The Affordable Housing Issue.

The dream of homeownership for the younger generation and those on lower incomes, including key workers, is more out of reach than ever.

The relationship between house prices and income has created a divide between the generations and a society where only those able to be helped by affluent relatives can aspire to homeownership.

This problem is particularly acute in rural areas where house price rises have been steeper following the pandemic.

The provision of affordable housing is supposed to address this issue although the supply is far outpaced by demand. Typically, what’s built are social rented units, delivered through housing associations with relatively few low-cost homeownership options, although the Governments First Home initiative suggest a renewed interest in affordable home ownership. 

A recent CPRE report states: 


The scale of the need for affordable homes in the countryside is unprecedented, and dramatic steps will be needed. It will take more than 150 years to clear rural housing waiting lists at current social housing build rates. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has only made this worse.

Where affordable housing has been provided, it tends to be in the least valuable corner of vast new housing developments and provides small inflexible units with the minimum amount of external space allowed.

With their swathes of drives, cul de sacs and turfed gardens, these developments also contribute to the UK dire statistics on biodiversity. Recent headlines highlighted the alarming fact that the UK has only 50% of its natural biodiversity left, putting us in the bottom 10% of any country in the world for the destruction of natural habitats.

Add to this the increasing need to reduce our carbon emissions, three quarters of councils have declared a climate emergency, and it becomes clear that we need a radical new approach to the provision of housing for our younger generation that is more sustainable both on a local and global environmental scale. 


Design Approach

Plan B Housing believe that they have an alternative housing model that rethinks the entire housing approach – based on a eco-friendly modular house coupled with a “habitat first” approach to the overall site.  

Firstly the homes are designed to grow with their inhabitants changing needs. . Initially built as a 1 bed unit, the modest size and build cost make these homes genuinely affordable. As a household’s situation changes and finances allow, further modules can be added for additional bedrooms and living areas. Planning is pre-approved and costs for the additional units are known from the outset, so the process is simple and quick. This allows these properties to be inhabited as lifetime homes rather than a stepping-stone to a bigger property, which in turn will foster strong communities.

The proposed construction method is not only economical it is also extremely environmentally friendly. The buildings use SIPS – structurally insulated panels which are lightweight, airtight and quick to erect. The buildings sit on metal ground screws rather than foundations, so no concrete is needed and throughout the build materials such as plasterboard, paint and tiling are avoided. This building approach can reduce the carbon footprint of a typical home up to 50% and given the urgency of the climate situation this is probably the minimum required from the housing sector.

Finding Sites

Whilst modularity and innovative construction go some of the way to achieving affordability, the other big factor is the cost of the land. Development land is, due to its scarcity, prohibitively expensive.

One answer is not to compete with developers and to use the Rural Exception Site policy to create economically viable sites. This policy allows affordable housing schemes to be approved in areas bounding existing settlements that would not normally be granted approval for market housing. It a rarely used policy considering the demand for affordable housing, largely due to the beauracratic hurdles and inherent resistance to affordable housing from existing home owners. 

Recent changes to government policy may change this as exception sites will now be approved for a new initiative called the First Homes Scheme. These are homes sold at 30% below market rates to first time buyers. Crucially the need to undertake housing needs surveys is removed and it should be far easier to bring these forward.

Using either approach there is still the issue that any new housing that is introduced to an area is an emotive issue so Plan Bs approach is to make sure the scale and impact is kept to a minimum and that any scheme will provide positive enhancements to an area. 

Plan Bs proposal is to use marginal grazing land on the edge of settlements and provide two much needed benefits. As well as a limited amount of affordable housing proportionate to the settlement it adjoins, the majority of any site put forward would be set aside in perpetuity as nature reserves.

Working with Rewild UK, trees would be planted, and natural habitats encouraged to recover. The inhabitants of the new housing would become custodians of these pockets of ecological regeneration and new footpaths would be introduced to allow public access to these spaces.

Summary

There has historically been a push to concentrate new development in already densely populated areas which were considered sustainable. However technological and societal changes such as homeworking, online shopping, electric vehicles have fundamentally changed living and working patterns. The pandemic has further highlighted the need for access to good quality open space.

The Plan B approach is focused on affordable home ownership, looking to provide houses for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get on the property ladder. It would be a mechanism for the council to secure additional affordable housing above what they can oblige developers to provide and will help to address the significant shortfall in provision.  

By providing small developments of adaptable housing for local people throughout rural areas, a patchwork of strong local communities and revived natural habitats can be provided, which address both the climate emergency and the inequalities in the housing market.

FAQS

1. What is Plan B housing?  Plan B housing is an affordable housing model that brings together modular eco housing and “habitat rich” landscape design.

• Why are the houses modular?  The houses are modular to reduce cost and keep the build cost low. It also allows the homes to “expand”  growing from a 1 bed to a 3 bed house.

• What are the benefits of an expanding house? The expanding house concept allows the initial home to be small and hence affordable. As circumstances change the house can adapt to suit the changing requirements.

• How easy is it to “expand” a Plan B house. Very. Planning permission is in place from the beginning and the modules can either be brought in pre fabricated or assembled on site in a matter of weeks.

• How Eco are these houses? Very. The houses are built from a highly insulated timber construction (SIPS) and use metal steel ground anchors for foundations. No concrete or masonry means low embodied energy. They are also airtight, warm and use renewable power meaning low running costs.

• What are “habitat rich” landscapes? Our model allows a minimum of 50% of the site to be set aside for rewilded landscapes which will provide valuable habitats for local wildlife. Where possible we will allow public access to these areas to provide a community amenity. The residents of the homes will be encouraged to be custodians of these spaces.

•  Where will you find sites where you can create these schemes? We are currently looking at three sites for the pilot scheme and will use the Rural Exception Policy to gain planning permission.

• What is the rural exception policy? A nationwide planning policy that allows affordable or low cost housing in rural areas to be approved where market housing wouldn’t be supported. It’s a little used policy due to NIMBY pressures and the lack of interest in provision of affordable house.

• How will Plan be more successful with the rural exception policy?  Our schemes are low impact and low density so will not have a significant impact on their localities. We would rather do lots of smaller schemes than high concentrations of housing. The habitat rich component of the scheme will provide a positive amenity for local people. And finally, we aim to raise the profile of the concept so people understand the benefits to local people priced out of the housing market and local wildlife.

1. How much do these houses cost? We are hoping to market the 1 bed 3 module home for £150,000 with each additional module costing £25,000. Therefore the full 3 bed house which is 90 sq m would cost £225,000.