In February the Birmingham City Council leader made a public promise to build more houses in the area. That promise is echoed throughout the country, from hamlets and town suburbs to the inner city development areas. The Prime Minister himself has urged local authorities to plan thousands more homes by 2017, or else face intervention from the government - link.
Besides the option of building more homes, councils are also looking to renovate existing buildings in a bid to save money and make the best use of existing assets. We discussed previously in the empty property scandal how vacant houses could be turned into community projects. The same can be said for town centre buildings such as empty shops and offices. Rather than have business after business move in, why not convert some of these properties into viable flats? It would give a permanent use to these buildings and inject a bit of livelihood into struggling town centres. Better to see a front garden than bordered up windows.
The key point is that the benefits must be long-term. While on the one hand councils must build or refit new homes, they must also ensure their quality and modernity. The alternative is to rush out homes quickly only to replace or renovate them in two decades’ time. New homes must be sustainable and appealing in order to lure new tenants and make the area feel like part of the city, rather than something that’s been tacked on. We hope York council takes heed and builds communities that honour the city’s historic roots.
