Future Homes Commission calls for evidence on the quality and delivery of housing in the UK

An independent commission set up to examine the future of housing has called for views from housebuilders, architects, academia, policy makers and the public on how to improve the delivery and quality of housing in the UK.

The Future Homes Commission, set by the RIBA and chaired by British business leader Sir John Banham, is conducting a national inquiry into the quality and delivery of newly built housing.

The commission, which is independent of the RIBA, will engage with the public and experts from across the housing sector as part of a consultation aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the challenges affecting the delivery of housing and identifying innovation in order to shape a blueprint for the future.

The commission will report back to government, the housebuilding industry and the RIBA in autumn 2012.

Sir John Banham, Future Homes Commission chair, said: 鈥淲e want to hear from all of those with a stake in the housing sector in order to gain a deep understanding of the barriers to development, the challenges in the design process and the impact of economic pressures on the housing products that are delivered.

鈥淲e鈥檙e embarking on a demanding and challenging exercise to understand what makes a quality home today, and how it can be designed and delivered to ensure a sustainable housing stock for the future.

鈥淐rucially, we won鈥檛 just be analysing the problems of the past. We want to look to the future, draw lessons from some of the excellent and innovative schemes that have been delivered, from the developers that are doing things differently and look to find solutions that will ensure that more new homes are delivered, to the right quality and at the right price for the British consumer.鈥�

The commission has called for evidence on the following areas:

  • Internal design - how housing design impacts on the lives of the household, and what are the barriers to improving quality and driving innovation in internal design, focusing specifically on accessibility, energy performance, security, space and storage
  • Designing local communities - which amenities, facilities and infrastructure are needed to ensure economically and environmentally sustainable neighbourhoods that have a positive impact on wellbeing, public and mental health
  • Housing marketplace - what the priorities are for consumers when choosing a home are, how is the housing market segmented, the role for consumers and how the market might influence the design of new homes
  • Finance and affordability - is there potential for new models of delivery and investment within the housing market, what are the barriers in terms of viability to delivering more high quality homes, within the context of the current planning system and investment markets.

Evidence can be submitted to the Future Homes Commission

 

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