Boosting house building in London

Boroughs in the capital are doing more and more to achieve house building targets. Council-led development is on the rise because it offers many benefits. For example it means local councils can work towards making more homes available. In addition the strategy can generate income at a time when funds from Central Government are falling. As a result the residential architecture London is home to is changing more dramatically. The current target for house building is 23,600 within the next five years. New research suggests that this could rise to over 37,000 if innovative new approaches get up and running. If each Borough built just 10% of their targets it would add up to 37,300.What changes are necessary?A handful of changes could have positive effect on projects. For example more access to funding and expertise would open more sites. Barriers that make projects too expensive or infeasible should be removed.In addition there needs to be more support for innovative projects. The small sites project in Croydon is a great example. It has won several awards and shows what can be achieved when a council invites architects to design homes for tough plots. More local authorities should look at this, especially when they have a shortage of land and lots of Brownfield plots.Good architectureWhile increasing house building is important it is also vital to ensure that the homes are high quality. This is another reason why it is wise to include architects in projects. They can handle the task of designing sustainable homes that will house people for many generations.Coffey Architects is passionate about improving the residential architecture London is home to. Our team can come up with creative ideas to overcome various needs. We work with clients throughout, ensuring they benefit from our extensive experience.If you would like to talk to us about a residential project please get in touch. You can also view our past work on our website.