Government initiatives are leaning towards increasing affordable housing across the UK. The aim is to encourage developers to build homes that are accessible to low- or middle-income households.
What does “affordable housing” mean?
Affordable housing does what it says on the tin. It’s supposed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of age or pay. It’s often confused with social housing, which is provided by the local council to those who meet specific eligibility criteria.
The number of affordable homes in a major housing development should be at least 10% of the total number of new houses being built. This can vary across the country depending on the specific region and the targets set by local authorities.
Why build affordable homes?
The current average house price in England is in excess of £230,000 (based on January 2017 statistics). As house prices continue to rise, the need for affordable homes increases; everybody needs somewhere to live!
Building a high proportion of affordable homes as part of your development project may help your planning application. Some developers include up to 60% affordable housing in their plans, helping negotiations with the local planning department to run more smoothly.
There are a number of innovative design concepts that could contribute to your affordable home strategy, such as Passivhaus technology. This creates housing that’s not only affordable at the point of sale, but across the lifespan of the building.
At Fibre Architects, we work with housing developers to provide functional, well-designed, affordable homes across various locations in the North of England. If you’d like to find out more about the housing development projects that we’ve worked on in the past, please visit our Residential Developments page.
