Well-designed, high quality homes and tree-lined streets should be the ‘norm – not the exception’, Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has said following the launch of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission’s final report.
Living in Beauty – the first report of its kind led by the late Sir Roger Scruton and Nicolas Boys Smith – contains over 130 practical recommendations to support the creation of more beautiful communities, including:
- planting millions of trees over the next 5 years, as well as opening old canals and supporting every home to have its own or access to a fruit tree
- speeding up the planning process for beautiful buildings through a new ‘Fast Track for Beauty’ rule for councils
- increasing democracy and involving communities in local plans and planning applications, including using digital technology like virtual reality and 3D modelling to help locals shape their own areas
Welcoming the report at the Garden Museum, Lambeth, the Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said the findings were important not least because of the powerful argument it makes that a sense of place still matters.
“It recognises that our identities go hand in hand with the places and neighbourhoods in which we live and work,” he added “That’s why beautiful, high-quality homes must become the norm, not the exception.
Mr Jenrick said that there was plenty of evidence that instead of holding housebuilding back “championing quality would help us go further”.
Following the launch of the report RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “The ‘Living with Beauty’ report exposes just how many public sector policies actively discriminate against the delivery of good, safe and sustainable buildings.
“The Commission’s views on the value of design and lack of resource at local level are echoed by the RIBA; and architects will recognise the withering assessment of public sector procurement practices.
“The Commission has rightly condemned Permitted Development Rights (PDR), which leave local authorities powerless to stop the development of poor-quality and potentially dangerous “slum” housing. The Government must acknowledge the dire impacts of this policy and urgently address the Commission’s findings.
“The Commission’s acknowledgement of work to expand routes to becoming an architect is welcome. I am proud of the new architecture apprenticeships and hope that the Government will now take the necessary steps to restart the next stage of education reform.”
The Housing Minister continued that he was interested in the proposal of a “fast track for beauty”. Where individuals and developers have put in the time to create proposals for well-designed buildings, which use high quality-materials and take account of their local setting, it can’t be right their planning applications are held up.
“I too want to see a return to planting more trees,” he said. “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 the report is right that local authorities will need to play a leading role in this design revolution. We will need to ensure they have the right skills and leadership to fully carry out their role as place-makers.”
Cllr David Renard, the Local Government Association’s planning spokesman, said that councils are committed to building the homes the country desperately needs and healthy prosperous places for people to live, work and play in.
“We want to work with government on standards to future-proof all new homes and ensure they are accessible for all ages and environmentally sustainable,” he added.
“It is vital that the planning process is protected as part of this, and that local communities have a say over the area they live in. This is the best way to ensure homes are built to high standards with the necessary infrastructure in place, and affordable housing provided.
“Planning departments also need to be properly resourced, and allowed to set their own planning fees, with taxpayers currently footing a £200 million annual bill to cover the cost of processing applications.
“Planning is not a barrier to housebuilding with councils approving nine in 10 planning applications and are granting permission for more homes than are being built.
“We are pleased this report recognises the challenges around permitted development rules. We urge Government to go further and scrap them altogether, handing communities back the ability to oversee all developments.”
