Space Standards What now and what next?

Julia Park, Head of Housing Research, Levitt Bernstein Member of RIBA Housing Group

CIH presentation

Space Standards What now and what next?

Julia Park, Head of Housing Research, Levitt Bernstein Member of RIBA Housing Group

        Urban Design Architecture Landscape Research

Multi-disciplinary, housing-based practice - established in 1968; studios in London and Manchester: 100+ staff

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Levitt Bernstein – what we do

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Space standards are nothing new

1918 Tudor Walters Report (first real space standards; a reaction to poor living standards as WW1 ended)

1935 Housing Act 1935 (introduced bedroom sizes to help control overcrowding)

1944 Dudley Report (standards set in preparation for post WW2 reconstruction)

1961 ‘Parker Morris’ Standards

2007 HCA Design & Quality Standards and HQI’s

2010 London Housing Design Guide

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2012-15 Housing Standards Review

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Site plan

Siedlung Halen (1955 – 1961) Atelier 5

Change was needed

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Key principles

Terms of the review: •  deregulatory agenda / net saving overall / one-in-two-out

•  boost house-building

•  take it or leave it; no other technical standards permitted

By implication: •  whatever emerged had to be good enough for

affordable housing – expected to be fully occupied and often by vulnerable people

•  all outcomes to apply across all tenures

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A great debate

Pros: •  prevents unacceptable outcomes •  helps those who want to do the decent thing •  creates a level playing field / reduces development risk •  supports accessibility and lifestyle choice •  potentially reduces under-occupancy / makes better

use of land •  simpler and fairer than numerous local standards

Cons: •  increases cost •  constrains choice / one-size fits all •  leads to fewer homes being built / reduces density

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RIBA Homewise Campaign

2

THE C

ASE F

OR S

PACE

A research report for the Royal Institute of British Architects

The way we live now: What people need and expect from their homes

Key findings •  average new home in England is 92% of GLA standard •  most common 3 bed house only 74m2 •  60% of those who would not buy a new home said small rooms

was the reason

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Comparison with rest of Europe

31

This research hypothesised that this was a result of the lack of space. To illustrate the use of this new analysis method, a recent change to the Housing Benefit system (colloquially known as the ‘Bedroom Tax’) has been considered. Households receiving Housing Benefit were more likely to be undersized, suggesting that the policy to withdraw housing benefits from these households may be misguided.’

The paper provided a thorough overview of the evidence that insufficient space is detrimental to health and wellbeing. Some, but not all of these reports, have been included in this chronology. The link between under-occupancy and small homes, which the authors considered to be causal, is particularly important. A table comparing selected European dwelling sizes (originally produced by Evans and Hartwich in 2005)59 was included in the report. Comparison of selected European dwelling sizes

All dwellings Newly built dwellings Floor

space m2 No. of rooms

Room size* m2

Floor space m2

No. of rooms

Room size* m2

UK 85 5.2 16.3 76 4.8 15.8 Italy 90.3 4.1 22 81.5 3.8 21.4 Portugal 83 4.3 19.3 82.2 4.7 17.5 Sweden 89.8 4.3 20.9 83 4 20.8 Finland 76.5 3.6 21.3 87.1 4 21.8 Ireland 88.3 5.3 16.7 87.7 5.2 16.9 Austria 90.6 3.4 26.6 96 3.7 25.9 Spain 85.3 4.8 17.8 96.6 5.1 18.9 Luxembourg 125 5.5 22.7 104.1 5.1 20.4 Germany 86.7 4.4 19.7 109.2 5.1 21.4 France 88 3.9 22.6 112.8 4.2 26.9 Netherlands 98 4.2 23.3 115.5 4.1 28.2 Belgium 86.3 4.3 20.1 119 5.8 20.5 Greece 79.6 3.8 20.9 126.4 3.2 39.5 Denmark 108.9 3.7 29.4 137 3.5 39.1 The work demonstrated that not only were new UK homes smaller than all of the other European countries included in the survey, they also had the ‘smallest rooms’. (*Room size was measured as the overall floor space divided by the number of rooms, not the actual size of rooms). Morgan and Cruikshank made the following policy recommendations:

• ‘Require the internal area of homes to be clearly stated by estate agents when renting or buying a home.

• All local governments to set minimum space standards in the way the GLA has done, reflecting the conclusions of the Housing Standards Review.

• Consider the floor area per person rather than the number of bedrooms when assessing whether a benefit claimant has a larger home than they require.

• Identify the small number of cases where people are living with a chronic lack of space due either to overcrowding or to small homes and rehouse these people.

• Support work to identify the costs of poor housing incurred by the NHS and to wider civil society’.

Key findings •  new UK homes are the smallest in Europe •  new UK homes have the smallest rooms in Europe

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Ultimately a strong consensus Need to safeguard S106 affordable housing

London not prepared to give in

In time, cost comes out of land value

Strong evidence and overwhelming public support

Is a space standard needed?  

80% Will the cost come out of land value? 83%

2847 Signed RIBA Without Space & Light petition

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Everything except space in regulation

EASI-GUIDE TO THE NEW HOUSING STANDARDS & REGULATIONS

A

E

B

F

C D

H

M

Q

G

KJ

P

7

L

SPACE

G water efficiency H waste L energy M accessibility Q security Space – Nationally Described Space Standard (NDSS) remains in planning

R

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London has switched to the NDSS

•  very similar to GLA space standard

•  houses 3 - 4 m2 smaller

•  storage easier and no minimum size for LDK

•  GLA still asking for furnished layouts

•  strongly encouraging a floor to ceiling height of 2.5m (NDSS requires 2.3m)

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Micro-homes considered ‘sui generis’

prisons, hostels, hotels, barracks, care homes fall within C3 Residential but not micro-homes - no standards apply

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PD bypasses the planning system

ground ground first first

Permitted Development - office to resi conversion: flats13.5m2

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What about the rest of the country?

•  each local authority has to prove need and viability

•  very little guidance in the NPPF or NPPG

•  still subject to negotiation by the developer

•  no evidence about take-up

•  no safety-net for affordable housing

?

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‘distinctive… in accordance with all relevant technical & building regulations, in particular the Code…’

‘images depict typical house type’

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Typical spec built 3 bedroom house

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•  plans not furnished or to a recognised scale

•  no overall floor or room areas shown

•  only cupboard is over the stairs

•  impossible for a wheelchair user even to visit

re-scaled and furniture added

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Labelling Benchmarking

HOW$BIG$IS$THIS$HOME?

2p 3p 4p 5p$ 6p 7p

5912170 7012179 7912193 93121102 102121116 116+

1b 2b 3b 4b 5b 6b

1.51212.0 2.01212.5 2.51213.0 3.01213.5 3.51214.0 4.01+

single double

7.512111.5 11.51+

single double

7.512111.5 11.51+

single double

7.512111.5 11.51+

HOW$ACCESSIBLE$IS$THIS$HOME?

Overall$performance:$$$Category$1 1 2 3

WHICH$CATEGORY$OF$THE$BUILDING$REGULATIONS$DOES$IT$MEET?

$$$suitable$for$general$needs$

BuiltQin$storage:$$0.3$m2$

Overall$floor$space:$$70$m2$

HOW$DOES$IT$MEASURES$UP$AGAINST$THE$NATIONAL$SPACE$STANDARD?

$$suitable$for$up$to$3$people$

$$below$the$minimum$benchmark$$

Bedroom$1:$$10.9$m2

Bedroom$2:$$$8.3$m2

Bedroom$3:$$$5.4$m2

$$$suitable$for$1$person

$$$suitable$for$1$person

$$$below$the$minimum$benchmark

•  the only way to be comfortable is to under-occupy •  a very inefficient way to house 3 people •  could be allocated to a family of 5 under affordable rent – where the

NDSS applies they could expect 93m2

•  a family of 4 could be charged Bedroom Tax •  offers no inducement to downsize

9750

4000

Meters in recess

DW

Knock t

hro

ugh h

ere

when y

ou a

dd a

pod

2000

4000

3100

2550

1800

One wardrobe could beused for general storage

Study space or morecupboards as percustomers choice

9750

Floor Area39m2

Double bed shown dotted

Void overbedroom

9750

1840

Headroom to 1500 or more

NOVELLA Starter - Floor Plans

1 : 501101NOVELLA Ground Floor Plan1

1 : 501101NOVELLA First Floor Plan2 1 : 501101

NOVELLA Second Floor Plan3

2b 3/4p modular Starter Home with optional attic floor and/or side pod/extension - meets NDSS and Category 2

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We can do so much better

Multi-generational corner house with integral ‘bedsit’ for granny, ‘boomerang kids’, lodger, carer or live-in friend

ground first second

SEMI RURAL LOCATION: Detached and semi-detached with on plot parking and larger, side gardens and an informal street edge

SUBURBAN LOCATION: Predominance of terraces and semi-detached homes with mainly on-plot parking and more formal street structure

STRE

ETS

WIT

H D

IFFE

REN

T C

HA

RAC

TER

URBAN LOCATION: Increased density, more 3 storey homes and more on-street parking, plus shared bike stores

SEMI RURAL LOCATION: Detached and semi-detached with on plot parking and larger, side gardens and an informal street edge

SUBURBAN LOCATION: Predominance of terraces and semi-detached homes with mainly on-plot parking and more formal street structure

STRE

ETS

WIT

H D

IFFE

REN

T C

HA

RAC

TER

URBAN LOCATION: Increased density, more 3 storey homes and more on-street parking, plus shared bike stores

Standard plans don’t have to mean standard design      

CIH Presentation

‘The RIBA believes that the best solution would be to embed the national minimum space standard within the Building Regulations. This would mean that all new homes across the country would be covered. A regulatory approach would create a level playing field and a fair housing offer wherever you live, irrespective of tenure.’

The last word on space standards?