Welcome to Copenhagen-on-the-Mersey. Why can’t we have more Miller’s Quays?

Charting a course through the murky waters of the housing crisis, from an expert

Dear members — you’ll often read that the UK is experiencing a housing crisis. This is accepted virtually as fact. It’s one of many reasons the government are staring down the barrel of a historic beating whenever the general election comes along. 

Finding the balance between simply getting more houses built pronto but doing so in a way that isn’t damaging to existing populations is a complex business. So-called wars between NIMBYs (at least that’s what they are to their enemies) and pro-growthers seem to spring up every other week, not least in Merseyside; Waterloo Dock, Springfield Park, New Ferry and on and on and on. 

In today’s piece Professor Alex Lord — who teaches Regional Planning in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Liverpool — explains how we might arrive at a housing policy that recognises the scale of the crisis while better suiting the needs of local populations.