Small sites will help solve the housing crisis

April 23, 2019

RenKap will deliver an online platform where housing associations and local authorities can upload their unused small sites.

Through its geovation accelerator programme, which awards grants to help Ordnance Survey and HM Land Treasury make better use of their data, the Government has announced funding for 7 property and geospatial start-ups.

This includes RenKap, an online marketplace working to alleviate the housing crisis by scaling the delivery of affordable homes.

Working alongside development professionals, RenKap will deliver an online platform where housing associations and local authorities can upload their unused small sites. Through the platform, RenKap will review, procure and manage the delivery of high-quality homes, inviting builders and off-site manufacturers to bid to deliver them.

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) welcomes RenKap’s ingenuity and motivation and believes small sites are vital in solving the housing crisis.

Local authorities, who are responsible for allocating housing sites, have been rather poor in enabling small sites and have instead focused on meeting housing need with large, often controversial, sites. They have also opposed the introduction of small sites registers, lobbied against a minimum percentage of small sites in local plans, and routinely disregarded small brownfield sites.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said: “Small sites are built more quickly and are already part of our communities. They are also delivered by SMEs who train around 80% of construction apprentices and employ within 15 miles of their head office. They help the industry grow and deliver more sustainable employment. We need more of them.”

Rico Wojtulewicz of the House Builders Association (HBA) said: “Local authorities have resisted many attempts to get more small sites delivered. Any opportunity to get an increased number of them through planning is a major step forward in solving the housing crisis.”

National Federation of Builders

The National Federation of Builders is a United Kingdom trade association representing the interests of small and medium-sized building contractors in England and Wales.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Persistent decline to give way to recovery in 2027

Glenigan’s Autumn 2026 Construction Forecast maintains that sector growth will revive in 2027, despite a challenging year of market stagnation Following a sluggish end to 2026, construction is set to rebound from 2027 onwards as public sector building increases Significant value gains expected for health, education, civils, offices and data centre projects Private and social…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

The Plumbing and Electrical Problems That Quietly Kill Sales and Lettings

We’ve all had one of these. The offer’s agreed. Everyone’s happy. The memorandum of sale has gone out, and you’re already mentally banking the fee. Then the buyer’s survey comes back. “Electrics appear dated. Recommend inspection by a qualified electrician.” And just like that, the mood changes. The buyer starts asking about a reduction. The…
Read More →
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – October 2026

Rental prices rise across most regions as affordability pressures persist Average monthly rents increased in eight of the 11 regions between September and October, with Wales recording the largest rise at 31.1%, followed by the North East at 29.8% and the South West at 7.5%. Scotland, London and the North West were the only regions…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Portfolio landlords have outgrown traditional property management

By Adam Hills, Client Services Director, LRG Living Markets The residential lettings industry still manages many large portfolios as though they’re simply collections of individual tenancies. While that works on small portfolios, but it doesn’t work when landlords own 50, 100 or 200 properties. At that point, the challenge is no longer property management alone…
Read More →
Breaking News

Real-life value of the most famous Christmas film homes

The real-life value of the most famous Christmas film homes, from budget classics to multimillion-pound mansions New research has gathered and analysed the estimated valuations of real homes featured in popular Christmas films, ranking them by cost. The priciest homes are featured in The Holiday, Trading Places, and Home Alone, with Amanda’s home from The…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

77% of buyers refuse to buy a flood risk property

Despite 4.7 million English homes facing flood risk New research from Lyons Bowe has revealed that 77% of homebuyers would not consider purchasing a property in a flood risk area, despite more than 4.7 million homes across England currently being deemed at risk of flooding. The findings come as the Government launches a new flood taskforce amid…
Read More →