Mind the (Viability) Gap: How England Can Deliver Social and Affordable Housing at Scale

A new report from the Purposeful Finance Commission, with WPI as secretariat, explores how England can deliver social and affordable housing at scale.

The report identifies a widening “viability gap” as the core barrier to delivery, with rising land, construction and regulatory costs increasingly making schemes unworkable even where need is high. It argues that closing this gap will require action across regulation, land, funding and planning, rather than isolated policy changes.

It calls for a more coordinated regulatory system, more viable land to be brought forward, a more predictable funding environment, and earlier, more effective community engagement. Taken together, the Commission argues these reforms could help unlock the delivery of social and affordable homes at the scale England needs.