The housing crisis is, on the face of it, a relatively simple problem: a lack of supply relative to demand. On closer inspection, however, it represents something far more complex: a set of deep-seated, interlinked challenges spanning policy, finance, regulation, skills, materials, societal norms and more.
And while it’s important to think about these challenges at a macro level, we also must not forget the human cost: the very real impact poor housing has on the health, wealth and happiness of so many people across the UK, and the implications for communities and the country as a whole.
Fixing this crisis won't be easy. It will take time, investment, and the kind of long-term, joined-up thinking that we see all too rarely at national level. But if we were to succeed, the benefits for the UK would be profound.
The good news is that there seems to be a growing consensus on the urgency of the problem. The Government has committed to building 1.5m new homes in the current parliament, and has just allocated almost £40bn to affordable housing. So there will clearly be a supportive policy environment for scalable, sustainable housing solutions.
As an investor in housing for more than a decade – focused on building sustainable, high-quality homes in cities where there is a clear housing shortage – we have seen first-hand the wealth of expertise, innovation and talent in this sector. If policymakers can only help to unlock more of this potential, we have a real opportunity to transform housing into a powerful lever for positive change.
