Report criticises private housing

Ninety-four per cent of new private housing in the north of England fails to measure up on design quality, an audit by a buildings watchdog has claimed.

The study, conducted by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), reviewed the design quality of 93 schemes built over the last three years by the ten largest volume house builders in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber.

Only 6% of the new developments were rated as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ by the report, while nearly a quarter were judged to be ‘poor’. Seventy per cent were rated as ‘average’.

The main problems identified in the report included poor parking provision, badly designed streets and public space, poor layout and a failure to create places with a sense of character and identity.

Richard Simmons, CABE Chief Executive, said: “These latest findings show that the design quality of new housing is a national problem. We are planning to build the largest number of new homes for decades and yet almost a quarter of them built in the last three years are judged to be ‘poor’ and the vast majority are simply average.

“Every major volume house builder has won design-related awards in the last few years – so there’s proof that they can all do it. What we need is real commitment and ambition on the part of developers and local authorities alike to deliver great places for people to live.”

The CABE report made a number of recommendations, including encouraging local authorities to reject bad designs; and the government to ensure that design remains a central part of new planning guidance.

Commenting on the report, Housing and Planning Minister at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Yvette Cooper, said: “Good design makes a real difference to people’s lives and is vital for creating safe and attractive communities. Significant progress has been made but developers must up their game so it becomes the norm for homes to be built to excellent design standards.”

(KMcA/SP)