An 11% year-on-year increase in the UK’s housing stock has been attributed to a rise in the number of offices and shops being converted into flats.
Recent figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) reveal that there were 189, 650 dwellings added to the housing stock in England between April 2015 and March 2016, marking an 11% increase on the year before.
Traditional new-build properties rose by 8,860 units to 163,940, but the most marked increase was ‘change of use’, with 30,600 new units compared with 20,650 the year before, of which 12,824 were offices converted into flats.
The Centre Point building in London offers a prime example of the potential with office to flat conversions, and there are many 1960s concrete office blocks in Croydon no longer fit for modern commercial use that have also been converted.
Four years ago, around half the office space in Croydon was empty but the area has since seen a frenzy of office conversion activity, with the boom partly being down to new ‘permitted development rights’, which allow developers to proceed without conventional planning permission.
Michele Wietscher, director at Newview Windows & Conservatories, says this trend has been an opportunity for the business, but it is not without its downsides, she commented: “There are lots of conversion projects happening in and around the London area, where old office blocks are being transformed into studios and apartments.
“There are downsides to the trend though. Critics say many units fail to meet minimum space standards. We need affordable living but not at the expense of quality of living. Another con is the reduction in office stock, which is driving up prices for businesses looking to relocate to serviced office space.”
