Housing Forum

The Housing Forum

 

	Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive
	020 7592 1100
	Judith Harrison, Director
	020 7592 1145
	Krystyna Blackburn, Project Director
	020 7592 1150
	Colm Quinn, Project/Policy Officer
	020 7592 1132
	Devon Blades, Project Administrator
	020 7592 1141
	Steve Lidgate, Chair can be contacted through the team

 

The Housing Forum is a unique network of leaders and their supply chains from all sectors in housing development and construction. For almost a decade, we have developed a track record of providing timely advice to help our members maintain their position at the forefront of best practice. At the same time we have been able to present, at short notice, cross sector industry views to government on innovation to be encouraged, or on barriers to continuous improvement.

Through the lessons learned from our demonstrations portfolio, our members and our alliances with other relevant organisations, we are able to:

• develop best practice guidance
• influence regulation and government policies, and
• identify opportunities for our members to increase productivity

The housing sector has moved up the political agenda and is now firmly centre stage in Government priorities. The social and economic consequences of long term undersupply are now better understood. The house building industry is being asked to increase volume to levels not achieved for the past 40 years. At the same time it is also being required to build to significantly higher standards of quality, design and environmental performance.

If the industry is to supply more new homes - homes that are inexpensive to buy and run - and create neighbourhoods where people want to live and work, then it must adapt to meet the challenge. The house building and development sectors, housing associations and the entire supply chain need to respond positively to deliver as does the public sector. Coordinating such diverse elements as land use, construction, and environmental, economic and sociological disciplines will require organisational and business process change, if the sector is to deliver on this new agenda.

We believe that there is sufficient suitable development land to meet the nation's housing needs and aspirations whilst conserving our countryside, and that there is therefore no need to subject communities to overdevelopment.

Whether the housing activity be renovation and refurbishment of the existing stock, new build, site based construction or offsite manufacture the Housing Forum seeks to reconcile the legitimate commercial and social interests of its members with the requirements and needs of homeowners, investors, private and social tenants as well as the wider national interest. We also seek to reconcile the diverse interests of these groups through incentivisation, integration of activities, simplification and rationalisation of processes and the empowerment of communities.

The Housing Forum's constitution ensures that all Members:

• have full voting rights on policies and on the membership of its Board
• may participate in the Forum's research and other activities
• benefit from the informed and robust exchange of views that membership of the Forum encourages
• have an opportunity to participate in a respected and dynamic think tank that is putting forward radical and developing policies.

Membership of the Housing Forum also entitles its members to the benefits of Constructing Excellence: member-only conferences; knowledge sharing; access to government through an influential independent organisation; support for demonstration projects; opportunities to showcase work free; annually updated sets of national Key Performance Indicators; and a host of complimentary or discounted publications, products and services.

If you want to be part of this process and to help shape policy then you should be part of the Housing Forum

For further details of membership of the Housing Forum and how to join please click here.

Regional Conference Keynote Presentations

The keynote presentations from the first of the Housing Forum's series of Regional Conferences held in the North East on 23rd May 2007 are now on line.

The North East - Chester Le Street - 23rd May 2007

The East Midlands - Leicester - 6th June 2007

Geoff Milner - Acting Head of Housing - East Midlands Regional Assembly 
David Hill - Director - Quintain Lacemarket 
Richard Martin - Public Affairs Advisor - CABE 

Click here to book your place on our of the remaining conferences. Keynotes from all the conferences will appear here shortly after they take place.