The Offsite Alliance Welcomes the UK’s New Industrial Strategy: A Step Forward for Housing, Construction, and Growth

Gaynor
1 day ago
3 min read

Last week, the Government launched its new Modern Industrial Strategy—and we’re pleased to say, it’s a big step in the right direction.

This new plan sets out a long-term vision for how the UK can grow its economy, boost investment, and create better jobs across the country. It recognises that real progress comes when government, industry, and communities work together. Collaboration is at the core of this strategy—from planning to delivery—and that’s something we strongly support.

At the Offsite Alliance, we’re particularly encouraged by the support for modern methods of construction (MMC), the focus on regional growth, and the efforts to simplify how businesses can invest and scale. This strategy reflects many of the things we’ve been calling for—and now it’s time to turn that intent into action.

Here are some of the key takeaways for our sector:

1. A Long-Term Plan Built on Partnership

This is not a quick fix. The strategy sets out a clear 10-year vision and makes a firm commitment to working with industry, trade unions, local leaders, and communities, not just for them. It’s underpinned by significant investment and will be overseen by a new Industrial Strategy Council to keep delivery focused and accountable. At its core is genuine collaboration, from shaping the right solutions together to sharing responsibility for investment, action, and outcomes.

2. Support for Both High-Growth and Foundational Sectors

It’s great to see that the strategy supports fast-growing sectors like clean energy and digital tech, and foundational sectors like construction, steel, and ports. These are the industries that keep the country running and with the right backing, they can also lead the way in creating greener, more efficient, and better-paid jobs.

3. Local Growth and Regional Opportunity

The plan puts real emphasis on place. It aims to support city regions and clusters through new investment funds, including a £600 million Strategic Sites Accelerator. This is about unlocking the potential of local areas, recognising that the UK’s economic strength lies in its regions. We see real opportunity here for growing offsite hubs and regional manufacturing facilities.

With a bold commitment to long-term investment, the strategy sets out a clear roadmap to boost living standards, connect people to good jobs, and deliver the resilient, future-ready infrastructure our towns and cities need. It’s great to see the strategy highlight the need for better coordination, stronger supply chains, and the power of infrastructure to unlock housing, boost local economies, and improve lives.

4. Skills and Training for the Future

There’s a strong focus on skills, which is absolutely vital. The government plans to reform the skills and employment system to help people get into good jobs in growing sectors like construction, digital, and engineering. At the Offsite Alliance, we’ve been championing this for years—and we’re ready to play our part through collaboration with industry and training providers.

5. MMC and Construction in the Spotlight

Modern Methods of Construction are now firmly on the government’s agenda. The strategy includes:

£625 million to train up to 60,000 skilled workers
A new Infrastructure Pipeline Dashboard launching in July 2025
Planning system reforms to speed up delivery
A CMA-led review of public procurement in civil engineering to help shift towards smarter, more efficient building methods

This is a clear sign that MMC is no longer seen as niche—it’s central to how we deliver faster, greener, and more affordable infrastructure and homes. We’re keen to work with public and private sector partners to make this vision a reality.

6. Big Boost for Housing

We’re also pleased to see a strong focus on housing. The government has committed £39 billion to a new 10-year Affordable Homes Programme—the biggest in a generation. This will help deliver the homes communities need, and create real demand for offsite and modern building solutions.

The launch of a National Housing Bank to unlock private investment and support long-term funding for housing is another important step. This could help bring the scale and stability the sector has been asking for. Again, collaboration across housing providers, investors, and supply chains will be key.

7. Net Zero and Clean Growth at the Core

Net zero isn’t treated as an optional extra—it runs through the whole strategy. Clean energy, green jobs, low-carbon exports, and more sustainable ways of building are all key parts of the plan. The message is clear: the shift to net zero is a major economic opportunity, and we need to lead, not follow.

At the Offsite Alliance, we’re excited about the direction of travel. This strategy shows that construction, housing and MMC are finally being taken seriously as part of the UK’s growth story. But it also reinforces a message we’ve believed in from the start: we can only move forward if we move together.

We’ll continue to work with our members, government, and the wider industry to help deliver the homes, jobs, skills and infrastructure our country needs.

If you would like to read the full document, you can download it below