Infilling council estates with new housing is contentious. If you live in a garden-less flat in a dense, polluted part of town, you might argue it’s wrong to reduce communal green space for a few extra homes. But with private developers failing to deliver enough social housing, even on large, ex-council sites, infill housing offers local authorities a way to cut waiting lists.

Trevor Morriss explores this dilemma in his recent article for BD, warning that faith in infill homes as a housing crisis fix could sacrifice community spaces and social infrastructure in the rush to densify urban neighbourhoods. He highlighted six homes planned for a ‘village green’ on a small estate in south London, where a community centre and children’s play space would be demolished. Morriss argues this compromises an ‘already limited local amenity,’ concluding that ‘homes on their own do not make a community.’ He calls instead for solutions that balance housing delivery with the social infrastructure residents need.

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