The millions spent on homes that are on pause

"Work was paused on these projects due to spiralling building costs, increased pressure on council budgets and stricter building regulations brought in following the Grenfell Tower fire, among other reasons, local authorities have said. The government says it has announced a "package of reforms" to speed up building safety and planning applications. Some of the developments stalled several years ago, although it is possible that they will be restarted in future."

"Here, Havering Council spent 19m on demolishing a former estate in 2021 to make way for 1,380 "new, high-quality, modern, energy-efficient homes". The scheme was put on ice the next year, with no construction having been carried out. Council leader Ray Morgone put this down to new building safety regulations introduced following the Grenfell Tower fire requiring the development to have a second staircase."

An estimated 120m has been spent by London councils on housing developments currently on hold, representing more than 3,800 private and social homes based on data from 31 of 33 councils. Work was paused because of spiralling building costs, increased pressure on council budgets and stricter building regulations introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire. The government has announced a package of reforms to speed up building safety and planning decisions. Some schemes stalled years ago and may be restarted. In Romford, Havering Council spent 19m clearing an estate for 1,380 homes before pausing the project over new safety requirements. The Building Safety Regulator is reported to need more resources to process applications faster.

Read at www.bbc.com