Issuu

Issue 11 November 2023

Common Challenges, Shared Solutions: A Unified Approach Page 16

Also in this issue: Realising Scotland’s Housing Objectives Through Planning and Pace Openreach: Amplifying Connectivity with Full-Fibre

Housing Industry Leaders examines the biggest developments in the UK

In the ongoing journey to meet net zero, the UK housing sector is implementing major changes around how adequate, safe, and comfortable housing is being delivered throughout the nation. Housing Industry Leaders explores how these goals are being met, and how tenants, landlords, and housebuilders are connected in the race to meet climate targets.

Our latest podcast explores how Wales is tackling the homelessness crisis

In this issue, Housing Industry Leaders hears how Bristol City Council is putting sustainability at the heart of their developments, what impact collaboration can have on the sector, and explores challenges in retrofitting older tenement homes. While acknowledging the successes and challenges facing the housing sector today, Housing Industry Leaders brings the most topical discussions and debates about the future of the housing industry to the forefront. Hannah Wintle h.wintle@peloton-events.co.uk

Multimedia Editor Floyd March

Multimedia Journalist Hannah Wintle

Multimedia Journalist Chelsea Bailey

Graphic Designer Paul Rose

Bristol City Council: Delivering Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability

Common Challenges, Shared Solutions: A Unified Approach

Public Sector Roundup

Openreach: Amplifying Connectivity with Full-Fibre

The Lessons Learned From a Net Zero Tenement Retrofit

Realising Scotland’s Housing Objectives Through Planning and Pace

Podcast Series 1, Episode 9: Tackling the Homelessness Crisis in Wales

Previous Issues

Local Authority Focus:

Bristol City Council: Delivering Environmental, Economic & Social Sustainability by Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homelessness

Bristol is a rapidly growing city. Currently, our population stands at 472,000, and is expected to grow to 550,000 by 2050. The need for new housing in the city, as with so many of the UK’s cities, is at a critical point, with demand seemingly rising exponentially while the space on which to build new homes remains the same. Bristol is only 42 square miles, with little room to grow. A changing climate and increasing flood risk combined with the impacts of Brexit, the pandemic, inflation, and years of swingeing cuts to local government, mean that our ability to deliver the new homes we desperately need safely, quickly, and affordably is being challenged like never before. Against this rather gloomy backdrop, I’m pleased to say that Bristol is performing well. Since 2016, 12,534 new homes have been built in the city. In October, we confirmed that in the last year Bristol built 1,599 new homes, 309 of which were affordable, with more than 86% of these homes built on previously developed ‘brownfield’ land. In addition, 3,040 new homes are currently under construction as of 1 April 2023.

Simply building units is not enough, though. A number on a page does not reflect the change that these new developments, whether small or large scale, can have on the communities already living in or around the areas being transformed. We need to make sure that Bristol grows in the right way, in the right places, with local people benefiting from the change happening in their communities and with the right social and travel infrastructure to create places that people want to live, work, and spend time.

“Currently, our population stands at 472,000, and is expected to grow to 550,000 by 2050. ” Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homelessness

Delivering homes is essential for a thriving community Across Bristol, we are planning a number of transformative regeneration programmes to do just that, helping us to deliver the new homes, jobs and public amenities that a modern city needs to thrive. Our council-owned housing company Goram Homes was set up in 2018 to build quality homes where they are needed the most. With over 3,000 homes planned over the next 10 years, Goram aims to work in partnership with the private sector to build sustainable, affordable homes that create communities, respect the environment and contribute to the local economy, including with a Skills Academy to train up local people. One Lockleaze in North Bristol is the first of the Goram Homes sites to come forward and will deliver 268 new, high-quality homes at Romney House, a brownfield site with 55 percent of new homes being affordable council homes. This will include 94 properties for social rent, that will go to those on the waiting list for social housing.

Supported by a £94.7 million grant funded award from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in June 2022, Temple Quarter will transform 130 hectares of land close to Bristol Temple Meads station. The first phase is to deliver three new or improved entrances to the station. By doing so, we can unlock land around the station for around 2,500 new homes, new commercial space, sustainable travel infrastructure, and public realm improvements. These developments will be the springboard to delivering Phase 2 and the huge number of new homes and jobs this has the potential to bring to Bristol. Bristol City Council is not doing this alone. We’ve worked in partnership with Homes England, Network Rail, and the West of England Combined Authority since 2017 to develop a shared vision for the change we want to see at Temple Quarter. As a public sector partnership, we’re clear that Temple Quarter is not simply a housing or rail infrastructure project, but a programme that creates a genuinely mixed-use community with the homes, jobs, and public spaces that a 21st century, forward-looking city like Bristol needs.

Temple Quarter will unlock opportunities throughout Bristol Our largest and most ambitious project is Temple Quarter. One of the biggest city centre regeneration programmes in Europe, Temple Quarter aims to deliver up to 10,000 new homes, 22,000 new jobs, and a boost of around £1.6 billion to the regional economy each year.

“We’ve worked in partnership with Homes England, Network Rail, and the West of England Combined Authority since 2017”

At the heart of our approach at Temple Quarter and across Bristol is sustainability – environmental, economic, and social. We are putting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at the core of our vision for Temple Quarter. We want to see change that enables improvements to biodiversity in our green spaces and waterways, as well as increasing people’s access to nature. Building on brownfield sites so close to our main railway station and city centre means people will be able to access homes and jobs using low carbon travel options, while delivering homes and taking pressure off the greenbelt elsewhere. Temple Quarter will be underpinned by an inclusive growth strategy that ensures Bristolians can benefit from the new homes and job creation that the regeneration programme will deliver. Some of Bristol’s most deprived communities are within touching distance of Temple Quarter, and we’re working hard to make sure that the opportunities that will be created are accessible to everyone. Crucially, we want to ensure Temple Quarter

works for the city-region and creates the positive economic impact that we need to succeed. The approach we’re taking has its foundations in placemaking. That is, going beyond simple metrics of numbers of homes or jobs to consider how spaces are used, accessed, and connected, and how they fit with the spirit of Bristol and the West of England in order to capitalise on the things that make Bristol a great place to live and work, while working to create a world-class example of how city centre regeneration can, and should, be done. My hope is that in the years to come we can look back on Temple Quarter and other projects across Bristol and be confident that through our regeneration programmes we have driven housing delivery that has created high-quality homes and thriving places that support greater social justice. In short, that we have created places that people are proud to call home.

How is Full Fibre Amplifying Connectivity in Rural Communities? By Chelsea Bailey Connecting communities around Scotland through Full Fibre will be needed to transform connectivity, benefit local housing associations, retain local communities, and educate people. Openreach recently revealed the 20 locations with its best Ultrafast broadband coverage in Scotland. With a small Fife village topping the list, Openreach is working to ensure that it is boosting connectivity for all communities.

Openreach is looking to invest £15bn across the UK Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Robert Thorburn, Partnership Director (North) at Openreach about its work to build Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband across the UK, and how communities are at the heart of the company.

It has been revealed that Lundin Links, Fife, has the highest coverage in the whole of Scotland, with more than nine out of 10 properties able to upgrade to Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband. Tranent, on the other side of the Forth, is a fraction behind and the West Lothian village of Fauldhouse is third.

He said: “Whether it is big cities, urban towns, rural villages, or small islands, we’re trying to deliver services to all of them and manage a network that delivers regular service to them.”

In Glasgow, the build has now passed 125,000 properties, while in Aberdeen engineers have reused the city’s old cable TV network from the 1980s to speed up the rollout.

To see a Full Fibre rollout across the UK, Openreach is looking to invest £15 billion into its delivery. However, with the aim to upgrade 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026, and 12 million passed to date, this rollout is a difficult task.

Underpinning housing associations’ digital needs will help them support their tenants

Scotland has a huge part to play in this rollout, Robert explained: “Scotland is critically important and forms part of the investment case. Getting to 1 million homes so far in Scotland has been challenging as work has needed to be done in both cities and the rural belt.” With more than £300 million already invested into Openreach’s Scottish network, reaching both cities and rural communities is something that the company prides itself on.

“Openreach is really about bringing connectivity to communities far and wide.” Robert Thorburn, Partnership Director (North), Openreach

To see a successful rollout, it is crucial that local housing associations are provided with all the necessary information to boost their confidence in the new technology. Housing associations need to feel equipped to support their tenants in case they have any questions or feel uneasy about the implementation of the new technology. A key focus for Openreach is ensuring it’s supporting local housing associations to understand – and underpin - their digital needs. Robert believes that Openreach’s collaboration with local housing associations will help them to understand their tenant’s’ digital needs, especially when it comes to bridging the digital divide between generations: “There is a huge move to online services and to support elderly people housing associations need to focus on how they can help these tenants with digital connectivity. We’re really supportive of that need for them.” Continuing, he added that putting people first is at the heart of what Openreach does and this collaboration with housing associations is fundamental: “It is not just about building a network, it is actually about providing service and options to local housing associations to maximise the impact they can make to their tenants.”

Fibre Community Partnerships is ensuring that everyone can choose Full Fibre Ultrafast broadband

Robert said that the scheme helps Openreach to connect with rural communities who often need connectivity the most.

Another way in which Openreach is working to support local communities is through its Fibre Community Partnership scheme. This is how it offers Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband to areas which aren’t part of any existing rollout plans.

He expressed: “Openreach is one of the only organisations able to deliver both to big cities and rural communities. Even if you’re not in a build plan already, there’s still an opportunity to reach people. That’s where a Fibre Community Partnership comes in.”

Through these Partnerships, Openreach works with the local community to arrange a customised installation plan, whether it’s installing new fibre for the first time, or upgrading existing connections.

The Fibre Community Partnership makes use of joint funding arrangements, which means the costs are spread between Openreach, government voucher schemes (at both a UK and Scottish level), and the community. From this, Openreach can build the most affordable solution that also meets the business or person’s needs. For example, Robert said: “On the outskirts of Glasgow, there was a community that was not part of any build programme. We were able to bring Full Fibre connectivity to those homes and businesses because of the scheme and vouchers – and it’s become one of our biggest fibre partnerships anywhere in Scotland.”

Transformative connectivity is key in keeping people local Working with communities is key to ensuring that people can stay in their local areas and not move away to find new jobs and homes. Talented young people are leaving their rural communities and moving to urban areas to find career opportunities not available close to home. This is reflected in CRPE’s ‘Outpriced and overlooked: why young people feel forced to leave rural areas’ report, which reveals that 76% of young people surveyed who want to move away said that poor digital connectivity has influenced their desire to leave their rural area. Robert explained that not only will transformative connectivity be essential in helping to make communities sustainable, ensure that people stay local and take full advantage of online opportunities, but it will help save people money.

He said: “You could save hundreds of thousands of pounds – and make significant carbon savings – on commuting journeys for people because of digital technology. I really do think that we underestimate the importance of digital.” He added that with Scotland’s unique challenges, a full fibre rollout could be the difference between people being able to stay local or potentially needing to move. West to East migration in Scotland is significant and better connectivity will provide choice and an opportunity for those to stay in, or choose to move to, these areas. To support the skilling requirements of its workforce, Openreach has invested £500K in its training school in Livingston, alongside another 10 centres UK-wide. With many engineers making the transition from copper skills to fibre, it has a full reskilling agenda for more than 3,000 engineers it has living and working all over Scotland.

Openreach will continue investing into Scotland and beyond While the rollout of Full Fibre broadband across the UK is already advanced, Robert says the next step is ensuring everyone knows what technology is available to them. He said: “We would ask everyone, whether a business or a household, to review what digital options are available for them. There are better options - more sustainable, more resilient, and better quality – which hundreds of thousands of people could be taking advantage of today. Speak to your service provider or check our website at www.openreach.com to find out more about your options and register for build updates.” Robert added that the benefits that will come from deploying Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband in more communities in Scotland and beyond are needed to ensure that communities thrive. He said: “The importance of Full Fibre has never been clearer. In the meantime, we are going to keep investing hundreds of millions of pounds into Scotland, and billions across the UK, as we build more Full Fibre.”

Openreach is focusing on the real benefits of deploying better connectivity in some of the UK’s most remote communities. Seeing this transformative technology reach even the most remote communities shows how necessary it is to meet the digital needs of people, helping them to get new jobs, save money on commuting, and build sustainable communities. Wherever people live, continuing to amplify connectivity around Scotland through Full Fibre is essential in transforming the nation’s digital future.

“In the next few months and years, we will work to make people aware that there are better connectivity options available.” Robert Thorburn, Partnership Director (North), Openreach

Realising Scotland’s Housing Objectives Through Planning and Place By Chelsea Bailey Meeting Scotland’s housing ambition of everyone having a safe, good quality and affordable home will be key to creating the communities of the future. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has argued that meeting this ambition requires a coordinated, long-term strategy. CIOB is the world’s largest and most influential professional body for construction management and leadership. Its 48,000 members, of which 2,500 are based in Scotland, work worldwide in the development, conservation and improvement of the built environment.

Two in five occupied homes in Scotland don’t meet quality standards Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Jocelyne Fleming, Policy & Public Affairs Officer - Scotland at CIOB about Scotland’s current housing landscape, housing policy priorities, and realising its housing objectives. Jocelyne highlighted that CIOB strongly supports the Scottish Government’s housing objectives, but believes in order to meet its ambitions, the quality of homes needs to be a focus. She said: “In 2019, the Scottish House Condition Survey showed that 52% of domestic properties have disrepair to crucial elements. Therefore, to reach Scottish Government’s necessarily ambitious housing, fuel poverty, and net zero targets, not only will we need more housing, we also need to address the quality of our existing housing stock.” More than 80% of the housing stock that the UK will have in 2045 already exists. Coupled with the fact that two in every five occupied homes in Scotland do not meet quality standards, with the highest failure rates relating to energy-efficiency, this makes existing housing a space for urgent policy intervention.

“More than 80% of the housing stock that the UK will have in 2045 already exists.” Jocelyne Fleming, Policy & Public Affairs Officer - Scotland, CIOB

Meeting Scotland’s housing and decarbonisation targets will not be possible without proactive action from the Scottish Government, and isolated regulations and market incentives alone will not be enough to address the scale of the challenge. To deliver 110,000 affordable homes, collaboration between the government and industry will be crucial. Jocelyne stated that to meet this ambition a coordinated, long-term strategy and a resourcing plan will be needed: “We need Scottish Government to to articulate more clearly how we’re going to reach our housing and net zero objectives. We really need to dig into the details of who is going to build and repair these homes, how are we funding them and what resources are needed.”

Local authorities are favourably placed to drive housing development Echoing calls from other housing organisations, Jocelyne explained that local authorities could play a central role in housebuilding and local regeneration. This could include embedding building design teams into their own workforce, with the necessary skills to undertake end-to-end retrofit projects on existing housing stock. She said: “Local authorities are well-positioned to know which projects meet their own planning objectives, community goals, and regeneration goals. However, having in-house building design teams who can undertake retrofit projects requires money and skilled workers, which are both in short supply.” CIOB advocates for additional agency and resources to be provided to local authorities to lead on in-fill development projects and tackling more complex retrofit development projects.

“The Scottish Government could provide further resources to local authorities to help them take a proactive role in reaching our retrofit goals.” Jocelyne Fleming, Policy & Public Affairs Officer - Scotland, CIOB

Scotland’s construction sector needs to recruit nearly 4,000 people annually to meet demand Jocelyne underscored the challenges arising from the ongoing skills shortage being faced in Scotland. The construction sector has consistently struggled to recruit and retain enough skilled workers to meet housing demand. According to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the number of construction workers in the UK is 2% lower than at the start of the pandemic. It is widely recognised that any strategy on retrofitting will need to start with a coordinated approach to recruiting, training and retaining skilled workers.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about new build, energy-efficiency, or retrofitting, the skills shortage is a massive challenge for the housing industry.” Jocelyne Fleming, Policy & Public Affairs Officer - Scotland, CIOB

Quoting figures from (CITB, CIOB’s ‘Building Up Scotland: professional insights from the construction sector in 2023’ highlights hat Scotland’s construction sector will need to recruit an additional 3,910 people annually in order to meet demand.

Jocelyne explained that to work on meeting this demand, training opportunities must become easily accessible for people: “We have to look at a national retrofit delivery plan to bring our existing stock up to standard. We’ve called on the Government to create a long-term retrofit delivery plan that provides resources for the skills and people that will be needed to deliver retrofitting on the scale and at the pace required.

Apprenticeship funding needs to be more accessible for all “Funding is not always easily accessible for SMEs”, says Jocelyne. “It costs a lot to take on an apprentice and if you’re running a small operation, it is a risk you might not be able to take, unfortunately. We need government-led funding that is robust and simple to access.” CIOB has called on the Scottish Government to take a comprehensive stock check of the current skills systems, and the current landscape of expected new entrants as compared to the number needed to promote construction as a growing industry. Positively, Jocelyne noted, Scotland benefits from a collaborative and engaged housing and construction sector, with significant expertise to be harnessed. Nevertheless, she recognises that more joint working is needed to amplify funding, strategy, skills, and planning. She underscored the industry’s readiness to work alongside Scottish Government to achieve our necessarily ambitious housing and net zero targets.

Common Challenges, Shared Solutions: A Unified Approach By Hannah Wintle With the UK’s decarbonisation targets looming, housing associations up and down the country are exploring options to retrofit their housing stock. For some, a collaborative approach has been particularly valuable, as it allows multiple associations to come together and pool resources for the most impactful outcome. One such organisation is the Greener Futures Partnership (GFP), a collaboration of five housing associations with a joint turnover of £2.3 billion. Collectively, they represent over 600,000 customers in 300,000 homes. Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Rose Bean, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Greener Futures Partnership, to gain an insight into why holding collaboration at the heart of delivering sustainable, affordable housing is essential to meeting climate goals.

Working collectively impacts both presence and pace Launched in 2021, the GFP have recently entered their third year of operation, and represent 9% of the total social housing market through their members Anchor, Home Group, The Hyde Group, Sanctuary, and Abri, for whom Rose is also Director of Assets and Sustainability. Through their partnership, they strive to create a sector-leading approach to sustainability, and become a trusted, influential voice in the strive for decarbonisation. Rose commented that the increase in partnerships and collaborations forming within the housing sector are fundamental to the success of transitioning to a net zero future. “Increasingly we’re seeing partnerships come through the sector and I think that really is the way forward in terms of how the sector is going to succeed in this transition.” “I think the challenge in the sector is you have a huge number of housing associations trying to identify the same solutions to the same challenges, which is quite inefficient,” Rose said.

“By coming together, we pooled our resources, we’re able to scale up, we’re able to secure longer term procurement options and by default drive efficiencies as well as all the intellectual property that’s being collectively developed.” The GFP is not only advantageous in terms of what the housing associations can offer each other; their combined presence allowed them to put forward a collective bid for the second wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. As a result, the partnership was successful in securing the third highest grant allocation, amounting to £40 million and enabling them to support the retrofit of five and a half thousand homes. Moreover, Rose asserted that contributions to the UK’s decarbonisation targets are achieved more quickly by working together. “I think we would be moving much slower as individual entities than we could have done as a part of a collective.”

Social impact and influencing policy are also focuses of the collaboration As well as collaborating amongst its partners to meet the green agenda, the GFP also lends its support to other bodies. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) published their ‘Better Insulate Than Never’ report, which sought to harness ‘the opportunities of social housing decarbonisation to create an economically sustainable future for left behind communities’. With a focus on the decarbonisation of social homes, the report ultimately offers 16 recommendations, primarily around green skills, improving the accessibility of green jobs, and boosting confidence in the sector through investment, with the hopes that policy changes would be made to support the redirection of funds for a greater outcome. As a sponsor, the GFP played a large role in the publication of this report, and Abri also provided key insights to aid in the research presented throughout. Speaking about this piece of work, Rose noted the collaboration’s ability to not only deliver tangible, practical output, but also in its contribution to policy recommendations that could have an impact on the wider UK housing sector. She said: “[The GFP has] also worked across some major research. We’ve recently supported the Centre for Social Justice, basically looking at the role of decarbonisation and retrofitting homes in terms of levelling up.

Moreover, Rose alluded to the role collaboration has to play in government policy and promoting observable change within the sector: “The other point with the GFP is about influencing policy as well. So ultimately, the scale of the partnership, the voice it brings to the wider agenda is really key as well.

“The GFP is really committed to kind of broader research and IP related to decarbonisation.”

“Increasingly, we’re seeing partnerships come through the sector and I think that really is kind of the way forward in terms of how the sector is going to succeed in this transition.” Ultimately, the very nature of decarbonisation is collaborative. Decarbonising one property isn’t enough to achieve targets, but the UK shares a common focus to tackle the mammoth job of retrofitting its social housing stock. While housing associations throughout the UK all work towards this shared goal, coming together to share best practice and maximise resources is an approach that has seen success, and could enable significant progress in the years to come.

“So, it’s supported a major kind of policy research piece which is all about how we can drive really meaningful benefits across the UK from this and what is the role of social providers within that?”

The Lessons Learned From a Net Zero Tenement Retrofit By Chelsea Bailey

Around 80% of the 2040 Scottish housing stock already exists and a quarter of people in Scotland live in tenement housing, much of which is pre-1919 traditional sandstone vernacular urban housing. A critical challenge to reach our carbon reduction targets is decarbonising this existing housing stock. As part of a city council policy to inject social housing into areas dominated by private renting, traditional tenemental property in Glasgow is being purchased by housing associations with a view to refurbish them, bringing them into line with national policies to raise energy-efficiency across social housing in Scotland.

In autumn 2019, Southside Housing Association saw an opportunity to undertake a demonstration project involving the deep retrofit of such a block, made possible by a Scottish Funding Council (SFC) climate emergency research competition. A partnership of the housing association, Glasgow City Council, John Gilbert Architects and CCG construction would deliver an EnerPHit level retrofit (PassivHaus for existing buildings), supported by a research evaluation, funded by SFC, led by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and colleagues at the University of Strathclyde.

There are around 73,000 Victorian tenement flats in Glasgow Housing Industry Leaders spoke to Professor Kenneth Gibb, Director and Principal Investigator of CaCHE about 107 Niddrie Road, Glasgow, and the research evaluation detailed in its recent report. 107 Niddrie Road, Glasgow, is a standard four storey sandstone fronted block of eight small flats and was constructed in 1895. Construction for the project started in Spring 2021 and tenants moved into the property in 2022. Kenneth explained that this project was a first of its kind: “This is the first time that there has been a deep retrofit attempt made of a Victorian tenement block, which is a large part of the housing stock in Scottish cities, particularly in Glasgow.” According to CaCHE there are around 73,000 such flats in Glasgow. These buildings have significant cultural, historical and urban value, but also have the poorest thermal performance. The retrofit of 107 Niddrie Road has shown that it is possible to make these types of buildings more energy-efficient, Kenneth revealed: “It has greatly reduced people’s bills, which is great as it is a very important time to reduce energy bills. For one household last winter the energy bills were around £40 a month, which is a remarkable reduction.” At Niddrie Road, a much reduced embodied carbon and operational energy into the future was achieved. How much depends on how occupants use their buildings, but it could be possible for them to remain comfortable on just somewhere between 5% and 20% of the typical pre-retrofit fuel bills. Going forward, an extensive system of both monitoring and tenant engagement should help to identify areas that need work, support tenants, and provide lessons for future projects so that residents make the most of their new energy-efficient homes.

“It is all about trying to protect existing neighbourhoods and making places sustainable for people.” Professor Kenneth Gibb, Director and Principal Investigator of the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence

Benefits of retrofitting existing buildings outway the initial costs The research evaluation first consisted of an evaluability assessment which established a tenement retrofit theory of change, this encouraged stakeholder buy-in to the evaluation and finalised the core elements of the evaluation, building on the proposal to SFC. Then the team recorded and interpreted the process by which key decisions on the retrofit were taken and why. Following this a formal social cost benefit analysis of the EnerPHit retrofit alongside two plausible counterfactuals was undertaken. A technical performance of the building with tenants in situ has been underway (and is still continuing) comparing theoretical with actual performance and is seeking to understand why any such deviations in performance may occur. With the cost benefit analysis the idea was to capture all the costs and the benefits associated with the retrofit and to measure these over 30 years, creating a cumulative summary estimate known as a discounted cash flow or net present value (NPV). The fundamental idea is that net benefits/costs received further in the future are worth somewhat less now. The nominal costs and benefits are therefore discounted by a social discount rate which has a larger impact the further the cost or benefits happen.

Developing more retrofit projects will encourage the supply chain to invest more in sustainability Kenneth revealed that although the deep retrofit did cost a lot (around £40,000 a unit), the cumulative 30 years carbon savings and the net benefits make the project better value for money under all reasonable circumstances compared to demolition and new build. He said: “The project was expensive but the social benefits greatly outweigh these costs. However, we need to find some way to allow landlords, owner occupiers, and social housing providers to get access to funding so that they can invest in these future benefits.” The state needs to intervene in retrofit and think about providing accessible financing and other helpful interventions to encourage making these benefits possible. Developing these programmes to a larger scale could encourage supply chains, and see the implementation of renewable technologies into the housing sector, which will be key to reaching our net zero targets.

Adapting is essential to see successful projects become a reality On the lessons learned from the net zero tenement retrofit, Kenneth stressed that it highlighted that there is not one silver bullet to decarbonising existing housing stock. He said: “Other housing associations are looking closely at what was done at Niddrie Road to find the right solution for them, which will have similar outcomes without necessarily going about it the same way we did. Next time you do it, you can do something better or use another standard. Lessons can definitely be learned but every situation is different.” In this case, the tenement planning policy saught to maintain the aesthetic look of the tenements, Kenneth stated: “Heat pumps weren’t allowed on the back of the building, which meant we could only do the bottom two floors with heat pumps, and we couldn’t do photovoltaic panels on the roof.”

This shows that adapting to your current situation with your future goal in mind is critical. Kenneth explained that it had to adapt because of its specific location: “The tenement was north facing, if it had been south facing, it would have got much more light and more heat coming into it. What we had to do is try to make the windows bigger at the back to get more light.” Overall, even with ongoing monitoring and successive rounds of post occupancy evaluation still to come, CaCHE is confident that the property, if not meeting, the certified EnerPHit standard, has made remarkable impacts on tenant finances and broader wellbeing, and it has provided lessons and learnings for the wider tenement strategy.

“Other housting associations are looking closely at what was done at Niddrie Road to find the right solution for them.”

Series 1, Episode 9

Tackling the Homelessness Crisis in Wales In this episode, we speak to Clarissa Corbisiero, Deputy Chief Executive at Community Housing Cymru about tackling homelessness in Wales and beyond, local projects happening to meet the current housing demand, and the importance of funding in resources and data.

Q. From your perspective, what is your current situation regarding homelessness in Wales?

Q. What are Community Housing Cymru doing to tackle homelessness?

A. I think what we’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic was that there was a nobody left out type of approach. Welsh public services were absolutely applauded for working together effectively to try and make sure that people were well protected from the challenges that faced us during the Covid crisis.

A. Our job is to run campaigns to highlight some of the issues that I’ve talked about and to try and work with our members to figure out what it is that would make the biggest difference. Our housing associations on the ground are doing the real work, they’re the ones that are working in communities with the local authority partners and other providers to try and provide preventative support to make sure that people don’t find themselves in that situation in the first place, but also to ensure that the tenancies that they run are success.

There is a real shared commitment that homelessness in Wales is rather brief and repeated, but of course there are really significant challenges. Since the pandemic what we’ve seen is an increase in the number of presentations. Despite legislation which focuses on prevention, we’ve seen the numbers of temporary accommodation really increase. We’ve seen around 11,000 households in temporary accommodation at the moment. That’s a colossal number for Wales and it is increasing every month and on the plus side, what we have seen is a reduction in the number of evictions from social housing and homelessness.

As an example of how housing associations are supporting tenants in their homes, a housing association operating in South East Wales has got a scheme putting a new residents coach to work with the individual, making sure that they provide the right support and signpost the support to those that need it.

Q. It is important to reflect on the successes that we are seeing in the housing sector and in Wales to tackle homelessness. What successes have you seen? A. I want to point out the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme, it is a grant programme which is funded by the Welsh Government and then works with social landlords to try and be pragmatic to try and renovate existing homes and make sure that we are making best use of modern constructs and mechanisms, and that we are doing absolutely everything we can to make sure that there is a home available for those in temporary accommodation at the moment. The latest round of bidding for that has been massively oversubscribed, which really shows that there is a massive opportunity to do more with the stuff we currently have as well as building new. In Cardiff, we have seen money used to convert attic space in existing homes to create additional living areas so those homes can grow with the family that lives within them. Another example is how money has been used to build 12-single occupancy and low-carbon apartments using MMC that they built on previously disused council land. We’ve been working closely with the council to try and make best use of land we see as well. We’re also seeing housing associations in North Wales investing in new MMC and thinking creatively about continuing to build as many homes as we can. Q. How do you collaborate with local authorities, the police, and NGOs to offer aid to help people experiencing homelessness? A. The first thing to say is that a lot of this is happening. One example is that North Wales Housing Association is working with the police across North Wales to improve understanding and build local relationships and that included specialist work between the police and the housing association. We’re working with a Newport-based charity called The Gap, providing temporary support to two refugees. There are lots of examples of engagement and individuals within organisations trying to reach out and provide support to each other.

Housing associations recognise that their role as a landlord is an absolutely crucial part of this jigsaw, but they cannot do it alone. There is often a challenge in accessing support from other organisations who are themselves under incredible pressure and kind of being pushed to focus on a crisis type activity. So, it is challenging, I think it is important to Recognise that whilst there’s good practice out there, it is really challenging to see the policy and the legislative environment support this ambition, that homelessness is a public sector responsibility, not a not a housing issue. Q. What still needs to be done to not only address current homelessness, but also to prevent homelessness? A. So preventing it is the key word, it is a prevention upstream to address the causes of homelessness and in many cases, it is not always about housing, sometimes it is about poverty with income and wealth accessing welfare support relationship breaks and the list can go on. So therefore, the need to make sure that we’ve got a kind of joined up approach is more important than ever. We absolutely subscribe to the Welsh Government’s ambition that homelessness in Wales is rare, brief and unreported. But to make that happen it does require a multi-agency work and it requires everybody to be signed up to this, but it also requires resources. What we see is homelessness services struggling currently, all their costs have gone up, their wage costs have gone up, and what we’re seeing is an inability to be able to attract and retain a workforce at the moment because of the lack of funding that is available. So, we’re keen to see the Welsh Government prioritise prevention in its next budget to focus on making sure that the housing support is operated in line with inflation, and that we have a longer-term settlement, at least a kind of three-year indicative settlement. I know this stuff is difficult, but if you are a housing support provider, you really need that certainty to be able to hold onto your staff and to be able to commit to the people that you help.

Listen to the full podcast here  25

Public Sector Round Up Over the past month, Housing Industry Leaders have covered an array of stories across the policy, retrofit, technology, and planning sub sectors. Here are the highlights:

POLICY

RETROFIT

Firstly, in her speech at the Labour Party Conference 2023 in Liverpool, Angela Rayner promised that the party would deliver “the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation.”

In retrofit news, according to a recent report, the establishment of a national retrofit delivery agency plays a crucial role in supervising building upgrades and the transformation of structures into net zero entities.

Speaking to the crowds, the deputy leader of the Labour Party criticised the current state of the housing market in the UK: “Safe, secure, affordable housing is no longer the foundation on which people can rely. “Too many people are stuck paying unaffordable private rents or living the nightmare of a home wrapped in flammable cladding. “The dream of home ownership is slipping away as more than 1 million families wait for social housing. “Families who need a council house are often stuck in cramped temporary accommodation or at the mercy of private landlords.” Ms Rayner went on to explain that: “A secure home, like a secure job, is a game changer and a crucial foundation for a good life. “That’s why we will get social homes built, brick by brick, building not just homes but also communities.

This report, co-authored by MP Chris Skidmore and Simon McWhirter, the deputy chief executive of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), underscores the necessity of establishing an independent national body to ensure that the government attains its targets for retrofitting and insulation. The proposed agency would bear the responsibility of defining and executing carbon emission reduction goals for 2030 and 2035, along with formulating strategies to install 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028. The report emphasises that this agency should uphold and manage quality standards, coordinate workforce training, enforce standards, and promote best practices. Moreover, the report recommends that the agency, which would take the lead in implementing a national retrofit plan, should comprise all relevant industry organizations and could potentially evolve from the expansion of the existing non-profit group, the National Retrofit Hub.

TECHNOLOGY In technology news, a Blackburn housing association has partnered with a modular house builder to deliver 41 energy efficient homes in Shadsworth. Together Housing, who have a portfolio of 37,000 homes, have teamed up with TopHat in their first modular housing scheme.

Through their collaboration, the house builder will deliver an initial 10 timber-framed modular homes, with the remaining 31 to be delivered during the scheme’s second phase. The site in Shadsworth, which has been granted full planning permission by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, will see on-site contractors laying the normal groundwork, while the actual housebuilding is completed off-site. Under their ‘supply and install’ agreement, TopHat will utilise production lines in their manufacturing facility in Derby to build the homes, which, once complete, will be transported to the site and installed within hours. Andrew Shepherd, managing director at TopHat, said: “TopHat and Together Housing are kindred spirits, having both committed whole-heartedly to decarbonising housing and building high-quality homes. We look forward to delivering this initial scheme for the people of Blackburn.”

The framework, which was founded in 2012 and led by Great Places Housing Group, will include consultant lots including Agent, Structural Engineer, Building Surveying, Architectural Services, Principal Designer, Clerk of Works, Purchasers Agent, Health and Safety Advisor, Planning Consultancy, Site Investigation Services, Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Engineering and Retrofit Consultants.

With sustainability high on the agenda for both partners in the scheme, the homes delivered will be constructed using ‘exceptional’ building fabric and feature sustainable technologies such as solar panels and battery storage.

The building contractor lots will include high-value and low-value bands, apartment specialists, and construction services providing a wraparound to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) technologies.

Delivering energy-efficient homes will therefore reduce their carbon footprint as well as lowering energy bills for the resident.

Nick Gornall, Director of Development at Great Places Housing Group, said: “Great Places alone has ambitions to deliver over 5,000 new homes by 2028, and we can only achieve this with the support of a range of contractors and consultancy practices.”

PLANNING Finally, a construction framework worth £1.5 billion which aims to deliver mixed-use housing across the North of England has opened for bids from interested consultants and contractor suppliers. Innovation Chain North (ICN) will run this latest procurement framework for four years, beginning next year until 2028. Once accepted onto the framework, suppliers will then be able to secure contracts from ICN clients.

“The success of our previous frameworks is a testament to the strong collaboration and partnership that has been developed between Great Places and other Registered Providers, as well as our continuing commitment to innovation and value for money. “We look forward to working with a diverse range of suppliers who share our vision and values, and who can help us meet the continuing demand for affordable homes across the North.”

Cymru

In Case You Missed It If you couldn’t attend Housing Industry Leaders Cymru, be sure to check the highlight reel that captures the day’s key moments. This includes keynote speeches, engaging panel discussions, and valuable networking sessions in the exhibition zone. We heard from notable speakers at the event including the First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, as well as Ian Mather from PH Jones, and Carl Raison from Ideal Heating, who shared their insights.

Don’t miss the opportunity to catch up on the highlights and gain beneficial industry knowledge!

“We have good reason to be hopeful here in Wales.” First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS

“We feel we have a really important responsibility and important to play to help the country transition to net zero carbon.” Ian Mather, National Renewables Strategic BDM at PH Jones

“On the route to decarbonisation, we look to lead the way with our Monobloc system and our Split systems as well.” Carl Raison, Technical Sales Manager at Ideal Heating

Download Previous Issues

eMagazine

Issue 10 October 2023

Issue 09 September 2023

How £100 Million Will Deliver 10,000 Sustainable Homes in Wales

How Scotland’s Passivhaus Policy is Building Homes of the Future

Page 16

eMagazine August 2023

Exploring the Intricate Steps Towards Net Zero Housing

How the Crown Estate Will Trial Zero Carbon Homes

Photography: Alsecco / Elizabeth Savage Architects and Passivhaus Designers: Gale & Snowden Architects Ltd

Also in this issue:

Your TSM Standard Questions Answered

Social Housing Act Demands Higher Standards Devolution and Decarbonisation: Accelerating England’s Net Zero Goals.

Nuaire:

Boosting Green Skills in the Housing Sector

Also In This Issue Meeting the Net Zero Challenge in the North

CYMRU SPECIAL

eMagazine July 2023

eMagazine June 2023

Enhance your knowledge in key technical areas surrounding the housing sector in the UK. ORP Phase 3: Highlighting the Core Objectives and Benchmarks for Success

Housing Stock

Also In This Issue

NHF: All Social Housing Stock in England Should be Audited

Project 1000: Tackling Bristol’s Housing Crisis

Scotland

Radisson Blu, Glasgow 29 November 2023

Building on the initial phases of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, this one-day conference will explore how funding mechanisms for housing providers help to deliver homes across Scotland. With a commitment to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, the Scottish Government has allocated £752m for 2023-2024 to help support their plans. The event will highlight how Scotland will Deliver Affordable Housing, why Retrofit is essential for decarbonising existing housing stock and how low-carbon technologies will support this. This will be done through keynote speeches, panel discussions and technical seminars. #HousingScotland #HousingLeaders housingindustryleaders.com