RESI site | Photos and summary

Daunting housing targets, affordability issues and the need to do things differently – these were the words on everyone’s lips at North West’s place Resi 2024 update.

RESI site was sponsored by WSP, Northstone, Esperança Arquitectes, Trowers and Hamlins, Forward Houses, Rome Finance, i Yardi and J3 Advisory.Scroll to the bottom of the story to see the photo gallery from the event.

Unattainable or ambitious?

A poll showed 98% of Place RESI delegates believe the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes is unachievable, with suggestions from Dan Whelan, deputy editor of North West placethat a slow planning system, idle sites and gaps in feasibility were contributing factors.

Suzanne Bensonpartner and head of real estate at Trowers & Hamlins, said: “The government came straight out and focused on PRS planning and reform. There is a lot of emphasis on how local authorities can support development, resetting targets and the five-year land supply has created a lot of chatter Outside London there are more than 200 local authorities that need to increase their targets, 63 need to double their output, this is a challenge huge”.

Suzanne Benson outlined what we can expect to hear in the Budget next week. Credit: PNW

On the goal of 75,000 homes of GM, mayor Andy Burnham said, “If all of us, in our 10 districts, come together, then yes (it’s possible). We’ve done hard things that others haven’t done. We’ve gone through Places for Everyone and that allocates a lot of the land that’s needed.”

He also said he would ask the Treasury to transfer land not needed by Whitehall to give “the boost to social housing”. He also raised concerns about the 10 GM authorities’ spending on temporary accommodation (£75m a year) and put it in the wider context of health and employment: “You can’t nothing without the foundation of a good home.”

Laura Blakeydirector of strategic finance and investment at GMCA, said: “It’s an important stretch. It’s not just the supply, it’s the standard. We need to be ambitious – we’re all very aware of the housing crisis, especially when look at how much is spent on homeless shelters, it’s there out of necessity.”

Traveling forward

After a trip to Germany where he said he had had a “successful trade mission”, Burnham said one of the barriers to building more homes is skills and referred to Greater Manchester’s new high school.

He added: “We must bring a new generation to work in construction. Hence our great reform of technical education”.

Andy Burnham said Greater Manchester should be “very proud” of what it has achieved in recent years. Credit: PNW

He also discussed the government’s funding changes, which will come into effect from April, which will mean GM will no longer need to rely on individual funding in areas such as transport and housing, and will have the freedom to spend of Scotland and Wales.

Burnham also spoke about transport and his ambitions to introduce eight new rail lines to the Bee network, focusing on commuter lines to Buxton, Glossop, Hoole, Southport and Wigan, with a new station at Golborne. He also wants to persuade Network Rail to devolve some of the stations and land around them to open up “really exciting opportunities”.

Asked by Whelan about his relationship with the new government, he said: “Now I have more access. There are more conversations.”

But he warned: “If they don’t support the bee network, I will say so. Why can’t people here have London-level transport?”

Manchester market

Benson said: “What Manchester does, largely because of the make-up of businesses, is react strongly (in times of economic volatility). In good times we outperform, but in bad times we underperform. The good news is that Manchester is once again outperforming the national economy.”

He said the city is heavily dependent on retail and service providers, and is seeing a modest uptick in construction. “That matters because we’re not building houses in isolation,” he said. “In this economy, who will need the houses we are building? Where do they want and need to live to be able to work and enjoy their lives, and what can they afford?”

Coexistence option

Jermaine Browneco-founder of Re:shape Living, was asked about his company’s plans for a co-living scheme in Salford, designed as single-person accommodation aimed at those who don’t want traditional shared accommodation, but they can’t afford it. to rent an apartment or buy a property.

He said the co-living is trying to offer a “hospitality-type” experience with twice the room size of traditional space, in addition to co-working, and has labeled it “a penthouse for everyone” : “What you’re doing is creating an aspirational space. product that’s more affordable than other options.”

The first panel provided insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the private sector. Credit: PNW

Feasibility challenges

“Regional cities are very difficult and not viable for us,” he said Guy Butlerco-founder of Glenbrook, although he acknowledged that this was not the case for all developers. He said Glenbrook is concentrated in Manchester, Salford, Trafford, Leeds city centre, Liverpool, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Bristol.

He said viability was “almost impossible” in Liverpool, but added: “We have funders who want to fund in Liverpool – it’s building costs, finding contractors and it’s a bit more expensive to build in Liverpool than Manchester because of availability of skills.”

Browne said the different construction costs definitely made them focus on cities where their target demographic already lived, but the developments have to be where the prices stack up.

Sandy Livingstonechief executive of property at Onward Homes, said there was a difficult balance to strike between refurbishing and building new homes: “In the last 14 years of austerity we have lost 20% of funding capacity . We have an aging housing stock, so we need to be able to improve the quality of these homes and accelerate the pace at which we do so.”

Rebecca Coleyhead of planning and development at Trafford Council, would like the government to intervene on “ultra-densification”.

“It is very difficult to reconcile feasibility with a scheme that should get planning permission. If we’re building homes for the future, they need to be fantastic living environments. If that’s all the market will drive in terms of land value, that’s a huge concern. We don’t want to be a blocker, but we want the best for the residents of Trafford.”

From left: Laura Blakey, Rebecca Coley and Doug Hann. Credit: PNW

Doug Hanndirector of WSP, said: “Many of the schemes we are involved in around the city center face significant challenges. Developers have to get planning permission and then look at the cocktail of funding solutions, already whether it’s heritage, derelict land or Homes England funding, it needs collaboration because, in many cases, you have to push the boundaries to achieve viability.”

The gray belt

Coley expressed concern about this new terminology, as he fears the applications will become tied up in planning appeals and court cases, but added: “There is definitely an argument to free up the green belt from less quality”.

think different

Whelan challenged the panelists to predict the changes needed to meet the government’s target of 1.5 million homes. Phil Cooper, director of Hope Architects, focuses on density: “We need to use land more efficiently and we need to spread what we’re doing to the market more effectively. We don’t have dense cores in our outlying developments, we don’t have infill of medium density in the urban centers surrounding the city center.

“People talk about ‘blocks of mansions’. What do you want if you don’t want a downtown high-rise or a suburban executive home? Here we have the opportunity to think about what these typologies are like. How modern life is supposed to be.”

Syreeta Baynehead of social value and sustainability at Muse, put a strong focus on the life-changing aspects of development, highlighting areas with fuel poverty or high incidence of health problems.

He also discussed the location of homes in nature and emphasized a “holistic approach” around transport, employment and education. He also said: “Think about the cultural dimensions of places. We’re starting Bradford City Village, the research has shown that there are a lot of multi-generational homes and that needs to be taken into account through the design so that no one is displaced.”

The industry needs to think differently to overcome today’s challenges, according to participants in the event’s third panel. Credit: PNW

Livingstone said, “We need to change the way we build. We need to think about manufacturer-led construction.”

Justin Harleydirector of Yardi, says one thing the industry can do better is adopt technology faster: “How much space do people need; use data to make better investment decisions. We are specialists in rental living. People focus on what technology the resident needs – they don’t care, they just want it to work. Often, it’s not the “sexy” stuff, but the stuff that makes you operationally efficient. In residential, it’s transactional, like collecting rent, paying rent and signing leases.”

Shannon Conwayco-founder of Picture This, detailed her company’s first scheme in Stockport, saying: “Before you build anything, you go and find out what the people in those areas need. The cookie-cutter approach where you lift and change and you find “oh it’s not viable” that’s because you haven’t done your research. We’re building homes for life that people can age in. Think about it as you go their needs change and this will shave millions off the NHS bill.”

asked Whelan Jarod KellyNorthstone’s land and partnerships manager, on his company’s claim to develop “new, new construction”. He replied: “Our type of house is a block that extends two bricks forward, two bricks back. Property names are defined by square footage so everyone knows what they are buying. We go Future Homes Standard from the ground up: triple glazed windows, all homes built to brick dimensions so there is no waste and we take pride in the surroundings. We want the equipment space and transport and access to provide quality of life”.

what happens next

join in North Place at one of our upcoming events:

North Place Question Time | November 5

Life Sciences Update | November 7

Liverpool City Region Development Update | November 14

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