Gillian Harrison reflects on important debates held at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool last month.

Despite the monsoon weather, there was a palpable mood of optimism that our new government is committed to delivering quality affordable housing where it is needed most.

First up, at an event hosted by RIBA North West and Peabody, key takeaways were:

• Delivering on housing targets is so important that the numbers should be set nationally. However, local focus and collaboration is needed to provide new homes in appropriate locations that deliver real quality for residents and focus on the needs of specific communities (John Lewis, Director at Peabody).
• Early vision work is vital to create a ‘fundable’ proposition, and this can be difficult when there are disparate landowners for a large site. Investment in quality masterplanning is essential, and finding a way to properly fund this work is critical to long-term success (Jennifer Dixon, RIBA Board Member).
• Research by audience member Commonplace indicates that 79% of people would prefer to see local brownfield land developed rather than left vacant. Further, if you positively engage with the local community you can deliver much higher density with support, as a result of a wider understanding of what density can deliver in terms of improved facilities and how the pressure from additional residents will be managed (Mike Saunders, Commonplace).
• Social housing is seen as a stable and long-term investment, and a constant rent environment creates certainty for housing associations when considering development (Rachel Blake MP for Cities of London and Westminster).
• To facilitate delivery of quality affordable homes that remain available to those who need them, right to buy should be stopped for all new build affordable homes (Dr Abi O’Connor, Urban Sociologist and Researcher at the New Economics Foundation).

At Concilio’s Better Places Live event, an ambitious panel from across the London Boroughs and addressed the role of devolution in the ‘housing revolution’, key takeaways:

• Departmental and cross-borough collaboration were high on the agenda and it was great to see so much mutual appreciation for the work being done across London.
• Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham, talked with passion about the Borough’s support for new, high quality Council-led affordable housing and her recognition of the importance of involving children and young people in the design process, something we at Levitt Bernstein wholeheartedly support.
• An overwhelming consensus that devolution enables more responsive decision making and enables local politicians to focus on delivery for their communities in an informed and empowered way.

Echoing the discussion from our morning RIBA session, the positives that can come from appropriate density development in reaching a population threshold that supports provision of facilities for new and existing residents, particularly London’s rail infrastructure.

Investment in planning is essential. Since 2002 there has been a 64% reduction in resources for local planning departments. Coupled with our discretionary planning system requiring individual consideration for every application (unlike many other countries with zonal rules based systems) is exacerbating the housing crisis.

We finished the day with high spirits, aware that there is still much to be done but pleased to see an industry aligned with a mutual goal, to support the provision of high quality homes across our country.