Tuesday 3rd October, 2023
Unlocking The Potential Of Empty Buildings, Creating Affordable Homes
CAD Architects Blog
Unlocking The Potential Of Empty Buildings, Creating
Affordable Homes
By Gareth Ellis, Associate Architect, CAD Architects
In an earlier CAD Architects’ blog article we looked at how
changes to planning laws are making it easier to convert commercial buildings
for residential use.
This trend is likely to be accelerated further by a new
report published this summer, which highlights the scale of the opportunity and
its potential to address housing shortages across the UK.
Two all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) have called on
the Government to turn empty buildings into affordable housing, after their
report found that repurposing properties could create thousands of new homes.
The report, which is titled ‘Rethinking commercial to
residential conversions’, was published in July 2023 following a joint inquiry
by the APPG for Housing Market and Delivery and the APPG for Ending
Homelessness. It found that 20,000 homes could be created from empty local authority
buildings alone. In addition, the report found there was significant potential
for repurposing commercial properties, with 14% of retail unit space and 7% of
office space currently vacant.
The figures are compelling and they come at a time when creative
housing supply solutions are urgently needed.
However, the MPs highlighted three areas where specific
measures are needed in order to maximise the potential.
Firstly, they warned that standards should be strengthened
to ensure that homes are always fit to live in. Amongst other recommendations,
the groups are calling on the Government to implement the ‘Healthy Homes
Principles’ to ensure high quality homes. These are a set of standards which
would apply to all new housing, including conversions, and include access to
amenities such as shops, schools, GPs, green spaces and transport, fire safety,
access to natural light, as well as ensuring that homes are warm and
well-ventilated to avoid damp and mould issues.
Secondly, the APPGs are calling for all conversions to be
required to make contributions towards genuinely affordable housing to help
meet local need and tackle homelessness. The Government has already signalled
its intent to do this through the Levelling Up Bill, but the MPs are calling
for the measures to be brought forward to deliver benefits in the immediate
term.
Thirdly, the groups also said there should be clearer
guidance on how local authorities can have more influence over conversions in
their areas, to ensure that they align with local housing and economic
development plans.
Ben Everitt, chair of the APPG for Housing Market and
Delivery, said: ‘We wanted to look at creative housing supply solutions that
are available in the short-term, and hope that the Government will take forward
our recommendations, which are both practical and pragmatic.
‘This includes publishing data on the number of commercial
properties that have been vacant for over two years and requiring local
authorities to report on vacant buildings in their local areas.
‘This would establish a clear picture of the potential scale
of empty commercial properties which could be converted into affordable housing
which is so desperately needed.’
At CAD Architects, we wholeheartedly support the repurposing
of disused and under-used buildings to provide much-needed homes.
There is a massive shortage of affordable housing across the
UK and the impact is especially severe in the Southwest of England, where there
is a high demand for second homes and holiday rentals. Meanwhile, many High Street
shops, facing stiff competition from online sales, are closing down. This can
create exciting opportunities for new residential space, as town centres
transform into places offering new ways to live, work and play.
Empty property is a wasted resource. Empty local authority
buildings, unused retail unit space and unused commercial buildings present a
golden opportunity, ripe for development into affordable housing.
At CAD, we are specialists in guiding our clients through
the planning regulations affecting change of use. Our planning team work
closely with our architects, who can create visionary designs which make the
most of the space in empty commercial properties.
One recent example of this was a project where we were
tasked with the refurbishment and extension of commercial buildings in St
Nicholas Street, Truro. This project re-introduced residential use to these
buildings with nine new flats above the existing shops.
The development offered a model for the effective use of
land in urban areas by making better use of existing underused structures and
sites, which can be unlocked through careful and considered design. The
development is sustainable, making use of existing redundant and underused
structures, whilst encouraging car-free, active travel and the use of local
high street facilities. Care has been
taken by the design team to fully embrace the opportunities for improvements to
the Truro Conservation Area and to create a finished product which achieves a high
design standard, enhancing the City of Truro.
Get in touch to find out more about how CAD Architects can
help you unlock the potential of this exciting approach as it continues to
evolve:
The full report ‘Rethinking commercial to residential
conversions’ can be downloaded here: