Estate Renewal

More homes

By increasing density, estate renewal can build new additional council homes on the estate and be funded through the sale of other new homes on the estate.

The problem

Over 1.2 million people are stuck on ever-lengthening waiting lists for social housing, with many waiting over a decade for a safe and affordable place to live. Many more are ineligible to be on the list, or do not bother because they think they have no chance of a council home.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, with thousands sleeping rough on the streets each night. The chronic shortage of social housing can be traced back to the dramatic reduction in housebuilding after the 1980s. Between 1947 and 1980, an average of over 120,000 council homes were built every year across the UK. Yet by 2022, that figure had fallen to under 8,000. With the sale of millions of council homes under right-to-buy schemes, the total number of social rented properties has halved over the past 40 years.

As a result, families in need of affordable housing face a bleak situation. Existing council homes are often outdated, poorly insulated and sometimes dangerous. Over 500,000 social homes don’t meet basic health and safety standards. 

At the same time, new social housing is barely being built to replace this ageing stock. Waiting lists continue to lengthen as those in need struggle to find an affordable home. Rising construction costs is making it difficult for councils to afford the price tag

The solution

Estate renewal, at its core, means replacing ageing buildings with modern buildings, generally at higher densities.

Good schemes guarantee that every tenant will get a brand new home on the estate and will only have to move once, straight into their new home. This means that families formerly stuck in dark, damp, draughty and often overcrowded flats can enjoy homes up to modern standards with insulation, more space and balconies.

Twentieth century designs often used land inefficiently. So called ‘towers in the park’ were the highpoint of post-war utopian city planning, but left large amounts of land unused, integrated poorly with existing street layouts and left areas that felt unsafe for residents at night.

The South Kilburn Estate before and after renewal. Note the increased area

By comparison modern blocks can be built. Although they may not be as tall, by making better use of the  land they can contain more homes.

This is important for two reasons. First, it can mean that the council or housing association can deliver extra social homes, moving people off waiting lists and into a permanent home. In addition, some units can be sold to help pay for the scheme. At a time where budgets are stretched thin these sales fund social housing, whilst boosting overall housing supply.

Tenant ballots

Key to our vision for estate renewal are tenant ballots, first introduced by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Schemes should only go ahead where they have the backing of the current tenants. The success of resident ballots in London demonstrate that while renewal can be disruptive, residents support renewal because it can deliver better living conditions. Any plan that can’t get tenants on board is not a plan worth doing.

Under current rules, tenant ballots are only required on schemes applying for funding from the Greater London Authority. We want to see this expanded to all estate renewal schemes. 

But the Government should go further. A petition process should be opened up to allow residents to proactively request regeneration of their estate. This would shift dynamics towards resident-led change, giving ambitious councils the confidence to embark on projects with resident support.