We’re absolutely delighted to announce that acquisition and disposal partner, Matt Clarke, has been invited to join the West London Business Built Environment Commission.
The Commission, which was announced at the Houses of Westminster recently, will provide critical input to help shape future policy on the issue of how to deliver vital housing in West London.
Selected for his property expertise and knowledge of the area, Matt will contribute to a report due to be presented to the Mayor of London and other key decision makers in January 2017.
We know that the challenge of how to address the UK’s housing shortage whilst achieving high quality design, plus maintaining enough employment space and creating a catalyst for a thriving economy, isn’t a new one.
In West London the problem is particularly acute, where the number of new homes that will need to be built each year will have to double to around 10,000.
Matt will work with the Commission team to input into the final report, which will focus on three key areas:
• Housing;
• Workspace;
• Land supply and planning permissions.
Using his expert knowledge of the sector, Matt will explore how housing growth can be accommodated, whilst maintaining a good quality of life for residents in the area and balancing that with ample supply of employment use.
Issues such as the implications of population density on the provision of services like healthcare, education and other amenities will be a vital consideration, as will ensuring good quality housing design. The aim? To help ensure that West London becomes the location of choice for the next generation to live and work.
Matt will provide advice on where he believes the opportunities for growth in available workspace exist in West London, by looking at the types of buildings that will need to be brought to market.
Workspace needs are changing now more than ever, so Matt will feed in his knowledge of best practice in innovation and office design to see how this can be applied to grow the available workspace – particularly in support of business start-ups.
Cutting across both the housing and workspace requirements in the area is the issue of land supply and planning permission.
By working together with other members of the Commission, Matt will explore exactly where and at what pace land will be released by Crossrail, HS2, local authorities and the NHS.
He’ll also draw upon his knowledge of the planning system to indicate how developers can rapidly secure planning, without losing the confidence and trust of the local communities that may be affected.
We’re delighted to be contributing to the Commission to help West London take the steps necessary to overcome its housing shortage, whist creating the ‘location of choice’ for the next generation.
For more information about the issues discussed in this blog, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Matt Clarke.
