Labour’s target to create 1.5million new homes in the next four years means the race is on for housing associations and councils to start delivering. Whilst talk of these ambitious policies might conjure up mental images of shiny new-builds or carefully remodelled towers, the real answer may be more iterative, more eclectic, more innovative.
Our local area almost certainly brims with empty offices, shuttered shops, disused schools, uninhabited care homes and abandoned fire stations. And so an answer to our immediate housing needs may be hiding in plain sight.
A low-cost way to house local people
Bringing empty buildings back into use as temporary homes – or property guardianships – not only saves on the cost of keeping the buildings in good, safe order, but it can be an economical means of housing local residents while long term redevelopment programs are completed.
It keeps local people close to where they want to be, and brings buzz back into high streets and communities. It is also inherently flexible, so as not to delay or interfere with a council or housing association’s long term plans.
An ever increasing supply of empty spaces
Changes to work habits, like people working from home so much more in recent years, have left our town centres peppered with empty spaces. From the cafes where commuters used to grab a coffee on their way to the train, to the offices they used to work in.
The number of empty spaces that just exist around us is not negligible. They could make a real and valuable contribution towards meeting Labour’s long term goals. In 2021, Habitat for Humanity estimated that around 7,000 commercial buildings owned by councils in the UK had been vacant for over a year. These buildings could create over 19,000 homes. And that’s just publicly owned buildings – there are many more privately owned buildings which could push this number much higher.
A sustainable solution
A lesser known issue with meeting the target of 300,000 new homes per year, is that to do so would take up the entirety of the UK’s carbon budget. In contrast, converting existing structures into homes is thought to reduce the carbon footprint by 50-75%.
In addition to this huge carbon saving, there are huge financial savings to be made. For those in charge of maintaining their security, empty buildings are a drain on resources, requiring expensive hard security measures, regular maintenance and surveillance. Their transformation into property guardian spaces, looked after by our community-minded guardians, therefore feels like a sustainable solution that benefits everyone.
A great example of the kind of project we could deliver for you is our recent work with the Keniston Housing Association in Bromley, where we transformed a former commercial care home into a base for a group of guardians who volunteer in the local community. Discover more about that successful partnership.
A host of rewards, for less effort than you think
If you are reading this and thinking that the process of converting empty buildings into property guardian spaces will be too complex to manage, and that the outcome will be too low quality to be worth it, we would encourage you to reconsider. At Dot Dot Dot, we do the heavy lifting in terms of the required renovations, health and safety and equipping of the spaces, and are proud of the perfectly serviceable results that we achieve for our very contented guardians.
And, as our guardians are hand picked for their community spirit and keenness to volunteer for local causes, the positive repercussions of their residency in the community is immeasurable. From keeping the place clean and tidy, to warding off antisocial behaviour, to helping those in need nearby.
Time is of the essence
The injection of fresh thinking from the government, alongside their ambitious new targets, might make this exactly the right time to seize the opportunities that partnering with Dot Dot Dot brings.
Get in touch today, and we’ll help you identify the properties with the most potential, at your fingertips.
