UKREiiF 2026: A sector united on growth, divided on delivery

Optimism, ambition and a healthy dose of disagreement defined UKREiiF 2026. Against the backdrop of two years of significant policy reform, this year’s event brought together a sector united by a shared desire to see accelerated delivery and tackle longstanding challenges; yet divided on the best route to get there. Housing, land use and delivery dominated the conversation across the three days as stakeholders debated how to turn ambition into tangible outcomes.

While there was broad consensus on the need for growth, questions remained over where development should take place, how it should be delivered and championed, and whether current reforms will be enough to overcome the practical realities of delivery on the ground. Through Planning Portal, which handles the vast majority of planning applications in England and Wales, we have a unique view of developer intent entering the planning system.

What the data tells us

Providing an important evidence base for many of this year's discussions was TerraQuest and Planning Portal's planning application data. We were delighted to launch our Q1 2026 Planning Application Index at UKREiiF, offering fresh insight into the number of new homes applied for during the first quarter of the year. The findings built on trends seen throughout 2025 - a standout year for new home applications - highlighting a sustained increase in developer intent on housing delivery.

Importantly, ours was not the only dataset at the event pointing to positive momentum. While concerns around viability, infrastructure funding and delayed delivery dominated many conversations, a few notable speakers highlighted signs that recent reforms may be beginning to have an impact. During his address, Housing Secretary Steve Reed pointed to a 24% increase in housing starts in the final quarter of 2025 as evidence that momentum is building. Similar signals emerged from SEC Newgate's latest National Planning Barometer, which found that around a third of planning committee members have seen housing consents increase in their areas following the Government's reforms.

Taken together, these findings suggest that confidence may be returning to parts of the sector, even as significant delivery challenges remain. Using Planning Portal's insight as the basis for further discussion, our Chief Revenue Officer, Daniel Williams, hosted a key roundtable at this year’s event, bringing together 20 senior leaders from across the sector to explore a critical question: at a time when we continue to hear reports of slow and stalled delivery, how do we turn this clear surge in developer intent into homes on the ground? You can read a full breakdown of the session here.

The Government perspective

Over the course of the three days, delegates were able to hear directly from ministers reflecting on the government's progress to date and reinforcing ambitious commitments for the years ahead. In an opening keynote, Matthew Pennycook, Housing and Planning Minister, positioned housing delivery at the heart of the government's agenda, reiterating commitments around planning reform, New Towns, unlocking stalled sites, supporting SME housebuilders and strengthening public-private collaboration.

In a session alongside Pat Ritchie CBE, Chair of Homes England, Housing Secretary Steve Reed highlighted recent achievements, including Homes England’s delivery of 40,000 homes in the past year; its strongest performance in six years. Reed pointed to the government's first wave of affordable homes funding, which was significantly oversubscribed, as evidence of strong demand for investment across the sector and a clear appetite to accelerate delivery.

Addressing concerns around economic and political uncertainty, Reed stressed the importance of consistency and stability in giving investors and developers the confidence to commit for the long term. He argued that now is the time to build on the momentum created by recent reforms rather than introduce further disruption, highlighting the significance of changes to the planning system and the government's forthcoming infrastructure measures in unlocking development and enabling investment. Maintaining certainty, he claimed, will be critical to sustaining confidence and delivering the homes and infrastructure the country needs.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves championed what she described as the government’s success so far in enabling meaningful delivery, strongly advocating for the role of an “active and strategic” state to drive sector change and “actually get things done”.

Denouncing the "get out of the way" philosophy favoured by some of Labour's political adversaries, Reeves argued that transformative national infrastructure requires active government involvement. She pointed to small modular reactors as a case in point, insisting there was "no way in the world" they would be delivered in the UK without the state playing a strategic role in facilitating and attracting private investment. She also advocated for the government’s devolution agenda, reflecting on the importance of local decision-making in empowering communities, alongside the need to work with fiscal rules to recognise and protect the long-term value of project investment. Referencing a recent contract awarded to Rolls Royce, Reeves said her government is committed to keeping British business, innovation and talent in Britain.

A sector divided on how to move forward

While there was broad consensus on the need to accelerate delivery, there was considerably less agreement on both the effectiveness of current reforms and the factors holding the sector back.

- Developers say viability.  

- Councillors say slow build-out.  

- Local communities cite overdevelopment.  

- Government support planning reform.

Across the agenda, housebuilding representatives repeatedly pointed to viability challenges as the single biggest barrier preventing schemes from progressing to build-out. Discussions frequently returned to the cumulative impact of rising construction costs, funding constraints, planning obligations and infrastructure requirements, with many arguing that these pressures are making it increasingly difficult to deliver schemes at the pace policymakers advocate for. While there was broad support for the government's growth agenda, several speakers stressed that delivery ambitions must be matched by an understanding of the commercial realities facing the sector.

However, not all stakeholders agreed on the primary causes of delay. Some panellists went as far as to argue that government is "not listening" to the realities facing businesses, while others pointed to NIMBYism and community opposition as significant barriers to delivery, stressing the urgent need to shift public attitudes towards development.

During a Thursday session at the RICS Studio examining the economic, social and planning factors shaping the delivery of New Towns, one panellist highlighted the often-conflicting attitudes towards development that can emerge within communities. They pointed to a familiar scenario; residents moving into newly built homes only to oppose further development nearby, despite having directly benefited from the very process they are now resisting. The example illustrated the challenge of securing public support for growth, even where there is broad recognition of the need for new housing.

Interestingly, SEC Newgate's National Planning Barometer, an annual survey of English and Welsh local authority councillors on planning committees, pointed to a very different perception of what is slowing delivery. While respondents acknowledged significant social and affordable housing need in their areas - with more than 80% of councillors saying their communities require substantially more affordable homes - many also expressed frustrations at schemes being approved but not built out. Slow build-out by developers after planning permission had been granted was cited as the leading cause of delivery delays, highlighting a clear divergence from the barriers identified by developers, who largely pointed to viability and economic pressures as the primary constraints on delivery.

Partnership as a leading solution

A consistent takeaway across UKREiiF was the need for partnership to facilitate delivery. Speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that successful development increasingly depends on enduring, cross-sector collaboration.

An insightful session at the Future Homes Pavilion, featuring representatives from Barclays, L&Q, Homes England, Vistry and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, focused squarely on the role of partnership in tackling the housing crisis. Panellists argued that meeting the UK's housing need will require more than project-by-project collaboration, instead calling for long-term, trusted relationships between government, developers, housing associations, investors and local authorities. Examples such as the North Liverpool Mayoral Development Zone and Homes England's extensive use of joint ventures highlighted how enduring partnerships can unlock investment, share risk and support delivery at scale.

Against a backdrop of more than one million households on waiting lists, speakers agreed that sustained housing delivery will depend on moving beyond short-term thinking and building partnerships designed to last. They also pointed to the quality of outcomes achieved through this approach, noting that a disproportionate number of award-winning schemes are delivered through partnership models.

If the sector is serious about delivering at scale, partnership can no longer be treated as an optional extra - it must become a core delivery mechanism. Across multiple sessions, housing associations, developers, combined authorities and government bodies stressed the importance of "sitting around the same table", aligning around shared long-term objectives and building the trust needed to unlock investment, manage risk and accelerate delivery.

The challenge now: Turning intent into homes

UKREiiF 2026 revealed a sector united by a desire to accelerate delivery, but divided on how to achieve it.

There is growing evidence of renewed developer confidence, as shown in our own planning application data, with ambitious government reform stimulating a willingness to embrace new models of delivery. Yet questions remain over viability, public acceptance, investment and capacity.  

What united almost every discussion was a recognition that planning permissions, policy reforms and positive intent alone will not deliver the homes the country needs. Turning ambition into outcomes will require sustained collaboration, long-term certainty and a relentless focus on delivery.

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