Homes for Londoners: A new agenda for public housing

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Homes for Londoners: A new agenda for public housing brings together leading insight and best practice to address one of the capital’s most pressing challenges, the delivery of more public housing. Developed in collaboration with experts from across the public, private and investment sectors, the report sets out a bold new model for public housing in London.

Centred on the proposal for a Homes for Londoners Impact Fund, the study outlines six key actions to unlock new capital, streamline planning, empower local authorities, and embed long-term community value. It presents a practical pathway for restoring confidence in housing delivery and re-establishing public housing as a key driver of London’s growth, resilience, and social equity.

Homes for Londoners: A new agenda for public housing forms part of NLA’s wider research programme exploring the future of housing delivery and investment across the capital.

You can download the report in the sidebar of this web page.

Foreword

London faces a housing emergency. As we approach the end of 2025, new housing starts have almost ground to a halt — while one in twenty-one children in our capital are growing up in temporary accommodation.

And yet, we know London can deliver. Over the past decade, our city has built some of the largest volumes of high-quality homes of any in the developed world. These homes don’t stand alone — they sit within excellent public spaces, are well woven into local communities, and are often made possible by genuine partnership between the public and private sectors.

Much of the social housing built in that period was enabled by a unique mix of conditions: supportive planning policy, government grants, housing associations able to access low-cost capital, strong overseas investment providing cross-subsidy, and a lower cost construction environment.

But in recent years, those conditions have fallen away. At the same time, stricter safety regulations have — quite rightly — been introduced following the tragic loss of life at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017.

Planning policy has not kept pace with these realities, leaving development unviable in all but the rarest circumstances. Meanwhile, demand has only risen. The government’s target for London housing delivery now stands at 88,000 new homes a year — just to keep up.

We need new ideas. We need new investment. We need policies that unlock capital at scale.

This report draws on a wealth of expert insight — recognising what has been achieved but also setting out the key areas where we must now focus. Above all, it makes clear that we cannot rely on market sales and government grants alone to deliver the homes Londoners need.

In the Autumn of 2022, NLA started working with Arup, JLL and Related Argent to develop new thinking about attracting investment into affordable housing at scale. This work has been built upon over the last two years alongside Place Partners and Quod under the auspices of Opportunity London — the capital investment partnership that we run jointly with London & Partners.

The result of this work is bold but simple: the proposal for a Homes for Londoners Impact Fund.

A fund that could be championed by the Mayor of London and London Councils. A fund that acquires homes at scale across the capital. Rents them at a mix of social and intermediate levels. Holds them for the long term. And delivers both secure homes for Londoners and stable returns for investors.

The model would be a City Hall landlord, not a City Hall developer — backed by a major institutional investor that is also a registered provider, ensuring grant funding can be deployed. In most cases, day-to-day management would be outsourced to housing associations.

This new source of capital could first be directed at schemes closest to delivery and viability — supported by policy, available grant, and trusted partners across the city. An immediate priority: building new social housing for families in temporary accommodation. The result: saving London boroughs tens of millions of pounds every month.

Over time, this could grow into a large-scale, market-driving force. It would shift the forward funding model away from costly, hard-to-secure individual transactions, and towards an investment vehicle with long-term, shared aims alongside the Mayor of London — delivering high-quality, affordable homes for Londoners.

The benefits are clear — for every part of the system:

For the Mayor and Borough Leaders: a vehicle they can champion — one that delivers on priorities, unlocks a failing system, and aligns with emerging planning and policy shifts.
For investors: the opportunity to back London’s housing market, earn sustainable long-terms returns, change lives, and help secure the long-term prosperity of the city.
For boroughs: three wins — more homes built, fewer families in temporary accommodation, and higher-quality housing for communities at social and intermediate rents.
For developers: access to a major new purchaser — providing simple forward funding, template terms, and reduced delivery risk.
For registered providers: the opportunity to continue to expand their management platforms and impact, without additional balance sheet pressure.
For the supply chain: a stronger, more predictable pipeline of work that secures skills, supports innovation, and sustains jobs.

London housing delivery has no single solution. All the factors highlighted in this report are essential. But without new capital at scale in a simple and transparent form, there will be no solution at all.

This is our moment to act — to mobilise investment, unlock delivery, and secure the homes Londoners so urgently need.

Nick McKeogh
Chief Executive, NLA

Homes for Londoners Project Directory

The Homes for Londoners directory presents a handpicked selection of projects and proposals spotlighted in the report. These highlight a variety of scales, tenures, and delivery models, from mixed-income housing across boroughs to institutional-scale forward-funded schemes via the proposed Impact Fund. Together, they offer a live directory of innovative public housing approaches capable of delivering long-term social, financial, and urban value.

View the full directory

Homes for Londoners: Event series

The Homes for Londoners programming delivers industry-defining events that bring together leaders from across housing, planning, investment, and development to address London’s public housing crisis, share innovation, and showcase collaborative solutions for delivering affordable homes at scale.

Homes for Londoners: Interventions for regeneration

Housing

Thursday 04 December 2025
18:15 - 20:15

This event explores projects that demonstrate innovative interventions to estate regeneration, from infill to new development.

Members Only - Free

Talk

Homes for Londoners: Interventions for regeneration

Homes for Londoners: The White Flats film screening

Friday 28 November 2025
14:00 - 15:00

Join us for a screening of 'The White Flats,' a documentary about the Whittington Estate (Highgate Newtown Phase 1).

Free

Talk

Homes for Londoners: The White Flats film screening

Homes for Londoners: Public housing insights series

Read further insights from voices across the industry sharing their expertise on London’s public housing landscape, exploring new models, funding solutions, and the partnerships needed to deliver affordable homes for all.

Housing

16 September 2025

Public Housing Insights: Providing London with the housing its people, environment and the city itself deserves

Rob Westcott, Director at Civic’s London studio, explores a sustainable approach to delivering public housing throughout the city, creating housing that Londoners deserve.

Innovation

30 September 2025

Public Housing Insights: The Case for a Minister of Construction Innovation

Jay Morton, Director at Bell Phillips, makes the case for a dedicated leader in construction innovation to help shape London into an equitable and regenerative city for future generations.

Housing

07 October 2025

Public Housing Insights: A Viewpoint from Architects’ Action for Affordable Housing

Luke Tozer, Founding Director at Pitman Tozer Architects, highlights the priorities of the AA4AH campaign as well as the actions needed to provide good homes for all Londoners.

Housing

07 October 2025

Public Housing Insights: Partnerships for delivery

Emma Hatch, Head of Property Development at Places for London, shares the importance of values-led partnerships and innovation to deliver high-quality and affordable homes for London.

Housing

14 October 2025

Public Housing Insights: Building a fairer future for everyone

Peter Barber, Founder and Director of Peter Barber Architects, reflects on the NLA's upcoming insight study and encourages us to think big when advocating for more and better housing.

Housing

14 October 2025

Public Housing Insights: Planning for long-term stewardship

Joanne Drew, Executive Director of Housing Regeneration, reflects on the NLA's upcoming insight study and emphasises the importance of partnerships for London boroughs to build more homes.

Housing

21 October 2025

Public Housing Insights: We need to talk about estate regeneration

Jacqueline Esimaje-Heath, Director for Growth & Sales at L&Q, calls for a holistic, adaptable approach to estate regeneration built on collaboration with residents and local authorities.

Hale Wharf

Built

Haringey’s Hale Wharf brownfield scheme (191 council homes in 6 4-8 storey buildings) overlooks river and wetlands, and part of the council's plans to build 3,00 new council homes by 2031.

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Burridge Gardens

Built

54 self-contained apartments for social rent above the community centre, eight of them fully wheelchair accessible. All have generous balconies, with access to communal areas and facilities.

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Trinity Park, One Woolwich

Under Construction

Working in partnership since 2013 One Woolwich delivers, phased demolition and redevelopment across a number of sites, over 1600 mixed tenure homes and 35% affordable housing.

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Greenwich Housing

Built

This housing scheme is part of the borough’s ambitious plans to provide more than 750 high-quality, genuinely affordable homes – far below the private market rate at London Affordable Rent.

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South Kilburn Regeneration

Proposed

A long-term programme delivering high-quality new homes, vibrant public realm and inclusive social infrastructure, with placemaking central to shaping a thriving and connected neighbourhood.

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Royal Albert Wharf

Built

Housing-led regeneration developed by Notting Hill Genesis (via SPV) delivering 1,856 homes and c.9,000sqm non-resi. under Joint Venture Partnerships delivering a multi-phase development on GLA Land.

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Sutton Estate

Planning Granted

This project is the sustainable refurbishment of heritage buildings at the Sutton Estate which was built in 1912/ This has been designed in collaboration with the community.

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Delivering Accessible Public Housing in Hounslow- South Street

Built

Habinteg partnered with the London Borough of Hounslow to deliver South Street, Isleworth to deliver 12 accessible and adaptable homes that are energy efficient for local residents on small sites

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300 Harrow Road

Built

New housing in Westminster, the tenure was changed mid-construction by the elected Labour council from being 50% for private sale to 100% affordable rent – the majority for social rent.

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Gascoigne Neighbourhood

Under Construction

The Gascoigne Neighbourhood in Barking is one of London’s largest regeneration projects, focusing on placemaking, affordability, and community impact.

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Creating Inclusive, Low-Energy Public Housing in Hounslow- Upper Butts

Built

This case study demonstrates Habinteg Housing Association and Hounslow commitment to deliver 27 homes on small sites to deliver energy efficient and accessible, and adaptable homes.

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Wingspan Walk

Under Construction

This project transforms a refuse depot site into 272 new affordable homes and significant public realm, which is designed to meet Passivhaus certification.

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