Mix Developments welcomes the PM’s announcement on removing the borrowing cap for Local Authorities for their new affordable housing delivery programs. But will this be enough to fix the housing crisis? To really redress the availability and affordability of homes, we need direct action from statutory bodies to engage with SME affordable housing entities, to…
We were impressed by our tour of the Sutherland Road, Walthamstow affordable housing scheme by Levitt Bernstein architects which shows what can be achieved with considerate design. The scheme includes generous balconies and corridors and a beautifully landscaped communal garden. The car parking is kept to a minimum so that it does not overly impede…
The English Housing Survey published today highlights two important issues, a decrease in the proportion of homeowners under the age of 35 and that mortgagors spend a smaller proportion of their income on housing costs than other tenures. The proportion of home owners under the age of 35 is now down to 9%, half of…
First time buyers are increasingly becoming a bigger part of the housing market with the value of mortgages in the first quarter of 2018 increasing by 6% on the first quarter of the previous year, according to a new report by Savills. A number of factors have led to this, with Help-to-Buy (where buyers have…
The Resolution Foundation’s recent publication, “Home improvements: action to address the housing challenges faced by young people”, highlighted their aspirations to own a home of their own are still high despite large rises in house prices and falling ownership rates. The report notes that twice the number of Millennials (people born between 1980-1996) were still…
As much as this is good news that home buyers in the UK have hardly felt the effects of the 0.25% base rate rise, it should be read with caution. The uncertainty over Brexit and the potential for interest rates to rise as competition slows, especially for low earning first-time-buyers, cannot be ignored. References The…
The lack of housing that is affordable is the biggest challenge for a generation. Mix Developments welcomes the £44bn commitment for housing and stamp duty relief for first-time buyers outlined by the Chancellor today. However, we are calling for some of this funding to be targeted to SMEs, particularly those who are geared to deliver…
Millennials will be paying on average three times more than their grandparents for housing. Not only do many have the burden of higher education tax, they also have lower incomes compared to the previous generation. Mix Developments have been highlighting and addressing the disproportionate cost of housing for Millennials by developing a housing model that…
Mix welcomes the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s proposal to boost affordable housing targets through the new Supplementary Planning Guidance. This policy should go further and be a stipulation for all public land. London’s housing requirements need to be met so that people of all incomes can benefit. This requires a substantial increase in the…
The London School of Economics hosted the launch of the Mayor for London, Sadiq Khan’s vision for “Good Growth by Design” at the Peacock Theatre. Following his speech the mayor joined the panel chaired by Director of the Institute of Public Affairs, Professor Tony Travers. The panel included Sadie Morgan, partner at dRMM architects and…
Mix welcomes the Government’s Social Mobility Commission report produced in collaboration with the London School of Economics highlighting the difficulties for people on lower incomes to buy a home of their own and then staircase either into greater levels of ownership or to properties that support their changing needs. We have been pressing for greater…
The potential of positive outcomes for higher density developments is dependent on creating private and public spaces and facilities to help people to positively engage with their home and communal lives. Showhouse magazine includes a comment from us. Pieter Zitman, of Mix Developments, suggests there are three sustainable criteria for the success of any development…