Why Can’t Scotland Build Faster? | CIOB discusses Housing, Planning & Delivery

WHY CAN’T SCOTLAND BUILD FASTER? Scotland needs more homes. But can the systems meant to deliver them move quickly enough? In Episode 27 of The Hard Hat Talks, Kenneth Martin of Block Architects is joined by Dr Jocelyne Fleming, Lead – Scottish Policy and Public Affairs at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Drawing on CIOB’s policy and public-affairs work, Jocelyne explains why Scotland’s delivery challenge cannot be solved by looking at housing alone. Planning, infrastructure, finance, skills, regulation, safety and project viability all have to work together. The conversation looks at the proposed More Homes Scotland agency, the pressure on planning and building-control teams, and why projects can lose time and momentum before work even begins. It also explores the positive role CIOB and other industry bodies can play in bringing practical experience, evidence and the views of the wider construction sector into the policy conversations shaping Scotland’s future. This is not an argument for lower standards. It is a conversation about whether Scotland can create a clearer, better-coordinated system that helps good projects move forward with less friction, delay and lost opportunity. ------------------------------------------------------------ In this episode, you will hear about: • Why Scotland’s housing challenge is also a construction-delivery challenge • The gap between policy ambition and getting projects onto site • What More Homes Scotland could do differently • Planning, infrastructure, viability and the pressures affecting delivery • How to reduce unnecessary friction without compromising safety or quality • Why better coordination across project teams matters • The need to retain experienced people and improve skills pathways • How CIOB is helping bring construction evidence into policy discussions ------------------------------------------------------------ YOUTUBE CHAPTERS 00:00 Why Can’t Scotland Build Faster? 00:47 Introducing Dr Jocelyne Fleming and CIOB 03:20 More than a housing crisis 05:35 Why construction delivery feels so complex 09:10 How industry voices reach government 12:15 Why projects take longer to get moving 15:30 More Homes Scotland: opportunity or another layer? 20:00 Building faster without cutting corners 24:30 Viability, infrastructure and development constraints 29:15 National direction versus local decision-making 33:45 Why Scotland needs bolder change 37:10 Collaboration, capacity and public-sector pressures 42:00 What has happened to project coordination? 46:55 Standardisation, design and local character 51:40 Retaining experience in construction 56:10 Skills, apprenticeships and education pathways 01:00:05 Keeping people at the heart of sustainability 01:02:10 Final thoughts and outro ------------------------------------------------------------ 💬 What would make the biggest difference to building more homes, faster, in Scotland? Share your view in the comments. ------------------------------------------------------------ 🎧 Listen to the full episode: Website: https://blockarchitects.co.uk/about-u... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1k0F... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Subscribe for more direct conversations about architecture, construction, planning, property and development across Scotland. ------------------------------------------------------------ About The Hard Hat Talks The Hard Hat Talks brings together architects, developers, contractors, consultants and industry voices for direct conversations about the realities shaping the built environment. #HardHatTalks #ScottishConstruction #HousingDelivery #PlanningScotland