{"id":152479,"date":"2020-03-09T08:56:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T08:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/uncategorised\/good-growth-by-design-safeguards-amenities-and-ensures-good-quality-housing"},"modified":"2020-08-06T15:59:39","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T14:59:39","slug":"good-growth-by-design-safeguards-amenities-and-ensures-good-quality-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/good-growth-by-design-safeguards-amenities-and-ensures-good-quality-housing","title":{"rendered":"Good Growth by Design safeguards amenities and ensures good-quality housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

We hear repeatedly about the low quality output of much of our housing design. According to a recent report by University College London for CPRE and the Place Alliance, the design of new housing developments in England is overwhelmingly \u2018mediocre\u2019 or \u2018poor\u2019, with less-affluent communities the worst-affected. Plus \u00e7a change<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We learn from these reports how the worst new estates lack nearby amenities such as shops, pubs and caf\u00e9s. They are unconnected to surrounding areas, with few public transport links. They lack green space and playgrounds and do little to encourage cycling and walking. The architecture is standardised and undistinctive, with affordable housing sometimes concentrated together, rather than mixed in with private homes.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, advocates such as Julia Park have highlighted the shocking quality of some housing carried out under permitted development rights, with homes being created as small as 13m\u00b2. Take away a policy safety net and we damage people\u2019s life chances, compromise their health and wellbeing, and leave a poorer-quality environment. The need for policies to promote good growth by design have not gone away.<\/p>\n

This week, as part of the Good Growth by Design<\/a> programme, the Mayor of London has published the draft Good Quality Housing for all Londoners Supplementary Planning Guidance<\/em><\/a>, which, with the team at City Hall and our consultant team, we have drafted. It sets out how to achieve the right quantity of new housing, at the right quality, in the right places, and sought to address inclusivity and multi-generational needs. It is centred around people and communities and prioritises the health and wellbeing of those living in urban environments.<\/p>\n

As well as facing a housing crisis, we face a global climate emergency and therefore another key priority of the guidance is to emphasise the role of sustainability and the circular economy in meeting London\u2019s ambition to be a zero-carbon city by 2050.<\/p>\n

The suite of documents aims to bring together and communicate national level regulation and new London Plan housing design policy by establishing a methodology for determining optimum site capacity at both the plan-making and development management levels, guidance on the preparation of design codes for incremental residential intensification of small sites, and a refresh of the London housing design quality standards.<\/p>\n

We also took a typological approach that drew upon what is good about London\u2019s existing housing stock while not stifling innovation. A significant number of case studies<\/a> are used to illustrate the guidance and to showcase sites that the Mayor deems to be exemplary.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

The guidance is aimed at landowners, prospective developers, architects and wider design teams, planners and decision-makers across the public, private and community sectors. However, each module will be of greater interest to particular parties. The guidance also hopes to provide local communities with confidence that the Mayor is determined to work with development partners to deliver growth that safeguards amenity and helps ensure that all Londoners have a good quality of life.<\/p>\n

\n

Module A: Optimising Site Capacity \u2013 A Design-led Approach <\/em><\/a>advocates a design-led methodology for optimising site capacity at the plan-making stage. It is aimed at borough policy officers when calculating capacity on a site and will be particularly useful for site allocations. It sets out an approach to assessing sites\u2019 suitability for development and offers a tool for assessing site capacity.<\/p>\n

Module B: Small Sites \u2013 Assessing Quality and Preparing Design Codes <\/em><\/a>explores the typical conditions found across London which might be suitable for small site development and offers examples of how a borough could write design codes. It contains two template design codes to support incremental intensification of residential areas. These design codes link to Housing Design \u2013 Quality and Standards identified in Module C to ensure the development meets the relevant standards and quality. Case studies of successful small sites development are included in Module D and can be referenced when writing codes as best practice examples.<\/p>\n

Module C: Housing Design \u2013 Quality and Standards <\/em><\/a>updates the London Housing Design Guide (2010). It is aimed at borough development management officers and developers and their design teams seeking planning permission.<\/p>\n

Module D: Housing Design \u2013 Case Studies and Appendices <\/em><\/a>is a library of best practice case studies, additional information on the planning process and a glossary of terms used within the Supplementary Planning Guidance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The guidance will formally be consulted on after the Mayoral election, but it\u2019s never too soon to enact its recommendations. If we recognise that, as Confucius said, \u2018the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home\u2019 \u2013 then the time to raise the quality of our housing design has never been more pressing.<\/p>\n

Alex Ely is a founding director of\u00a0Mae<\/a>\u00a0and a Mayor\u2019s Design Advocate<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We hear repeatedly about the low quality output of much of our housing design. According to a recent report by University College London for CPRE and the Place Alliance, the design of new housing developments in England is overwhelmingly \u2018mediocre\u2019 or \u2018poor\u2019, with less-affluent communities the worst-affected. Plus \u00e7a change. We learn from these reports …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79508,"featured_media":535177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[4276,6415,1517,2843],"yoast_head":"\nGood Growth by Design safeguards amenities and ensures good-quality housing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Mayor of London, with the help of 50 design advocates, is aiming to achieve the right quantity of new housing, at the right quality, in the right places, says Alex Ely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/good-growth-by-design-safeguards-amenities-and-ensures-good-quality-housing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta 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