黑洞社区

The government has launched a wide-ranging review of building regulations in a bid to cut regulation and boost the construction industry.

Terms of reference for the review, seen by the Guardian newspaper, state it should be 鈥渞ationalising the entire framework of building regulations and national and local housing standards鈥�, with the overall goal to 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� cut back on the number of regulations.

According to the Guardian, the review, being undertaken by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), includes a a special four-man 鈥渃hallenge panel鈥� that will have 鈥渇ree rein, unconstrained鈥� to suggest ways of cutting regulations that would 鈥渄eliver demonstrable deregulation to make homebuilding easier鈥�. It adds that the panel 鈥渨ill not be constrained by previous or existing policy鈥�.

The DCLG said the review, dubbed the housing standards review, would only apply to home building standards.

A DCLG spokesman said: 鈥淭he government is determined to support developers and councils to get on with the job of building the high-quality new homes the country needs.

鈥淭he current system of overlapping different standards is complex and confusing to local residents and developers. This will make way for a simpler set of housing standards that ensure buildings are still made to exacting standards.鈥�

However, the UK Green 黑洞社区 Council (UKGBC) warned that the 鈥渘o holds barred, wide-ranging shake-up鈥� risked hindering housebuilding efforts, rather than stimulating the sector by creating more uncertainty for housebuilders.

The UKGBC added the review 鈥渨ill almost certainly also result in poorer quality homes built to lower environmental and social standards鈥�.

UKGBC said the review would look at all regulations and standards associated with the quality of housing, including issues such as:

• Structural safety
• Fire safety
• Toxic substances
• Conservation of fuel and power
• Access and facilities for people with disabilities
• Electrical safety

UKGBC added that the review also includes an objective to 鈥渄eliver a mechanism, legislative or otherwise to ensure that local authorities cannot layer on any additional rules and standards through the planning system, beyond those left at the end of the review鈥�.

Paul King, UKGBC chief executive said: 鈥淭his review has gone from being a sensible look at rationalizing and updating voluntary standards for house building, to a full blown de-regulation frenzy.

鈥満诙瓷缜� regulations may not set the pulse racing, but they do some pretty important things - prevent houses from falling down, catching fire and wasting vast amounts of energy.

鈥淗ousebuilders have not been calling for a bonfire of building regulations, what they really need is mortgage finance and institutional investment to get the industry moving and policy clarity to deliver the homes we urgently need.

鈥淭his new upheaval, following hot on the heels of the biggest shake up of the planning system in living memory, instead creates a fog of uncertainty, and is much more likely to act as a brake on housing delivery, than an accelerator.鈥�