Posted 12.01.16
Some of the country's most run-down housing estates will be replaced with attractive and safe homes.
As part of a comprehensive package of measures to end poverty and improve the life chances of the most disadvantaged, the Government will work with 100 housing estates across the country to either radically transform them or, in the worst cases, knock them down and replace them with high-quality homes.
Writing in the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister outlined his views on how regenerating estates will bring security to families and improve life chances.
Setting out the scale of the problem in his article, Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"There's one issue that brings together many of these social problems - and for me, epitomises both the scale of the challenge we face and the nature of state failure over decades. It's our housing estates. Some of them, especially those built just after the war, are actually entrenching poverty in Britain - isolating and entrapping many of our families and communities.
"Within these so-called sink estates, behind front doors, families build warm and welcoming homes. But step outside in the worst estates and you're confronted by brutal high-rise towers and dark alleyways that are a gift to criminals.
"Decades of neglect have led to gangs and antisocial behaviour. And poverty has become entrenched, because those who could afford to move have understandably done so.
"As we tackle this problem, we should learn the lessons from the failed attempts to regenerate estates in the past. A raft of pointless planning rules, local politics and tenants' concerns about whether regeneration would be done fairly all prevented progress. And if we're honest, there often just wasn't the political will and momentum in government to cut through all of this to get things done."
To help tackle the problem, the nationwide strategy will be supported by a new Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel, which will be chaired by Lord Heseltine. The Panel will report in detail by this year's Autumn Statement.
Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ)
At PMQ, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Cameron had not "thought this thing through very carefully", pointing out that the estates bulldozed would include people who had bought their homes under the Conservatives' flagship Right-to-Buy policy.
He asked:
"Will those people, the leaseholders, will they be guaranteed homes on those rebuilt estates"
The Prime Minister said local councils and residents would be involved in the process which would "make sure that tenants get good homes, make sure homeowners get rehoused in new houses".
Posted 07.01.16
The Home Quality Mark (HQM) is now open for registrations in England and it will be live for other home nations soon. This article from Sustainable Homes - first published on their website - takes a look at what HQM is and how it works.
The construction and housing sector has had input through the consultation period and through over 50 events around the country. It uses a 5-star rating to provide impartial information from experts on a new home's design, construction quality and running costs.
The hope is that the HQM will help house builders to demonstrate the high quality of their homes and differentiate them in the marketplace. At the same time, it will give homebuyers the confidence that the new homes they are choosing are well designed and built - and also happen to be cost effective to run.
HQM examines a range of issues:
This takes into account energy costs, maintenance, performance of the home in extreme weather, access to transport and amenity, durability of materials.
Key issues are how the home will impact the occupier's health and wellbeing - including quality of living space (air, temperature, light and noise) and local amenity.
This takes account of how the home will impact the environment in its construction and use - including local and global emissions in use and impact of the home construction.
The Star Rating is calculated out of a maximum of 500 credits all of which are of equal value. The weighting criteria of different categories is specific to the needs of the new build housing sector but are similar to the BREEAM schemes, such as the BREEAM New Construction.
John Stapleton, Head of External Affairs at Sustainable Homes, commented that there is a gap in the market:
"This is good news for people that are interested in high quality and lower bills. Much research shows there is a 'performance gap' between how homes are designed to perform and what happens in practice, and the monitoring element within the HQM is one of the significant aspects of the new framework.
It could help drive change. Let's hope it becomes the default before long"
The HQM is not mandatory for affordable housing as the Code for Sustainable Homes was. However, there is growing consumer interest in homes that have lower running costs, less maintenance, and that are better at dealing with severe weather such as the flooding events we are increasingly seeing.
