Stretto Architects are proud to be supporting the latest episode of Angela Walker In Conversation
The government wants to see 300,000 homes built ever year, but how can we get the balance between new homes and sustainability? This is the question journalist Angela Walker is asking her two guests in this episode, and it’s a hot topic of conversation in our own office. Our residential team specialises in working with community-led groups, housing associations and sustainability-focussed developers in partnership with community stakeholders to get the best outcome for both people and planet.
Neoliberalist think tank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) have released a new report that recommends relaxing planning regulations and allowing developers to build up to eight storeys. Maxwell Marlow from the ASI argues in the podcast that planning regulations need to be relaxed.
At Stretto, we don’t necessarily agree. We think the planning system has been under resourced for too long, and more staff and better training would support the current system to function optimally. The issue with a blanket policy allowing multi-level urban development is that it still needs to be appropriate. Allowing development rights that mean landowners can ignore current legislative guidance opens the door for poor quality design and no consideration for ecology and biodiversity.
We would say if any changes to the current planning system are needed, it’s for planners to have more autonomy over decision making. A decade ago, officers had the authority and seniority to work with our applications and we could get roadblocks and conflicts resolved easily and quickly through discussion. But due to staff and financial shortages, there is no such thing as a pre-application process in Bristol anymore. Anecdotally I’m hearing this is a national problem.
The caveat is the need for skilled and trained planning officers. In conversation with Wolfram Putz of Graft Architects, Berlin at a design conference he said we need to be wary the same legislation that prevents poor quality design can also restrict good quality design. This is something I have experienced through my work with community-led groups who want to build tiny homes. The NDSS is there for good reason – but when inexperienced officers apply it as a blanket rule, rather than considering the needs of the community driving the process, it can stand in the way of high-quality housing outcomes.
In the podcast, Helen Marshall from the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Oxfordshire supports density in cities but says Brownfield sites must be the priority and everyone deserves access to green spaces. Stretto agree that a Brownfield-first policy as part of a national land-use strategy is essential. But too often development is focussed on the bottom-line and while we work with clients to understand financial needs, our goal is to create genuinely affordable, sustainable and enjoyable places to live. This will ultimately help investors with their bottom line, not hinder it.
Marshall also noted there is a crisis of affordability in rural areas. Young people are being pushed into city living by housing costs. She says second homes and short term lets are the problem, and meeting locals and understanding community needs would smooth the road for developers. At Stretto we believe in the community consultation process. It’s not just a tick box exercise; community partnership is essential to design a development that works for everyone.
Ultimately, community partnership, stakeholder-driven development and investment in the planning system are key to solving the housing crisis.
Watch Angela Walker in Conversation.
