Housebuilders to put design and quality first

Uniform house types may cut costs but they ignore local identity and do not deliver value, according to a housebuilding manifesto.

The document, Building for Life: a commitment to quality from house builders, has been drawn up by the House Builders Federation, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and the Civic Trust. It sets out a number of priorities for housebuilders to ensure their procurement processes reflect and adapt to the demands from consumers and government for the highest quality and good design.

These include:

n Recognising that developments with uniform house types, in schemes that ignore local identity and site characteristics, will not deliver value.

n Seeking to establish design quality standards before land values are fixed, including the establishment of a development brief.

n Working more closely with key stakeholders, including local communities, designers, local planning authorities and highway engineers.

nImproving the process of procuring design skills.

n Committing to the design principles set down in government planning policy and best practice guidance notes.