Richmond Council hosts collaboration breakfast to tackle affordable housing delivery barriers

Richmond Council brought together private developers and social housing providers at York House on Thursday 3 July for its first affordable housing collaboration breakfast. It created an open forum focused on tackling the shared challenges of delivering affordable housing in the borough.

The event convened senior officers and councillors with representatives from across the development sector. Attendees discussed planning policy, viability concerns, and the wider context of building in a borough known for its high standards, engaged residents and protected natural environments.

Councillor Jim Millard, Lead Member for Finance and Resources, opened the session by reaffirming the Council’s determination to unlock housing opportunities despite national and local pressures.

He said: “We know Richmond upon Thames is a place of great opportunity but also some very real challenges. We also know the need for more genuinely affordable homes is very great. This event shows that we are committed to listening and collaborating with partners to find ways forward.”

Presentations on the Council’s emerging Local Plan, Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD), and approach to viability were followed by table discussions and a Q&A with senior planning officers.

Councillor Chris Varley, Lead Member for Housing, said: “We are serious about improving how we work with developers and housing providers, to facilitate the delivery of the affordable homes we need. That means being honest about the difficulties but also open to new ideas and solutions. This breakfast was a first step in building a more consistent and constructive relationship with the sector.”

Participants were invited to share their perspectives on two key questions:

• What are the challenges to delivering affordable housing in the borough?
• What could we do to mitigate those challenges?

The event forms part of Richmond Council’s broader housing strategy to build a fairer and more inclusive borough, with affordable housing at its core, and feedback will help shape the Council’s ongoing housing delivery and strategy work.