Housing quality a priority says CABE

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has said that millions of Britons may not get the homes they need by 2020 unless housing quality is improved.

To combat such problems, CABE has said that all new homes should be measured against the Building for Life standard, which measures a home's design and construction quality as well as its location in the community, local roads and several other qualities.

Improving the quality of homes will also make it less likely that local residents will view building plans as an imposition on their community, the CABE added.

"The public assume that new build homes will be a scar on their neighbourhood, rather than an asset to it," commented CABE chief executive Richard Simmons.

"Putting quality first offers the best chance of reducing the local and regional objections that often delay the planning process and slow down the release of land.

"We need three million homes, not least to house the nurses and teachers who will serve these new communities. But it’s quality that will help unlock the numbers," Mr Simmons concluded.

The government announced last week that a new Homes and Communities Agency will oversee the planned increase in house building.


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