NEWhomes


‘it’s shameful’, says riBa ceo Harry Rich, RIBA Chief Executive said, “Our homes should be places that enhance our lives and well-being. However, as our new research confirms, thousands of cramped houses - shameful shoe box homes – are being churned out all over the country, depriving households of the space they need to live comfortably and cohesively. “At a time when the Government, house building industry, economists and house buyers and renters are concerned about whether we are building enough new homes in the UK, it might seem odd to suggest that the focus should move to thinking about the quality of those homes. And yet this is the very time to do so. In a rush to build quickly and cheaply we risk storing up unnecessary problems for the future. There does not need to be any contradiction between building or refurbishing enough homes and making sure that they are of the highest quality. “It seems clear that people have too little influence on the design,


quality and size of homes available to them. The RIBA’s Homewise Campaign will engage households, architects, builders and policy- makers in a conversation about how to deliver homes to meet or exceed the real needs of our population in the 21st Century. This report is the beginning of the conversation. We hope to ask the right questions and we look forward to working in partnership with consumers, housebuilders, government and many others as we seek the answers.”


the right kiNd of homes Sir John Banham, Chair of the Future Homes Commission said, “We want to find out from people what they think about their homes and communities where new homes are being built as well


as garner intelligence and research from industry about the housing market before making some recommendations about what might happen next. “It seems clear to me from my recent work in


Thousands of


cramped houses shameful


shoebox houses are being


churned out.


harry rich ceo, riBa


Cornwall, from industry and when looking at local government that there are some fundamental issues that need to be addressed to ensure we have more of the right kind of affordable homes in villages, towns and cities right across Britain. I am convinced that there is no necessary conflict between addressing the current housing crisis effectively and protecting the countryside. But new thinking and financing approaches will be needed, which I hope and expect the Future Homes Commission will be able to provide.”


‘No compromise’ says Boris The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said,


“In London we want to see new developments that enrich the capital’s architectural vernacular and that will be admired and cherished for decades to come. This is why, despite challenging economic times, we have successfully introduced clear guidance to improve the design standards of new developments to ensure that homes have the space people need to lead happy, fulfilling lives. It is vital that we build more homes to boost the economy, but as RIBA’s campaign rightly points out, we must not compromise on quality and design to do so.” Inevitably, the housebuilders aren’t so delighted with the report,


the HBF said the report was over-simplistic by failing to address issues such as land supply, economic viability, regional variations and – crucially – the planning system. HBF Executive Chairman, Stewart Baseley said, “This report is a


disappointing missed opportunity. We’ll happily work with RIBA and others but if they are serious about the future of housing in this country they must support the proposed National Planning Policy Framework and ensure that they fully understand the pressures on land and viability that home builders face every day. “Even with these constraints developers are building the homes


that people can afford, that this country desperately needs and providing billions of pounds of investment in infrastructure and the environment.” And CLG were rather on the defensive too, a spokesman for


Communities and Local Government said, “Developers must deliver the homes that communities need and buyers want – and that includes ensuring the homes they build meet families’ needs. That’s why ministers scrapped the minimum density targets that they argue contributed to a lack of family-sized homes and flats that are so in demand. “But key to this is putting local communities themselves in


You were lucky. There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t’shoebox in t’middle o’ road.”


control, which is why, under our planning reforms, neighbourhoods will be able to design and vote on their own plans for the future of their areas, giving them the chance to exercise meaningful choice over the type and size of homes that are built, and giving developers the chance to benefit from a smoother process for getting planning permission by working with local people from the start.”


www.propertydrum.com/articles/Shoeboxhomes Do you have any views on this? Log on and add your comments.


PROPERTYdrum OCTOBER 2011 49


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68