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The report, Beyond the Permacrisis: Delivering 1,000 Homes a Day, was published by the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission in October 2024. It makes a series of recommendations to address housing in England and help the Government to reach its target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in the next five years.

Doreen Wright, Commercial Director at A2Dominion, is one of the commissioners of the report, which includes professionals, academics and policy experts from across the sector.

As a commissioner, Doreen helped to shape the findings. She highlighted the importance utilising existing ideas put forward by the Greater London Authority (GLA) taskforce and G15 members to fix the housing crisis in London - and applying them at a national level.

This included plans for a long-term rent settlement, long-term affordable homes programme and streamlining funding pots and processes – all of which are included in the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission report.

Doreen said: “We need to provide 1,000 homes a day to resolve the crisis and meet supply demands. The report has already had an impact on Government policy, with a consultation ongoing on a rent settlement and changes proposed for a more strategic approach to planning. Many of the recommendations in the report also align with the work by the GLA taskforce and proposals made by the G15.

“Recognising housing as an ecosystem and its impact on wellbeing, lifestyle, education, and health, is key and fundamental to the success of any housing policy going forward. It’s important to recognise that housing is fundamental national infrastructure. Not driven by Politics of the day.

“Housing is a critical driver of economic prosperity and growth. A more joined up, integrated long-term approach to governance, funding, planning and delivery will enable transformative change needed to tackle the housing crisis.”

It is estimated that there are 1,290,000 (1.29 million) people on social housing waiting lists in England in 2023, according to figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Key findings of the Beyond the Permacrisis: Delivering 1,000 Homes a Day report

The Commission urges the Government to recognise that housing is national infrastructure.

The report has outlined 15 recommendations that cover three key areas, they are: Implementation and Delivery, Funding and Affordability, and Planning and Boosting Supply of Homes.

Implementation and Delivery

• Establish a new Housing Delivery Unit and Independent Statutory Housing Committee
• Create and implement a UK Housing Strategy
• Forge a Cross-Party Accord
• Facilitate the release of public sector land for housing
• Provide specific support for local and combined authorities
• Rethink the role of Homes England to act as a master developer.

Funding and Affordability

• Streamline existing funding pots and processes
• Recognise the importance of rental tenures to the wider housing mix
• Recognise the critical role of institutional investment in housing
• Reform the current system of developer contributions through Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy
• Agree a prompt rent settlement that provides income security for Registered Providers.

Planning and Boosting Supply of Homes

• Restore a mandatory approach to strategic planning at the sub-regional/city region level
• Establish a new team within MHCLG to provide a more coordinated approach to strategic planning
• Commission an independent review of the Metropolitan Green Belt to identify strategic opportunities
• Develop a new, bespoke policy for supporting SME, community-led and self/custom-build housebuilders and the increased delivery of small and medium sized sites to boost the supply of housing in the short to medium term.

Alex Notay, commission chair, said: “Most indicators show that the housing market is now in a worse state than it was two decades ago. In particular, there has been a failure to link new housing with infrastructure delivery and also, since the financial crisis, a further decline in the supply of new social rent homes.

“The golden thread of our recommendations is to urge the government to ensure that any policy change is assessed against every aspect of the housing ecosystem. Unblocking the various viability issues addressed in our report – alongside the strategic planning proposals we make – would be transformative. It is possible to do this if these bold recommendations are acted on holistically and proactively.”

Read the report in full: Beyond the Permacrisis: Delivering 1,000 Homes a Day