Green spaces should be the norm for all new housing developments in England, guidelines say | Access to green space
Under guidelines set out by the government, housing close to shops, schools, public transport and possibly pubs, with green spaces and access to nature, and where heritage is preserved, should be the standard for all new developments.
London’s King’s Cross, for example, where industrial buildings have been transformed into shops, restaurants and public spaces, and where schools and care homes mix with social and private housing near a cleaned canal and nature reserve, could become the model, according to the new vision.
Or Temple Gardens, near Bath, where a vacant Grade II listed pub has been restored and reopened alongside new homes. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government highlighted this as “the type of community-focused development these reforms will achieve”.
He says: “Bath shows how the neighborhood’s identity, shaped by local history, culture and landscape, is reflected in building types, facades and architectural details. This allows people to connect to their local heritage.”
Other highlighted developments include Kampus in Manchester and the Malings in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Pro-nature provisions such as fast bricks and hedgehog highways should be incorporated, as well as protections against flooding, which is becoming more common due to the climate crisis, the government said.
The Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidelines, released in draft form Wednesday for consultation, do not impose any of these guidelines as requirements, leaving developers free to ignore them. Green experts told the Guardian this was a significant flaw.
Anna Hollyman, co-lead for policy and places at the UK Green Building Council, said: “[The plans acknowledge] the urgent need to raise the bar for new builds and integrate liveability with climate change mitigation, resilience and nature. Yet in light of the harsh national security assessment of global ecosystems released yesterday, this is clearly not enough.
The assessment warns of the dire consequences for UK national security of failing to plan for ecosystem collapse.
Hollyman called for clearer regulations. “The built environment sector has the potential to proactively contribute to the restoration of local places and wider ecosystems through biodiversity net gain, nature-based solutions and regenerative design. We need a systemic government response commensurate with the scale of the challenge, one that recognizes biodiversity and climate resilience as essential infrastructure for every neighbourhood,” she said.
Rachel Hackett, head of planning and development at Wildlife Trusts, called on the government to spell out measures for wildlife.
“We need a bolder, more ambitious plan that firmly cements nature into the housebuilding rules,” she said. “Nature-friendly design measures, such as speedbricks and hedgehog highways, will only make a significant difference to wildlife if they are mandatory for all developments. We have had years of optional guidelines and choices for developers – and years of nature’s decline.”
The guidelines cover the planning of new neighborhoods and amenities and can be used by local authorities to set their own design codes for homes in their area. In theory at least, developers who follow the guidelines should have an easier time obtaining building permits.
Matthew Pennycook, Minister for Housing and Planning, said: “Exemplary development should be the norm, not the exception, so that more communities experience the benefits of new developments and welcome them. These standards will help ensure that new homes and neighborhoods are attractive, well-connected, sustainable and built to last.”
The government has yet to publish its regulations governing how new homes are built, which are expected to make solar panels, heat pumps and high standards of insulation mandatory on almost all new homes. The long-delayed standard on future housing is now expected early this year.
