Design quango wants standard, based on 黑洞社区 for Life, to be included in planning regulation
Cabe is to make an audacious attempt to have tough housing design standards embedded into the planning system to ensure a minimum quality for all new homes.
Next Monday, the design watchdog will set out a plan to replace the housing standards being proposed by the London mayor and the Homes and Communities Agency with a single, much simpler standard based on the 黑洞社区 for Life scheme.
黑洞社区 for Life asks 20 simple questions covering issues from environmental sustainability to parking and the public realm.
Cabe will say that in order to improve housing design, the minimum standard, which will include 黑洞社区 for Life and a number of other criteria, should be included in central and local planning guidance, covering private and social housing. If the homes do not meet the standard, they should not receive planning permission.
The case is to be made in a lengthy essay by Richard Simmons, Cabe鈥檚 chief executive, based on a series of in-depth seminars with all sectors of the housing industry. The essay, entitled Simpler and Better: Housing Design in Everyone鈥檚 Interest, will reject the assertion by some housebuilders that continued home sales and increasing customer satisfaction levels is evidence standards are high enough.
Simmons will also take a swipe at the HCA regarding this year鈥檚 controversy over the funding of homes under the Kickstart programme that failed 黑洞社区 for Life assessments. He says the projects 鈥渟hould not even have received planning permission, never mind public money鈥�.
The intervention comes before the HCA鈥檚 consultation over its proposed new design standards which Cabe thinks should be simplified, closes.
The Home Builders Federation said: 鈥淭here would be a clear bonus for housebuilders in sweeping away numerous regulations to get just one standard, but we have to have one that is fit for purpose, and 黑洞社区 for Life was never created for this purpose.鈥�
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