The UK's housing crisis remains a pressing concern, with a government pledge to build one million new homes by the end of the current parliament. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is now emphasising the potential of inner cities as a solution, ensuring new homes won't be built by "concreting over the countryside". While the government's approach shows promise, platforms like Searchland could play a vital role in supporting Sunak's vision.

In fact, we already quickly found over 644,000 legitimate potential sites for development in built up areas of the UK.

These sites have undergone thorough filtering to ensure viable development opportunities. Each site meets the following criteria: over 90% of the total area is undeveloped, has a maximum of two addresses and is a freehold tenure, guaranteeing ample space and actual potential for development. While not all these sites are located specifically within 'inner cities,' they are in urban areas, eliminating the need to build on green spaces in the countryside.

Building two unit on each of these plots would hit Sunak’s target 

Inner cities tend to get overlooked as potential locations for housing development, however, Sunak's focus on urban regeneration offers hope for these areas. With existing infrastructure, amenities, and proximity to essential services, inner cities hold untapped potential for sustainable housing solutions - we think so too!

Michael Gove's plans to reform the planning system, as Minister for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, aim to streamline converting disused buildings into homes and reduce red tape for home extensions and loft conversions. Finding these opportunities, once a lengthy task, can now easily be done on a platform like Searchland using our Sourcing Tool. 

Leveraging Searchland to empower the housing revolution 

Rishi Sunak's strategic focus on inner cities as a solution to the housing crisis brings renewed hope to address the pressing issue. By emphasising urban regeneration and simplifying planning restrictions, the government aims to strike a balance between development and preservation.

In this mission, platforms like Searchland play a crucial role in supporting developers to source off-market opportunities and contribute to delivering new homes to solve the housing crisis. 

If you want to know more about Searchland and how the platform can help you, as a developer, source more sites in or outside cities, book a demo with our team here.