Rural areas ''demand good design''

Good design is especially important for properties in rural areas so that they fit in with the rest of the village, according to one property expert.

Judith Derbyshire from the Cumbria Rural Housing Trust says that 82 per cent of new housing fails to measure up to design standards according to figures form the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment''s Housing Audit.

Some 29 per cent of new builds have such rotten designs that they were deemed unsuitable to have received planning permission.

Ms Derbyshire said: "There are places where, to fit housing into villages which have got interesting architecture and interesting design already, you have got to do good design.

"It is possible to do this and it is possible to do it at not too high a price."

She added that some home improvements even save money such as good insulation and recycling water which can help make savings on energy bills.


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