As local authorities deliver new housing at pace to meet government targets, CATHERINE MAX and HANNAH GIBBS of our Health and Housing Impact Network say building healthy homes must remain a priority.
The impact of housing on health outcomes is well understood and widely accepted. The new national planning policy framework’s emphasis on health and well-being has been positively received.
However, as the government requires local authorities to meet the national target of 1.5 million new homes, some public health leaders are worried that joined-up health and housing priorities will come under strain.
“Building poor-quality homes to quickly address supply issues may harm health in the short term and create long-term problems,” warns the Institute of Health Equity.
To tackle the connection between poor housing and ill-health, Future of London launched the Health and Housing Impact Network (H&HIN), now in its third year. For our 2025/26 programme, we will focus on ways to deliver healthy homes while meeting the government’s ambitious housing targets.
Intensification and ill-health
Delivering healthy homes will be particularly challenging in London, where rapid housing growth relies on intensification of existing urban areas. This intensification includes the development of small sites, construction of tall buildings, and commercial-to-residential conversions under permitted development rights.
These types of development can be less suited to promoting positive health factors, such as green spaces and accessible local infrastructure. Vital local infrastructure includes primary healthcare services, which is needed to prevent more acute and avoidable health problems.
Inequalities in both the health and housing system in London mean that these health problems affect the most vulnerable disproportionately. So it’s vital that new homes and the associated infrastructure focuses on the people who need them most.
Partnership working is getting harder
Financial constraints and time pressures often cause professionals to focus more on their individual priorities. As a result, we have also heard that new partnerships between NHS organisations and local councils, as required by integrated care policies, are foundering.
Research evidence shows links between poor mental and living in high-rise buildings as well as negative consequences for children who lack easy access to outdoor space. The market appears to confirm this, with one developer telling us they can only sell lower floors at market rates. That means social renters will be housed in higher levels, raising potential equity issues.
The Town and Country Planning Association has highlighted the links between ill-health and housing conversions under permitted development rights. TCPA has also questioned whether the new planning framework adequately addresses housing equity.
Masterclasses on building healthy homes
During 2025/26, we will run a series of masterclasses on key aspects of building healthy homes. The masterclass themes are:
- Setting and measuring health outcomes, including using data and improving outcomes for marginalised groups
- Post-occupancy evaluation, including engagement to increase resident trust
- Health impacts of intensification such as tall buildings, small sites and permitted development schemes.
By the end of the masterclass series, network members will have increased their skills, confidence and understanding of healthy homes and health equity.
Using insights from the masterclasses, we will develop recommendations to ensure healthy homes and health equity are prioritised for London’s housing growth.
Our final output will be a manifesto for healthy homes for Londoners during a period of rapid housing growth. The intention would be to influence the Greater London Authority, boroughs, commissioners and developers to adopt practices to prioritise health through growth.
The manifesto will be backed up by in-depth case studies to provide those doing delivery with evidence and inspiration.
The Health and Housing Impact Network receives support from Impact on Urban Health, which works to reduce health inequalities in urban areas. Hannah Gibbs is deputy chief executive of Future of London and Catherine Max is an associate who specialises in health and sustainability.
Register now for the first masterclass on measuring impact
