Building more homes is central to the Government’s vision of a country that works for everyone. Delivery rates have consistently fallen short of identified need in recent years and output remains significantly below the levels observed prior to the market downturn of 2008/09. Housing Associations have a significant role to play in addressing this.
Providing the right range and quality of homes, in places where people want to live, at a price they can afford is crucial to strengthen the North’s competitiveness and to support a sustainable national economy. The North of England offers an excellent quality of life for many people, but needs to benefit from a wider diversity of housing types and tenures to improve attractiveness for business and future investment.
This Study undertaken by Lichfields on behalf of Homes for the North (H4N), identifies the planned future housing requirements, as set out in the evidence underpinning local authority Local Plans; and how this aligns with potential future economic scenarios for the North of England.
This research identifies that at least 50,000 additional new homes are required across the North of England for the next 10 years; and tests this housing requirement against alternative economic scenarios.
The research assists H4N twofold – 1) t0 lobby and influence policy makers at a national and sub-national level to create the right conditions for more and better homes across the North of England; and 2) to inform their own development programmes going forward in terms of the number and type of homes they provide for their local communities.
This new evidence for H4N is vital to help address a number of housing challenges and issues which have become prevalent in relation to the need to increase housing provision, including access to ownership; creating the right environment for investment; site viability; and regeneration.
Whilst the relationship between the economy and the residential offer varies across the North of England, planning for housing requires a holistic understanding of the position in each city, town and settlement across the North of England. This Study for H4N assists the 19 Housing Associations in prioritising local investments and creating new approaches to integrated housing delivery, through working in close collaboration with partners at a national, pan-northern and local level.
Phil Jones, Planning Director
