Members of the Family Building Society are calling on the government to make greater use of brownfield land and underused commercial property to help address the UK’s housing shortage.
The view emerges from the society’s latest six-monthly survey of members’ financial wellbeing, which suggests a strong appetite for practical planning solutions rather than large-scale greenfield expansion.
More than half of respondents said they want to see brownfield sites prioritised for new housing development.
Alongside this, 47% were supportive of converting empty office buildings into residential property, reflecting growing acceptance of adaptive reuse as part of the housing mix.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
Alistair Nimmo, director of marketing at the Family Building Society, said: “This, our latest survey, shows that our members want practical solutions to be applied to solving the housing crisis.
“While using brownfield land for new home development presents its own challenges, it’s a welcome sign that the recent additional of ‘grey belt’ land into the National Planning Policy Framework will hopefully encourage more development on previously redundant land.
“Our members’ positive view on office and commercial premises conversions is encouraging as it highlights the need to breathe new life into city centres, but any empty building conversion needs to focus on quality, be architect led and be of a high standard.”
INCREASE HOUSING SUPPLY
The findings come amid continued debate over how best to increase housing supply, with policymakers under pressure to balance delivery targets against environmental concerns and local opposition to greenfield development.
The Family Building Society said its Financial Autumn 2025 survey was sent to 27,269 members and received 4,276 responses, representing a response rate of 15.7%. This was higher than the November 2024 survey, which attracted 2,715 responses from 19,090 members, a response rate of 14.2%.
According to the society, the increased engagement suggests members are taking a growing interest in the wider policy choices shaping the housing market, particularly those that may influence affordability, urban regeneration and long-term sustainability.
