There is no doubt that England has a housing crisis. The lack of safe, affordable homes in desirable locations has caused record levels of homelessness, with 150,000 children living in unsuitable temporary accommodation. While millions of individuals cannot afford to buy their first home, the Labour government’s solution is to build more houses, with plans for an additional 1.5 million in England over the next five-year term. But where will all these homes go?
To discuss the matter, three housing experts – Kate Henderson, Roger Mortlock, and Nicholas Boys Smith – were brought together for a debate hosted on WhatsApp. They explored the implications of building on a scale not seen for half a century and assessed what can be done to solve England’s housing crisis. The conversation was edited, and this is a summary of what the experts had to say.
The government has a ‘brownfield first’ policy, which means prioritising land that has been previously developed, but the idea that only brownfield sites can be used for new homes will not deliver the quantity required for England’s housing demands. Kate Henderson stated that building new homes and communities is essential across England, including inner-city regeneration and the creation of new communities. The government should also ensure local residents are involved in the process.
While most of the Green Belt is high-value countryside that plays a vital role in addressing the climate and nature emergencies, it is essential to recognise that not all Green Belt land is of high quality. Rural areas also require new, affordable housing. As such, Roger Mortlock argued that building on shovel-ready brownfield sites that are close to where people already live, work and attend school is the best choice.
Furthermore, the participants concluded that creating new places or buildings would not improve the public’s lives, but people would fall back in love with the future if they believed new development could enhance places and individuals’ lives.
The experts also discussed the scale of the Labour government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes and whether it is achievable. Building social and affordable homes is crucial and will bring down the cost of benefits while saving on homelessness prevention, temporary accommodation and the NHS. However, there is a concern that communities will have housing imposed on them, leading to extra people in the area without adequate infrastructure or services.
The debate highlighted that quality and quantity of housing shouldn’t be pitted against each other. It is essential to design all homes with residents’ needs in mind, ensuring they are accessible, adaptable, sustainable and crucially, affordable. Quality is
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