The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) hosted a parliamentary event which brought MPs, NHC members and other stakeholders together. They discussed the need for housing-led regeneration to make sure northern communities can live in safe, affordable homes in places they are proud of.

The event followed recent government housing announcements that have significantly increased investment in affordable housing and provided much-needed long-term funding certainty and clarity around legislation. Regeneration has also featured in the announcements, with confirmation about flexibility in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme for replacement homes. It has also been put forward as a key deliverable in integrated settlements, and the Local Growth Plan is set to support Mayors to boost community-led regeneration.

The NHC plans to launch an inquiry Where Next for Housing-Led Regeneration in the North, supported by Homes for the North and Muse, later in the year to define housing-led regeneration’s role in tackling the housing crisis, delivering growth and building stronger communities.  It will look at how the social housing sector can bring maximum benefits to communities through regeneration with current government support and explore how to go even further in the future to meet the needs of the North.

Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said: “The outcome of the spending review and the recent housing announcements are milestone moments for the social housing sector in the North, which will drive real change. To effectively tackle the housing crisis in the North, housing-led regeneration must sit alongside new housing supply and support to improve existing homes.

“Our research has consistently shown that the North is disproportionally affected by low quality homes with over one million non-decent homes in the North. The problem is most acute in the private rented sector with 27 per cent of homes not meeting current Decent Homes Standards.  We’ve also found that there are 126,000 social housing homes in the North reaching the end of their serviceable life. These issues must be addressed if we want to make sure everyone has access to a safe and warm home they can afford.

“The right foundations are in place for the North to hit the ground running. We’re leading the way with devolution, and housing partnerships are driving collaboration. Through our Inquiry, we want to work with parliamentarians, members, residents and other stakeholders to maximise the benefits of regeneration for communities in the North.”

Speakers at the event included Lord Best OBE, DL who set the scene about why housing-led regeneration is a priority for the North and Liz Twist MP and Andrew Cooper MP gave parliamentarians perspectives on regeneration. Onward Chief Executive and Chair of Homes for North, Bronwen Rapley, highlighted why regeneration is a priority for Homes for the North. Managing Director of Muse, Phil Mayall, spoke about regeneration from a commercial view point and his experience of transforming places. Chief Executive of believe housing Alan Smith shared insight about regeneration projects and Chief Executive of Incommunities and Chair of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership Rachael Dennis talked about regeneration and devolution from a housing partnership perspective.

Bronwen Rapley, Chair of Homes for the North, said: “The Government has set out a transformative vision to deliver the biggest boost to housebuilding in generations. Regeneration has a critical role to play in helping to unlock the delivery of more and better homes. Our research shows that regeneration across the North could support the creation of 305,000 homes, equivalent to 4.3 years of housing supply.

“The North faces a particular set of challenges, from a lack of housing to contaminated sites and ageing homes, that are holding back regeneration. We now have an opportunity to work with the Government to help shape delivery mechanisms that can address some of these barriers. Whilst there are challenges, the potential of regeneration is even greater.

“This inquiry comes at a critical moment and we look forward to contributing to this vital and timely conversation about the role that regeneration has to play in unlocking growth and revitalising communities.”

Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the NHC and Homes for the North on this important inquiry. Against the backdrop of the government’s positive agenda for the industry and the tools which have already been provided to us, we’re at a real moment in time where we can go even further in delivering meaningful change in the North of England.

“Drawing on our decades of experience as placemakers, we’re looking forward to sharing our case studies, lessons, and learnings. With a growing focus also on promoting partnerships as a means to further transform communities, we are excited to offer an insight into how we have been working in partnership with the public and private sector, including through ECF, our partnership with L&G and Homes England, and our plans for the future through Habiko, with PIC and Homes England.”

Further information about the need for regeneration in the North can be found in the NHC’s annual state of the region report the Northern Housing Monitor. The NHC conducted member research ‘Understanding the Need for Regeneration in the North’, which can be found here.

This event supported by Homes for the North and Muse and powered by the NHC’s commercial arm NHC Procurement.

Huge congratulations to our Lynda Redshaw who has been awarded an MBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list!

Executive Assistant Lynda has been the backbone of the NHC for 34 years, helping us grow from a team of three to a team of 40+. She is a role model and a prolific charity fundraiser who has raised over £60,000. More recently she’s been instrumental in setting up the Unlocking Success Bursary and has been a big part in its success.

Lynda turned 70 last year but continues to work beyond retirement age and has demonstrated courageous commitment to her role in the face of difficult personal circumstances.

Our Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than Lynda. Everyone at the NHC is absolutely over the moon for her. She is a well-loved colleague and someone who has made a tremendous contribution to the NHC and the social housing sector in the North.”

Lynda is absolutely delighted – and still in shock – about receiving the award. She is looking forward to attending the ceremony with her family.

I’m sure you’ll join us all at the NHC in offering your congratulations to Lynda!

We visited Kirklees Council’s Buxton House in Huddersfield with MP for Huddersfield, Harpreet Uppal. Kirklees Council is investing £16m on the tower block to refurbish and remodel the building, with improvements to fire safety, energy efficiency and quality of the homes.

Kirklees Council have developed the ‘Huddersfield Blueprint’, a ten-year vision to create a thriving, modern-day town centre. The work to improve Buxton House aligns closely to the aspirations of the Blueprint, particularly around improvements to the appearance and contribution to sustainable and affordable town centre living.

The project will result in 46 new one and two bed affordable apartments, meeting modern building regulations and designed to link to the proposed Huddersfield Heat Network.

We are keen to continue to highlight the fantastic work our members are doing across the North to build new homes, improve the quality of existing homes, and reach net zero targets – please get in touch in your organisation has a project you would like to showcase (josef.bews@northern-consortium.org.uk).

To better understand the issues related to the North’s ageing homes and the need for future regeneration funding streams, we surveyed a group of housing association members. The findings have been shared directly with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and they also formed part of our Spending Review submission to the HM Treasury.

Responses to the survey came from housing associations that collectively own and manage approximately 340,000 Low-Cost Rental Accommodation homes with representation from each of the three northern regions. The size of landlord respondents ranged from 9,000 to 49,000 homes, with the largest provider having some operations outside of the North.

Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs Patrick Murray said: “We know regeneration is a real need for communities across the North and that members face some big challenges around homes coming to the end of their life and places in need of renewal. It’s vital we understand the scale of this so we can put forward a strong case to Government for housing-led neighbourhood regeneration.

“We have met with MHCLG officials several times to discuss the survey results and are providing further information to support their Spending Review work. The Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook raised these issues at a recent event, so we know it’s gaining prominence with Government.”

Key findings are below, or you can read a summary report here.

Key takeaways:

• Of the c.340,000 homes owned and managed by respondents, it is believed that around 6,450 (1.9%) will be unable to remain compliant with emerging regulatory requirements between now and 2030 due to physical or structural constraints, so will need to be replaced. Applied to the North of England more widely, an estimated 25,500 social homes would fall into this category.

• Certain property archetypes are more likely to fall into this category. This includes pre-1919 housing, listed buildings, non-traditionally built stock and twentieth century high-rise blocks of flats, including those built using Large Panel System (LPS) construction, that will struggle to achieve EPC Band C.

• Of the c.340,000 homes owned and managed by respondents, around 11,900 (3.5%) will meet one or more of three ‘end of life categories’ in the next five years. Applied to the North of England more widely, this would be 46,952 social homes in total. This rises to 7.6% or 101,757 homes when the timeframe is extended to the next 10 years. End of life categories include homes that would not meet regulatory requirements, are not finically viable or homes located in an area in need of regeneration.

• Of the 11,900 homes identified as approaching ‘end of life’ in the next five years, 4,507 (38%) were identified as being in sites where densification would be possible. However, densification was not always a desirable outcome, for example, where providers wish to replace low-demand, outdated bedsits or other small properties with family homes in an area with high demand for larger homes. To address this there will need to be flexibility with net additionality requirements of grant programmes to enable housing providers to meet the needs of the community in their area.

• A relatively small number of homes, especially twentieth century high rise blocks of flats, are causing significant financial issues for housing providers due to exceptionally high repairs and maintenance costs. It is likely that these homes will be impossible for the landlord to maintain into the future.

• Of the c.340,000 homes owned and managed by respondents, 9.4% were deemed to be in an area in need of physical regeneration. Applied across the North of England, this would be 126,012 homes in total.

• The social housing sector needs long term certainty about future funding and policy to plan. As part of our Spending Review response the NHC called for a £1.37 billion fund over 5 years for housing-led neighbourhood regeneration in the North. For the sector to be able to deliver good quality homes and be financially stable this must sit alongside, flexibility in the Affordable Homes Programme to support regeneration, confirmation of the new Decent Homes Standard and the right financial support to improve quality and energy efficiency of homes.