Blinkered Boris caves in
March 26th, 2010
One more would-be housing regulation bites the dust. Having implemented Parker Morris + 10% for local authority building but failed to mandate this for private house builders he has now backtracked on the promise to outlaw single aspect flats.
Last summer Johnson issued a consultation on space standards for new homes that included plans to outlaw “single aspect” housing through the planning system, in order to stop the construction of tiny flats he called “hobbit homes”.
“We must not only build quickly, we must build well. In the next year or so we will be judged by the number of houses we have put up. But in ten years we will be judged by the quality of those homes.”
What a pity that logic is not being followed today.
Update 26th April 2010 12:09
Dear […]
Thank you for your email to the Mayor, to which I have been asked to respond.
The Draft London Housing Design Guide which contains a raft of standards to improve the quality and design of new housing went out for public consultation in July 2009. As a result of that consultation a revised version of the London Housing Design Guide, will be published by June 2010.
Yours sincerely
Kemi Oguntoye
Housing Unit
Well that’s nice except that he hasn’t addressed my specific complaint about single aspect dwellings so we’ll have to wait and see what it contains by way of mandating dual aspect dwellings.
I did hear from a source that things aren’t quite as bad as they might seem.
. . . don’t believe all you read in Building. The London SPG . . . will strengthen the case for dual aspect and space standards not weaken it by applying it to the private sector. Watch this space . . .
So roll on June 2010 and the revised publication.
UPDATE: Time did roll on and the revised publication appeared but the single aspect requirements are weak, in my view. Taken directly from the publication itself there is a discretionary (P2) requirement for direct sunlight:-
5.5.2 All homes should provide for direct sunlight to enter at least one habitable room for part the day. Living areas and kitchen dining spaces should preferably receive direct sunlight. P2
On the other hand the guide does appear to rule out North facing single aspect flats on a mandatory basis:-
5.2.1 Developments should avoid single aspect dwellings that are north facing, exposed to noise exposure categories C or D, or contain three or more bedrooms P1