WHITEHALL

Shelter calls for legal loophole closure

A legal loophole has allowed big developers in Kensington and Chelsea to avoid building more than 700 social homes.

A legal loophole has allowed big developers in Kensington and Chelsea to avoid building more than 700 social homes.

The homes would have been enough to house those made homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire.

New research by the homelessness charity Shelter found that housing developers used a ‘viability assessment' to argue they are unable to build homes because it would reduce their profit margins.

In Kensington and Chelsea, Shelter found the loophole was exploited by developers to reduce the amount of affordable housing from the council's policy target of 50% to only 15%.

Shelter chief executive, Polly Neate, said: ‘At a time when we desperately need more affordable homes, big developers are allowed to prioritise their profits by building luxury housing while backtracking on their promises to build a fair share of affordable homes.

‘The Government must make sure we treat affordable housing commitments as cast iron pledges, rather than optional extras, and act now to close the loophole that allows developers to wriggle out of building the affordable homes this country urgently needs.'

WHITEHALL

Proud to serve the sector

By Louise Gittins | 03 July 2025

Writing in LGA Conference week, newly re-elected chair Cllr Louise Gittins reflects on the Government’s key announcements and says council leaders must have ...

WHITEHALL

Top Talent: Regeneration and Growth

02 July 2025

As part of our regular series on ‘rising stars’, we celebrate the regeneration and growth officers who have been nominated by their councils for having an im...

WHITEHALL

A council on a mission

By Cllr Lisa Evans | 02 July 2025

Mission-based working is transforming Stockton-on-Tees by empowering communities and driving change for the better and Cllr Lisa Evans is at this week’s LGA ...

WHITEHALL

Navigating place-based decarbonisation

By Paul Marinko | 02 July 2025

In a rapidly changing world and a sector consumed with financial pressures and local government reorganisation, climate initiatives will prove difficult to k...

Popular articles by William Eichler