Are Garage Infill Sites a solution to meet the demand for housing?

17/05/2021

How can housing construction companies help Local Authorities to increase the supply of affordable homes across the UK?

In recent decades, the UK has been experiencing soaring housing costs, with a significant number of people being priced out of the market. To tackle the under-supply of affordable housing, the UK government set a target for construction companies to build 300,000 homes every year, but where would these new homes be built?

One significant drawback in urban areas is the limited availability of free land, leaving construction companies,  architects, and Councils to scour these already-developed areas for under-used or leftover portions of land such as garages.

The challenges of housebuilding on infill sites

Converting disused garage sites into useable affordable housing is increasingly considered to be a solution for the lack of suitable land. However, housebuilding on infill sites does have its challenges, some of which are discussed below:

  1. The first hurdle is getting planning permission and engaging neighbours as infill projects are often close to other properties. More often than not, communities will support these schemes as disused garage spaces can attract anti-social behaviour or flytipping. Therefore it is important to involve the community with proposals and engage them in the plans to see the benefits for everyone.
  2. Converting these small underused spaces can be a logistical nightmare for construction companies and developers due to limited access and restricted space. Make sure you employ a company with the right experience.
  3. Party walls can also be an issue, especially in privately owned properties. In such cases, a party wall surveyor needs to be engaged to ensure the work is correctly undertaken and avoid future disputes.
  4. There may be a risk of hazardous materials such as fuel leaks from cars into the ground and asbestos. It is therefore important to carry out a comprehensive survey in this area before commencing the conversion.

About Jerram Falkus

We are an experienced family-run construction company committed to giving the best services to all our clients. We have successfully completed a number of successful housing projects on infill sites such as the Kingston House and Oman Avenue, and Home Construction, and we also have similar projects in Newham and Tower Hamlets commencing this year.

We believe that construction on infill sites will contribute a practical solution, helping to solve the UK’s housing crisis. Get in touch with us for more information and to kickstart your construction projects.

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