Civic City meets the hurdles in the development of Social Housing for key workers and vulnerable groups. By focusing upon the mantra of Ecological, Modular and Affordable homes, Civic City has been able to pioneer the development of a model of accommodation which meets the needs of local authorities and end-users alike.
In spite of the construction of around 25,000 new homes for rent a year by local housing associations, an average of 50,000 a year are lost due to the right to buy policy. This means that the dwindling supply of affordable homes has become increasingly rationed. This trend has been particularly detrimental to Key Workers and Vulnerable groups, in the increasingly gentrified areas of inner London. It is from this understanding that Civic City has been conceived.
Providing green and affordable housing has been high on the Government’s agenda, in particular since the adoption of the Housing and Regeneration Bill in January 2008, but more broadly in different guises for the past decade. However, space is often an issue, it is important that key workers and vulnerable groups are able to live in locations with good access to work / services which they are accessing; and so the development of infill sites provides a prime case for the maximisation of local authority assets.
In partnership with Urban Space Management, Civic City has been working to identify the needs and solutions to the access of housing for these groups. With the needs of the end-users in mind, the premise has been to develop a system of housing which is congruous to the surrounding environment, whilst also ensuring that the homes are Ecological, Modular and importantly Affordable.
