Event Report: Future of London Affordable Housing Webinar

The 2022 affordable housing landscape is extremely complex and struggling under competing priorities. We heard how construction costs are at a 40-year high, the UK is facing a skilled labour shortage, the sector is under pressure to address climate change via retrofit and this is on top of changing regulations and safety standards. All of this means the delivery of new housing is slowing. So how can we react?

The panel featured representatives from private and public sector business, including Enfield Council, L&Q Group and Legal & General. The discussion followed two main strands. Firstly, there’s a need to generate more confidence across the sector and this can come by unlocking the planning process. It takes too long to secure permissions, there’s little structure to accelerate those already in the process, land needs to be released much earlier, new framework programmes should be implemented and more resourcing is desperately needed. It was also widely agreed that some form of government incentive is required to push development in this sector.

The second strand debated the retrofit agenda and the importance of creating net zero neighbourhoods across all tenures. We heard how homes in England contribute 27% of the UK’s total annual carbon emissions, so there’s a serious need to invest in existing homes and improve energy efficiencies – the installation of EVCPs and PVs at scale was one example outlined.

“Closing remarks focused on the importance of continued cross-sector dialogue, and collaboration that’s not just industry-wide but includes communities and residents.”