New guidelines to combat ugly homes unveiled at Tory Party Conference

With housing conspicuously absent from the Labour Party Conference, it was a relief to hear it even mentioned at the Conservative Party Conference today. The Housing Secretary spoke about how he was going to build beautiful new homes while Sajid Javid waxed lyrical about the infrastructure that would be built around them.

“We can do more – a lot more,” Javid enthused. “This government is going to build Britain’s future.” According to new guidelines unveiled by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, ugly homes have no place in this future.

Currently there is no accepted national standard for the development of homes, only vague documents with little enforceable power. The new design guide will ostensibly introduce a national standard for local authorities to adhere to, with the option of designing their own applicable guides reflecting local needs. Tree-lined streets and green infrastructure are strongly preferred.

The design guide, according to Jenrick, will have genuine clout and be capable of being a material consideration in planning applications and appeals. Ministers will lay a Written Ministerial Statement setting out its purpose and how it is expected to be used, while the National Planning Policy Framework will be updated to reflect the changes.

The new design guide is said to be part of a broader commitment to localism. It aims to provide local residents with a greater say in the design of homes built in their own area, allowing them to take the key characteristics provided at a national level and attuning them to their surroundings.

Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, said: “The government is committed to building the homes this country needs, but it is not all about bricks, mortar and numbers. Too often, new developments come at the expense of beauty, quality and design. This shouldn’t be the case and the Conservatives are determined to deliver homes that families and communities are proud to call their own.

“As Housing Secretary, I am replacing the existing vague and outdated guidance with a brand-new national design guide. It will be produced with a more ambitious and firmer vision for better designed homes.

“This new design guide will have real clout. There will be a national standard for local authorities to adhere to, but we recognise that what good likes like differs across England. So, for the first-time local authorities will be expected to design their own locally applicable guides in keeping with the national standard, which must deliver the quality of homes that we expect.

“I want to put people at the heart of the housing process and provide a strong blueprint for building homes that families are proud to live in, recognising beauty and design in the most locally appropriate way.”

Next, Sajid Javid outlined an infrastructure spending revolution. “Infrastructure is the foundation of everything,” he acknowledged. He said that the government would soon launch a new Roads Investment Strategy, with £29 billion committed for strategic and local roads over the next five years.

£220 million to buses has been earmarked for busses, to be spent on ‘superbus’ networks and a new fleet of low emission buses. Digital connectivity was also on the agenda, with £5billion committed to support full-fibre rollout to the hardest to reach 20% of the country.

Jamie Johnson, CEO, FJP Investment, said, “Amidst the endless discussion around Brexit and its eventual outcome, it is a relief to hear the Chancellor discuss the government’s infrastructure spending plans today. For too long now domestic issues have had to play a supporting role to Brexit. Amongst them, the housing crisis and a lack of affordable living options are some of the biggest problems requiring attention.

“While Mr Javid may not have focused on new-build targets, there are still positives to take from the speech – namely the fact he has committed significant investment into transport links and digital connectivity. Indeed, one of the most common criticisms of new-builds is the lack of infrastructure around the housing developments, so by strengthening these fundamentals the foundations are hopefully being laid to enable more affordable homes to constructed across the UK. Now we must see if the Chancellor can follow through on his promises.”

Javid seemed to think it was possible because of incredibly low interest rates, which would enable “borrowing-to-build, not borrowing-to-waste like the Labour years,” he said.

Big talk; however, it left some old hands in the audience a little nonplussed. Paresh Raja, CEO, Market Financial Solutions, said, “It’s hard to know quite what to make of Sajid Javid’s speech. In one respect, it provided a long-term vision many in the property industry have been calling for, laying down a blueprint that goes beyond the Brexit deadline. After all, I and others in the real estate sector have been calling for creative reforms to address the housing crisis, including the need to make it easier for house-builders to actually build – as such, the Government’s proposed reforms to planning regulations are a step in the right direction.

“Yet given the current state of politics, now-days any big policy announcement needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Having the vision is one thing, the challenge is ensuring political posturing translates into actual policy and action. I now look with interest to the 2019 Autumn Budget, which will give the Government the opportunity to turn these announcements into legislation.”

There will be many onlookers looking forward to the same. “Of course, one of the biggest concerns for the next generation is being able to buy a home,” Javid acknowledged, in one of his few direct references to the housing crisis. “To claim their stake in our society. We’re on track to increase housing supply to its highest level since 1970. But I know from my time as Housing Secretary that we need to do so much more…and the accelerated planning proposals Robert has announced today are just the start.”

With the UK’s departure from the EU eclipsing the agenda in recent times, it was refreshing to hear matters closer to home being discussed. However, with the Brexit deadline just weeks away, we can only hope that the fruits of these announcements don’t get drowned out as the 31^st of October ticks closer.

Jerald Solis, Director, Experience Invest, said, “Brexit has dominated political discourse for so long that it comes as a genuine relief to hear the Chancellor discuss domestic affairs. In particular, it is positive to hear today of the government’s plans for investing in infrastructure and simplifying the planning process for residential properties.

“The housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues affecting the UK at present. And while neither Mr Javid or Mr Jenrick directly focused on new-build targets – which continue to be missed, it is important that they are committed to improving transport links and digital connectivity across the country. Indeed, one of the most common criticisms of new-builds is the lack of infrastructure around the housing developments, so this is certainly something the government must address. Now we must see if the Chancellor and Housing Secretary can follow through on their promises.”