WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF HIGH-RISE HOUSING? EXAMINING THE LONG-TERM SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF RESIDENTIAL TOWERS
Government and industry need to do much more to ensure high-rise housing provides popular, maintainable, affordable homes and neighbourhoods with easy access to open space, says a new report by a group of high-profile housing experts.
What is the future of high-rise housing? makes a series of recommendations for government, firstly to ensure leaseholders’ rights and responsibilities are protected and understood; secondly, that the high-rise towers are built as good quality housing for the long term; and thirdly, that high-density living comes with adequate social infrastructure, including public open space.
The report includes new research carried out by LSE London, on the experience of those living in high-density housing, and analysis showing that those living in the poorest neighbourhoods have the worst access to open space.
The authors say more research is needed to better understand the impact the new towers are having on local amenities. The report, which says costs to keep services and fabric in good repair are currently too high for moderate income households, calls for more research and investment to make new towers easier and cheaper to maintain - for leaseholders and freeholders.
The principal authors are June Barnes, former CEO of East Thames Housing Association; Andrew Beharrell, senior advisor and former senior partner at Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE); the former Peabody development director Dickon Robinson, and LSE distinguished policy fellow and deputy director of LSE London, Kath Scanlon. They are supported by architecture practices Allies and Morrison, Levitt Bernstein and PTE, which funded the report.
Specific recommendations include:
The authors commented: “In London and in other major UK cities we have embarked on building residential towers at scale without properly understanding their long term costs. It is essential that we review the statutory protections for leaseholders, the suitability of this housing for people on moderate incomes and how we can ensure that the new buildings are easy and cost effective to maintain."
"We also need to better understand the impact of these new homes on local amenities, building on the positive and taking issues like the provision of public open space more seriously,"
* A sinking fund is a fund of money that you intend to spend on a particular need or want at some point in the future.
What is the future of high-rise housing? makes a series of recommendations for government, firstly to ensure leaseholders’ rights and responsibilities are protected and understood; secondly, that the high-rise towers are built as good quality housing for the long term; and thirdly, that high-density living comes with adequate social infrastructure, including public open space.
The report includes new research carried out by LSE London, on the experience of those living in high-density housing, and analysis showing that those living in the poorest neighbourhoods have the worst access to open space.
The authors say more research is needed to better understand the impact the new towers are having on local amenities. The report, which says costs to keep services and fabric in good repair are currently too high for moderate income households, calls for more research and investment to make new towers easier and cheaper to maintain - for leaseholders and freeholders.
The principal authors are June Barnes, former CEO of East Thames Housing Association; Andrew Beharrell, senior advisor and former senior partner at Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE); the former Peabody development director Dickon Robinson, and LSE distinguished policy fellow and deputy director of LSE London, Kath Scanlon. They are supported by architecture practices Allies and Morrison, Levitt Bernstein and PTE, which funded the report.
Specific recommendations include:
- Developers should be required to provide a fully-costed building component repair and replacement programme for the projected life of the building
- Building Regulations and planning policies should be aligned to have a greater focus on lifetime utility (maintenance/ repair/ replacement costs over their lifetime) as well as safety and performance at the point of completion
- Government should provide and regularly update best practice guidance for setting service charges and contributions to sinking funds*, and use existing powers to improve the provision by landlords of service charge information to leaseholders
- Planning authorities should have clear policies on open space provision around new high-rise developments including the amount of additional public and shared open space per household to be provided in the area where the development is proposed.
The authors commented: “In London and in other major UK cities we have embarked on building residential towers at scale without properly understanding their long term costs. It is essential that we review the statutory protections for leaseholders, the suitability of this housing for people on moderate incomes and how we can ensure that the new buildings are easy and cost effective to maintain."
"We also need to better understand the impact of these new homes on local amenities, building on the positive and taking issues like the provision of public open space more seriously,"
* A sinking fund is a fund of money that you intend to spend on a particular need or want at some point in the future.
Watch the recording from the launch event
Contents
FOREWORD —HOME TRUTHS ABOUT HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL
Nigel Hugill, Chief Executive Officer, Urban and Civic and Chair, Centre for Cities.
PREFACE —BACKGROUND TO THE ESSAYS
June Barnes explains the context to the project
INTRODUCTION —TIME TO TAKE STOCK
High-rise residential development has helped meet housing targets, but how can tall buildings serve residents and leaseholders better in the longer term? June Barnes introduces the debate.
CONTEXT —THE RISE OF HIGH-RISE AND THE ROLE OF PLANNING
June Barnes, Andrew Beharrell and Paul Eaton look at the drivers for high-rise over the past decade and ask whether planning policy can help avoid the mistakes of the past.
HIGH-RISE ASPIRATIONS FACE SERVICE CHARGE REALITY CHECK
In general, the higher the building, the more complex it is and the higher the maintenance charges become over its lifetime. The issue of who will pay for these burgeoning costs and how we avoid storing up problems for the future needs to be addressed urgently, says Dickon Robinson.
LEGAL BRIEFING —HOW SERVICE CHARGES AND SINKING FUNDS ARE REGULATED
It is crucial to plan accurately for future maintenance and capital costs when setting the sinking fund at the outset of a development to stop it falling into disrepair. Douglas Rhodes explains the complex law and regulation involved.
MARKET ANALYSIS —WHY TOWERS ARE A HARD SELL
It is private renters rather than homeowners who are opting to live in towers. To make them more attractive to homebuyers, developers need to work harder to make service charges more affordable, says David Salvi in his analysis of how the market is performing.
CUTTING THROUGH THE COMPLEXITY —DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF HIGH-RISE HOUSING
This essay sets out the regulatory environment and explores how emerging construction methods can make tall buildings easier, and less costly, to maintain and improve leaseholder satisfaction. By Andrew Beharrell, Paul Eaton, Roger Holdsworth and Gary Tidmarsh.
EXPERIENCING THE HIGH LIFE —THE STATE OF
WELLBEING IN HIGH-RISE HOUSING
The satisfaction and wellbeing levels of people living in high-rise homes range widely and further research is needed to better match resident needs to the accommodation available, writes Kath Scanlon.
FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS —WHAT WORKS
AND WHAT DOESN’T
Kath Scanlon explores in more detail the findings of an LSE survey of leaseholders in high-density buildings.
IN SEARCH OF THE RADIANT CITY —HIGH-RISE HOUSING AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACE
Andrew Beharrell and Rebecca Lee on the need to ensure new tall buildings are not detrimental to the vital open spaces health and wellbeing depend on.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Authors, June Barnes, Andrew Beharrell, Dickon Robinson and Kath Scanlon draw conclusions and recommendations from the essays to establish better safeguards for leaseholders, improved design and construction for better performance and longevity, and clearer obligations for those developing high-rise housing.
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