UK: 20 years after the Barker Review of Housing Supply, the Radix Big Tent [RBT] Housing Commission – chaired by Dame Kate Barker until her appointment to the New Towns Taskforce – has published its final recommendations.
The report, Beyond the Permacrisis – Delivering 1,000 Homes a Day, sets out 15 practical steps to deliver the 1,000 homes a day that will be needed over the course of the next parliament for the government to meet its 1.5 million housing target.
The multi-disciplinary commission – which includes property professionals, developers, investors, planners, academics and others, and is supported by law firm Shoosmiths – urges the government to treat housing as national infrastructure. It states that “the failure to meet decades of housing targets or fully adopt the recommendations of the 2004 Barker Review lies predominantly with flawed governance structures”.
The report sets out an innovative new framework for housing delivery including a clear strategy, a new housing delivery unit at the heart of government, cross-party collaboration and clarified roles for different tiers of government. Its 15 recommendations include:
- “A new cross-departmental housing delivery unit to coordinate housing policy delivery across government and to engage with key stakeholders such as the Bank of England and financial and utility regulators
- “A cross-party accord to create policy consensus and improve the delivery of schemes across the UK
- “A new approach to the release of public land for housing
- “A new role for Homes England so it can act as a master developer”
The report recognises that new public money will be limited, while arguing: “Talk is cheap, literally. Real change to deliver high quality, affordable housing will need to be matched not only with new structures and processes, but with hard, cold cash. More social rent housing will require subsidy.”
It goes on to recommend:
- “Streamlining existing funding pots and processes, replacing wasteful and divisive short-term competitive funding model with longer-term, needs-based funding formulae
- “Encouraging institutional investment in housing, by creating a level playing field for tax, clarity of vision and consistency of regulation
- “Reforming the current system of developer contributions through Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy, with a particular goal to deliver more affordable housing
- “Agreeing a prompt rent settlement that provides income security for registered providers”
The report provides a route map to improve the planning process based around:
- “The reintroduction of strategic planning and a plan-led approach to sustainable growth
- “Diversifying the market and expanding the role of small- and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] and self-commissioned housing
- “Rebuilding capacity and capability within the public sector”
Chair of the Commission and the report’s main author, Alex Notay – who took over from Dame Kate Barker in August – said: “Most indicators show that the housing market is now in a worse state than it was two decades ago. In particular, there has been a failure to link new housing with infrastructure delivery and also, since the financial crisis, a further decline in the supply of new social rent homes.
“The golden thread of our recommendations is to urge the government to ensure that any policy change is assessed against every aspect of the housing ecosystem. Unblocking the various viability issues addressed in our report – alongside the strategic planning proposals we make – would be transformative.
“It is possible to do this if these bold recommendations are acted on holistically and proactively,” added Notay.
Ben Rich, chief executive of Radix Big Tent, the radical centre think tank behind the Commission, said: “This programme is both practical and radical. We commend the priority that the new government has given to delivering housing, but they will need a roadmap such as this if they are to have any chance of meeting their housing and indeed their net zero targets.
“We stand ready to support the government in this challenge,” he added.
Lisa Tye, commissioner and living sector co-head at Shoosmiths, said: “The goal of this Commission was to identify and propose actionable, pragmatic solutions to address England’s housing crisis. We engaged experts from across the real estate industry, who shared their insights on operating in the current market and explored how a combination of major reforms and incremental changes could help foster a better environment to ensure delivery on the ground – addressing the planning system, unlocking investment, creating jobs and opportunities, and delivering a diverse mix of new homes.
“This has been a truly cross-sector collaboration, and we’d like to thank everyone who contributed their time and expertise. While my fellow commissioners may not universally agree on every recommendation, we are united in the belief that change is essential to delivering the critical housing and infrastructure that England needs.
“We believe this report marks an important step toward that goal, offering a roadmap to revolutionise the delivery of new homes across the country,” she added.
