Much has been said about Labour’s ambitious housing target. Our industry is questioning how it can be met at speed, and where these homes are best delivered – NIMBYism (and YIMBYism) aside. Within government, eyes are on the potential of the ‘grey belt’ with, as ever, a perhaps outdated focus on home ownership. 

But as a developer currently expanding our alternative-living portfolio within cities like London, including office-to-resi retrofit projects which reduce our impact on the environment, I would like to see more focus on these sorts of opportunities in urban areas. Why not build homes with better connectivity to workplaces and local amenities, an established community and a sense of place? The task of delivering 1.5 million homes by the next government is a challenge we as an industry can (and need to) get behind, but we must keep our focus on building the right kind of homes to meet the diverse wants and needs of those who will live there. 

Build to Rent (BTR) presents a solution, both to the creation of new homes, and to stimulating urban regeneration across cities like London. It can provide high quality, mixed-use developments at speed - places which benefit from long-term stewardship to support new and existing communities. It is proven to be a catalyst for successful suburban regeneration and town-centre revitalisation. BTR is an important part of London’s housing mix and it’s not just for young people; it was reported last year that BTR houses a higher percentage of residents aged 55-64 at 5% compared to 3% for the private rented sector. 

Within BTR and similar housing models, convenience and amenities have historically been a fundamental part of their appeal, with residents typically happy to pay a higher rent if amenities like access to a gym, working spaces, and fast Wi-Fi are included. Operators are also finding that physical connectivity is just as important an amenity, with “commute time” calculators included on most consumer-facing BTR websites. 

Connectivity is a key component to HUB’s site acquisition strategy; we want to build homes that people want to live in, and know that people will choose to live in homes with good public transport links. And surely we, as an industry, have a responsibility to promote homes in places where its residents will need to spend less time in a car? The proximity to Wembley Central and Wembley Stadium stations was a catalyst for the development of our recently completed Wembley Link project. As with many BTR schemes, working at a large scale has allowed the delivery of more than just homes at the site, it has allowed us to create a sense of place with thoughtfully-designed public realm for Wembley Central’s new and existing communities to enjoy.

Looking beyond BTR, Savills research has found that 70% of first-time buyers look for a city-based location and that connectivity is the most important factor when considering a new build’s location, followed by proximity to places of work. Meanwhile, The Social Market Foundation has reported that transport is the single largest household expense (excluding mortgage costs) for rural families and the second largest for urban ones. Delivering homes with good public transport connectivity into and around cities is clearly crucial – whatever the tenure. 

The housing sector needs innovative thinking to deliver the homes Britain needs, and to do so at speed, now more than ever. So, instead of simply championing homeownership in what Labour has called “dreary wasteland”, let’s unlock well-connected sites and alternative tenures that will enable these new homes to serve the communities that will live there, both now and in the future.