Out-Law News 1 min. read

Young planners recommend public housing delivery agency and duty for councils to deliver homes


A think-tank of young public planners has called for the public sector to be supported in building the new homes required to address the UK housing crisis.

In a report released last week, public planning think-tank NOVUS said government policies such as borrowing caps, budget cuts, right-to-buy and the release of public land had reduced the existing stock of public housing whilst simultaneously draining finance and expertise from councils, reducing their capacity to build replacement homes.

The think-tank said the private sector was failing to deliver enough homes to address the country's housing shortage. It called for the introduction of a duty on local authorities to deliver homes "where need is not being met by the private sector", supported by "a new generation of compulsory purchase powers, local plan designations and public delivery models".

The report recommended the establishment of a new "public delivery agency" to help councils "shar[e] skills and knowledge across council boundaries". It said the proposed new agency could bring together "delivery dream teams", harnessing existing project management, design, finance and viability expertise within local authorities and attracting "a new cohort of committed public servants".

The authors said a diverse approach should be taken to the delivery of new homes. They said dividing public land into small parcels would allow a larger number of small builders, community housing associations and architects to become involved in the design, construction and management of housing, creating "mixed and engaging places" and "a more resilient and competitive housing industry".

Planning expert Helen Stewart of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com said: "Whether the government’s housing policies are have freed up private sector delivery or fettered local authorities’ power to deliver is a matter which will divide opinion.  However, the private sector cannot resolve the housing crisis singlehandedly and the public sector must play a key role, beyond the mere release of its land for development.  The traditional council housing model is in desperate need of modernisation, but many will query whether a new public delivery agency would be the panacea suggested by NOVUS, or whether it risks becoming just another quango."

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