The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today responded to The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s annual Autumn Statement.
RIBA President Stephen Hodder said:
On housing
“The announcement of new developments at Northstowe and Bicester are a positive step, but much more needs to be done if we are to end the housing crisis within a generation.
“The government needs to works with experts and local communities to deliver sustainable proposals. Short-term value for money is not the only criteria of success for major new development, any government funding for house building must ensure that the houses and communities that are created are built to the highest standards.
“We need be building 300,000 new homes a year for the foreseeable future if we want to reverse the housing crisis. A new generation of towns designed upon the principles of the Garden Cities movement are only part of the solution. Freeing up public land for homes, supporting a greater diversity of developers including self and custom build and supporting institutional investment in housing should all be measures any future government should consider to really tackle the housing crisis.”
On planning
“The RIBA welcomes improvements to the planning system that reduce the amount of information required at outline stage to establish the principle of development.
“Moves to speed up the processes involved in small applications are welcome, but we need to recognise that the growing pressure on resources within local planning departments is causing increasing headaches for everyone involved.
“Moves to make the planning system more effective and timely without compromising the core principles of sustainability are welcome. The planning system needs to move away from being a box ticking exercise and become a meaningful process to help communities shape their area. A national spatial strategy should be at the heart of this.”
On flood defences
“New funding for flood defences is needed but we are not going to really get to grips with flooding unless we ensure that homes and businesses in flood risk areas are more resilient to flooding. If we accept that as a nation we are going to continue to build on flood plains then the way we create communities for homes and businesses in these areas need to be re-examined so that they are more resilient. We need to examine how new developments can be designed to prevent flooding and make it more manageable when it happens.”
On the government’s infrastructure announcements
“The government needs to ensure that the economic impact of the infrastructure spending announced this week is maximised. Development opportunities, especially around new and improved transport links should allow for more housing development to meet local housing demand, better environments for businesses and greater opportunities for local residents.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- For further press information contact Howard Crosskey in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3761 howard.crosskey@riba.org
- The Autumn Statement 2014 and associated documents can be viewed in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/autumn-statement-2014
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA
Posted on Wednesday 3rd December 2014
