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The UK competition watchdog has opened an investigation into eight housebuilders after it discovered they may be sharing commercially sensitive information.

In most instances sharing is sharing, however this current situation is an exception. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched the investigation against Barratt, Bellway, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry, after it found evidence that suggested they were sharing non-public information, including sales princes and details of incentives for buyers.

The decision to launch the investigation came after a year-long market report by the watchdog into the barriers leading to the undersupply of new homes in the housebuilding sector.

Following this, the report said it had ‘fundamental concerns’ over the housebuilding market, pointing to the complex planning system and the limitations of speculative private development as the key reasons for not enough homes being built.

In addition, the report said various local planning departments were under-resourced or not have clear targets to deliver the number of homes needed in specific areas.

The CMA outlined profits of the 11 largest housebuilders were ‘generally higher than we would expect for a well-functioning market.’ However, it also warned that any measures introduced to tackle profitability in the sector would reduce the number of homes being built and exacerbate supply problems.

Commenting on the news, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: ‘We welcome the CMA’s final report following its full market study into housebuilding and the report will now be carefully considered.

‘Despite the economic challenges we remain on track to build one million homes this parliament, backed by £10bn investment in housing supply, while our long-term plan for housing will allow us to go even further to build the homes that local communities want and need.’

Moreover, a Bellway spokesperson – one of the organisations currently under fire – said: ‘We are reviewing the CMA’s report. Bellway has engaged and cooperated fully with the CMA throughout its market study – and will continue to do so.

‘Bellway is committed to exceptional customer care. We remain focused on the delivery of high-quality new homes that meet local demand and enhance the communities we build in as we work to increase the supply of UK housing.’

Image: Guilherme Cunha

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New research from London Councils has found that boroughs’ monthly spending on temporary accommodation for homeless households increased by almost 40% in 2023.

Since the start of the cost-of-living crisis, homelessness rates have skyrocketed across the capital city. As a result of a shortage of affordable accommodation, severe strain has been cast on boroughs’ budgets, with London Councils labelling this a ‘critical danger’ to their financial stability.

Ahead of the Spring Budget being delivered next week, the cross-party group is calling for more government support to help councils meet these monthly costs and reduce the risk of requiring a Section 114 notice – effectively declaring bankruptcy.

Ever since inflation rates started to climb, five councils have officially issued a Section 114 and there was several warnings throughout 2023.

A top priority is for ministers to lift the ‘unfair’ cap on the money boroughs can receive from the government to subsidise their temporary accommodation spending, which is currently tied to 2011 benefit rates no longer reflecting temporary accommodation costs.

Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Regeneration, Housing & Planning, said: ‘Homelessness has a devastating impact on individuals and families, while also bringing massive and unsustainable costs to boroughs’ budgets.

‘Boroughs work hard to house homeless Londoners. However, London’s ballooning temporary accommodation bill is a critical danger to boroughs’ financial stability. If things go on the way they are, it’s no exaggeration to say these enormous costs pose a bankruptcy risk.’

‘We’re urging ministers to boost funding support for boroughs grappling with a worsening homelessness crisis,’ Cllr Rodwell said. ‘Ending the unfair cap on housing benefit subsidy rates for temporary accommodation would relieve much of the pressure on boroughs’ resources, helping us balance the books while providing homelessness support to everyone who needs it.’

In addition to calling on the government to help councils with temporary accommodations costs, London Councils’ analysis also found that:

• The number of Londoners seeking homelessness support (from their local borough increased 14.5% between September 2022 and September 2023
• The number of London households living in temporary accommodation arranged by their local borough increased by 7% over the same time period
• More than 175,000 Londoners are homeless and living in temporary accommodation – equivalent to one in 50 residents in the capital
• A vast number of private landlords that are renting out their properties as temporary accommodation are cancelling these arrangements, as they are instead renting to private tenants or selling the properties altogether. The number of landlord ‘notices to quit’ received by boroughs rose by 56.5%

Image: Fred Moon

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In this week’s industry-led feature, Ritchie Clapson, from propertyCEO, acknowledges the fact that the UK is not building enough homes but claims that in order to do so it would help if we knew how many people want to rent or own their own home, but can’t. 

According to the government’s English Housing Survey of 2018/9, the numbers are significant. Over 540,000 households reported having someone living with them who would otherwise be homeless, and 1.6m households reported having a concealed household (i.e. an adult who wants to buy or rent on their own but who can’t afford to do so). The planning consultancy Lichfields made some further projections to determine how many new homes would need to be built each year to house both concealed households and new organically formed households, and they arrived at 389,000, significantly higher than the government’s target of 300,000. The housing charity, Crisis conducted a similar study and estimated that we needed to build 340,000 new homes yearly to make good a 4 million home shortfall within 15 years.

Where did the 300,000 number come from?

If you check the Commons Library online, you’ll see the 300,000 number referred to as an ambition. Even the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts struggled to get hold of clear calculations; the best answer they received was that the 300,000 was based on a number of studies (at least one dating back to 2004).

Strategic Land Group issued a report in 2023 which considered several different data points. One often-cited source is the Office of National Statistics, whose most recent survey projected that 160,000 new households would form annually until 2028. The ONS’s figure is based on the actual availability of new homes, so if we built more new homes, the ONS’s projection would be higher, so using their number as a basis for the new homes requirement doesn’t work.

Another reference point comes from Centre for Cities, which produced a report in early 2023 which calculated that the UK had a residential housing shortfall of 4.3m homes. Interestingly, they maintain that the decline in housebuilding can be traced back to 1947. Housebuilding rates in England and Wales have dropped by more than a third after the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, from 2 per cent growth per year between 1856 and 1939 to 1.2 per cent between 1947 and 2019. They report that we would need to build at a rate of 654,000 new homes per year to make up the deficit within the next decade.

Even if we just accept 300,000 as being accurate (or as good a place as any to start), we don’t necessarily have a clear idea of what that means. To give you a way to imagine how big an ask building that many homes each year is, Wales has around 1.3 million households, so over four years, we would be adding another Wales every time a World Cup comes round. The city of Leeds has about 350,000 households, so we would be building (pretty much) a new Leeds every year. No small feat.

How many houses have we been building?

Over the last twenty years, we’ve averaged less than 190,000 new homes per year, and the largest number we managed was 243,000 in 2019/20. So even a step up to 300,000 would

mean building over 20% more than in our best recent year’s production. Interestingly, Lichfields decided to tot up the number of new homes included in every council’s Local Plan across the country, which turned out to be 216,000. Shockingly, we would need to up production by 40% to get from the number of new homes that local councils think should be built to where the government wants us to be – a telling gap.

Issues beyond bricks and mortar

Plenty of scale home builders would be delighted to build new housing estates and towns up and down the country. But most people don’t want any new houses built anywhere close to where they live. According to Statista, England’s population density is a whopping 434 people per square kilometre. There simply aren’t any large tracts of land going spare in England where you could build a new county or two without anyone noticing. We will need to build next to where there are already many people living, which will be massively unpopular. It would be handy for the government if the general public accepted that new houses just have to be built but remember that when the government lost the Chesham and Amersham safe seat in a 2021 by-election, proposed planning reforms were cited as a key reason for the defeat. NIMBYism persists.

Thinking differently

There is one area where the government has found a way to push things forward: the conversion or redevelopment of unused commercial buildings (a.k.a. brownfield land). Countryside charity CPRE’s State of Brownfield 2022 report suggests that brownfield land for up to 1.2m new homes is currently lying dormant in England. They also cited research that suggests that housing developments on brownfield sites are completed six months more quickly than those on greenfield land.

The significant advantage of these projects is that they will be connected to existing infrastructure. And from a political perspective, brownfield development isn’t a vote loser like greenfield is. As the economy has evolved, so have our requirements for retail and business premises. We no longer need much of our current commercial space, and the number of unused brownfield sites increased by 30% between 2018 and 2022. And recycling empty buildings is usually a vote-winner – after all, who wants a derelict factory on their doorstep, or a dead high street filled with empty shops?

But if you thought brownfield redevelopment was a slam dunk that automatically gets us four years of new housing, think again. Because most brownfield land is in the form of relatively small buildings and plots that don’t appeal to the larger home builders. The likes of Persimmon and co build lots of new houses on large empty fields using existing designs. A one-off, smaller conversion project simply isn’t in their repertoire. Instead, it falls to the smaller SME developers to take on these projects, and luckily, small-scale property development is currently enjoying something of a resurgence, with many first-time developers entering the market. Many are existing landlords who have woken up to the fact that the buy-to-let market is a shadow of its former self and that even doing something as simple as putting flats above a shop can unlock six-figure profits. The government has helped by creating increased permitted development rights that make it easier than ever to convert these buildings. But SME developers still only account for just 12% of the country’s housebuilding, down from 30% in their heyday.

Conclusion

Taking into consideration various projections and challenges, the government’s target of 300,000 new homes per year looks to be on the light side. The complexity of the issue calls for a nuanced approach that involves not only meeting targets but also addressing public sentiment and leveraging alternative solutions, such as brownfield redevelopment. Local and national government need to do even more to ensure that first-time property developers can take advantage of the opportunities that brownfield represents.

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The Environment Agency have created a new scheme that aims to minimise flooding from the River Bourn by building flood storage areas to hold excess water.

The government-owned organisation have begun exploring options to help reduce flood risks in Birmingham. The latest idea has come in the form of the Bourn Flood Risk Management scheme, which includes plans to create flood storage areas around the River Bourn to hold excess water during times of high rainfall.  

Currently, the Environment Agency modelling shows that 200 residential properties and 100 businesses face the adverse impacts of flooding in the Bournville and Stirchley area.

The Bourn is prone to rapid flooding during intense storms as was seen in 2018 when 58mm fell in less than an hour over the Birmingham Conurbation resulting in significant river and surface water flooding. Flooding has also impacted communities in the area in 2008, 2012 and 2016.   

Against this backdrop, sites that are being considered for the new storage flood project are Manor Farm Park, Weoley Hill Park, and Valley Parkway in the Bournville area. When the flood risk isn’t very high, these parks will operate as normal.

Environment Manager for the Birmingham area Suzanne Ward said: ‘We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority. 

‘With anticipated climate change impacts and an increasing urban population, we are likely to see an increase in both the likelihood and impact of flood events in the future.  

‘It’s important to emphasise that no decisions have been made yet and we are still working on a concept design. We are committed to working with the community to seek their views and discuss any concerns they may have.’

The Environment Agency is committed to working with the community and hosted an open drop-in session at Weoley Village Hall in January. To add to this, further sessions and information events are set to take place in future.  

Image: Jonathan Ford

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New research shows investing over £50bn into the sector could help the economy, including £12bn profit to the taxpayer.

The research, which was commissioned by Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF) and published in a report called The economic impact of building social housing, found that building 90,000 social homes each year would generate £51.2bn net of economic and social benefits over the next 30 years.

On a smaller scale, the report states that within three years, building the houses would break even and return £37.8bn back to the economy, largely by boosting the construction industry.

According to the latest research, the UK construction sector is in a downward spiral. Covering the three months to the end of October 2023, figures from Glenigan’s latest index, performance across every vertical was so poor that there was no improvements against the previous three months.

However, the new report found that if new social homes were built, it would generate £4.5bn in savings on housing benefit, £2.5bn of income from construction taxes, £3.8bn of income from employment taxes, £5.2bn in savings to the NHS, £4.5bn in savings from reducing homelessness, and £3.3bn savings to Universal Credit. 

Against this backdrop, the NHF and Shelter said that for decades, successive governments have ‘failed to build enough social homes and every year we lose more than we build through Right to Buy sales and demolitions’. 

As a result, ahead of the next general election, both organisations are calling for political parties to commit to ending the housing crisis. 

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said that homelessness is a ‘political choice, with a simple solution’. 

She said: ‘Building 90,000 social homes a year will not only end the housing emergency, but due to the wider economic benefits it brings, it will pay for itself within just three years.’

‘Day after day our frontline services are inundated with calls from people who are being tipped into homelessness because there are no genuinely affordable homes available and private renting is just too expensive,’ Polly said. ‘Communities are being torn apart as people are priced out of their local areas – leaving behind their jobs, children’s schools and support networks.’

Polly added: ‘All political parties must make the choice to ending the housing emergency – they must fully commit to building 90,000 new genuinely affordable social rent homes a year for 10 years.’

Image: Uta Scholl

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A new report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded the housing crisis is caused by failed planning processes and a lack of government support.

CMA’s new research, which took 12 months to conduct, has finally addressed what we’ve all been thinking. Whilst looking into the state of the housebuilding industry in England, Scotland and Wales, the government-owned organisation have concluded that ‘the housebuilding market is not delivering well for consumers and has consistently failed to do so over successive decades.’

To address this, CMA, an organisation designed to help people, businesses and the economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour, make several recommendations, including establishing a new homes ombudsman ‘as soon as possible, and setting a single mandatory consumer code so homeowners can better pursue homebuilders over any quality issues they face’.

In addition, the report, which was published yesterday, also recommends encouraging councils to adopt amenities on all new housing estates and the introduction of enhanced consumer protections for homeowners on existing privately managed estates – including making it easier for homeowners to switch to a more competitive management company.

Commenting on the findings, Rico Wojulewicz, head of policy and market insight for the National Federation of Builders (NFB) and House Builders Association (HBA), said: ‘The CMA report has confirmed that a broken planning process is the reason we have a lack of social housing, why big builders build too many of our new homes and SMEs are shut out, that homes are in the wrong places and too expensive, there are some issues with quality, and we don’t do placemaking.

‘None of this is new or uncontroversial but the UK needed this CMA report to keep hammering home the reality that politicians of all colours are the reason we have a housing and placemaking crisis. It’s time they stopped blaming builders and instead, were held accountable for the mess they have caused and keep causing.’  

Against this backdrop, Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB has said the report has ‘correctly identified that the UK planning system does the opposite’ of enabling homes.

‘Planning should be enabling homes, better places and competition which benefits not just Britain, but the British consumer. The CMA has correctly identified that the UK planning system does the opposite,’ Richard said.

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Devon County Council has agreed to look into how it calculated allowances to nearly 300 families who look after children as special guardians, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

During a complaint from a woman who was looking after her grandchild under a Special Guardianship Order, the Ombudsman found the council was wrongly taking into account benefits payments when calculating the allowances it would pay, contrary to the Ombudsman’s long-held position on this topic and government recommendations.

The council wrongly had a blanket policy of deducting child benefit from all special guardians receiving Universal Credit. The council agreed to change this policy with effect from January 2024.

It also confirmed there were 170 other special guardians in the county on means tested benefits who may have been impacted by its calculations, and a further 125 where the council had no information.

Amerdeep Somal, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: ‘It is disappointing that the council cannot provide us with any evidence that it considered the individual circumstances of special guardians receiving means-tested benefits before making the deductions and instead applied its policy to everyone without justification.

‘In addition to this, it relied on its own policy to make these calculations – not national guidance – but its policy was based on its misunderstanding of our decisions in other cases.

‘I am pleased the council has now agreed to amend its policy and revisit the calculations it has made to others in its area, but it should not have taken several complaints by this grandmother and our investigation for it to realise that its own policy was wrong.’

The council agreed to apologise to the grandmother and recalculate her Special Guardianship Allowance (SGA) following government guidance, and pay her a sum equivalent to the deductions it has made since January 2022.

It will also pay her £600 for the delays caused by its complaints process and for the lack of support and information following her Special Guardianship Order.

Devon County Council has also agreed to recalculate the SGAs it has paid to the other 170 special guardians using correct guidance and pay them a sum equivalent to any deductions it has wrongly made.

For the 125 carers about whom it has no information, it has agreed to invite them to provide information to enable it to review their financial circumstances and, where appropriate, recalculate their SGAs, backdating any amount due.

The council will also review its complaints system to ensure statutory timescales are being met.

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Five out of the ten MPs in England with the biggest landlord portfolios are involved in efforts to water down the Renters (Reform) Bill.

An analysis of the Register of Members’ Financial Interests conducted by the Renters’ Reform Coalition found that Nick Fletcher (ten privately rented properties), Marco Longhi (ten), Bob Blackman (six), James Gray (four) and Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown (five) are all among a group of 40 Conservative backbenchers who have signed amendments that campaigners warn will ‘gut’ the legislation.

The amendments, tabled by Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall, include proposals to allow ‘hearsay’ evidence to be used in evictions over antisocial behaviour, delay the bill’s implementation indefinitely, require renters to live in a property for a minimum of six months before they can leave, and abolish council licensing schemes intended to drive up standards.

The Renters’ Reform Coalition highlighted an amendment that would allow fixed term tenancies – the current tenancy regime – to be retained where there is “mutual agreement” between tenant and landlord. Campaigners warned that in practice, landlords have so much power in tenancy negotiations that this would lead to widespread retention of the current system.

The Bill’s development and passage has already seen concessions made to pro-landlord groups, including a delay to the end of section 21 until the courts are reformed, changes to make it easier for landlords to accuse tenants of anti-social behaviour then evict them, and a weakening of the process for challenging rent increases designed to act as disincentive to tenants.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove recently made the latest government promise to ban no-fault evictions, going further than he previously had by saying they would be ‘outlawed’ before the General Election.

At present, a total of 12 of the 40 MPs who have signed the amendments are themselves landlords of properties in England. This is significantly higher than the overall proportion of English MPs who are landlords. The total number of properties being let out by MPs who have signed the amendments is 48.

The Bill is currently still awaiting its Report Stage in the House of Commons, despite having been first introduced to Parliament last May. Meanwhile section 21 evictions continue to rise, with no-fault evictions by bailiffs increasing by almost 50 percent in 2023.

Tom Darling, campaign manager of the Renters’ Reform Coalition, said: ‘Of course, being a landlord doesn’t mean you can’t be an MP. But we think those who personally profit from England’s broken rental market have a particular duty to their constituents to deliver reforms to the private rented sector. Indeed, they all stood on manifestos to do just that in 2019.

‘It is therefore extremely concerning to see these MPs signing up to amendments that would render significant parts of the legislation pointless. What’s more, the government have now invested so much politically in this issue that we are concerned they might be looking to make concessions to these rebels to pass the bill quickly and say they have abolished no-fault evictions – despite in reality introducing a system that won’t be much better.’

‘The truth is the Bill, as written, is not going to be a silver bullet. In reality we need reform that goes much further than the legislation as it stands – with longer tenancies, more time for renters to find a new home when evictions do happen, higher penalties for unscrupulous landlords, and a cap on rent increases to prevent unaffordable rent hikes becoming, in effect, no-fault evictions.

‘The government will be sorely mistaken if it thinks it can pass a toothless Bill written by landlords and then get a pat on the back.’

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Over £21m is set to be poured into the transport service over the next 12 months to ensure it remains safe and reliable.

The Bee Network committee have approved new funding for Manchester’s Metrolink, the UK’s largest light rail service which has 99 stops across 64 miles of track – more than 700 million journeys have been made on the trams since opening in 1992.

New funds for the rail service, which have been set at £21.4m, will come from the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), and have been earmarked as part of a planned £147m package to maintain, upgrade and improve the network up to 2027.

Immediate priorities for this summer include track replacement in several parts of the city centre, including Piccadilly Gardens and London Road, and on parts of the Altrincham and Bury Lines. In addition, plans also include a programme of modifications to the trams themselves, which include sensors in the middle of double trams and speed warning devices. These new additions are being added to help keep passengers safe.

Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: ‘Metrolink is an integral part of the Bee Network, and it’s really important that we invest in it so that we can continue to provide a safe, reliable and positive experience for the thousands of people who travel with us every day.’

‘This is a coordinated package of planned works to maintain, renew and improve the network and help to keep Greater Manchester moving, and while we understand any disruption can be frustrating, we’ll be doing everything we can to keep it to a minimum,’ Danny said. ‘We will make sure passengers know what’s happening well in advance and I’d ask people to please bear with us while the works are carried out, as the benefits will be there to be enjoyed for years to come.’

The work will temporarily cause some disruption, which will be managed to prevent passengers from being too affected.

As well as equipping the trams with better passenger safety measures and replacing tracks in Piccadilly Gardens and London Road, plans also include installing electrical substations along parts of the Bury Line, providing additional power so that more double trams run in the future.

The Metrolink is also replacing much of the communications network critical to the operation of its signalling and control systems. 

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Members of Kirklees Council have expressed their elation over 30 new affordable homes being built on a brownfield site in a sustainable location.

Following the demolition of the Stile Common Infant and Nursey School, which occurred in 2011, Kirklees Council, Homes England and West Yorkshire Combined Authority joined forces to deliver 30 new, affordable homes in Huddersfield.

Cedric Boston, chief executive of Unity Homes and Enterprise

The new homes will be comprised of two and three-bedroomed properties which will be delivered by BME Housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise. Unity was formed in 1987 with the objective of building a strong, BME-led, community housing association to address the needs of black and minority ethnic communities in Leeds. 

Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise chief executive, said: ‘We are excited to be expanding our presence in Kirklees with works getting underway on the Plane Street development.

‘The country continues to endure a national housing crisis which will only be eased with the construction of many more affordable homes.’

‘Unity is committed to playing our part to build high-quality properties for local communities that need them,’ Cedric said. ‘We welcome the strong support of Kirklees Council, Homes England and West Yorkshire Combined Authority in delivering this scheme.’

Now leading on two affordable housing schemes in Huddersfield and one in Cleckheaton, Unity owns and manages 1,386 properties for tenants from all communities and ethnic backgrounds in West Yorkshire.

In addition, Cllr Graham Turner has also voiced his gratitude for being able to help deliver must needed affordable housing to the market town.

Cllr Turner, cabinet member for finance and regeneration said: ‘It is fantastic that the council has used its land to create the opportunity for 30 affordable homes to be built on a brownfield site in a sustainable location.

‘I would like to thank council officers and partners at Unity Housing, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Homes England in getting this project off the ground, using derelict land to help address our shortage of affordable homes to ensure that a high-quality scheme can be built.

‘I am pleased to see that 100 per cent of the housing on this site will be allocated for affordable homes to meet current and future needs.’

News of this new housing scheme taking off coincides with central government announcing that every council in England must prioritise brownfield developments – a site that is built on where a structure already exists. This is to ensure developers get permission to build on derelict patches in England’s 20 biggest towns and cities.

Images: Cedric Boston and EJ Yao

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Charlotte Hutchinson, from Carter Jonas, points out development delays often can’t be blamed on developers themselves. However, she suggests that if such a problem arises, experts could implement some short-term uses. 

Despite the Letwin Independent Review of Build Out largely exonerating the development industry of ‘landbanking’, developers are all too often criticised for leaving prime sites dormant behind hoardings.

But as those reading this will know, delay in progressing a development is rarely the choice of the developer: it is the unfortunate result of a range of issues. Letwin identified market absorption as the main reason for delay and other issues, then and now, have concerned planning hold-ups, a construction industry staff shortage and a difficulty of obtaining building materials. More recently the problem has been exacerbated by planning moratoriums on nutrient neutrality and electrical capacity, and local planning authorities stalling on decision-making due to political uncertainty.

If the gap between the developer’s commitment to a site and the first spade in the ground has grown, it is rarely at the behest of the developer, whose raison d’être is to develop.

And this is demonstrated by Carter Jonas’ clients up and down the country who are compensating for unavoidable delays in the most positive way possible – creating worthwhile ‘meanwhile uses’ on development sites.

Charlotte Hutchinson, in Carter Jonas’ London office, explains the evolution of meanwhile uses: ‘A meanwhile use is the short-term use of a temporarily empty building or site which is awaiting redevelopment or has a permission in place which is yet to be implemented. In London, meanwhile uses have been utilised for over ten years – from Flat Iron Square, Bankside’s popular food, drink and event destination, to King’s Cross’ iconic art installation and natural swimming pond Of Soil and Water.

At Elephant and Castle, Charlotte explains, ‘Lendlease introduced its highly successful Mercato Metropolitano at a disused paper factory. It gave new food and beverage businesses the opportunity to ‘incubate’ in a purposely designed new business hub. This concept proves highly successful and can be seen in cities across the country, allowing owners to test the market for their business ideas without committing to the ongoing cost of rent and business rates as is usually necessary. Ultimately those who may not have done so otherwise are given the opportunity to start a business. The social value of such spaces is now being recognised. Say, for example, someone who enjoys cooking for their family and friends and sees a gap in the market for their food. They may wonder if they could turn their interest into a viable business. Initially they may take on market stall, moving into a semi-permanent space within a dedicated meanwhile space with other vendors. This would attract footfall and then, with the reassurance that the food is popular, they may open a restaurant. It’s a good news story all round!’

On the outskirts of Cambridge, Richard Seamark is working with, U+I on the regeneration of a former water treatment works. The 47-hectare site, part of the wider Cambridge Northern Fringe East will eventually host over 5,000 homes, office/ lab and employment space and a new district centre which will include a mix of retail, hotel, community and leisure, education and public spaces.

U+I’s vision for the area is to ‘draw on the innovative Cambridge environment and create a socially and economically inclusive, thriving, and low-carbon place for living and working’ and to ‘create a distinctive new part of Cambridge that will offer an amazing quality of life and respond to many of the challenges of the 21st century’.

In line with this philosophy, U+I is looking to fully embrace the concept of using meanwhile uses. The benefits are wide-ranging as Richard explains: ‘The size and complexity of the project will require development in phases, offering the opportunity to bring forward meanwhile uses that help provide early activation. The site lies adjacent to two of the more deprived wards in Cambridgeshire, and the use of meanwhile uses that offer social value can provide support to those areas of need.’ Foodbanks, charity shops and workspaces for arts groups have all benefitted in this way.

Separately, Richard’s team has worked with homelessness charity It Takes a City to address the growing problem of homelessness in Cambridge, specifically in providing emergency accommodation during the pandemic. Carter Jonas provided its planning services to enable the consent of six modular homes which were built off-site by social enterprise partner New Meaning Foundation and installed on an under-utilised parcel of land on Newmarket Road in Cambridge. While consent is temporary, it provides and important solution to a very significant housing challenge in the area until a longer-term, permanent solution can be found. As Richard explains, ‘Landowners and developers of large consented or allocated strategic sites are invariably pleased to provide an interim solution where land reserved for later phases of development could be made available on a shorter-term basis until that development phase is ready to commence. The same is true of Green Belt sites, where a landowner might have longer-term ambitions for Green Belt release or a Local Plan allocation, but the reality of delivering development for the intended purpose might be still many years away.

The social value of such initiatives is plain to see. ‘Beyond that,’ says Charlotte, ‘The development benefits in many other ways. The establishment of a new business hub or market which enables local residents to experiment with business ideas can result in the final scheme providing the spaces that those businesses need as they grow. Similarly, by providing a community arts or sports facility, a market or food hall, the developer is effectively ‘testing the water’ for a permanent use of this type – a very effective form of market research. Furthermore, simply maintaining a presence locally and engaging with the local community can help foster a good relationship with the local community, providing positive start to a public consultation exercise.’

Whatever the reasons for permanent structures to be delivered, there are many better ways to use a potential development site than hide it behind hoardings – with benefits to the community and developer alike.

Images: Stock

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New research has found that 75% of UK renters want landlords to make sustainable changes to their properties to ease financial burdens.

The research, which was sought via the Greener Home Attitude tracker, was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of homebuyers’ preferences on the importance of certain environmental features and energy saving improvements.

According to the research team, individuals renting a property face a continued rise in monthly payments as NatWest data found two-thirds of UK renters (63%) are expecting a further increase over the next 12 months. Among this group, three-quarters want landlords to make sustainable improvements to their properties to help offset the increase.

The figures show that rental properties aren’t as well insulated compared to homes that have been bought. This includes tanks and pipes insulation (42% versus 58%) and cavity wall insulation (42% versus 58%).

In addition, the tracker found that when it comes to UK homeowners making sustainable upgrades, around one-in-five homeowners reported plans to make improvements to their property in the next 12 months, with many of those not planning to make changes citing the cost of work and disruption being the key barriers.

Lloyd Cochrane, Head of Mortgages at NatWest, said: ‘Cost and disruption continue to be major barriers for homeowners looking to make sustainable changes to their homes. We’ve also seen from latest data that renters are increasingly calling for landlords to address the energy efficiency of their properties. We recently introduced the Home Energy Hub to help to solve that problem for homeowners, by making it faster to understand, commission and pay for the work they might need.’

As part of the data collected by NatWest, households were asked in the final quarter of 2023 how much they’re forking out on their monthly energy bills. Of those that reported having both mains gas and mains electricity, 23% answered between £100-£149 – that’s approximately 21 Netflix monthly subscriptions and equates to £1,200-£1,788 per year.

This was followed by 18% of households paying between £150-£199, equating to £1800-2380 a year.

Moreover, the tracker also found that:

• Over half of respondents feel that the UK government is moving too slowly to aid the green energy transition
• The green lifestyle choices that have gained the most traction in the past year are regular use of public transport (29% in 2023 up from 25% in 2022) and regular recycling of clothing i.e. using Vinted or depop to buy and sell second hand clothing (48% in 2023 up from 46% in 2022)
• London topped the rankings for plans for solar panels (45%), with the North East, Yorkshire & Humber, and Scotland (all 30%) at the other end of the scale

Image: Natwest London Headquarters

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New research which has been published by the Institute for Community Studies has warned that net zero policy risks plunging people into poverty and that authorities must act now to prevent such a thing.  

The research, which was published at the beginning of this week, identifies profiles of households and communities across the UK that are at risk of being impacted by current net zero policy. Experts found that a large proportion will potentially be facing ‘transition poverty’ due to the heightened cost-of-living.

Against this backdrop, researchers found people who have existing debt, credit, or constrained spending power; people in social or rented housing; and communities with fragile economies are expected to face the greatest barriers to participation when it comes to net zero.

However, the report, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and can be found in full here, found that despite facing severe financial distress the majority of the public have still shown an interest in helping to achieve net zero goals. Experts discovered that people were keen to participate in low-carbon living, with some taking on ’DIY’ strategies at home, ranging from homemade solar lighting to DIY insulation techniques.

In addition, the research highlighted that local councils and central government were not trusted to lead sustainable changes so members of the public had no choice but to take matters into their own hands.

In lieu of this, researchers brought participatory primary research, a review of poverty and social justice literature, and a review of scenarios of change towards net zero in the UK together for the first time. Findings were shared with local government and communities in four local authorities in England, exploring what incentives, levers and policies might unlock greater, inclusive participation in transition.     

Building on these co-created policies, the report now calls for an integrated system with strategic alignment between national and local government, and public service providers, the private sector, and communities.

Some of the recommendations include building a collective action and policy for net zero transition and including people in the design of fair outcomes to enable a place-focused, inclusive debate during, and as a result of, net zero transition.

Emily Morrison, director of sustainability and just transition at The Young Foundation said: ‘Our research shows there is a will, an appetite, and even an urgency amongst the public, including the most vulnerable and poorest households, to participate in the transition to net zero.

‘But this has to be enabled through policy and practice that works with real people’s lives, and the places they live in. Current policy will result in winners and losers through net zero transition, and we cannot let it become another part of UK policy that needs to be ‘levelled up’.

‘If we build participation, rather than waiting to nudge people and hoping they’ll comply, and if we remove barriers, build on community assets, and maximise local readiness, we can reconcile decarbonisation with fair and just outcomes that mean decarbonisation does not leave anyone, or any place, behind.’

Image: Emil Kalibradov

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In this new three part mini-series, Campbell Tickell’s Catherine Little, Sue Harvey and Francesca Stanyer, discuss the Housing Ombudsman Complaints Handling Code and how it links in with changes to social housing consumer regulation.

In Part 1, they reflect on how boards can seek assurance around complaints handling and tenant satisfaction measures and are joined by guest Sarah Klueter, Director of Customer Experience at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, who shares her experience around complaints and tenant satisfaction measures.

In Part 2, our speakers discuss:

1. What trends there are around complaints handling and organisational culture
2. How complaints handling approach and outcomes may support in-depth assessments
3. Top tips for housing providers and local authorities on complaints handling

In Part 3, Catherine and Sue discuss key changes in the complaints handling code, emphasizing a shift from “should” to “must” and the code’s new statutory status.  

On Spotify? You can subscribe to our podcast.

Image: Will Francis

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Due to a change in planning rules, local residents should be protected from being pushed out of their communities by excessive short term lets.  

The current housing crisis, which began as a result of inflation, is sweeping across England and stopping thousands of citizens from being able to find a home they can afford. If this wasn’t bad enough, local residents are finding they are being forced out of the places they call home as a result of increased holiday lets.

To help combat this, at the beginning of this week, ministers published new rules that will limit the number of short-term lets that are rented out as holiday homes.

The new rules include:

• Planning permission will be required for future short-term lets
• Mandatory national register will provide valuable information and help ensure accommodation is safe
• Proposals will give communities greater control over future growth
• Homeowners can continue to let out their own main or sole home for up to 90 nights a year

Under the reforms councils will be able to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process. This will support local people in areas where high numbers of short-term lets are preventing them from finding housing they can afford to buy or to rent.

The changes are part of a long-term plan to prevent a ‘hollowing out’ of communities and address anti-social behaviour. However, the decision to allow for homeowners to rent out their properties for up to 90 nights a year has come as holiday lets help to bring tourists into our country which benefits the economy.

Commenting on the news, secretary of state for levelling Up, housing and communities, Michael Gove said: ‘Short-term lets can play an important role in the UK’s flourishing tourism economy, providing great, easily-accessible accommodation in some of the most beautiful parts of our country.

‘But in some areas, too many local families and young people feel they are being shut out of the housing market and denied the opportunity to rent or buy in their own community.

‘So the government is taking action as part of its long-term plan for housing. That means delivering more of the right homes in the right places and giving communities the power to decide.’

However, experts have claimed that the rules could be deemed as confusing for people who rent out properties as holiday homes.

Simon Barry, Director of Boyer who specialises in hospitality, leisure and tourism, said: ‘Following this announcement many people who let their main or secondary properties via Airbnb or similar platforms will be unsure of the process required to meet new requirements.’

‘It is understood that homeowners are allowed to let their main or sole home for up to 90 nights throughout a year without requiring planning permission,’ Simon said. ‘However, proposed planning changes would see the introduction of a ‘C5 short term let use class’ created in England for those short-term let’s not used as a sole or main home. This would relate to new-build short-term let developments and proposes to grant permissions with conditions that the new use class should apply to them.’

Simon added: ‘Existing dedicated short-term lets will automatically be reclassified into the new use class and will not require a planning application.

‘The new permitted development rights will allow for the change of use from a ‘residential dwellinghouse’ to a short term let and vice versa. However, where local authorities deem there to be an issue, they may use the new mandatory national register and new powers to remove the permitted development rights via an Article 4 Direction. That said, councils will have to be able to demonstrate clearly a very small geographical area with any issue with short-term lets in order to apply the direction.

‘These measures only concern short-term lets, and therefore the planning changes and the register will not affect hotels, hostels or B&Bs.

‘There are around 450,000 short lets in the UK and so hundreds of thousands of landlords will be affected by this change.’

Image: Grant Durr

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The department for levelling up, housing and communities have given over £19.5m to help fund the regeneration of Weymouth town centre which will pay for key works to support new housing and businesses.

The second round of funding from the levelling up fund saw over £19.5m be awarded to the Weymouth Waterside project. The successful bid is set to focus on three sites for future regeneration.

These include:

• The harbour walls at the Peninsula and North Quay will be repaired and infrastructure installed
• The disused ferry terminal on the Peninsula and local government office at North Quay will be renovated
• Land will be purchased by Dorset Council for future development opportunities

In addition, as a result of receiving a significant lump sum, the work will pave the way for significant future development projects, including a waterfront leisure complex at Weymouth Peninsula to provide new affordable homes.

In a statement, Dorset Council said: ‘The council has long held ambitions to kick start Weymouth’s economy, and demolition of the former council offices at North Quay represents the first step in making those aspirations a reality.

‘We can now press ahead to find the right delivery partner to help us develop plans for the future use of this key waterside location.’

‘Supporting the long-term vitality of Weymouth’s town centre is one of our key priorities,’ the council said. ‘The substantial levelling up funding awarded by government will help us provide much needed homes for local people, create jobs in the construction industry, increase footfall and boost local shops, restaurants and businesses.’

The local authority added: ‘While these schemes will inevitably take some time to come to fruition, we’re delighted that they’re becoming a reality.

‘We look forward to seeing the positive effect this will have on the town in the near future, and for generations to come.’

As well as Dorset’s bid being accepted, other projects that received funding from the government’s levelling up money pot include County Durham, Tyne and Wear, who received £19.5m to help better transport services in the North East.

Against this backdrop, Cornwall secured £50m to help upgrade their travel services and £43.1m was allocated to revamp two London underground station.

Image: Dorset Council

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In light of the new biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements coming into force, Grensham House have partnered with Wilson Towers Watson (WTW) to roll out a new strategy to halt biodiversity decline in the UK.

This week Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager, has launched a sector specialist biodiversity strategy to accelerate the deployment of nature-based solutions designed to prevent biodiversity decline in the UK.  

WTW, a leading global insurance and advisory company with over £150bn in assets under management, is the cornerstone investor in the Gresham House Biodiversity Co-Invest LP (GHBC) strategy, which is aiming to raise $380m to invest in ‘habitat banks’.

Developed by Environment Bank Limited (EBL), habitat banks turn landscape-scale areas of non-arable farmland into mosaics of woodlands, wetlands, and species rich grasslands in accordance with the UK government’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) metrics. BNG units are then generated from these assets and sold to developers requiring planning permission.

Peter Bachmann, managing director of sustainable infrastructure at Gresham House, said: ‘With nature consistently emerging as a key theme in the global narrative around climate, it shows consensus is rapidly growing among political and business leaders that we cannot combat the climate crisis without addressing biodiversity loss.

‘We are extremely proud of having co-created a nature-based solution with EBL tailored to the needs of the UK government and industry alike. With the UK in the bottom 10% globally in terms of biodiversity, we can see no better place to partner with forward-thinking investors such as WTW to tackle this grave threat.’

With the UK Government’s Environment Act 2021 biodiversity net gain requirements coming into force, developers are required to achieve a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% for their sites to gain planning permission. These rules have enabled a new market worth hundreds of millions of pounds annually, paving the way for other countries to do the same.

As part the strategy, Gresham House and its investors have committed over $300m to EBL. Over 3,500 hectares of land either in development or under offer, and a team of ecologists and land management specialists are tasked with ensuring they deliver the right landscapes in the right areas to maximise biodiversity.

Professor David Hill CBE, chairman and founder of EBL, added: ‘The rapid mobilisation of capital from world-leading institutions like WTW and Gresham House into the nascent biodiversity market speaks volumes about the quality of the ecology and proposition we’ve delivered. It’s been a pleasure working with Gresham House to bring this truly game-changing solution to market, and to see the growing recognition globally around the critical need to fund nature restoration at scale.’

Image: Eelco Böhtlingk

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The engineering and consulting group have appointed David White to lead to business’ commitment to keeping colleagues safe and well, and lowering the carbon impact of its UK & Ireland activities.  

Founded in 1957, SYSTRA made the decision to appoint David White as Director of Health, Safety, Security & Sustainability as he brings ‘a wealth of experience delivering positive cultural change in this context in a number of sectors including construction, pharmaceutical, food manufacture and wastewater management.’

Commenting on the news, Nick Salt, CEO of SYSTRA Ltd, said: ‘We’re delighted that David has joined the senior leadership team at a time of significant growth in transportation and adjacent markets. Above all, the health, safety and security of our colleagues and the solutions we provide is our priority and this comes hand-in-hand with our sustainability mission.’

By taking on this role, Mr White will now not only be responsible for prioritising his colleagues safety and wellbeing, but also ensuring that all future projects align with the companies sustainability targets. SYSTRA have noted that roughly a third of the UK’s carbon emissions comes from transport and that it has only reduced by 2% since 1990.

The organisation have stated that their priorities currently include:

• Becoming a climate resilient, net zero business
• Delivering sustainability through projects
• Creating social value and positive lasting impacts where they are needed most
• Supporting wellness and fostering a culture of continuous learning and a diverse and inclusive workforce

David White said: ‘I’m proud to be joining the signature team at SYSTRA and look forward to supporting colleagues in the world-wide SYSTRA Group. I have no doubt in their absolute commitment to providing a safe and sustainable future for everyone. I believe every individual has a part to play and I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues across the business to bring our values, and responsibilities, to life.’

SYSTRA in the UK and Ireland leads the delivery of sustainable infrastructure and environments through specialist engineering and consultancy services. A world-leader in mobility and mass transit, we deliver planning and development consultancy, engineering design, project management, and specialist technical services, that enable the safe and efficient movement of people, goods and essential services.

Images: SYSTRA and Nick Fewings

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New research by Unison has found that 30% of women working across the public sector in the UK have had their requests to work flexibly denied. In addition, 25% of these workers have had their requests rejected more than once.  

The study, which was published last week, included responses from just over 44,000 women working in the public sector. According to Unison, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, the findings suggest employers are being ‘inconsistent, rigid and unimaginative’ by denying individuals flexibility needs.

Experts discovered that 47% of respondents had requested some flexibility in their jobs so they could achieve a better work-life balance and 37% had done so to look after their mental health. Moreover, 36% wanted to work flexibly to work around their childcare needs and 29% for physical health reasons.

However, when making their requests women were met with an influx of reasons as to why it wouldn’t be possible. More than two fifths of women were informed that it would affect the quality of the service provided and 28% that there wouldn’t be enough colleagues to cover their duties.

Against this backdrop, 20% were denied flexibility because their managers said it would prompt other staff members to make the same requests. Although the reasons listed are shocking, arguably the most unjust finding to come out of this survey is that 15% of women were given no reason at all as to why they couldn’t work flexibly.

Commenting on the findings, Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison said: ‘It’s disheartening to see many employers continuing to deny their staff the opportunity to work flexibly. They have nothing to lose and nothing to gain.

‘But sadly many women who find they need to inject some flexibility into their working lives are coming up against employers with inconsistent, rigid, and unimaginative attitudes.

‘While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, some form of flexible working is achievable in most workplaces.’

News of female workers being denied the ability to work flexibility has been published just before a new flexible-working law is set to come into force in England, Scotland, and Wales this April. This gives employees a statutory right to request flexible working from their first day at work, as opposed to the current situation that requires a minimum six-month wait.

While UNISON believes this move is a step in the right direction, the union wants more to be done to allow employees to work flexibly.

‘Helping women to balance work with caring commitments not only improves morale, but can also help employers fill hard-to-recruit jobs,’ Christina said. ‘And with fewer vacancies, services provided to the public are likely to improve.’

Christina added: ‘Too many employers are still turning down flexible-working requests, which means the right to request is pretty meaningless for many women. The right to work flexibly from day one would be beneficial for staff and employers alike, and help bring workplaces into the 21st century.’

Image: Amy Hirschi

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As part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, Michael Gove has suggested the use of a ‘beauty calculator’ to raise standards in design. Nigel Booen, director of design at Boyer, rigorously examines what this will mean for housebuilding. 

As part of the government’s preoccupation with ‘beauty’ as a principal factor in the creation of new developments, it was hinted momentarily that the secretary of state may legislate for the use of a ‘beauty calculator’ to assess and determine planning applications. However, the prospect of a tool so precise as a calculator to measure something as esoteric and nebulous as beauty has understandably caused consternation amongst architects and designers.

So, this begs the question, is there anyway in which such a tool could work and can we entertain this idea for a brief moment?

Firstly, it is important to consider what constitutes beauty in housing design. Clearly a building’s form, architecture and the materials used are relevant. Much of the recent policy on beautiful buildings, specifically the work of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, describes ‘beauty’ as being found in historic styles of architecture. In relation to the work on the Commission in 2020, the then secretary of state, Robert Jenrick, said that the planning system would place a ‘higher regard’ on quality and design and draw on ‘the idea of design codes and pattern books that built Bath, Belgravia and Bournville’.

Other criteria, however, is less clear-cut. If ‘beauty’ correlates with ‘good design’ then functionality must also feature. But there are circumstances in which functionality can over-ride aesthetic value – for example in providing car parking. Convenient and accessible parking is a necessary component of a well-functioning housing development. But Georgian style schemes are being upheld as the epitome of good design, and there is little opportunity in a Georgian town layout for on-plot, off-road parking and garages, unless of course one is thinking of mansions in the meadows. Form and function are both are important design considerations, but does ‘beauty’ favour the former at the expense of the latter, tilting the beauty calculator towards what is aesthetically pleasing over that which works?

For a calculator to provide consistency, it should be applied universally. But this immediately poses a problem in relation to housing development. Should urban schemes within a conservation area, for example, be judged more stringently than a deprived inner-city area would be – because the need for housing of any kind along with infrastructure and investment is more pressing than aesthetics? Does a warehouse necessitate being beautiful to the same extent as the regeneration of a high street? And should temporary housing be judged as rigorously as civic buildings in strategically important locations which are built to span centuries?

Perhaps even more importantly, what is the cost of ‘beauty’? An investment in good architectural consultancy and high quality materials will require savings to be made elsewhere. In some circumstances, the sums necessary score highly on a beauty calculator will means that funds are not available to be spent elsewhere – for example in providing community facilities, affordable housing or increasing biodiversity net gain. Or simply that the scheme will become unviable.

There are also questions over whether the beauty of an unbuilt scheme can be assessed with any real accuracy. The artists’ impressions and CGIs typically provided to accompany a planning application tend to focus on the more aesthetically-pleasing elements of a proposed scheme: they rarely portray the backs of buildings, the car parks and the service areas; yet in reality, the beauty of a scheme is combination of all of its features. Similarly a depiction ahead of planning permission will present the development at its best: blossom will be in flower, children will be smiling and balconies will be well tended. The reality of course is quite different – but would a beauty calculator factor that in (and should it, with no quantifiable evidence as to how the development’s future might evolve)?

This then leads to the question of who might be qualified to assess the potential level of ‘beauty’ in an unbuilt scheme. An architect might be qualified to do so; but the scheme’s own architect would be biased, as would any other (competitor) architect. A local authority planner would have the necessary objectivity, but not the necessary design training. Local authority design panels might provide the solution, design panels not longer exist routinely across all planning authorities – in reality no more than a quarter of local authorities have design panels today.

Perhaps the most important issue is that the potential veto of housing schemes on design grounds seems to overlook the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’: the basis that development should be allowed on the basis that it is sustainable and complies with planning law. The current NPPF suggests that all other considerations are secondary.

The government’s attention to design standards is admirable in principle, but its application raises many questions.

Planning is primarily objective and formed of checks and balances: if ‘beauty’ is to be raised to the top of the development agenda, then the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ drops down. Consequently, fewer much-needed homes will be built. It is unquestionable that beauty is best measured post-completion. It should take into account quality of build and craftsmanship. But the long term is also important: how well the development is taken care of as that is the measure of a truly successful development.

Images: borevina and Daniel McCullough

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