As we look ahead to the NLA Housing Conference and its focus on effective partnership models, this article by Stuart Syddell, Partner at Stace, explores how careful management and strong collaboration can drive the successful delivery of the housing London needs. 

Powering London’s pipeline – a challenging past decade shows how to get housing delivered during the current viability crunch 

The past year has been turbulent for the housing sector, with the latest figures showing a 10-year low in new housing approvals. Perhaps more consequently, 2025 rounds out a decade that has seen housebuilding in London drop by 84%, according to a new report by Molior.  

Yet this period also saw extraordinary real estate success stories, like Related Argent’s redevelopment of King’s Cross, where 1,750 homes were built alongside10 new parks and squares. Such developments demonstrate how to deliver homes in tough conditions – principles that need to be applied more than ever in the face of current viability challenges.  

Major regeneration sites – from industrial land to outdated housing estates – have been the key to much of London’s housing delivery in the past decade. The regeneration sites with the most potential are those with the right infrastructure in place, from rail to green space. In addition, strong partnerships are needed to smooth the process of delivering complex schemes aligned with that infrastructure, encompassing multiple asset classes, stakeholders, procurement and construction programmes, investors and financial models.  

Of all the UK’s cities, London has the greatest advantage here with plenty of well-connected, well-supported sites primed for redevelopment. History has shown that leveraging existing infrastructure connected to brownfield sites can unlock housing delivery more quickly, efficiently and sustainably.   

Now, infrastructure is driving a new wave of regeneration across London. The Elizabeth line is catalysing housing delivery and investment from Reading to Shenfield. Last year, Platform4 launched to regenerate railway land across the country, including in 22 London boroughs. Shopping centres and other retail assets are being repositioned, with injections of homes leveraging existing infrastructure while creating new, enlivened mixed-use neighbourhoods. These are complex but significant opportunities with the potential to deliver tens of thousands of new homes. 

But as we look ahead, viability is challenging the most compelling cases for development. While the capital’s brownfield sites do not have the same up-front infrastructure costs as greenfield developments elsewhere in the UK, they do come with unique challenges. London ranks fifth globally for the cost of construction per square metre. It is the most expensive place in the UK to build homes – with the costs of labour, construction and remediation all contributing to this pole position.  

When it comes to housing-led, infrastructure-linked regeneration then, focussing on what we can control is key.  This means higher precision and rigour in project and cost management is essential. Early-stage cost planning and supply chain engagement must be combined with stress testing evolving designs, through to the intensive monitoring of construction quality. Programmes must be driven proactively, with an emphasis on predicting and mitigating issues rather than reacting.   

So where is it working right now and what’s needed to get even more Londoners over the threshold of their new homes?  

Having worked on several flagship regeneration projects, we've found that two factors consistently underpin success: excellent transport connectivity and robust existing infrastructure. 

At Wembley Park, 8,400 homes have been delivered, supported by three stations served by five key rail and Underground lines. Similarly, in the Olympic Park, the East Wick and Sweetwater scheme has benefited from exceptional transport access, including HS1 alongside the Central, Jubilee, DLR, and Overground services. Building on these former industrial sites also meant that substantial power and drainage infrastructure was already in place, accelerating delivery. 

At Meridian Water, adjacent to the North Circular, our client Enfield took a transformative step by constructing a new station to support the £6bn, 25year regeneration programme. This investment will underpin the delivery of 10,000 new homes and ensure longterm connectivity for the new community. 

Working with existing infrastructure is a good start, but regeneration will always be challenging. Joined-up thinking between many public and private sector players is needed – alongside innovative approaches to project management and cost consultancy, especially over long and complex delivery programmes. 

By combining hard-won expertise, careful management and effective collaboration between partners, then, we can catalyse opportunities to deliver the housing our city needs.