Delivering affordable housing

Thursday 14 January 2021

Pat Hayes

Managing Director
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and Be First

Prisca Thielmann

Associate Director
Maccreanor Lavington

Neil Baron

Project Director
Swan Housing

Jo McCafferty

Director
Levitt Bernstein

The need for good quality affordable housing remains critical. This webinar focuses on best practice examples being delivered across London.

The delivery of affordable housing across London continues to be a top priority and the need is critical post-pandemic, with more than half the new Affordable Homes Programme dedicated to fund social rented homes. With so much of our time spent in home environments the impact of Covid-19 has highlighted more than ever our need for safe, secure, good quality homes with enough space to live comfortably.

PROGRAMME

00:00 Introduction
Peter Murray, Curator-in-chief, New London Architecture

01:07 Delivering Affordable
Prisca Thielmann, Associate Director, Maccreanor Lavington

Using examples from three different projects, Prisca Thielmann discusses the various models used to deliver affordable homes throughout London. Including Dujardin Mews in the London Borough of Enfiled, an innovative project that balanced all key stakeholder expectations to produce more units than conceptualised.

12:28 Update on Blackwall Reach
Neil Baron, Project Director, Swan Housing Group

The Blackwall Reach regeneration focuses on providing an increase to the number of affordable homes in the area, while making Blackwall Reach a desirable area to live, not just for its location.

The Blackwall Reach regeneration creates quality spaces that people want to live, work, play and learn in.

This is a priority for the project, signified by the erection of public art, the development of new commercial spaces and the boost provided to community infrastructure in the area.

23:26 Update from Barking and Dagenham
Pat Hayes, Managing Director, BeFirst

In Barking and Dagenham, the council led initiative, Be First, aims to drive regeneration in the area as they look at cracking the old design models used in the borough. As Pay Hayes explains; Be First focuses on providing quality homes for the average Londoner through strict pre-plan budget setting and innovation to revolutionise the market around the delivery of affordable housing.

34:38 Panel Discussion
Speakers above, plus: Jo McCafferty, Director, Levitt Bernstein

Levitt Bernstein’s Jo McCafferty said she had been heartened by the industry having upped its game on the quality question, but insists that there are greater challenges ahead, including bringing on communities during Covid.