Well-designed, high quality homes should be the ‘norm – not the exception’, Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has said (30 January 2020), following the launch of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission’s final report.
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The commission recommended changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to prioritise placemaking and beauty which would make it easier to turn down planning applications on design grounds.
The report, written by Create Streets founder Nicholas Boys Smith and the late Roger Scruton who co-chaired the commission, contains over 130 practical recommendations.
Sue Percy CBE, Chief Executive, CIHT said:
“CIHT welcomes the publication of this report which highlights the important role that highway and transport professionals play in the creation of better places and the need for better integration of planning and transport.”
The report is consistent with CIHT’s Better planning, Better transport, Better places advice launched last year which shows a need to embed a clear place-based vision that has sustainable transport, health, climate change and environmental needs integrated from the start.
The report calls for longevity and sustainability of design. It acknowledges the importance of Manual for Streets (MfS), produced by the Department for Transport in 2007, and Manual for Streets 2 (MfS2), produced by CIHT in 2010, as the standard reference guidelines for the development of sustainable street design.
Sue Percy CBE, Chief Executive, CIHT said:
“CIHT is currently in discussions with the Department for Transport to collaborate on new guidance, Manual for Streets 3. The new guidance will update the requirements for network planning and design to meet the needs of all users of streets and roads.”
Living in Beauty proposes that “the creation of beautiful places” should be inserted into the definition of “sustainable development” in the National Planning Policy Framework, and that local authorities should have to prepare their own local design codes to reinforce their existing sense of place.
The report highlights that transport, utility and social infrastructure are fundamental components of placemaking. It recommends appointing a Chief place-maker in all local authorities to champion beautiful placemaking.
Andrew Cameron, MCIHT who sits on CIHT’s Urban Design panel acted as an advisor to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission who produced the report.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/housing-secretary-beautiful-homes-should-become-norm
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