Single Aspect Blog

From Building Design magazine

Cabe was employed by fellow quango the Homes & Communities Agency to assess the £360 million first round of Kickstart last summer and analysed every short listed housing scheme using the industry’s Building for Life [BfL] standard.

But for the larger £550 million second round — which is ongoing — Cabe’s role has been slashed, with it only examining private sector projects and not the affordable housing schemes.

The Pippins is an estate of 52 private and affordable homes on a former power station in Rugeley, Staffordshire, which received £507,000 from Kickstart round one.

Planning officer Ros Robb then revealed that the final scheme was never scrutinised by councillors but was approved under delegated powers after members had agreed to a previous, less intensive, development.

Robb said: “It was much nicer before. But they have increased the density and watered down the design to get a scheme they felt they could market.”

Read Jonathan Glancey’s take on the situation here

“More than ever we need a new generation of local authority architects departments”