Global Housing Strategy framework document

Posted on: 30 April 2013
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The UN-Habitat Global Housing Strategy is a collaborative global movement towards adequate housing for all and improving access to housing in general and the living conditions of slum dwellers in particular. Its main objective is to assist member States in working towards the realization of the right to adequate housing. One of the main objectives of the Strategy is for member States to develop national housing strategies. A national housing strategy, as a pillar of national urban policy, comprises agreed sets of activities formalized in Strategy documents and their updates. It guides polices, planning and programming of investment, management and maintenance activities in the areas of housing, slum upgrading and slum prevention. The expected outcomes of the UN-Habitat Global Housing Strategy will (re)position housing within the global contemporary debate on economically viable, environmentally and culturally sustainable and socially inclusive cities.

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Section 106 affordable housing requirements: review and appeal

Posted on: 29 April 2013
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The Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 inserts new sections 106BA, BB and BC into the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to introduce a new application and appeal procedure, to review affordable housing obligations on the grounds of viability. The guidance provides information for applicants and local authorities on the purpose and scope of this measure. Annex B sets out procedures for applications to the local planning authority (under section 106BA) and for appeals to the Planning Inspectorate (under section 106BC).

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Regenerating our communities: a snapshot in time

Posted on: 26 April 2013
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This publication offers a flavour of current regeneration activity based around new or refurbished housing provision. It is simply a snapshot, taking its material from 13 entries to the 2013 Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland/Scottish Government Excellence in Regeneration Award.

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Budget 2013

Posted on: 22 April 2013
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The House of Commons Treasury Select Committee has published a report on the 2013 Budget. The Committee argues that the Help to buy scheme, hailed by George Osborne in last month’s Budget as a way to help first-time buyers and prop up house prices, ‘may have a number of unintended consequences’.

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Housing and intergenerational fairness

Posted on: 22 April 2013
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This report is Policy Exchange’s contribution to retirement housing provider Hanover’s Hanover@50 debate on the future of housing for older people. The report says reform of the planning system to encourage developers to build more homes, including bungalows and self build homes attractive to older people looking to downsize, is the fairer way of reducing the generational divide.

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Housing standards and satisfaction: What the public wants

Posted on: 18 April 2013
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Exclusive research by Ipsos MORI for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has revealed strong public support for the introduction of minimum space standards for new build homes across England. The RIBA research, an independent gauge of customer attitudes to housing, has been published as the Government prepares to make an announcement on its crucial Review of Housing Standards in England within the coming weeks, which could result in current housing standards being reduced or abolished. The research has been revealed to coincide with the launch of a website Without Space and Light  to empower people to demand their local MP supports the RIBA’s HomeWise campaign for national minimum standards on space and natural light.

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Bedroom Tax

Posted on: 18 April 2013
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With the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) coming under fire for its stance on the bedroom tax, Gavin Smart, Director of PoLicy and Practice at the CIH,  explains its position.

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Hitting the poorest places hardest: The local and regional impact of welfare reform

Posted on: 12 April 2013
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A study by Sheffield Hallam University looked at each element of welfare reform to assess its impact across England’s 379 local authority districts. It found in general that northern areas will be hit harder than southern areas.

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Middle class housing in perspective: from post-war construction to post-millenial urban landscape. Milan, 22-23 November 2012

Posted on: 11 April 2013
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This symposium investigated the residential buildings and complexes built for the middle classes during post-war years in different urban and national contexts, with special focus on how they are transformed by the present urban condition. A book of abstracts is available online.

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Objectively speaking. 12 months of applying the NPPF to housing targets in Local Plans: A review of examinations

Posted on: 10 April 2013
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This report presents the results of a study carried out by Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners which reviewed all the Local Plans (outside London) that have been formally submitted or examined since March 2012, recording the outcome of the examination and benchmarking its housing target (both that originally proposed and that found sound, if different). The study concludes that localism is not leading to cuts in housing targets in Local Plans, but this is because the provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) are being applied by Inspectors.

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