The G15 responds to GLA consultation on intermediate housing

The G15 welcomes the Greater London Authority (GLA) consultation on the evolving position of intermediate housing in London and the key role it could play to support recovery from the impacts of Covid-19.

It is very likely that as a result of the current recession the demand for affordable housing will increase. Intermediate housing can play a vital part in supporting the economy through the uncertainty of Covid-19 and it is therefore paramount that Registered Providers are able to provide different options for a variety of households on different incomes and housing needs.

Affordable housing products have a positive impact on build out rates and can therefore support the wider housing market throughout the crisis. By ensuring large development sites have a ‘diversity of offerings’, including tenure type, developers can increase the speed of build-out rates and mediate the impact of the absorption rate of new homes into a local market. Investing in more shared ownership and intermediate housing options, alongside social and affordable rent homes, will therefore support the recovery of the housing market.

We believe that in London, in particular, much more intermediate rented housing is needed, in between shared ownership and social rent. A big effort is especially necessary to deliver genuinely affordable homes for the 1.05m key workers who have been keeping this city going during the coronavirus outbreak, and who are set to play a crucial role over the difficult winter months.

In April 2020, we led a call to the private, public and charitable sectors to join together to build low cost Homes for Heroes, to thank and support our key workers in London and nationwide. In our proposal, we recognised that key workers have a broad range of circumstances and incomes, and that a housing offer to meet their needs should therefore be made available at a range of rents and prices.