Treat housing associations as partners, says L&Q boss at HMI Conf

Housebuilders should treat housing associations as partners in their section 106 transactions and produce quality housing, according to Fiona Fletcher-Smith, ceo of L&Q.

Speaking at Housebuilder’s Housing Market Intelligence conference in London today (October 3), Fletcher-Smith told first-hand of the financial pressures registered providers were under, including from the consequences of “inconsistent decision making” from government over the past decade and from the cost of maintaining existing homes which “must and will come first”.

The G15 group of housing associations started 76% fewer homes than last year, Fletcher-Smith said. And as one of the largest housing associations, L&Q was struggling to buy housebuilders’ section 106 homes – now a widespread problem for the industry. “Less and less of what we do is through purchasing section 106 homes,” she confirmed.

Fletcher-Smith pointed out that over the past decade, homes bought under section 106 had been “of the poorest quality”. She appealed to housebuilders to “involve us in the design and specification” of these homes at an early stage. Then “we will buy your section 106 homes”.

Fletcher-Smith called upon housebuilders to see registered providers “as a partner, not an end purchaser”. Affordable housing, she also said, should be …