Category: Report

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Report

Building for the future: the role of county councils in meeting housing need

As part of the CCN’s Building for the Future project, which aims to showcase innovative county councils and unitary authorities delivering high-quality homes and communities, this report demonstrates that there is an appetite among counties to help meet national housing need but that they are not supported by national policy.

The report finds that there is an often-severe need for affordable housing among county and unitary authorities, with house prices in these areas among the highest in the country and at least nine times average earnings.

The report charts the progress of five counties trying to address local housing needs either through partnerships or direct delivery, ultimately calling on government to recognise the potential of this as a movement and make policy reforms to unlock further delivery.

Author: Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), County Councils Network (CCN)

Publication date: June 2018

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Report

Clarion Housing Circular Economy Strategy

Clarion Housing’s Circular Economy Strategy for regeneration established three fundamental principles: building in layers, social value and the waste hierarchy, which emerged following extensive literature review, research into industry best practice and engagement with Clarion and the Merton Regeneration Project teams.

Author: Clarion Housing

Publication date: May 2018

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Guidance Report

London Environment Strategy

The Mayor of London is taking a range of actions to improve the environment now, setting London on the path to create a better future.

The state of London’s environment affects everyone who lives in and visits the city – it helps Londoners to stay healthy, makes London a good place to work and keeps the city functioning from day to day.

In many ways London’s environment is improving, but it still faces a host of challenges. Toxic air, noise pollution, threats to our green spaces, and the adverse effects of climate change – they all pose major risks to the health and wellbeing of Londoners.

We need to act now to tackle the most urgent environmental challenges facing our city, as well as safeguard London’s environment over the longer term. We need to ensure that London is greener, cleaner and ready for the future.

This is the first strategy to bring together approaches to every aspect of London’s environment, integrating the following areas:

  • air quality
  • green infrastructure
  • climate change mitigation and energy
  • waste
  • adapting to climate change
  • ambient noise
  • low carbon circular economy

Author: Mayor of London

Publication date: May 2018

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Further information: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/london-environment-strategy

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Report

Rural Housing for an Ageing Population: Preserving Independence (HAPPI 4)

The Inquiry report makes a number of ‘rural proofing’ recommendations to increase the quality, supply and range of more appropriate age-friendly housing. It suggested an adaptation of the HAPPI principles when designing new homes for older people in rural areas, noting that new housing could preserve independence for older people and save NHS and social care funds.

It also recognised the need to build greater resilience and connectivity amongst local communities across all ages in the countryside. The Inquiry saw at first hand and heard evidence that building hubs for older people within villages also has the added benefit of retaining their support networks of family and friends. The Inquiry therefore also calls for wider community-led support solutions that could help people remain in their own village and stay connected in isolated rural communities.

Author: Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation

Publication date: April 2018

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Report

Planning positively through partnership

A positive, proactive and responsive planning system focused on shaping places is vital for the future growth of our society. Where it works well, it is one of the best tools that we have to deliver the homes and jobs where they are needed, in our villages, towns and cities.

It also ensures that the emphasis on new development is set within wider local strategies for improving health, creating jobs and boosting educational attainment, and enabling social cohesion.

But the planning system cannot achieve this all by itself. It also needs developers, councils and local communities to work together to create effective partnerships. The earlier in the planning process these relationships are built and nurtured, the more likely that greater positive outcomes will be achieved for local communities when new development comes forward.

The LGA hope the case studies included in this publication provide inspiration to all those with a shared interest in ensuring that the aspirations and needs of people and communities are at the centre of our collective efforts to deliver new, high quality development.

Author: Local Government Association

Publication date: February 2018

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Report

The London – Cambridge Corridor: Making more of the Green Belt

The Metropolitan Green Belt covers a large part of the Greater South East. It is a blunt policy instrument that ensures a high degree of enforcement and produces a range of unintended consequences. This has led to polarised positions. Its defenders argue for no change believing that any revision will be the ‘thin end of the wedge’ leading eventually to its demise. Opponents see a failure to address the consequences flowing from a long term restriction of land supply and point out that the world has changed since the Metropolitan Green Belt was conceived.

The Metropolitan Green Belt raises questions about the scale of planning. The development of local plans can include a review of the Green Belt but this does not take place in a strategic context. In particular cross boundary considerations between London and its neighbouring authorities are limited, yet the Metropolitan Green Belt clearly requires a coordinated approach. At the national level policy largely favours the status quo.

The report authors are seeking to identify the possibility of a more flexible approach to the Metropolitan Green Belt that supports a clear purpose but which recognises the need for flexibility given the complex and changing needs of London and the wider South East.

Author: Alan Mace, Alessandra Mossa, Fanny Blanc (LSE) with Levitt Bernstein

Publication date: February 2018

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Further information: www.lse.ac.uk/geography-and-environment/research/green-belt

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Report

Making spaces for play: on new suburban and town developments

It looks in detail at play (a proxy for overall social activity) and relates this to a simple mapping exercise that scores four physical characteristics of new developments. Though only a pilot exercise the methodology shows promise as a way of predicting, at an early stage in planning, future social outcomes. Where beneficial features are absent, social activity and play may be a small fraction of that observed on the developments with the higher mapping scores.

Author: ZCD Architects, NHBC Foundation

Publication date: December 2017

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Report

Delivering the renaissance in council-built homes: the rise of local housing companies

Local housing companies (LHCs) are independent arms-length commercial organisations wholly or partly owned by councils. They can develop, buy and manage properties within and outside of a local authority area. The homes LHCs provide sit outside of the local government housing financing system (Housing Revenue Account) and are not subject to the Housing Act and most of the social/affordable housing regulations.

Over the past few years the number of companies has increased among councils across the whole of England. This study of LHCs shows that the vast majority are engaged in the provision of affordable housing, as well as market housing for rent and sale.

Although the number of LHCs has risen dramatically, there have been few studies on their evolution or impact on meeting local housing needs. There is no official register or database of LHCs and few case studies. This report is an attempt to fill that information gap and better understand the extent to which LHCs are developing as alternative providers of affordable homes.

The research, including an on-line poll of councils, roundtable meetings and interviews with practitioners and experts, has attempted to document the emergence of LHCs, in all their shapes and forms.

Author: Paul Hackett, The Smith Institute

Publication date: October 2017

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Report

Health and Wellbeing in Homes

Our home, both the location and the physical building itself, influences almost every aspect of our lives – from how well we sleep, to how often we see friends, to how safe and secure we feel. If we want to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities, there can hardly be a more important place to start than the home: it is where most people spend most of their life.

This report is about beginning a concerted effort to shift the market towards a focus on the mental, social and physical health and wellbeing of the people who occupy the homes we build and retrofit. It is aimed at all those with a role in developing, designing, delivering or managing housing, and is focused on general needs homes in the UK housing sector. The aim is to gather and distill the most compelling evidence and advice about building and neighbourhood design features which can enhance the health and wellbeing of residents.

Author: UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)

Publication date: September 2017

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Report

Post occupancy evaluation of certified Passivhaus homes in the UK

The Passivhaus Trust has been working with Rachel Mitchell, Bath University and WARM to analyse the performance of a number of certified Passivhaus dwellings in the UK.

Monitoring data obtained from Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) research projects has been included in the report, which mirrors the EU funded CEPHEUS research project that has looked at the performance of Passivhaus buildings across continental Europe. A total of 13 sites in the UK were monitored as part of the project, although the research is open-ended and we are able to add project performance data and update the research as and when it becomes available.

The research is focused on certified new-build Passivhaus homes, both single dwellings and multi-residential.

One key finding of the research is that the Passivhaus dwellings perform exactly as expected in terms of Space Heating demand.

Key measurement data:

  • Internal temperature for at least one year
  • Space Heat energy use (or total energy bills) for the same period as internal temperature
  • Source of heating

Additional measurement data:

  • External temperature
  • Solar radiation
  • The PHPP sheet for each dwelling
  • Occupancy levels
  • Electricity bills

Author: Passivhaus Trust

Publication date: July 2017

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