Housebuilding in the North: Achieving government goals

James McHugh, Senior Consultant at Campbell Tickell

In November the Northern Housing Consortium in partnership with Campbell Tickell held the online seminar, ‘Housebuilding in the North: Achieving Government Goals’.

The new Government has hit the ground running when it comes to their ambition on building the homes we need. Their key aim is to increase the supply of new homes to meet their 1.5m homes target. But the target for northern areas is a steep challenge requiring nearly 280,000 new homes over the course of the Parliament compared to just under 200,000 delivered over the last Parliament.  

The Government has also stated they want to see the biggest growth in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. This is much needed. But delivery will be challenging. The sector is already dealing with competing pressures amidst constrained financial capacity and will need to innovate to meet the Government’s ambition and local need.

Against this backdrop, the NHC and Campbell Tickell convened the North’s Local Authorities and Housing Associations to reflect on the challenge and share existing good practice.

Here, James McHugh, Senior Consultant, Consultant at Campbell Tickell provides an overview of the day’s key discussion points.

Watch: A recording of Housebuilding in the North: Achieving Government Goals can be viewed via the NHC’s dedicated Rebalancing webpage or at the end of this page.
Coming soon: In January, the NHC and Campbell Tickell will publish a short report bringing together think pieces from key speakers on the day.

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Expert speakers from across the North assembled at the Northern Housing Consortium’s recent webinar on housebuilding – chaired by Maggie Rafalowicz, Director of Campbell Tickell – to share insights and reflections on working to deliver new homes, often in difficult environments.

Right across the north, local authorities, charities and registered providers are pioneering approaches to housebuilding to address a perfect storm of challenges: rising housing costs, complex planning constraints, and persistent economic pressures, which have long afflicted regional development.

A commitment to achieving government goals on housebuilding was clear from all speakers, but the scale of effort required will be huge and policymakers must engage with those working in the sector to understand how the government’s policy and funding levers can be used to overcome some of the current barriers to delivery.

The Planning Challenge

Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework present a significant challenge to the north of England, with a projected increase of 52% compared to the current method for assessing housing need. There was some reservation about such targets, with a need to ensure delivery of good quality which cater for a range of needs, rather than simply chasing the numbers.

Delivering affordable homes in rural locations continues to be a challenge, as Robin Murfin, Director of Housing & Planning from Northumberland Council illustrated in explanation of the inelasticity of housing prices in his authority, where increased supply has not been associated with lower prices. This is compounded by the challenge of meeting local housing needs alongside growing demand for holiday accommodation and second homes arising from the area’s successful tourism strategy.

For some authorities, such as Leeds (represented by Mark Denton, Head of Housing Growth), the position on land supply and planning permission remains positive but market and economic conditions continue to prevent the delivery of homes. Provision of key infrastructure is another growing issue which is increasingly delaying development at scale. Whilst across the board, authorities struggle from a lack of planning capacity, rising requirements, and inconsistent coverage of Local Plans.

Delivering Quality Homes

Local authorities across the North are rising to the housebuilding challenge and have demonstrated a renewed role in local housing delivery including where the market is not providing. Such authorities are often best placed to take on challenging sites and deliver schemes to high quality which achieve wider social and environmental benefits.

The webinar heard from Michael Jones, Head of Housing Delivery & Asset Management at York Council on their ambitions to deliver 600 new homes. Their delivery has been focused on building homes to Passivhaus standards, set in green spaces designed to encourage active travel and fit in with the historic local environment. One such development can boast an estimated annual running cost of just £150 per household, making a significant contribution not just to decarbonisation but also the costs of living.

We also heard speakers from Leeds and Rotherham councils on their efforts to deliver new homes, including as part of the regeneration of the town centre – highlighting the close links between housing and economic growth for many northern towns. James Clark, Assistant Director at Rotherham Council spoke about their innovative scheme of working with SME developers through the use of financial guarantees and stage payments – this has the dual benefit of meeting local housing needs and supporting local firms.

Registered Providers in the North also continue to make a major contribution, even when faced with growing needs of stock investment. Alan Boddy, Chief Executive of Livin Housing, spoke of the work being done by the Northeast Housing Partnership to pull together a comprehensive pipeline of developments and understand how delivery could be accelerated in the right circumstances. This involves a focus on regenerating existing homes, particularly in areas of low demand of poor quality, as well as new supply.

Involving Local Communities

Speakers raised the importance of public engagement in delivering new homes, particularly pre-engagement. This involves time and effort to meet with the local community and talk to people on their own terms and locations (such as churches, schools, and chip shops), facilitating conversations between people, rather than through pre-determined surveys and locations. Also crucial to be honest about what can or cannot be influenced. Securing proper engagement and input into the design of schemes can help ensure a smoother process for securing planning permission and drive quality in new homes.

The webinar also heard about community-led efforts to deliver new homes. This included an overview by Abi O’Connor of the New Economics Foundations research on community-land trusts and the greater role they could play in delivering new homes if the funding and policy environment was more favourable. The CLT model is associated with a range of other benefits such as increased affordability and sustainability.

In Hull, Giroscope have a long history of working with communities to provide housing solutions. Martin Newman, Co-ordinator, spoke of the organisation’s forty-year history in purchasing and repairing derelict terraced homes, working with local residents, ex-offenders and refugees to develop skills in the building trades. Their efforts have recently expanded into housebuilding, working with a locally based factory building components to be assembled on site.

Conclusion: Hope on the Horizon

Despite significant challenges, the northern housing sector demonstrates remarkable creativity and resilience. By prioritising community needs, embracing sustainable technologies, and adopting flexible, innovative approaches, the NHC’s members are set to play a major role in achieving Government goals.

Further resources

Read our recent CT Brief article Listening to Liverpool’s residents.

To discuss any points raised in this blog please contact James McHugh at James.McHugh@campbelltickell.com or contact Maggie Rafalowicz: Maggie.Rafalowicz@campbelltickell.com

Find out about our work with local authorities and housing providers.

Housebuilding in the North: Achieving government goals