Design, sustainability and infrastructure must guide UK’s new social housing drive, say engineers and consultants  

ACE Group today welcomed Government’s commitment to deliver 180,000 new social homes over the next decade. ACE has called it a “generational opportunity to reshape Britain’s housing stock and provide new opportunities for families and communities”. 

The announcement, made by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, forms part of a wider strategy to deliver 300,000 social and affordable homes by 2035.  

ACE Group, which comprises the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC), has praised the scale of the ambition, while encouraging the programme to prioritise the quality of what is built, not merely the quantity whilst ensuring the necessary infrastructure for new homes is provided. 

Kate Jennings, CEO of ACE Group, said: “Building such a new volume of social housing means this is more than a housing plan, it is an opportunity to build the necessary foundations for communities and families. Our industry stands ready to support the Government in creating not just homes, but communities with embedded principles of exceptional place.

“Essential to this is government-backed social housing that provides places of character and low-carbon performance with social and transport infrastructure as the guiding spine. Beautiful, sustainable design is not a luxury in social housing; it is essential to the long-term life cycle of new social housing. 

“We will not solve the housing crisis by building alone. We need policies that incentivise longevity, social value and beauty. Mission critical to that is ensuring housing is linked to infrastructure, so new social housing is not disconnected or cut off.” 

Marie-Claude Hemming, Director of Policy at ACE Group, added: “Every pound of investment must do more: cutting emissions and energy bills today while reducing maintenance and the risk of retrofit costs tomorrow. The value of design at the outset can pay over decades. Low-quality, short-sighted builds simply push today’s savings into tomorrow’s risk, particularly for exceptionally expensive retrofitting.” 

“ACE has long championed the role of design in building pride and resilience within communities. As the Government moves to rebalance the housing market through a greater uplift of social housing, ACE Group argues that social housing must lead the way in demonstrating architectural integrity, placemaking, and environmental stewardship”