Lords Issue Critical Report On Government Housing Policies

Peers have added their voice to those criticising current government policies as unlikely to meet demand for either the quantity or quality of new homes needed. The Lords Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment has published a report which urged the government to appoint a chief built environment advisor to champion higher standards in the built environment across government departments. The report also recommended that ministers should review the National Planning Policy Framework to make sure developers weren’t using financial viability “to play fast and loose with design quality and sustainability”.  Read more on the Planning Portal.

Government Housing Policy Will Not Meet Objectives

The National Policy for the Built Environment Committee asserts the importance of delivering a better built environment and criticises current government policy as unlikely to meet demand for either the quantity or quality of houses we need. The Committee is concerned about the quality of new developments, and about the risk of housing delivery being prioritised at the expense of other elements of the built environment.  Their observations and recommendations are included in the Committee’s report “Building better places” which can be downloaded from the Parliament website.