More social housing
The King’s Speech included proposed legislation to increase investment in social housing.
The Social Housing Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on 14th May. It is to protect much-needed social housing stock, give affordable housing providers the clarity and confidence they need to build more social homes, and better protect tenants.
The Minister Mathew Pennycook MP wrote to Council Leaders to explain the purpose of the Bill as here.
The progress in Parliament of the Bill can be seen here.
Is architecture in crisis?
Martyn Evans in an article published in Building Design writes “There is a growing sense among younger architects that the profession they trained so hard to join may not offer a viable long-term career. Institutions like RIBA must step forward to challenge the norms that have led us here”.
He points out that architects are often asked to redraw, rework and rethink schemes multiple times as funding assumptions by developers shift or costs rise. However, fees rarely stay at the same level as the original job.
Architects should rejoice that Britain’s latest new towns aren’t new towns at all
By Ben Derbyshire, chair at HTA Design, former RIBA president, and President of the London Forum.
I don’t generally play for laughs, but I got one anyway at Design West’s Arnolfini conference on Labour’s then-new housing plans when I urged the audience not to hold their breath waiting for the twelve promised new towns. We still haven’t finished the ones Richard Crossman began in the 1960s. As it turns out, we needn’t have worried because of the seven finally [more…]
Ealing flats left empty
Three hundred luxury flats in the Friary Park development in Acton remain unoccupied. Sean Fletcher, a local resident, criticises in his latest video (below) the marketing of these flats to overseas investors rather than local families. He highlights the contrast with the 12,000 Ealing households in need of social housing. Multiple assessments deemed the Friary Park development “not viable” but Ealing Council’s planning committee approved plans.
The development was initially approved to include 45% affordable housing but subsequent applications expanded the number of flats and reduced commitment to affordable [more…]
Making Social Rent Homes viable
A paper setting out a framework for delivering affordable housing, with a specific focus on the Social Rent has been published by Homes for People We Need, an informal collective of organisations, experts and practitioners in the housing sector.
It aligns with broader discussions advocating for increased housing development across all tenures, recognising the urgency of addressing the housing crisis through structured, large-scale investment.
Low rental income makes substantial public subsidy unavoidable. Current spending on temporary accommodation of over £2.8 billion annually could be redirected into structured funding models, [more…]
What Happened in Southall?
There is a resident-led analysis report in ‘Community Powered Reporting’ (www.communitypoweredreporting.co.uk) which the authors claim reveals a consistent pattern of decisions by LB Ealing’s leadership that have concentrated disadvantage in Southall’s most deprived communities.
The report is stated to have been reviewed by a legal team to ensure research validity and ethical standards and nothing in it should be understood as an expression of personal opinion.
London Forum members may be interested in it for the depth of analysis it shows and the implications.
Cost-of-living crisis
In an article on the NLA website, Will Temple, Senior Associate Director at PRD, examines why economic growth alone will not resolve London’s cost-of-living crisis. Drawing on new analysis, he highlights the need to align housing and economic policy to improve living standards across the capital.
He gives many links in the article to other news and statistics to support his views.
Chief Planning Officer’s newsletter
A long newsletter by Chief Planner of MHCLG, Joanna Averley, was published to local authorities’ planning officers on 27th March 2026, covering:-
- Decision delegation,
- Emergency measures to support London housebuilding,
- Refundable deposit scheme for certain single-use drink containers,
- LPAs to set their own planning application fees,
- Government intervention if a LPA intends to refuse planning permission for a housing scheme of 150 dwellings or more,
- Regulations for new Local Plans to be submitted by 31 December 2026,
- The expedited appeals process,
- A Land Use Framework, and
- The Future Homes and Buildings Standards.
![Between skyscrapers and semis [GLA]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Between-skyscrapers-and-semis-REPORT01.jpg?resize=1191%2C1684&ssl=1)
Mid-Rise housing
London is missing out on the benefits of mid-rise housing, and clearer planning policy is needed, according to a new report from the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee published in March 2026.
Chair of the committee, James Small‑Edwards AM, said:
“Mid-rise housing offers the liveable, human‑scale density that residents want and that our city needs. Our recommendations set out practical steps to support higher-quality development, rebuild trust with communities, and ensure the next London Plan provides a stronger, more strategic approach to meeting London’s housing needs.”
![Crews Hill Station [Photo: Enfield Society]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Crews-Hill-station-1024x614-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C614&ssl=1)
New Towns consultation
On 23rd March 2026 the Government issued a consultation on the New Towns draft programme, including Crews Hill and Chase Park in LB Enfield and Thamesmead in LB Greenwich. The consultation ends on 19th May 2026.
Consultations were commenced also on fees for planning applications, the types of applications that may have to be referred to the Secretary of State and a policy paper on the implementation proposals for streamlining infrastructure planning.
In a blog by the lawyer Nicola Gooch of Birketts, links to those announcements are [more…]
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Architects should rejoice that Britain’s latest new towns aren’t new towns at all
By Ben Derbyshire, chair at HTA Design, former RIBA president, and President of the London Forum.
I don’t generally play for laughs, but [more…]
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