Lyons Housing Commission report
In November 2016, BSRIA welcomed the Lyons’ Housing Commission report ‘What more should Government do to promote the building of new homes?’
Building on recommendations from its previous report, the Lyons Housing Review, published in 2014, it suggests that in the forthcoming Housing White Paper and Industrial Strategy, the Government has the opportunity to develop a more comprehensive approach. An approach of this kind, they say, could help tackle the housing crisis by driving a sustained increase in the quantity, quality and affordability of new homes.
The Lyons Housing Commission was established in 2013 to advise how a future Government might bring about a sustainable increase in house building in England to 200,000 homes a year by 2020.
The new report states that ‘a sustained step-change in house building will be critical to the health of the national economy and to improving the quality of life for current and future generations.’
Some of the proposals for the Government to consider include:
- Bringing forward a wider range of sites to address dysfunction in the land market.
- Ensuring the more rapid building out of sites with planning permission awarded.
- Going beyond the narrow focus on home ownership to a whole-system solution, focusing on supply-side measures.
- Recognising the important roles that Housing associations, Local Authorities and SMEs can play in growing the industry’s capacity to deliver more homes.
- Emphasising quality for sustainable and successful long-term development.
- Understanding that different areas have different needs, and delivering accordingly.
Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said:
“BSRIA welcomes this timely and important review which supports our long running coverage of the housing issue.
“But building homes is a matter of quality as well as quantity. The focus on more volume makes quality more important than ever and an added emphasis on the status of quality of homes and places is needed to guarantee that in challenging the housing crisis we are not building the costly slums or soulless estates of tomorrow.
“Some of the ‘offsite’ building and zero waste methods that are currently being adopted do signify an exciting movement which can be explored more and offer the potential for changes within the industry.
“It should be noted that in the two years since the Lyon’s Housing Commission published its review of housing supply, tackling the housing crisis has risen up the national political agenda and is rooted as a top priority for government.
“In essence, economic growth – for both the UK and the industry – is crucial. The confidence to invest in major housebuilding schemes is key to solving housing growth.”
This article was originally published here by BSRIA on 16 November 2016.
--BSRIA
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Architects Academy at an insulation manufacturing facility
Programme of technical engagement for aspiring designers.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.