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HOW BEST WILL WE TAKE FORWARD EFFECTIVE POLICY ON HOUSING IN THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN ?
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This Seminar will be held at The Royal Commonwealth Society in London
On Friday 03rd April 2009
Seminar reference HSG/236 |
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- HOW WILL THE HCA DELIVER?
- HOW WILL THE SINGLE CONVERSATION WORK?
 How do we maintain targets for house building and regeneration during the recession?
How can capital housing programmes in the UK and elsewhere help us out of recession?
How can the HCA bridge national targets with local ambitions during the downturn?
How will Government deliver promised new funding for local government to provide social housing?
How can housing associations overcome losses in income from drop in housing sales?
How can new capacity and skills be achieved to enable the single conversation to be really effective?
How will local government's place-shaping role enable it to lead LSPs in the single conversation?
How can the HCA enter into joint ventures with institutional investors to pump-prime dormant projects?
How can new investment be achieved to enable private development to be revived?
How can the HCA take an equity share in private developments to arouse stalled programmes?
How do we reduce prominence of owner-occupation and develop effective new tenures?
How can mixed use developments be finances to achieve balanced social and economic regeneration?
Where can we hope to be in ten years time?
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CONTEXT
The credit crunch and recession, which had roots in an over-heated housing market, are having major impact on housing targets across the UK. House building is halved to 100k a year, repossessions are doubling, building firms are going bust and 100k workers are laid off.
The Centre for Cities says government's target of 3m new homes by 2020 with annual builds of 240k pa by 2016 seems impossible. They argue that the target date should be set back till at least 2025.
HCA says underlying demand is still there. If under-supply is not tackled, we will store up economic and social problems for the future. Shelter warns that high demand and a likely lag between economic recovery and upturn in supply could lead to new boom and bust.
The Prime Minister has promised funds for local councils to build social housing as means of helping the UK out of recession. This is in line with approaches by Obama's USA and elsewhere. Brown says councils have a vital role to play. Government will not stand by when people's hopes and dreams of a good home and neighbourhood are threatened by economic forces beyond their control.
Brown says investment in social housing must be aligned with reform, eg to address high levels of worklessness in the sector. If councils can show they can deliver quickly and cost-effectively and build sustainable communities to meet 21st century aspirations, government will give full backing and remove anything that stands in the way.
Housing associations seem relatively secure, with £15bn of private investment in place for the coming year - 95% of funding for committed programmes. NHF estimates they will reach a target of 40k new social homes this year. But 2010 could see development rates plummet.
Associations have been hit because of loss of income from housing sales to subsidise new social homes. With mortgages hard to come by, 10k association houses built for outright sale or part ownership are lying unsold.
The new Homes and Communities Agency will work with local government to provide opportunities for people to live in homes they can afford in places they want to live. It aims to connect local ambition with national targets by engaging councils in a single conversation on all aspects of housing and regeneration.
The single conversation will require new capacity and skills on both sides to bridge local ambition and national targets and secure local delivery. By co-operative and consensual working, there should be better outcomes than through a top-down, centralised approach. Local areas have widely varying needs and each place will want to engage in different ways.
With their place-shaping duties, councils will be expected to represent the views of their LSP. HCA and several councils may work together across housing market areas where this is agreed to be sensible. The approach will be trialed regionally in a limited number of areas.
Pump-priming the depressed housing market is crucial for HCA. Joint ventures, involving the agency taking a direct stake, are high on the agenda, perhaps in partnership with institutional investors.
HCA's Bob Kerslake sees danger in looking through the prism of current circumstances, losing sight of enduring challenges - supply not matching demand; need to grow communities; affordability; and creating genuine choice in housing tenure. When we come out of the credit crunch, these preoccupations will return with greater force because we will have lost growing time.
To stimulate more building, it might be necessary to offer inducements to developers - perhaps through a HCA equity stake on some stalled sites.
New forms of tenure below full home ownership are needed. This is high on the agenda of the HCA and leading associations - allowing people to rent, and, as their circumstances improve, taking a full or part stake in a property. Private rental has not been seen as a good choice for many people, and yet in many parts of Europe it's a very significant part of the housing market.
This CPPS seminar with HCA and CLG brings together key figures from across sectors in the important debate on how to maintain high levels of investment, value and effectiveness in housing and regeneration during the economic downturn.
The day encourages brief, focussed presentations followed by engaged discussion by all attending in a relaxed setting. It is hoped that it will make a valuable contribution to taking forward the issues.
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The fee for the day's Seminar is £345.00 plus VAT.
Earlybird Discount of 20% for bookings received before 3 March.
GENEROUS NEGOTIATED DISCOUNTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS AND FOR MULTIPLE BOOKINGS.
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What People Say About CPPS Housing and Public Policy Seminars
Excellent event. Strategic Initiatives Manager, Sheffield City Council
Totally positive. Of the highest calibre. Head of Environment and Planning, Bassetlaw District Council
Excellent format of short presentations and discussion time. Excellent speakers, venue and food. Community Wellbeing Manager, Adur District Council
Excellent presentations, good networking - thanks. Environmental Planning Consultant, J. H. Walter
Excellent. Best selection of speakers I have seen at a seminar for some time. Chief Executive, South Yorkshire Housing Association
Very good value for money - senior and influential presenters. Senior Executive, East of England Development Agency
May I congratulate CPPS for hosting this event at such an opportune moment and for bringing together such a strong cross section & A very good and valuable day. Deputy Director General for Regions, Department of Trade and Industry
Some useful and interesting presentations - thought provoking and a good basis for developing future ideas. Strategic Landlord Manager, Leeds City Council
Excellent debate and update on a wide and diverse policy area. Head of Community and Economic Regeneration, Ashfield District Council
I thought the value of the day was huge. All the presentations were very stimulating. Deputy Director, Government Office for the North West
Excellent. Very well organised. Excellent range of speakers. Associate, UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Excellent and informative. Corporate Policy Officer, Middlesbrough Council
The best conference I have attended in years. Good to have some intellectual stimulation at a conference for a change! Development Director, First Group plc
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