Intervention Point 5: Redefine Housing as National Infrastructure
🗺 What are we trying to do?
We want the UK Government to legally classify housing as part of the nation’s infrastructure — just like roads, railways, and energy networks. This would force every level of government to treat housing delivery, quality, and location as critical to national wellbeing.
🎯 What will this achieve?
- Prioritises housing in public investment and national budgeting
- Enables joined-up planning between homes, transport, and public services
- Protects affordable and social housing from short-term market pressures
🏩 NATIONAL LEVEL – What should our MP do?
✅ 1. Propose an Infrastructure Status Bill
Push for legislation that:
- Adds housing to the statutory definition of infrastructure
- Requires national and local infrastructure strategies to include housing targets
✅ 2. Submit Written Questions
Ask HM Treasury and DLUHC:
- Why housing is not yet treated as critical infrastructure
- What steps would be needed to change this
✅ 3. Push for funding and delivery guarantees
Back reforms that:
- Tie infrastructure funding to housing affordability and need
- Enforce obligations on Homes England and local authorities to prioritise resilient housing delivery
🏡 LOCAL LEVEL (EHDC) – What can be done right now?
✅ 1. Use local planning to join up infrastructure and housing
Ensure new developments are:
- Planned alongside schools, roads, and energy networks
- Prioritised based on need and delivery likelihood
✅ 2. Declare housing as essential infrastructure in EHDC policy
Update Local Plan vision statements and SPD (Supplementary Planning Documents) to reflect housing’s central role.
✅ 3. Track infrastructure alignment in site assessments
Score sites not just on availability, but also how well they connect to services and deliver long-term community benefit.
🤝 What should our MP do locally?
- Support EHDC in using infrastructure scoring for housing
- Publicly promote EHDC’s efforts to align housing with long-term infrastructure
- Recommend EHDC as a case study in government consultations