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Short on time? Friday’s housing news in five minutes

A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere

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Short on time? Friday’s housing news in five minutes #ukhousing

Landlords braced for block management overhaul after Grenfell Inquiry changes

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As the dust settles on the Grenfell Inquiry phase one report, the social housing sector readies itself for the raft of changes that are likely to be brought in as a result.

But while they are welcome in most parts, there are some concerns around the practicalities and the cost of implementing some of the recommendations.

Some believe that social landlords, already facing escalating costs for fire safety work, may not be able to afford the changes, and that the additional outgoings could have serious impacts on other work.

Others have raised concerns about the difficulties of implementing personal evacuation plans, particularly in mixed-tenure blocks where landlords will not always know exactly who is in their buildings.

Councils call for housing delivery test suspension as nitrate crisis ‘severely reduces’ development

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The issue of nitrate pollution is wreaking havoc in Hampshire, hitting the development plans of housing associations and councils.

High levels of nitrates caused by nitrogen from housing and agriculture have caused an excessive amount of green algae to grow on the River Solent.

This led Natural England to send an advice note to councils in June advising that planning should only be granted to new developments that are nitrate neutral.

But this has resulted in as many as 4,542 homes being held up in planning awaiting consent.

Inside Housing reveals today that the problem is so large that councils are calling on government to suspend housing delivery tests in the area as they are unable to build the homes they have planned.

Lunchtime long read

Lunchtime long read

A lot of column inches have been given to the conclusions and recommendations from phase one of the Grenfell Inquiry.

However, in phase two the focus will shift away from the night of the fire and more to the systemic issues that led to the disaster. It promises to be even more transformative to the housing and construction sectors.

The Inside Housing news team has taken a look at phase two and pulled out the key issues Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his team will look at.

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Quote of the day

Quote of the day

“Changes have been made in the two years since the fire, but change on this scale comes slowly, step by step. Nobody should be saying ‘job done’ for a while yet.”

In Inside Housing’s leader this week, deputy editor Peter Apps reflects on the recommendations of the Grenfell Inquiry, saying that landlords must learn from the Grenfell Tower fire and implement changes sooner rather than later.

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In the papers

In the papers

Picture: Getty

The Independent reveals that asylum seekers are being housed in disadvantaged local authority areas and excluded from other parts of the country, including wealthy areas in the South East of England.

The figures show that 32,396 people seeking asylum are accommodated by just 6% of local councils.

The BBC covers a report by thinktank the Centre for Health and Public Interest which has revealed that £1.5bn a year is being lost in the care home sector because of providers having to pay rents and interest on loans and profits.

David Rowland, director of the CHPI, said: “Lots of debt has been loaded onto large care home companies by the companies that bought them, which means in some cases up to 16% of fees that is given over by residents disappears out of the system to pay off those loans.”

Local news

Local news

Picture: Getty

Residents living on an estate in Stoke Newington have called out their housing association, Southern Housing, over a “lack of trust” brought on by issues with fly tipping and general repairs, Hackney Citizen reports.

Southern said it is aware of issues on the estate and is taking a proactive approach to working with residents.

Local paper the Northwich Guardian runs a piece showing that the number of people waiting for a social housing home has trebled in the past five years.

The Herts Advertiser has a story of a family that has been forced to live in a flat with a collapsed ceiling.

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