy sector, we are seeing the government understand the importance of bridging this kind of disconnect. To support the delivery of energy infrastructure, the bill introduces initiatives that will create a direct connection between communities which host new pylons and substations, as well as the personal and community benefits they will derive as a result – a change that could unlock the much-needed step up in energy infrastructure.
Now, the government needs to recognise the role of digital connectivity as critical infrastructure to see similar initiatives brought forward.
“The inability to function effectively in a digitally connected world is no longer just an inconvenience, it is a pressing issue”
The government must commit to a more holistic approach to the delivery of infrastructure to support this. Education is a crucial component. There is a significant knowledge gap among local authorities and decision-makers regarding the importance of connectivity and the investment in infrastructure to support this. Some 61% of MPs we surveyed said a government-led information campaign on the benefits of enhanced digital connectivity was important when ensuring the roll-out of gigabit broadband and meeting 5G targets.
There is a real need for local authorities to appoint a digital champion or placemaker. This individual or group would act as a strategic leader, bringing together various departments within the local authority, particularly planning – which often lacks resources – as well as infrastructure, housing and co-ordination with external stakeholders, including communities, fixed-line and mobile operators, landlords and landowners.
Nearly half (49%) of MPs said that having a person responsible for digital connectivity in local authorities would ensure that good connectivity is prioritised and maintained.
By recognising digital connectivity as essential infrastructure and integrating it into planning processes, we can ensure that new housing developments are not only viable but future-ready. This approach will unlock substantial economic benefits, enhance the quality of life for residents and support sustainable development across the country – all while helping the UK’s economic growth and competitiveness on the global stage.
Gráinne Gilmore, director of research and insights, Cluttons
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