𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Mansion blocks and mid-rise houses famous in the poshest parts of London could prove the solution to the housing crisis, the Tories have said. Sir James Cleverly, the party’s housing spokesman, has backed a new report that calls for the government to prioritise building high-density beautiful homes popular in parts of London like Kensington, Victoria and Marylebone.

The Policy Exchange think tank argues that such a policy could lead to an extra 200,000 homes in Birmingham alone. It calls for the government to recognise that high-density homes do not require ugly, soulless high-rise flats, but can instead be achieved in the same way the Victorians managed over a hundred years ago. The paper says that mid-rise housing can be up to 40% cheaper to build than tall apartment blocks, meaning quicker construction and cheaper homes for struggling first-time buyers.

Backing the report, Sir James said he welcomed the call to revive traditional style building that make beautiful homes no longer the preserve of the ultra-rich.

He said: “Britain once created some of the most successful high-density neighbourhoods in the world, and then we stopped building them.

“Places like Marylebone, Kensington and Maida Vale are not dense because of tower blocks and high-rise, but because of mansion blocks and mid-rise streets that combine character and community.

“This welcome Policy Exchange report shows how we can revive those traditions and once again deliver high-density developments that people actually want to live in. It reminds us that beauty is not a luxury – it’s the foundation of places that endure, attract investment, and win local support. If we want to build more homes, we must build them beautifully, so that good design and high density go hand in hand.”

The report is also supported by Labour MP for Dagenham Margaret Mullane, who said the proposals would prevent ugly high-rise towers and urban sprawl.

She called on the government to revisit “what worked in earlier eras, mansion-style blocks in towns and cities.”

Policy Exchange’s paper reveals a huge failure to build densely even in the most high-rise parts of London.

It calculates that the new skyscraper-studded Nine Elms development near Battersea has achieved an overall density of just 88 dwellings per hectare.

However over the river in pimlico, the stucco-fronted townhouses provided a much higher 200 dwellings per hectare.

While London is the most dense city in Britain, it remains one of the least dense capital cities in Europe, beating just Oslo, Dublin and Rome.

The policy proposals, if adopted by the government, could lead to an extra one million homes being built in the capital, significantly easing its housing crisis.

Under the proposals by the think tank, the government would adopt a new ’S.M.A.R.T. density strategy’, which would prioritise Streets & Spaces (S), Mid-Rise & Mansion Blocks (M), Activity & Aesthetics (A), Residents & Regulations (R) and Transport (T).

The Labour government came to power on a pledge to build 1.5 million homes in its first term, however official figures suggest they are well off course.

In their first year, the party oversaw just 190,000 new homes built, even fewer than the previous government managed during Covid lockdowns.