Build Baby Build, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
In the rush to build homes, we need to ensure those homes are safe, accessible and adaptable, writes Millie Brown, deputy director for homes.
The new Housing Secretary has brought a new energy, and seemingly a shift in focus, to the role, which was very apparent at the recent Labour Party Conference.
His slogan, Build Baby Build, was heard in every housing event throughout the conference.
One of the enduring images of conference was crowds of people donned in red Build Baby Build hats.
Steve Reed has demonstrated his determination to meet the government's ambitious manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
It is vital that he succeeds as the country needs more homes. But it isn’t just a numbers game, we need to be building the right homes.
With a growing ageing population, with one in four of the UK population projected to be 65 and over by 2040, that means we need many more homes that are accessible and adaptable.
Currently, millions of older and Disabled people of all ages are stuck in homes that do not meet their needs, with no suitable options to move to.
Homes built to an adaptable standard have features, like wider corridors and a living area at entrance level, that would be desirable to most occupants, but that also help make them easier and cheaper to adapt further down the line. All at minimal costs to developers.
If we built homes that which are accessible and adaptable we would not only see a significant reduction on the strain placed on health and social care services but also would see a stimulus to the housing market, unlocking housing stock for younger buyers.
But in the need for speed to Build Baby Build, there’s a risk that all regulation is seen as a barrier rather than the conditions needed to build good quality homes. It is vital that the government gets the balance right.
Currently, seven million people live in homes that are cold, damp, and unsafe. These people need a solution too.
The government has started to address this in important ways, such as the Renters’ Rights Bill, Awaab’s law, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and several recent consultations including on the possible reform to the Disabled Facilities Grant; Housing Conditions in England; and Decent Homes Standard.
In these consultations, the Centre for Ageing Better argued for the importance of fairness in the allocation of grants, which protects local authorities. We also highlighted the volume of homes across the country that are cold, damp, and unsafe, emphasising the need to raise the Decent Homes Standard to ensure everyone lives in a home that is safe.
These have been important steps to help tackle our nation’s much neglected housing stock. But they are not a panacea, and further action is needed.
Cutting through all red tape in a rush to hit the target will not solve our national housing crisis.
Steve Reed himself is not blind to the risks of building homes that are not up to scratch. In his own constituency, he has seen homes built with concrete so poor that they had to be demolished – a situation he deemed ‘outrageous’.
We need regulations to ensure that homes built today will meet the needs of future generations.
Time and time again, we have seen that racing to build houses without a proper focus on quality and safety creates more problems in the long run.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry itself concluded that the focus on meeting housing targets and economic growth was what dominated the deregulation that led to a disregard for people’s safety and lives.
Since Grenfell, more than 5,000 buildings have been evacuated due to ‘life critical’ defects, leaving all residents homeless.
The Housing Secretary has already indicated that he will not allow regulations to stand in the way of growth, stating that the government will ‘tear down barriers to development’. He seems to be ignoring the fact that some barriers exist to stop us from falling over the edge.
Surely it is better to build one million homes that are safe, accessible and liveable than do away with quality control to hit the target.
At Labour party conference, there was such a fixed focus on housebuilding that there was a single focus on the discussion of plans for younger buyers and those living in temporary accommodation dominating proceedings to the exclusion of any other groups in society.
But these issues are not divisive. Policies that benefit older people, benefit everyone.
Along with our population ageing, we are seeing a rise in the number of Disabled people. However, Fewer than one in eight (13%) homes in England have all four accessibility features that mean they can be visited by someone with access needs, with substantial variation across regions.
The lack of investment into accessible homes has left over 12 million Disabled in homes that do not meet their needs, a number that has grown steadily in the last decade.
We know our ageing and Disabled population is only going to grow and these issues will worsen along with it. We will not solve the housing crisis without acknowledging the need for improved and expanded housing for older and Disabled people – homes must be built with everyone’s needs in mind.
The housing market has not been able to address those needs thus far, which is why regulation is still a vital part of the puzzle.
This article was originally published on Inside Housing on 23 October.
