Reform
Estate renewal
Ensuring that everyone in Britain has a roof over their head is one of the core duties of Government. Many council homes, built decades ago for precisely that, are now outdated, overcrowded and not insulated to modern standards. At the same time, our cities are crying out for more homes, especially council homes. Estate renewal can deliver better homes for existing tenants as well as increasing supply. Requiring tenant ballots means that schemes can only go ahead where estate residents are truly in favour.
Greater Cambridge
Cambridge is home to a world-class university, incredible heritage and many of the UK’s life sciences and other high-tech companies, which offer a range of high wage jobs.
But restrictive planning policies and a tight green belt now mean it’s one of the most unaffordable cities in the country. Building more homes to make housing more affordable for current and future residents is one of the best things we can do to help with the housing crisis as well as grow the economy.
Street votes
Street votes are a new, non-partisan idea to empower communities to say yes to the right housing where they wish. They are meant as a supplement to the existing planning system. The idea is that residents on individual streets could jointly propose rules on the design of extensions or other construction on their street. If they wish, they could allow more extensions of a particular design, or more ambitious development.
Upwards extensions
Building more homes is not the only way to help solve the housing crisis. We have long pushed for policies that allow people to make the most of their existing homes by adding extra space for them and their family, or add an additional home. Allowing more homeowners to extend their properties upwards would give existing homes a new lease of life and make a small but significant contribution to ending the housing crisis.
Residential annexes
Residential annexes, also known as accessory dwelling units or granny flats, are small, self-contained homes on the same plot as an existing house. They offer a low-impact way to add homes where demand is highest, unlocking spare space in gardens and side plots, so housing supply increases in areas where more people want to live. Over time this has benefits for affordability and choice. They also allow homes to adapt to families as annexes give flexible options for care, independence and intergenerational living.
Land readjustment
Land readjustment is a community-led way for homeowners to temporarily pool and replot land so new streets, parks and homes can be created with local engagement and support.
An association values the land before assembling it into one large lot for streets to be laid and infrastructure connected. ‘It then reallocates this improved and serviced land to owners. Some owners can simply sell up with a cash option to exit. A small proportion of the land or floorspace is kept by the association to be sold or developed to pay for all the new infrastructure. At the end the landowners have land returned, albeit a smaller lot and different shape, benefitting from the higher land values as a result of the improvements. This innovative policy has delivered more homes and better places in many international cases.