Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 2 October 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure high aesthetic standards in new housing developments; and what discussions she had with the Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment on this issue.
The Government have taken a number of steps to raise design standards, including for new housing developments. Planning policy and guidance has been strengthened to require good design. This has been backed by additional work to encourage innovation, to provide capacity building and support and to promote the take-up of good practice. We are now looking to see better delivery at the local level.
Our policy in "Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development" (PPS1) sets out general principles and policies for planning, and makes it clear that good design is indivisible from good planning. PPS1 needs to be taken into account by all planning authorities in the preparation of development plans and it may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications. The policy is supported by good practice guidance such as "By Design—better places to live and Safer Places—the Planning System and Crime Prevention". We have also tested out new tools to help deliver quality developments, including piloting the use of Design Coding.
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The Government are also promoting innovation through a series of schemes, such as the Millennium Communities programme and the Design for Manufacture competition which has resulted in practical lessons for the house-building industry, including how to reduce construction costs while retaining high standards of quality as well as how to build houses at a high density. The competition also suggests further opportunities to cut costs and improve design for social housing, making it possible to build more homes.
Work continues to provide support and reward success, particularly through spreading of best practice and improving design skills. The Government support the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). Their work to promote the adoption of design champions within local authorities and at a senior level within the mass house builders, the design training programmes which they deliver, and their advice on specific development proposals are all making an important contribution to raising standards. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Housing Design Awards recognises those partnerships that have delivered exemplary housing developments, large and small.
To overcome skills barriers, the Government have recently established a new Academy for Sustainable Communities. This is working with others to deliver the cutting edge skills and knowledge to make better places for people now and in the future.
CABE is the Government's advisor and champion for improving urban design, and therefore DCLG Ministers and officials meet with CABE for a variety of reasons. I hosted a seminar in February 2006 to discuss improving housing design quality, where CABE presented the findings of their recent Housing Audits. CABE are also closely involved in the development of the Thames Gateway Strategic Framework and presented progress on their work at a meeting I chaired on
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