<b><b>The pressure to make a profit or satisfy shareholders makes it difficult for private sector housebuilders to drive change and innovation in the industry. But the public sector is acting as a test-bed for sometimes costly innovation and the private sector could learn a few lessons from these schemes. Stephen Hoare reports</b></b><br><b>On St Mary's Village estate in Hackney the locals have no fears over being priced out of the housing market by an influx of affluent City types. Anyone can walk into Lovell's sales office and choose a 3 or 4 bed house or a one-bed apartment and reserve it. The negotiator will just ask them whether they want to rent, buy or share ownership. On this mixed tenure estate, there are no distinctions between affordable and private housing; all homes are built to a high specification and allocation is based on need not on the depth of your pockets. It is the first scheme of its kind anywhere in the UK.</b><br><b><b>Innovation</b></b><br> St Mary's Village is on the site of the old Trowbridge Estate, a group of 60s tower blocks which were demolished to make way for the new development. Money invested in the sale of new homes will be …