Introduction 

It is a great privilege to take on the role of chair for the NLA Housing Expert Panel, continuing the excellent work established by Jo McCafferty over the past five years. Jo's leadership has been instrumental in shaping this panel's purpose: bringing together cross-sector expertise to provide thought leadership on housing delivery, quality, and policy in London. Her work has set a high bar, and I'm honoured to build on this foundation as we navigate significant periods of policy change in the housing. 

As policy makers introduce sweeping changes to housing regulation and planning frameworks, our first meeting of 2026 brought together developers, architects, local authority representatives, and sustainability experts to examine what these shifts mean for the capital. With the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) under revision and a new London Plan consultation on the horizon, we sought to answer a fundamental question: what are we building, and which challenges are we trying to solve? 

Evidence of Market Failure 

The stark reality facing London cannot be ignored. One in 20 children in the capital are living in temporary accommodation, whilst local authorities spend £7 million daily managing the emergency housing crisis. Panel members discussed how private rental homes are leaving the market in significant numbers, whilst some new developments risk entering the temporary accommodation system because buyers simply cannot afford them. This represents not just financial waste, but severe knock-on effects to society, children growing up in insecure, poor-quality accommodation face educational disruption, health challenges, and instability that shapes their life chances. 

This crisis underscores the urgent need for pragmatic approaches to housing diversity. People need secure, safe accommodation suitable for their specific needs at different life stages, yet current delivery models fail to provide this range. 

Rethinking Housing Typologies 

Build-to-Rent (BTR) is performing relatively well, particularly for one and two-bed flats, but family BTR remains an emerging typology requiring further definition. "If someone's selling a village with childcare in the building, then it's worth the high BTR costs," one member noted. The challenge is creating amenity-rich family BTR that retains residents through their 30s and beyond, providing the long-term security that genuinely mixed communities need. 

Later living was identified as critically undersupplied, whilst co-living offers solutions for changing household formation patterns. Key worker housing, intermediate rent models, and purpose-built shared accommodation all have roles to play. Without this variety, London cannot meet diverse housing needs across different life stages and income levels, nor create the genuinely mixed tenure, balanced communities the capital needs. 

Sustainability and Standards Under Pressure 

A dominant concern emerged around the perceived rollback of sustainability standards. Panel members noted that whilst design and placemaking remain at the heart of the NPPF, the detail on standards and housing quality appears to be diminishing. "We're stepping back on all things sustainable, which is very disappointing," one member observed. 

This matters because poor-quality housing creates long-term costs. Evidence showed wildly varying cost estimates for the potential uplift for passive house standards,  from £1,500 to £15,000 per home, yet some members reported major housebuilders achieving these standards with minimal cost increase when properly tendered, highlighting the need for better data and procurement approaches. 

A nuanced debate emerged around prescriptive standards. Whilst some protect quality, panel members argued they've become overly detailed, creating "siloed housing designed to the millimetre" that lacks flexibility. Paradoxically, the actual liveability and organisation of homes receives minimal scrutiny in planning processes, with under-resourced planning departments losing specialist officers. 

The Viability Challenge 

Economic uncertainty was identified as the sector's biggest challenge. Developers face a "rubix cube of uncertainty" with constantly moving goalposts. Several members questioned whether London's private-for-sale market has fundamentally shifted. "Do we think the private for sale market will be a thing in London again? It's not affordable," one developer asked. The consensus suggested the market has "quietly crashed" compared to 2015, with BTR emerging as the dominant model. 

Next Steps 

The panel will coordinate with the NLA Planning Expert Panel to respond to the NPPF and forthcoming London Plan consultation (draft expected May 2026). Priorities include defining what good family BTR looks like, contributing to the NLA's Healthy Creating City research, and gathering post-occupancy evaluation evidence. 

As we move forward, the question remains: what should London build to create genuinely mixed tenure, balanced communities where people have secure, safe homes suited to their needs? This will guide our work throughout 2026, ensuring housing delivery addresses London's genuine needs rather than simply responding to policy changes.