Housing Design Standards Evidence Summary
Housing Design Standards Evidence Summary
July 2010
Summary of evidence on proposed housing design standards for the
Examination in Public of the draft replacement London Plan
Contents
1. Executive summary
2. Introduction
3. The need for housing design standards
3.1 Historic trends and approach in housing standards
3.2 Current standards context
3.3 The London context
3.4 International comparisons
3.5 Benefits
3.6 Mayor's proposed standards
4. The need for space standards
4.1 Importance of space
4.2 Resident needs and preferences
4.3 What is being provided
4.4 Impacts
4.5 Mayor's proposed space standards
4.6 Comparison with other space standards
5. Implementation through planning
6. Conclusions
Appendix 1 – Proposed Housing Design Standards
Appendix 2 – Bibliography
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was prepared for the GLA by Debbie Mathieson, with input from Alex Ely of Mae Architects and Julia Park of Levitt Bernstein Architects.
1. Executive Summary
1.1 Housing standards have frequently been used to shape the quality of new homes in London, particularly from the late 19th century arising from social and public health concerns of poor quality housing to present day where focus has shifted to place-making, creating inclusive, accessible environments for all, and mitigating housing's contribution to climate change. Space standards have been a common feature for publicly funded housing in the UK since 1919, though these have largely applied to new homes built with public sector investment rather than to private sector housebuilding – a trend which continues today.
1.2 Today, the design of new housing in London is governed by various policy and regulatory frameworks through the planning system, building regulations and public sector funded housing. There is a pressing need for continuity and consistency in the design standards that the industry is currently expected to work with. Current standards often overlap or contradict each other and are measured in various ways. Those developed at national level typically do not relate well to the higher density development context in London. Different standards are also applied inconsistently through mechanisms such as public funding criteria or planning policy, contributing to further complexity in developing mixed tenure sites (a key aim of planning policy).
1.3 In reviewing the current standards, most mechanisms to ensure high quality homes are already in place within London Plan policy and are therefore applicable across all tenures of housing. Space standards are the key missing element. As the private sector is the dominant provider of housing, there is a need to ensure that the homes they are providing are fit for purpose both now and in the future. The review of the London Plan provides a timely mechanism to ensure an appropriate, clear and consistent set of standards are in place to deliver London's housing needs.
1.4 In London, there is a clear need to deliver higher standards of housing. A 2004 audit of new housing developments in London found that only 18% achieved a score of 'good' or better1. High land costs and constrained land capacity are putting intense pressure on space and design quality. Higher density development is needed to accommodate London's projected population and household growth in a sustainable way, but it must be done well. Higher density development leads to more intensive use of space and shared areas with implications for management, security and overall quality of life. Issues of noise, daylight, privacy and overlooking all become more acute as densities increase, requiring careful design. Several recent reports have called for increasing density to be accompanied by higher standards of space, amenity and management or there is a risk of recreating the cramped and poor housing environments of the past.
1.5 Higher standards of design are also needed to ensure that new housing developments create places that work well, address the impacts of climate change and CO2 emissions, and cater for London's changing demographics and diverse range of needs, including a significant growth in one-person households and an increasing population of older people, as well as the need for more affordable family-sized homes.
1.6 Within this context, the Mayor has developed a set of harmonised design standards to apply to new homes built in London. The aim is to provide a 'level playing field', leading ultimately to an alignment with the standards that apply through public funding. The underlying principle of this approach is that homes should be built not only for short-term market demands or current occupant needs, but to provide long term flexibility with homes that will meet the changing needs of occupants and tenures over time, contributing to the sustainability of London's housing stock.
1.7 The proposed design standards also respond to the London context, providing a balance to the pressures of building at higher densities in order to ensure functionality and amenity in new homes. New standards have been proposed in relation to the size of homes, shared circulation areas, single/dual aspect, ceiling heights and private open space. These do not appear in current regulation but are viewed as a means to protect amenity, privacy, daylight and ventilation in homes particularly when configured in blocks of flats at higher densities.
1.8 A comparison with a number of international housing standards shows that these design criteria are common in other countries, which are applied to all homes through mechanisms such as planning and building control. England is notable in the examples provided for its lack of certain design controls, particularly in regards to the size of homes. Australia and Ireland provide recent examples of implementing higher housing design standards through their respective planning systems, at a national as well as city/regional level. Implementing these standards was deemed necessary in response to concerns very similar to the London context – an increasing provision in the number of flats being built and concerns over the quality of developments being provided.
1.9 Research and case studies show that the benefits of higher quality housing include reduced crime rates, contribution to the mitigation of health inequalities, better welfare and reduced costs to society, and higher residual values for developers. A set of harmonised standards for London would also be expected to bring greater consistency and certainty to the development and planning process.
1.10 The second part of this report focuses specifically on space standards, as a key measure of quality embedded in Policy 3.5 within the Draft Replacement London Plan. Various research studies and consumer surveys show a considerable degree of consistency not only in the preferences expressed regarding the importance of space in the home, but also in levels of dissatisfaction with inadequate space a frequent issue raised amongst residents. In looking at what is currently being provided in actual development schemes, there is a general trend towards decreasing space with more rooms being 'crammed' into dwellings, leading to smaller habitable rooms and significant reductions in storage space.
1.11 The evidence points towards a clear mismatch between resident needs and preferences and market provision. Particularly in London, several recent studies of new developments have shown that new homes consistently fall short of current benchmarks, such as those proposed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Draft Replacement London Plan (DRLP) and that storage space is minimal, if provided at all. Research shows that the average one-bed flat in London has shrunk by 13% since 20002. Another recent study3 found that 60% of the one-bedroom dwellings in London analysed within the study had no storage space. The same study found that two-bedroom dwellings in particular fell well below proposed HCA and DRLP benchmarks by an average of 10 sq.m. (roughly the size of a small double bedroom), and that some of the two-bedroom dwellings being marketed in London were the same size as the proposed DRLP standards for a one-bedroom dwelling. This is of particular concern for London, as a large proportion of homes being provided are two-bed flats (two-thirds of total output in 2008/094), which could potentially be occupied as family homes.
1.12 Space is an important determinant in the quality of a home in providing comfort, privacy and utility, as well as the flexibility to respond to changing needs such as increased home-working or the ageing population and to allow rooms to take on multiple uses. Evidence also points towards a growing demand for space, regardless of household size. It is argued that the expected growth in one-person households in London points to the need for smaller flats, particularly for young, first-time buyers. However, these single households do not directly equate to small dwellings and demand for less space. GLA statistics show that the major growth in one-person households is expected to be in the middle aged demographic, many being divorced or former co-habitees who may share children between homes and therefore need more space. Consumer research shows that space is high on the list of priorities of the increasing number of one-person households5, and that criticism about lack of space is expressed 'by all groups of home buyers with singles just as vociferous as families' 6.
1.13 There is evidence that lack of space has an impact on health and well-being, particularly when this is linked to due to levels of overcrowding. While overcrowding is highest in the social rented sector, where homes are usually occupied to maximum capacity, it has also been rising steadily in the private rented sector. The private rented sector in London has seen the biggest rise in overcrowding since 2001, nearly doubling in ten years7. Since household size, tenure and length of occupation can vary in a home over the longer-term, smaller homes built now by any sector may be storing up potential problems for the future. Research also suggests that pressures on space impact disproportionately, even in market homes, on those who are more economically disadvantaged.
1.14 While not part of the national planning or building control framework, space standards do currently exist in a number of London borough and other UK district and local planning guidance, and as part of funding criteria for publicly funded homes. Historically, guidance on space standards has varied, but has been broadly consistent within a range of about +/- 10% since the Second World War, and the Parker Morris standards of 1961 are still a commonly cited benchmark for space standards in the UK8. Space standards are commonly set in other countries, usually through the local equivalent of the Building Control/planning permission system.
1.15 The Mayor's proposed space standards seek to provide a new benchmark, based on a functional approach to the needs of residents, incorporating furniture, activity and circulation space depending on the number of occupants and number of storeys within the dwelling. The space standards , as well as the other new requirements, look beyond initial sale and the needs of the first owners or tenants to ensure that the next generation of new London homes have wide-ranging appeal, functionality and longevity. The draft London Plan space standards have therefore been set at a level which allows the property to cater for a reasonably wide variety of diverse household needs over the lifetime of the property, and do not appear to be overly onerous when compared to other existing space standards. A similar exercise undertaken by the HCA in developing its proposed new space standards for national application to publicly funded homes resulted in similar findings, though based on a different methodology. This convergence would appear to provide evidence that the measures are robust.
1.16 Implementing space standards through planning has highlighted concerns over their impact on costs, viability, affordability and development capacity. These issues have been addressed in a separate GLA study9, though the final section of this report responds to a number of comments raised in the consultation responses to the Draft Replacement London Plan (DRLP). Because of their cumulative importance to quality of life, space standards do have a role in the strategic planning system for London, contributing to the wider sustainable development objectives set out in national planning policy and the DRLP. While there are arguments that standards limit flexibility and innovation, there is also the benefit of a more consistent approach to quality in planning, with common standards contributing to greater flexibility of tenure as market circumstances change and allowing more competition for land. The DRLP and its associated Housing SPG will also make very clear that there is flexibility for their implementation to take account of local circumstances.
2. Introduction
2.1 This report was commissioned by the GLA to inform the Examination in Public into the Draft Replacement London Plan (DRLP), by bringing together and summarising the evidence that supports the need for the Mayor's proposed housing design standards. These standards are proposed in Policy 3.5 of the DRLP for all housing tenures and will be detailed in the forthcoming draft Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG).
2.2 The GLA's brief for this report was to provide a statement of the necessity for higher housing design standards, including a review of current standards, the history of design and space standards in the UK, customer demand/need and market and public sector provision, and an overview of the value that higher standards can bring in terms of policy priorities set out in the DRLP.
2.3 This report builds on the work undertaken by HATC in their 2006 report for the GLA, Housing Space Standards, providing a review of more recent research, case studies and evidence specifically in regards to the Mayor's proposed standards that have evolved since the publication of the HATC report.
2.4 As background, the standards proposed within Policy 3.5 of the DRLP and the draft Housing SPG draw on those outlined in the draft London Housing Design Guide, which was published for consultation in summer 2009 and was aimed at new homes developed on LDA owned land or with public sector investment. These standards have been revised for application on LDA owned land, taking into account the consultation feedback, further discussions with key stakeholders, and a cost and delivery impact assessment10. The revisions will inform the standards in the forthcoming draft Housing SPG and the way in which they may be applied to different tenures.
2.5 The main focus of this report is the need for the introduction of minimum space standards, as this has been explicitly embedded in Policy 3.5. The report also touches on the other standards proposed in the DRLP and forthcoming draft Housing SPG, focusing on those which are new or go beyond existing standards that apply under current planning policy and which received the most comment on their potential impact in the consultation responses. These include shared circulation, private open space, dual aspect and ceiling heights as well as higher standards in relation to the mitigation of climate change.
3. The need for housing Design standards
Housing Design Standards Evidence Summary
Source: https://lib.convdocs.org/docs/index-10036.html
0 Response to "Housing Design Standards Evidence Summary"
Post a Comment