Before the bid: what a council housing feasibility study needs to show

Councils across England are being encouraged to build again, and the government is funding the early work that makes that possible. The £21.8 million Council Housebuilding Support Fund is open to councils outside London until 2pm on 2 November 2026. It pays for eligible pre-development and enabling works that help councils prepare bids into the Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

At the heart of that early work is the feasibility study. Done well, it is the foundation of a strong bid. Done badly, it stores up problems that surface at planning or on site, when they are much more expensive to fix.

Five questions every feasibility should answer

How many homes can the site realistically take? Capacity should be tested against real constraints: access, daylight, overlooking, trees, services and neighbouring buildings. An optimistic number that falls apart at planning helps no one.

What tenure mix makes the numbers work? The balance of Social Rent, other affordable tenures and any market homes affects both viability and grant eligibility. It should be tested, not assumed.

Where are the planning risks? A good feasibility identifies the policy issues, heritage or character sensitivities and likely objections early, and sets out how they will be addressed.

What will residents and neighbours care about? On council land, existing residents are often directly affected. Understanding their priorities early makes engagement meaningful and planning more predictable.

Is it buildable within budget? Buildability and cost should be considered alongside design from the start, so that the scheme in the bid is the scheme that can be delivered.

Common pitfalls

The most common problems we see are feasibility studies that stop at a massing diagram, capacity figures that ignore constraints, and cost plans that do not reflect the design. Each of these weakens a bid and creates risk later.

Timing is another. Funding of this kind is generally expected to be spent in the year it is awarded, so councils need a clear brief and design support lined up from the outset.

Our approach

We treat feasibility as a design stage in its own right, led personally by our directors. We test options quickly, bring in cost and planning advice early, and focus on what a funding body, a planning committee and a future resident will each need to see.

Having supported councils through this stage on our own council housing work, we know how much a well-prepared feasibility can accelerate a pipeline. If your authority is preparing sites, we would be happy to talk through your options.

Talk to our directors → wr-ap.com/contactwrap