Government hires housebuilding expert from Barratt

Kinsella spent the last 11 years as growth and partnerships director at Barratt Partnerships, the housebuilder’s public sector division.

Government hires housebuilding expert from Barratt

The government’s Homes and Communities Agency has hired Stephen Kinsella as director of accelerated construction.

Kinsella spent the last 11 years as growth and partnerships director at Barratt Partnerships, the housebuilder’s public sector division.

Sir Edward Lister, HCA chairman, said: “This appointment is further evidence of our renewed ambition to increase the scale and pace of construction and pioneer new approaches to diversify the housing market.

“We will ensure more homes are built for people across all housing tenures through a whole series of measures and interventions, including direct delivery on public land and encouraging modern methods of construction.”

Kinsella will lead the agency’s Accelerated Construction unit, a £2bn programme involving the HCA directly building homes on surplus public sector land as well as supporting smaller builders and modern methods of construction.

Nick Walkley, HCA chief executive, said: “This is a very important appointment for the agency and we’ve very pleased to have found someone who has the same ambition and passion to transform housebuilding in this country so more people can have a home of their own.

“Stephen is a private sector housebuilding leader with a comprehensive understanding of developing on public land. He will bring strong leadership skills, extensive industry knowledge and a track record for doing things differently.”

Kinsella said: “I am excited by this opportunity to create a new delivery model for housing supply and increase innovation in the sector.

“The major housebuilders have a huge role to play in increasing supply but it is clear to me that Accelerated Construction and other HCA-backed initiatives are essential to diversify the market and ensure we can meet the pent-up demand for housing in this country.”