Housing Report 2024 - part two

Above: CEO of Populo Living Group, Deborah Heenan, speaking at Future Cities Forum's Housing 2024 discussion at the expanded Museum of the Home in Hackney

Future Cities Forum Housing 2024 Report part two looks at best practice for the creation of sustainable housing and new district development.

Contributions to our discussion report part two at the Museum of the Home were from Populo Living, the London Legacy Development Corporation, Grimshaw, Sheppard Robson, MICA Architects, Pilbrow & Partners and Arup.

The discussion began with Populo Living Group CEO Deborah Heenan talking about why some poor housing in the UK has occurred and the solution to providing a better standard:

'The housing market is broken but it is fixable. There has been some rubbish housing for example outside Milton Keynes, But where is the incentive to build better? Before 2008, building companies were making £33,000 per home and now it's £62,000. The industry is making record profits and along with agriculture it is the least innovative.

'If we look at the history of housing in this museum - The Museum of the Home - the Georgians and Victorians were often designing well. Of course the tenements were a low point but they also built some two hundred dense and walkable neighbourhoods.

'All planners want bespoke homes, but it is easier going through the system to build uninspiring products. We know that 80 per cent of people will go and buy a period property and there are 300 planning restrictions to deal with. It takes two years to get planning permission and no one in the process can agree.

'So what is the positive in all of this? Well, outside Cambridge, the Accordia development by Countryside Properties took on board the learning process of going through the planning system and built a beautiful neighbourhood in Great Kneighton that was profitable. We need to look at what they did. It is possible to build good quality intergenerational neighbourhoods for the homeless who are staying in hotels tonight, who don't want a Savile Row suit but more of a Honda Civic. It should also be something that won't be knocked down in 20 years time. As an industry we have failed to come together to look at the standard set in Cambridge. We need to take the 20 per cent more money in redesigning homes out and drag the industry out of the doldrums. The Victorians did it and they got the walkable quality of districts right because they got the density right.

'Central government does not have the money, so we need to look at time and risk and a hard look at construction costs too. We need to standardise some of those costs and drive the 20 per cent out as (the developers at) Thamesmead are doing. They are building intergeneration homes and it works. The museum here is a valuable record of what does and does not work through time.'

After the 2024 Budget, Deborah commented:

'The £500m for affordable homes in the Budget is most welcome and we need to ensure that we spend it well. Here at Newham we have been utilising surplus public sector land and our own housing company, Populo Living, to construct Build to Rent properties alongside high-quality affordable homes, which they cross subsidise. This model enables us to deliver considerably more affordable homes by adding to the grant through a combination of land value uplift and the fact that the developer profit is captured for the public sector.'

Image below: aerial view of Carpenter's Estate at Stratford by Populo Living

London Legacy Development Corporation's Head of Development, Rosanna Lawes joined the discussion to comment on the work that was carried out after the Olympic Games in east London and the ingredients for producing successful places:

'The work we carried out was in collaboration with our host boroughs, the Mayor and an aligned central government. It was about quality and how it was delivered. We have always had design standards, which are five to ten per cent higher than those in the London Plan and incorporating front doors and back gardens. The access to open space is also very important.

'Our first housing scheme after the Games took some time to get off the ground. It was never going to be about six weeks of sport and always about opportunity to grow the development of London, particularly around the shift eastwards. We have lessons learned and reflections on what we have done and we know we have to ensure we are tenacious and brave in what we do. We have put the land in and enabled the place. We benefitted from the billions of pounds that went into the Games and we have supported this with added infrastructure such as at Hackney Wick. We shared receipts with the developer and decided that we were not prepared to the sell the land. We spent a lot of time with our developers and that has sometimes been frustrating for them, but we want to hold them to account.

'Access to funding is challenging for all sectors across housing. In the RP sector the lack of investment is challenging and the Section106 homes cannot be delivered. People need affordable homes and they deserve to live in well designed ones and in well designed places.'

Rosanna then reacted to the 2024 Budget after the discussion forum:

'News of the Government's £5bn investment in housebuilding, including a £500m top-up to the Affordable Homes Programme, is a welcome boost in efforts to tackle the nation's housing crisis.

'Of course, while this cash injection is positive news for those seeking to deliver affordable housing, we know that in the longer-term, the wider economic picture means challenges will continue. As with any Budget, the devil will be in the detail and it will take time to analyse what these housing announcements truly mean for the sector. Nevertheless, at LLDC we will continue working with the market to advance delivery.'

Image: Stratford Station, courtesy of Arup and Grimshaw

Connectivity around homes has long been considered an important component of successful districts and Ewan Jones, Partner at Grimshaw, spoke about the big change that has happened in the use of land around stations:

'Stratford Station is already busy and we are now working on the masterplan around the station. We need to do something that anticipates further growth and uses land more intelligently.

'Transport bodies own huge amounts of land in the UK and this land has not been used properly. The focus has been on running the railways. Now there is a big change in setting up Places for London. This is a huge step forward. The rail companies has realised that there is they are not going to get any capital funding, so there is an incentive for them to develop the land. This land around stations isn't well used. Building over stations works for offices, but the land in more suburban areas provides space that is underused and that can be given over to housing.

'There is also the question on how bus depot land can be used, as buses change to electric and hydrogen, so too will the change of use of the land where they stand. Stratford is a knotty problem. The place has become more successful. We will be working on a masterplan that will work for a while and then need to be re-thought again. Our masterplan will emerge next year. Our masterplan at Waterloo has been well received and now we have to turn it into a series of projects that provide action. Waterloo is much more than just about the station, there is a science corridor attached and lots of historic streets with well-established communities. There are lots of dysfunctional walking routes from the river, also involving taxis and buses. We need to think about how we provide more homes and jobs as well. The old days of just doing a station over (rail tracks) are gone.'

Image: Barking Riverside, courtesy of Sheppard Robson

Alan Shingler, Partner at Sheppard Robson commented on the importance of housing and connectivity, but also place:

'I have been involved in housing for twenty years and we are at the most difficult point of housing delivery at the moment. The industry is in dire straits. We have had a fifty per cent drop in housing work during the last eighteen months. When there is no work, developers will stop building. Costs have increased through inflation. How do you reduce this?

'You need to find more efficiency, make your housing projects larger and taller and increase the value. Barking Riverside started in 2006, with 45 hectares shared by the GLA and Bellway. At this point, there was no travel infrastructure. There was standardisation through design and massive ecological corridors, creating biodiversity from day one. But you approached it through an industrial estate, so how could people commute for work? When the DLR was cancelled, development slowed and the quality reduced. There was a fallow period. Then the new extension for the North London Line was announced and that injected quality.

'By contrast, our project at Earl's Court has started with three tube lines providing connectivity, but the challenge here is to get people to want to live in the first phase of home building, in a forty-two storey tower. This will bring in the money to develop the rest of the housing. So how do you create a place that makes people want to live there?

'There is to be a step change in building safety which means better architectural quality. Each home in the tower has a dual aspect creating natural ventilation. It is a very efficient building and gives due regard to climate and shade. Variety is included in the landscaping and balancing ponds means water runs through the design over a four and a half meter step change.'

The transformation of the site will create an inspiring multigenerational neighbourhood with c. 4,000 new homes, a community hub and cultural venues that are all embedded within twenty acres of public open space and green space.

Sheppard Robson is the lead architect for the Hammersmith & Fulham part of phase 1 of Earl's Court. This phase includes the 42-storey residential building designed by Sheppard Robson and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and affordable housing schemes designed by Serie Architects and dRMM, respectively. Sheppard Robson's building is the tallest building in the masterplan, a landmark for the site and West London. It is located at a pivotal point in the scheme, marking the end of Empress Place Boulevard from the south and the start of the cascading landscape towards Aisgill Gardens to the west and Lillie Sidings Square to the north.

Sheppard Robson states:

'The building comprises 278 homes and totals 36,355 sqm GIA (including residential, non-residential, and ancillary uses). The residents’ shared amenities include a mixture of social spaces such as a lounge, working areas and gym at Level 1.

'On Level 2, the residents will have access to a generous biodiverse landscaped podium garden. At levels 39 and 40, a double-height conservatory and private dining area with two terraces bring activation, visibility, and nature to the very top of the building. The petal-shaped plan creates 100% habitable dual aspect for all homes regardless of size and orientation. The organic-inspired plan results in a vertically articulated form, contributing towards a strong sense of slenderness and symmetry when addressing the immediate and long-distance context.

'The building’s expression is also informed by the Cascading Waterfall concept. The reference to water is created through glazed bays and reflective metal tubes, giving the building an iridescent quality in different light conditions and can be lit at night to further emphasise its reflective properties.

'At the top of the building, this concept helps create a new beacon for the West London skyline, flowing down to the base of the building and animating the generous residential entrance from Empress Place Boulevard.'

Image below: CGI of public realm at Earls Court - courtesy of Sheppard Robson

The importance of providing greening for student accommodation was introduced in the debate by Jessie Turnbull, Senior Associate at MICA Architects. Student housing has seen a boom and Jessie was asked about the temptation to build without considering the surrounding environment. But first she was invited to talk about how her firm's work on the urban greening factor came about.

Jessie said:

'This work won an award and was for the LLDC. We collected examples from all over the world to answer the question on how you can demonstrate high quality green density? Metric greening is understood in the GLA but we wanted to improve on aspects of greening involving biophilia and create spaces that are enjoyable to live in. It has even been proven that seeing a tree from your home can stop you becoming violent or committing a crime. Work by the Mayor of London has shown that young kids have died from poor air quality, so greening is very important.'

MICA were employed by the London Legacy Development Corporation to undertake research into Urban Greening Factor (UGF). The research examines how to best deliver urban greening in high density residentially led developments through the analysis and review of projects delivered in London, the UK, and the world.

Ten UK projects and nine global projects have been assessed to cover a range of residential typologies, including industrial co-location, student accommodation, residentially led and masterplans and buildings that interface with transport infrastructure.

Further research and engagement were undertaken with developers to determine client priorities and policy drivers including net zero ambition; project briefing in relation to green infrastructure; budgets and costing needed to meet the London Plan UGF policy criteria; maintenance and ongoing management. The study concludes with a list of recommendations for a variety of audiences including those: applying for planning permission, planning officers and clients. It also demonstrates meaningful, sustainable, and innovative solutions that can be used to increase UGF in high density residential developments.

Nature has been important to the design of Clive Booth Village for Oxford Brookes University, which MICA is undertaking. It describes the project:

'The redevelopment of the Clive Booth Student Village (CBSV) is an exciting opportunity to create a unique ‘living and learning’ environment for Oxford Brookes University (OBU) students within a verdant woodland setting close to the main campus and Headington Hill Park.

'A large number of the existing buildings on the site are now 30 years old. There is a need to redevelop the accommodation so that living arrangements continue to be of a high quality for our students and we can improve and modernise the site. The design is the result of a 10-20 year plan for the University’s key Oxford campus at Headington to create a vibrant academic community, using the estate more efficiently and delivering better services for students, staff and the community.

'The design features twelve sensitively designed buildings that cascade through the wooded slopes between existing and new tree canopies. Landscape and building are closely related with the informed by the existing trees and views to the site from both the city and adjoining vantage points. The buildings overlook external sloped gardens and frame new ‘outdoor rooms.’

Jessie commented:

'Of course, the money comes from getting students through the door and into their accommodation. At first the landscape wasn't complete and a month's worth of rain fell in one morning. There is a fifteen meter slope and the site is in a water shed. But gradually the rain soaked away and it just showed the importance of planting and building in ecology.'

Image below: Clive Booth Village, Oxford Brookes University, courtesy of MICA Architects

Another boom in housing has been around science park development and Phil Earley, Director at Pilbrow & Partners, spoke about his firm's project at Hartree, Cambridge:

'We are working with Landsec U&I on a fifty hectare site at Hartree, which has been helped by the creation of the North Cambridge station and unlocked the development. This will be a 30-year project of the mixed-use type where 6,500 homes are planned and nearly a million of square foot commercial space.

'As a firm we have designed a lot of life science buildings and have been involved in the creation of the Francis Crick in London. We are very interested in the relationship of science and mixed use. As lab buildings become more part of the urban setting, it is important that there is engagement with local residents.

'At first, Hartree will benefit from being next to the Cambridge Science Park, but Landsec is trying to deliver a new piece of city and that needs careful planning. There is the question of how commercial buildings work and make connection with the existing science park but also with schools in the area? Science should be on display and work in with the school curriculum. There is a company called SCI Comms, where cool scientists go out into communities and carry out experiments in pubs and cafes to create engagement.'

Image: The V&A's new store house in Stratford, courtesy of the V&A

As well as the accessibility of science, there has been much debate around the value of artistic culture for the creation of sustainable new districts. Arup's Associate Director, Ruth Pelopida, explained that there is no one size fits all for integrating cultural venues into new development, but there are specific design questions that need to be considered:

'We need to work hard at creating the right space around cultural offerings. There was mention earlier about a new hub for hairdressers in Southwark and there needs to be private as well as public offerings. When we talk about community, we need to be cautious about who we think we are talking about. There is increasing discussion about development design brief - what's the operating model? Something that is sustainable and can evolve, not prescriptive, ensuring usefulness and purpose. It should not be just for a set audience but operate at all levels and allow for spaces for people to congregate.

'This also involves the spaces outside auditorium spaces and the pathways to locations. The front of house should be open to all, provide sensory and experiential experience. Design around planting can help and biodiversity and bird song would be considered as well as public art and lighting. How do we design more inclusive spaces for everyone at different times of day and change of seasons?

'There is now a public expectation that walls are more permeable and the new Store House at the V&A in Stratford is an example of this. There has been a change among audiences since Covid. You need people in cultural places all the time, otherwise big institutions will become white elephants. They need to be living, breathing spaces. This is why we talk at Arup in the early stages of design, how these spaces will operate. There needs to be a flexible community model around it.

Future Cities Forum was grateful to the contributions of its guests to the debate at the Museum of the Home and the related report.

Below: Ruth Pelopida of Arup talking and Deborah Heenan of Populo Heenan listening at the Museum of the Home