Newham Secures £740k Grant for Standardised Housing Designs

Newham Council has secured a £740,000 grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to develop a standardised book of house designs. This initiative aims to streamline the housebuilding process, reduce costs, and accelerate the delivery of new homes across local authorities.

The grant, accepted by Interim Chief Executive Paul Martin on March 26, 2026, will fund the creation of architectural templates for housing. These designs will focus on building structure and technical elements, allowing individual local authorities to adapt the external appearance to suit their specific areas. The project is a collaborative effort involving Newham Council as the lead authority, other local authorities, and the MHCLG.

The pattern book is intended to be deliverable at scale, requiring input from the supply chain and warranty providers. Newham Council will procure architectural expertise to develop these designs. Those selected will need sufficient architectural experience/technical understanding of the design of houses to deliver a pattern book. Their scope will encompass leading the design phase, consulting with the Local Authority working group, incorporating site-specific considerations, meeting the group's design objectives, and integrating MHCLG policy considerations. The grant will also fund viability assessments, cost modelling, site assessment, planning advice and any other relevant means to maximise accelerated delivery of standard house designs, suggesting these aspects may also fall within the procured expertise's remit.

A working group, comprising representatives from participating local authorities, the MHCLG, and sector stakeholders, will guide the development of the pattern book. Designs will be developed collaboratively and agreed upon by the working group and the MHCLG. Initially, the focus will be on larger sites to maximise housing supply benefits, with the potential for mid-rise and apartment block developments to be included.

This initiative aligns with Newham Council's Corporate Plan 2022-26, Building a Fairer Newham, which sets a target of providing at least 1,500 new homes by 2026. The pattern book is expected to speed up the design process, reduce pre-construction costs, and support the delivery of homes using off-site construction methods.

The grant funding is expected to be used over the financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27. The Memorandum of Understanding between the MHCLG and Newham Council outlines the financial arrangements, with the grant covering all costs associated with Newham's role as the lead local authority. The council will be responsible for managing risks associated with the project and ensuring that any procured third parties make the designs open access. A key identified risk is that the project will overspend. This will be mitigated through the Council's budget monitoring process, and through the milestones review Working Group, which includes the MHCLG. The council is also responsible for mitigation of any risks that arise throughout the delivery of the Fund and will review any provisions within the grant and keep identified risks under review throughout the grant period. The legal implications of the grant agreement, including potential clawback of funding for breach of conditions, are also noted as a risk that the council's legal team will review.

Key milestones for the project include the formation of the working group in April 2026, procurement of technical expertise in April 2026, and the development of the pattern book between April and September 2026. The agreement of the pattern book and potential sites is targeted for September 2026. The project is expected to be completed by April 2027. The process for updating or expanding the pattern book in the future is not detailed.

The decision was made by Interim Chief Executive Paul Martin on March 26, 2026, and notified to all Members on March 27, 2026. This decision is not subject to call-in and can be implemented from March 27, 2026.

More details on this decision can be found in the Public minutes 27th-Mar-2026 Officer Key Decision and the CE Decision Report MHCLG Pattern House Grant. The Memorandum of Understanding between the MHCLG and Newham Council is available as Appendix 1 - MoU Pattern Book.