Forum Topic

New Housing is Mediocre or Poor Housing

A new report from UCL is not at all complimentary about new housing:https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/jan/new-housing-design-england-overwhelmingly-mediocre-or-poorThe Housing Secretary wants Beautiful Homes:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/housing-secretary-beautiful-homes-should-become-normThe Press Release includes this:"The government published a national design guide in October 2019. This sets out how councils can demand better design from developers and inspire the next generation of beautiful communities."and the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission report includes this:"I want to see zero-carbon homes being built as standard within 5 years as we learn again how our built and natural environments can work in harmony."And there's more - so much more - including trees and trees and trees!Meanwhile I saw a twitter message to the Minister from the Manchester Cladiators pointing out that there are many people who are still living in housing with flammable cladding which they themselves cannot afford have changed and they have to live with fire wardens patrolling their new homes...  and bills for that dropping on the mat.https://www.facebook.com/McrCladiators/

Philippa Bond ● 2316d11 Comments

https://resource.co/article/report-shows-rise-rough-sleepers-sheltering-binsMore tragedies just waiting to happen.

Philippa Bond ● 2295d

who it seems have made no arrangements for the removal of cladding on their buildings.https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/24/half-a-million-people-in-uk-live-in-flats-with-unsafe-cladding-report

Philippa Bond ● 2295d

A lot of MPs with constituents with problems with their cladded housing both high rise and now not so high rise since there have been some changes made have been discussing this in the parliamentary debate here.I was right there is a difference in Scotland who updated their Building Regulations more recently than in England.  Aren't we four Housing Ministers later now?!

Philippa Bond ● 2303d

A link to go with that posthttps://members.parliament.uk/member/4788/contributions

Michael Ixer ● 2304d

I see Fleur Anderson has been raising the issue of cladding in Parliament. It occurs to me that emergency legislation to stop the forfeiture of leases where they can't be sold because of cladding would focus the mind and ease pressure on leaseholders?

Michael Ixer ● 2304d

Exactly but it's not that easy.

Philippa Bond ● 2304d

Before anyone worries about beauty, which is in the eye of the beholder, anybody involved in planning and development should be concentrating on quality and good workmanship.  I don't know much about new housing, but I would assume there is a long and legally binding guarantee on the sturdiness and sound quality of new builds?

Bunny Payne ● 2304d

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/fears-cladding-scandal-could-grow-as-mortgages-refused-on-buildings-under-18m-65081Shouldn't we have a moratorium on new high rise buildings until all these questions have been answered?  Or will they never be?

Philippa Bond ● 2304d

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.  There seems to be a lot of controversy over whether only some architecture eg classical and gothic can be beautiful rather than including anything modern.https://www.dezeen.com/2020/01/30/living-with-beauty-building-better-building-beautiful-housing-commission-final-report/#disqus_threadI happen to think Adelaide Wharf is beautiful but it seems that the failure of regulation and testing of materials/lack of updating etc is now causing problems here.

Philippa Bond ● 2304d

How can "Beauty" be defined by Law?

Caroline Whitehead ● 2315d

"The government published a national design guide in October 2019. This sets out how councils can demand better design from developers and inspire the next generation of beautiful communities."This should be a law. The appalling design standards of domestic developments around the country should be criminalised. The current future architectural legacy is depressing compared to that left by early twentieth century developers, never mind the Victorians.

Freddie Francis ● 2315d