Hackney housing strategy

Intermediate Housing Panel

Hackney is facing a serious housing crisis. Around 8,500 households are on our social housing waiting list and house prices have increased by more than 7 times what they were 20 years ago.

We recognise the important role that council shared ownership and Hackney Living Rent homes play for those who don’t qualify for Social Rent, but may not be able to afford a home for outright sale.

That’s why we have set up an entirely independent Intermediate Housing Panel to explore and advise on existing models and develop new ways to build affordable and accessible homes in Hackney.

What the panel will do

The panel will:

review housing needs, market and demographic data in the borough
explore if intermediate housing options are practical and deliverable and if they can help tackle the housing crisis
engage with those interested in intermediate housing in the borough to better understand demand and people’s real-life experience within private sector housing

This work will feed into our next Housing Strategy and help us shape the types of housing that are delivered in the borough.

What intermediate housing is

Intermediate housing includes but is not limited to:

shared ownership
(right to) part buy
discounted and ‘affordable market rent’ options, for example 50%, 65% and 80% market rent homes
build to rent
Hackney Living Rent
shared equity
London Living Rent
rent to buy
key workers and frontline workers
self build
new intermediate products, new tenures and new ideas

Who is on the panel

Members of the Hackney Intermediate Housing Panel

Chair, Professor Christine Whitehead

Professor Whitehead is an economist working mainly in the fields of housing economics, finance and policy. She has worked with a range of international agencies as well as regularly for the UK government and Parliament. She was Director of the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research from 1990 to 2010 as well as a Professor at the London School of Economics.

Fiona Fletcher-Smith

Fiona is the Group CEO of L&Q, including both the Housing Association and Development Arm of the company. She has held positions across the sector in both development and governance having previously been the Director of Development and Sales for L&Q and an Executive Director at the GLA in which she was responsible for Development, Enterprise and Environment. Fiona currently chairs the G15 Group of the Country’s largest Housing Associations.

Elly Shepherd

Elly is a senior housing strategist having worked in both the London Boroughs of Enfield and Camden focusing on housing improvement and private sector housing. She has also held the roles of Head of Policy and Strategic Lead for Housing and Land at the Local Government Association. She has recently returned to Camden.

Dr Peter Williams

Dr Williams is a Departmental Fellow and Former Director of Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. He has held board positions at the National Housing Federation, The Housing Corporation and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association in addition to chairing organisations such as National Housing and Planning Advice Unit. His research interests focus on housing finance and housing markets, housing policy and housing history.

Piers Williamson

Piers is shortly due to step down as the CEO of The Housing Finance Corporation, a position he has held for 22 years. The Housing Finance Corporation is the industry leading lender to housing associations to assist them in meeting affordable housing demand. Piers has also worked extensively with government and government agencies including the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee.

Marcus Bate

Marcus is Partnerships, Communities & Sustainability Director for Mount Anvile, a London based developer that has worked in partnership with a range of London Boroughs and Housing Associations. Mount Anvile have extensive experience of delivering homes within Hackney and across London.

Guy Powdrill

Guy is Director of Investment for Delancey, a mixed use developer and investor in projects across London. Delancey have delivered projects in East London including at the Olympic Park’s former athletes village. They have also raised a number of significant investment funds for use in development and to provide investment to other developers.

Hackney housing strategy 2017-22

Our housing strategy plays a key role in helping us meet the Mayor of Hackney’s vision for everyone in Hackney to have a genuinely affordable, good quality and stable home. It builds on what residents have told us and recognises the contribution that the Council and other organisations can make towards building mixed and sustainable communities, and improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

The housing strategy was formally approved in January 2018 and set out the ways we would work until 2022 to tackle residents’ concerns and help them achieve their housing ambitions:

Housing strategy 2017-22

It also sets out the need for more genuinely affordable homes in Hackney:

What is affordable housing?

Housing strategy position paper for 2023

In December 2022, we agreed to a Housing Strategy Position Paper for 2023. This paper explains our housing plans that we will follow until the new long-term housing strategy begins.

We delayed the new strategy so we could use information from the 2023 census to inform our plans.

This paper updates the ideas from the last housing to fit the current financial situation.

It outlines our promise to do all we can to provide as many Hackney residents as possible with homes that are safe and affordable.

View the housing strategy position paper for 2023 (PDF 981kb).

Housing strategy position statement for 2024 to 2025

In December 2024, cabinet approved the Housing Strategy Position Statement for 2024 to 2025. This plan makes sure Hackney has clear housing goals for the year and prepares for a new 5-year housing plan. The draft of this 5-year plan will be ready for cabinet to review in December 2025.

We waited to publish the new 5-year plan to help us align our longer-term housing priorities and strategy with local and national rules, such as:

the upcoming London Plan
the government’s housing plans, such as the Renters Reform Bill
changes to the National Planning Policy Framework

We have been gathering information to support our new strategy. We have also done a detailed assessment of the need for supported housing. For the first time, this has given us a solid foundation for future planning.

There is also an independent Intermediate Housing Panel looking at the value of intermediate housing in the borough, as these are becoming harder to afford. This work will give us strong evidence for creating the new housing strategy.

View the housing strategy position statement for 2024 to 2025 (PDF 1.7mb).

Tenancy strategy

We have published a tenancy strategy as required by the Localism Act 2011. It sets out what registered providers of social housing in Hackney need to consider when formulating policies relating to:

the kinds of tenancies they grant
the circumstances in which they will grant a tenancy of a particular kind
where they grant tenancies for a certain term:
- the lengths of the terms
- the circumstances in which they will grant a further tenancy if an existing tenancy comes to an end

You can find more details in our tenancy strategy below:

Hackney tenancy strategy

Guidance for registered providers in Hackney

guidance for registered providers in Hackney

The Council has also produced guidance for registered providers developing affordable new homes in Hackney, which sets out:

the preferred bedroom size mix and tenure mix based on evidence about Hackney’s housing need and policies in the local plan
rent levels, reflecting the Mayor’s London affordable rent and London living rent levels
Hackney’s preferred approach to shared ownership, for example, enabling local people living or working in Hackney within defined income brackets to be prioritised for properties for the first 3 months of marketing

The guidance for registered providers also sets out the Council’s requirements around:

conversion of re-lets to affordable rent
supported and specialised housing
disposals
right to buy for housing association tenants

Asset management strategy

It’s essential the Council makes the best use of its financial resources to invest in improving homes and buildings – this means making sure quality and value for money in go hand in hand in everything we do.

Our asset management strategy sets out the guiding principles that allow us to maintain and enhance Council housing. It also ensures we work clearly and transparently, engaging residents throughout the process, and helps us learn and develop from all the housing work we carry out.

Page updated on: 15 May 2025