The housing pressure group, Traditional Housing Bureau (THB), gave an enthusiastic welcome to the Barker Report published last week and argues for the homes to be made from traditional brick and block construction.

Applauding the "recognition of the urgent need for additional housing volume," THB Director Barry Holmes went on to stress the importance of building good quality homes that will provide the long-term security house-buyers need.

The THB champions the cause of masonry construction, pointing out that houses built today will need to last in excess of 100 years in order to provide a long term solution to the current housing shortage. "The proven durability of solid masonry construction offers the best long-term solution - and at a lower cost than alternative building methods" summarises Barry Holmes, pointing to evidence quoted in the Barker report that brick and block houses will cost up to 10% less than prefabricated frame structures to build.

"The house building industry and its suppliers in the UK are very well placed to meet both current and future planned construction demand" Holmes continues. "Scare stories have been circulated suggesting there is a shortage of skilled labour to cope with increased production, but this is simply not the case - it is certainly not an argument for restricting the number of new houses or promoting one type of building method over another.”

“Modern methods of masonry construction combined with a very flexible workforce have streamlined the on-site building process and we are confident that there is a wealth of well trained site workers available and prepared to move to sites where good working practices are attractive."

The THB points to construction training courses full to capacity country wide as evidence that crafts-based professions are increasingly attractive, not only to school leavers but also to people opting for a change in life style.

Barry Holmes said, "Skilled construction workers will always be essential for any improvements in infrastructure as well as housing and, while we are delighted at the current enthusiasm for training courses, we would also call on the Construction Industry Training Board to increase the number and range of courses available. The need for such training can only increase in an industry where there is a constant drive to improve the quality of on-site work."

The THB campaigns to increase knowledge amongst homebuyers about construction methods, emphasising that different building types have very different performance characteristics and that house-buyers need to understand the implications of the structure type before they buy.

TheMoveChannel.com will shortly be running a feature item about housing construction methods - check our SiteFeatures Viewpoints Column in a few week's time.