Dr Robinson-Gayle points out one unintended consequence of the new building safety regulations: on projects that fall under the remit of the regulator, it’s much harder for Barratt to vary homes under development to meet the specific requirements of housing providers that want to take the homes.
“It also actually makes our relationship with RPs slightly more difficult, really. Why? Because if an RP requested change… we have less flexibility and less ability to respond to them on buildings that are covered by the regulator.”
Any changes could mean a lengthy and expensive process of resubmitting plans.
The mismatch between some projects delivered by developers in Section 106 agreements, and what housing associations want to buy, is an issue that Inside Housing has reported at length.
“What we really need is for RPs, local authorities and developers to talk to each other more about what we can deliver,” Dr Robinson-Gayle argues.
The system rubbed along fine when demand from the housing sector for Section 106 homes was higher. “But now that the demand is lower, we actually have got a problem, because now [developers] are being stuck with Section 106s that they can’t dispose of, which is a problem.
“Because they’ve completed homes, and there are lots of people desperate for homes, and you still need… an intermediate step, that is not working.”
Another factor impacting Section 106 and London development in general is the number of housing association mergers. Even though they are often aiming to unlock a bigger development pipeline than the constituent organisations could have managed on their own, Dr Robinson-Gayle doesn’t necessarily see this playing out.
“I think that the evidence is against that,” she says. “What they do have is the capacity to carry out land-led schemes, but in terms of their capacity to soak up Section 106 [homes], that hasn’t increased as the numbers of them have decreased.”
Underlining all this, though, is the low demand for new homes – particularly flats in London. Analysis of Land Registry data earlier in June found that nearly half of studio and one-bed flats in London are now selling at a loss, with leasehold problems playing a significant role.
This has led to calls to stimulate the housing market by supporting buyers, along the lines of a new wave of Help to Buy. This policy – a combination of low-cost loans for first-time buyers of new build homes and mortgage guarantees – was introduced in 2013 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
“I think it’s easy to get distracted away from the fact that it is the most support that the sector has had for a long time, and I think that we should not be negative about our ability to get on and deliver”
But critics argue that it merely inflated house prices. This position was bolstered by an Institute for Fiscal Studies report in April, which concluded that the policy mostly helped wealthier buyers.
Dr Robinson-Gayle is not convinced. “I would actually disagree, because what it did was it kept the construction industry moving, which also meant we delivered affordable homes,” she says. “And if you look at the amount of affordable homes we delivered during the Help to Buy period… it’s a massive number of homes.”
She also points out that the economic backdrop is vastly different: back in the 2010s, Help to Buy combined with low interest rates, which doesn’t apply now.
“I think you can see when there is lack of demand, it’s back to the ‘10% of nothing is nothing’,” she adds, referencing Mr Copley’s comments again.
The local elections in May saw a changing of the political guard in many London boroughs, but Dr Robinson-Gayle doesn’t expect this to lead to a change of direction in housing.
“The political change will not impact the needs of Londoners, which should be the paramount concern of whatever kind of local government your area has. That’s not changed overnight. That didn’t change on 7 May; the number of Londoners that are homeless and living in temporary accommodation is massive and remains massive.”
But ultimately, Dr Robinson-Gayle is positive about where London is headed and the city’s ability to solve the trickiest problems, such as the 20% of children living in temporary accommodation.
Chat in the housing sector has got a bit negative at times, particularly given some of the statistics on housebuilding and resulting headlines about a freeze of London development. But Dr Robinson-Gayle argues that the measures put in place are having an impact, and that the sector should remember the optimism over the government’s package of grant, planning changes and other measures designed to boost building.
“I think it’s easy to get distracted away from the fact that it is the most support that the sector has had for a long time, and I think that we should not be negative about our ability to get on and deliver,” she says.
“The wind is still at our back. There is everything to do, and it’s so important that we do it. It’s not a thing we should give up lightly.”
Dr Syreeta Robinson-Gayle is speaking at Housing 2026, during the session ‘Developing London for national growth’ on 23 June at 10.25am, in the London Theatre. Find out more below