Housing Standards Review: Summary of responses

Posted on: 13 March 2014
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The Department for Communities and Local Government issued a consultation in August 2013, seeking views on the results of a review of local housing standards. The review proposed a radical reform of the framework of building regulations, guidance, local codes and discretionary technical housing standards that are currently applied to new housing through the planning system. It aimed to reduce bureaucracy and costs on house builders to support growth, whilst delivering quality, sustainability, safety and accessibility. The DCLG has published an analysis of the responses received. It does not set out how the Government intends to take these proposals forward. Decisions on the implementation of proposals will be the subject of separate statements.

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Westminster’s City Plan: City management policies revision

Posted on: 13 March 2014
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New planning policies on Housing need, delivery and quality; Food, drink, entertainment, tourism, arts and culture; Westminster’s economy; and Social and community uses are being developed as part of Westminster’s emerging Local Plan. The council previously consulted on draft policies on these topics as part of the City Management Plan published November 2011. The council has made a number of changes to the previous drafts and are now consulting on their draft proposed policies through topic-based booklets, exploring the issues and suggesting what the council considers to be the most appropriate policy response. These will then be merged with the strategic policies set out in Westminster’s City Plan to create a single local plan for Westminster. Comments are requested by 23 April 2014.

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Making a place for low cost housing

Posted on: 13 March 2014
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The Housing Forum inquiry into the future financing and delivery of low cost housing has, over the past 6 months, explored the context, current approaches and future models for its provision against an increasing sector awareness regarding affordability.

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Home Truths 2013/14: the housing market in the East of England

Posted on: 13 March 2014
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The housing shortage in the East is pushing house prices and private rents out of reach for local workers, according to a new report from the National Housing Federation. It adds that the crisis is set to get worse by 2020. 

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Housing futures: How the market is changing

Posted on: 11 March 2014
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Through speaking with industry experts and conducting an extensive survey with 1,000 respondents, Strutt and Parker has uncovered some new and interesting themes on the UK housing market. This booklet serves as a snapshot of our results so far. The report is broad in scope and has relevance to all those engaged in the housing market,  whether investors, developers, buyers and sellers, renters or local authorities. The report’s conslusions outline the potential implications of our findings for these key stakeholders.

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National Housing Federation: An ambition to deliver

Posted on: 6 March 2014
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The National Housing Federation is bringing the sector together to think about its long-term future, to answer these questions and more, and work towards a vision. To facilitate this, and to separate it clearly from the Federation’s usual work, the Federation has created HotHouse, a distinct identity for all its futures thinking activity.  Beginning with the Towards a Vision project, HotHouse will be the space over the coming years for conversations about the long-term future for housing associations. 

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The Help to Buy equity loan scheme

Posted on: 6 March 2014
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According to a report from the National Audit Office, Help to Buy equity loans are making homes more affordable to buyers and improving access to mortgage finance, but the cost to the taxpayer, in present value terms, is uncertain at this stage and the Department for Communities and Local Government cannot yet robustly quantify the economic benefits. The National Audit Office cannot say at this stage, therefore, whether the scheme will provide value for money.

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Home truths: 12 steps to solving London’s housing crisis

Posted on: 4 March 2014
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This report, by business group London First’s Housing Task Force, makes a series of recommendations aimed at boosting the capital’s housing supply.

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Nation rent

Posted on: 4 March 2014
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The report by housing experts Natalie Elphicke and Calum Mercer of Million Homes, Million Lives, warns of “permanent structural change” in the UK housing market, saying that on current trends by 2033, owner occupation could be as low as 55 per cent, falling to below 50 per cent by 2041. However, the authors flag up strongly that these trends fly in the face of what people want. The report draws on evidence showing that the desire to own a property is as strong as ever with only 3 per cent of people choose long-term renting as their first choice. The report advocates a revolution in the financing of house-building and home ownership, urging sweeping changes designed to encourage the big insurance companies and finance houses to invest in long-term property portfolios that actively promote and enable people to buy the homes that they live in.

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Million Homes Million Lives

Posted on: 4 March 2014
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Million Homes, Million Lives is a not-for-profit company which aims to work with housing associations, councils, investors and property specialists to bring to life the ambition to deliver a housing market that everyone can be part of.

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