Why housing associations have never had such an important role
News
by
Louise Brooke-Smith
COMMENT What a time for mixed messaging on housing. On one hand we have the government highlighting the inevitable impact of Covid-19 on supply and the unsurprising news that site starts and completions are at their lowest for 20 years. On the other, headlines shout that house prices are going through the roof. Somewhere in the middle there is the frustrated sole parent and the family trying hard to avoid Universal Credit, simply trying to keep the wolf from the door. All are thinking “When will this nightmare end?”
Clearly, we will be living with the virus and dealing with the implications of the pandemic for some time. Post-December we will also be trying to cope with the envisaged delights of Brexit. Keeping the fragile economy going, and ensuring people are safe, is a challenge for everyone, not just those in Whitehall. The housing sector, and housing associations in particular, have never had such an important role to play.
Something has to change
From the Building Safety Bill to the Planning White Paper, everyone has a view, but the planning sector should not be the whipping boy of the development industry. Yes, local planning authorities are struggling to balance their books, and there will never be enough money to support a perfect planning service. Something else has to change.
COMMENT What a time for mixed messaging on housing. On one hand we have the government highlighting the inevitable impact of Covid-19 on supply and the unsurprising news that site starts and completions are at their lowest for 20 years. On the other, headlines shout that house prices are going through the roof. Somewhere in the middle there is the frustrated sole parent and the family trying hard to avoid Universal Credit, simply trying to keep the wolf from the door. All are thinking “When will this nightmare end?”
Clearly, we will be living with the virus and dealing with the implications of the pandemic for some time. Post-December we will also be trying to cope with the envisaged delights of Brexit. Keeping the fragile economy going, and ensuring people are safe, is a challenge for everyone, not just those in Whitehall. The housing sector, and housing associations in particular, have never had such an important role to play.
Something has to change
From the Building Safety Bill to the Planning White Paper, everyone has a view, but the planning sector should not be the whipping boy of the development industry. Yes, local planning authorities are struggling to balance their books, and there will never be enough money to support a perfect planning service. Something else has to change.
Hence, I hope the principle of zoning is endorsed. For clarity and expediency, protected, renewal or growth categories should be welcomed. And while acknowledging the importance of local democracy and the difficulties often faced by elected members when pulled by local political strings, they can and indeed should be key to strategic decisions far earlier in the process.
Of course, we need to have a more realistic review of regional needs and be bold in reviewing the green belt. It is simply ridiculous to keep every small corner “development-free” just to adhere to a 50-year-old colour-wash on an outdated map.
Housing associations are caught up in all of this. Those with clout and a bedrock of capital can and do move the dial. But many others have no choice other than to simply bob along on the tide. Partnerships with private players certainly help, but it shouldn’t be a case of safety in numbers.
Build back fairer
There needs to be transparency in where we can build and to what standard, whatever the target market. The more successful players will exceed those standards because the liveability of a place is clearly as critical as its beauty. “Build back better”, yes. “Build back with beauty” if we can agree on that definition. But, more importantly, it should be “build back fairer and with integrity”.
Design standards will be critical, but the unintended consequences of a regulated system are rarely thought through fully. Take fire safety. The intentions of EWS1 are fully understood and of course homes need to be safe, but given the reticence of professionals to incur the necessary indemnity and the subsequent impact on older stock and leaseholders trying to move is horrendous.
Fire protection is one of many elements of poor building standards that needs to be addressed by the industry and the professionals working across the sector. Thousands are caught in a Catch 22 nightmare and the registered providers are left picking up the pieces.
Carbon neutrality, sustainability, ethical funding, embracing MMC, diversity and inclusion et al – so much to address and never enough time or money. Yes, we are grateful for the plethora of grant regimes, be it the £3bn new Green Homes Scheme, or variations on that theme. But the hoops to jump through need to be realistic and expeditious, and funding allocations need to be transparent and consistent.
While we struggle with a second Covid-19 wave and a patchwork of lockdowns across the country, building sites need to keep going, more site starts need to take place, and clever partnerships need to emerge between public and private sectors to balance the inevitable local authority financial black holes.
Those who have the expertise in providing good quality social and affordable housing need to continue to bend the ear of ministers and ensure that emerging regulations and grant regimes are realistic, avoiding as many unintended consequences as possible.
Louise Brooke-Smith is a development and strategic planning adviser
