Moving beyond numbers: building homes that enhance health and wellbeing and long term value

By Phil Marsden, Managing Director, North West at Muse.

At the recent Quality of Life Symposium in Manchester (which Muse was delighted to sponsor), I had the opportunity to reflect on how we can move beyond a narrow focus on housing numbers to ensure that the homes and neighbourhoods we build truly support health and wellbeing. 

The UK’s housing crisis has reached a critical point, and while it’s clear that we need more homes, we must also ensure that what we build delivers long-term benefits to people and communities. In my opening gambit at the Symposium, I made four key points:

1. The numbers are important

There is no question that the sheer number of homes we need is staggering. The number of people living in temporary accommodation in Greater Manchester has risen 71% in the last four years with 7,500 children living in temporary accommodation. This is a stark reminder that we urgently need to build new homes, and fast. Targets like Greater Manchester’s goal to build 75,000 homes in the next five years are ambitious but they’re also necessary.

We must focus on the need to deliver more homes. However it’s imperative that the homes we build are of high quality – safe, well-designed, energy-efficient, and integrated into their communities. If we only focus on hitting targets without considering the quality and long-term sustainability of these homes, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past. 

2. Affordable housing equates to an investment with long-term benefits

One of the key challenges in meeting housing demand is ensuring the delivery of affordable homes. These homes are often financially challenging to develop with costs often outweighing value, which means significant grant support is needed. What is often overlooked though is the long-term value affordable homes bring.

Research from the National Housing Federation shows that social rented homes can generate significant savings and within 11 years the initial government funding to build the homes would be fully paid back. Over 30 years, these homes could save up to £12 billion in public spending by reducing pressure on health and social care services. 

By investing upfront in good quality, affordable homes, we can create lasting value for residents and society – improving health, wellbeing, and economic outcomes, and reducing long-term public sector costs.

Delivering homes, particularly truly affordable and low energy ones, will require significant upfront investment, but the benefits to people’s long term health and wellbeing along with the economic benefits to society make complete sense. 

3. Community engagement is vital for successful neighbourhoods

Building homes that truly enhance health and wellbeing is about more than just the bricks and mortar – it’s about creating communities where people feel connected and supported. Engaging with local people, understanding their needs, and working with them is essential. 

Community engagement is a vital part of the development process. If we involve residents early and ensure that their voices shape the places being built, we stand a much better chance of creating neighbourhoods that people want to live in and that will endure over time. 

It’s crucial we find ways to engage with all parts of the communities, not just those who engage through the usual consultation routes. This needs hard work, thinking differently about how we can engage and communicate with people and must involve trusted and respected community leaders. 

4. We need a shift to long-term thinking

Too often, developers take a transactional approach, building houses and moving on. What’s needed is a longer-term commitment and a true placemaking approach, from all parties – developers, local authorities, and communities – working in partnership to ensure that places are well thought out, maintained and cared for and continue to serve residents’ needs well into the future.

When developers take responsibility not just for the number of homes but for the quality and long-term stewardship of those homes, we create the foundation for neighbourhoods that are resilient and thriving.

Let’s build homes that support a better future

We have a unique opportunity to rethink housing delivery in the UK. If we focus not only on the number of homes but on ensuring those homes are high-quality, affordable, and built in partnership with local communities, we can build neighbourhoods that genuinely support health and wellbeing for generations to come.

The numbers definitely matter – but so does the future we are building.