Call for collaboration for well-designed homes delivery

Government ministers are set to urge industry to embrace the latest innovations to make sure that the UK builds the high quality homes its needs.

Research has indicated that over 70 per cent of the public would support new residential developments in their regions if the buildings were well-designed and in keeping with their local area. In oder to achieve this and succeed on the government pledge to deliver 300,000 new homes by the mid-2020s, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is undertaking a number of innovative approaches.

This includes eight projects across 11 local authorities, backed by government funding, which will use modern methods of construction to build good quality homes, using the latest techniques, whilst helping to speed up housing delivery. In addition to this, the UK will seek to learn from other countries where good design is a key part of housing decision making. For example, based on an Australian model, the government will urge councils to set their own design quality standards, giving communities the ability to better reflect their own unique character in local planning policy.

Finally, the government aims to promote the use virtual reality (VR) technology, which will allow planners to visualise proposed new housing from the neighbour or homebuyer’s perspective before planning permission has been granted.

Speaking at the Design Quality Conference, Housing Secretary Sajid Javid is expected to say: “Our homes are the making of all of us, which is why today’s event on raising the bar on the quality of new homes is so important. This government is determined to make sure that high quality design is the norm rather than the exception.”

The conference will also include speakers from the Royal Institute of British Architects, Stephen Lawrence Trust, The Princes Foundation, Historic England and Homes England.