You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
We clap for frontline workers, yet developers want to repay them with even less affordable housing
Calls from developers to loosen planning rules are misguided and must be resisted. We need higher standards and more affordable housing not less, writes Henry Smith
The coronavirus crisis has brought about a number of stark changes to our economy, our communities and the way we see our society – not least a greater understanding of the real struggles facing our frontline workers.
Too many are getting by on seriously low pay despite the vital work they do and are living in unaffordable or poor-quality homes.
At the Centre for Ageing Better, our work has shown the huge importance of a good home to our health and well-being, particularly as we get older. But sadly we know that there are still many in later life working to provide essential services, such as healthcare, who simply do not have the luxury of a decent, affordable home.
While they risk their health for us by continuing to go into work, we owe them our support.
READ MORE
That’s why it’s so concerning to see the call from developers for government to loosen planning regulations in the wake of the crisis.
UK housing is already by and large unaffordable, inaccessible, and poor quality. While the London Property Alliance’s request for existing planning permissions to be extended for two years to ensure they don’t expire seems entirely reasonable, the accompanying demand for flexibilities in planning rules like the ones introduced after the financial crisis would be catastrophic.
“At a time when we’re facing a serious shortage of affordable housing, it is shocking to see developers try to use a national crisis like coronavirus to shirk their responsibilities in this way”
These flexibilities would allow developers to renegotiate the number of affordable homes included in each development, which will likely result in a disastrous fall in the amount of affordable housing being built.
At a time when we’re facing a serious shortage of affordable housing, it is shocking to see developers try to use a national crisis like coronavirus to shirk their responsibilities in this way.
Quite rightly, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted us all to recognise the value of NHS workers, care workers and other key workers.
But with rents in many cities already increasingly unaffordable to many in those vital professions, making it easier for developers to wriggle out of their obligations to provide affordable housing would be a poor way to repay them.
We are already building far too few affordable homes. Last year, less than 40,000 homes were built to be let at discounted rates, while over a million households in the UK are on waiting lists for homes.
The pandemic is a huge challenge for businesses as well as individuals, and it will be an uphill battle for many to get back to work after it’s over. Property development is a multibillion pound industry, and with millions of people across the UK set to spend the coming months if not years battling real financial hardship as a result of coronavirus, now is not the time for developers to be trying to boost their profits at the expense of those trying to afford a roof over their heads.
We know just how important a safe, comfortable and affordable home is to our mental and physical well-being – and this period of lockdown has made that clearer than ever.
“Safe, decent and accessible housing is absolutely vital to ensuring everyone is able to age well. To make this a reality, we need strong regulations for new homes and much more accessible housing – the government must not give in to calls to allow the opposite”
It has also laid bare just how precarious many people’s housing situation is when work isn’t guaranteed: almost half of working renters are a single paycheck away from losing their home. For those who are retired and rely on often limited pensions to afford rent, the situation can be just as tough; and with rising numbers of people renting into later life, the UK’s lack of affordable housing is set to present an even more acute crisis.
It’s crucial that as we emerge from this crisis we build on the lessons we’re learning about people’s housing needs and the struggles many are facing. Everyone needs a decent home with space and light. Our homes should be a place of safety and comfort, not a danger to our health or safety, as is currently the reality for millions of older people.
No one should be at risk of homelessness because they don’t have a secure wage. Safe, decent and accessible housing is absolutely vital to ensuring everyone is able to age well. To make this a reality, we need strong regulations for new homes and much more accessible housing – the government must not give in to calls to allow the opposite.
Henry Smith, senior programme manager, Centre for Ageing Better
