Two Nations Under the Same Roof? Housing and the North-South Divide in the UK

• Main Author: David Fée
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique 2020-05-01
• Series: Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique
• Subjects: Housing; North-South divide; housing markets; post-devolution UK
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/5304

As a legacy of the industrial revolution, housing differences in the UK are frequently referred to in order to exemplify the so-called North-South divide. However, a closer analysis at UK housing markets shows that it is necessary to qualify if not debunk that concept. This article will examine the North-South divide not so much from a public policy perspective as from a housing markets and housing conditions perspective. Firstly, I shall briefly analyse the official discourse with regard to a North-South divide in housing. Next, I shall examine the issue of the rescaling of housing and the growing importance given to the sub-regional level in England. Secondly, I shall examine the relevance of the North-South divide in housing in the UK on the basis of four indicators (physical aspect, state of repair, tenure, prices). Thirdly, I shall raise the question of the emergence of new and more relevant housing divides in England. Finally, I shall explore the question of housing policy divergence in a post-devolution UK.