Unlocking social housing and genuinely affordable housing
Housing is a hot topic in the current news cycle, with all eyes on plans for housing development from the new Labour administration. Alongside the government intentions, Mayor Andy Burnham has made a strong commitment to the people of Greater Manchester in the volume of new and social homes to be built, and through launching Greater Manchester as the first ‘Housing First Region’.
This was the backdrop to a gathering of industry and political leaders at the start of September, convening to discuss how to unlock a programme of delivery for social housing and genuinely affordable housing. This event was the latest edition of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity’s roundtable series, bringing thought leaders, industry champions, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates together in meaningful action-focussed discussions that affect the experience, relief and determinants of the housing and homelessness crises.
Co-organised with Clear Futures, and held at AECOM’s offices on the border of Manchester and Salford, the appetite for action and change in the room was clear. Following a welcome address from Mayor Andy Burnham, leaders in the room set to unpacking three questions:
What are the main barriers to delivering a programme of social housing or genuinely affordable, net-zero housing at scale?
What are the main opportunities for collaboration and innovation? And,
What does this mean for skills development and training challenges?
Voices spanned design and build, land, development, planning, financing and law, showcasing a real breadth of experience and expertise. Though there were undeniable differences in opinion, the themes raised set a line in the sand as to what industry and local leaders hope for if we are to achieve social and genuinely affordable housing at scale.
From recognition of the importance of collaboration, to simplification of the complex funding landscape or unblocking barriers in resource, capacity and rigidity in the planning system, there was a real consensus for change and innovation. The discussion informed a submission to the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (note, this was not on behalf of all delegates), and a date for next meeting is already scheduled later this year.
To read more, view the roundtable briefing here. If you would like to keep up-to-date with this meeting series, or learn more about specific themes explored, get in touch today.