Era of Parker Boris dawns as mayor sets minimum space standards for London housing

20 November, 2008

By Vikki Miller

Mayor Boris Johnson will introduce minimum space standards for new homes in his upcoming London Plan.

The announcement of the move away from what Johnson called the present glut of “hobbit homes” came as he unveiled a £5 billion draft housing strategy this morning to boost the capital’s failing housing market in the next three years.

Johnson said: “I think it is a disgrace that the average size of a newly built home in this country is 76sq m compared to 206sq m in Australia… We are not hobbits, and we need to stop building homes for hobbits. We need a legacy of which our generation will be proud.”

He added: “Of course there will be [a] push back from developers, but you have to look to the interests of the people. We are going to be, in the new London Plan, insisting on a new Parker Morris standard.”

The Parker Morris standards, drawn up in the 1960s, were a set of minimum space standards for public housing.

However, not all architects will welcome the news.

HTA Architects’ managing director Ben Derbyshire said on BD’s website last week: “The more complex and demanding [space] standards are, the less likely they are to have significant benefits…

“I'm concerned by reports that Boris Johnson is falling for the misconception that physical standards will raise housing quality overall.”

The mayor’s strategy also included plans for a London housing design guide to ensure higher environmental standards for new homes developed with public funding, as well as better safety, security and liveability.

Private developers will be “encouraged” to adopt the standards in the guide.

“It is important we do not compromise on the quality and the attractiveness of what we build,” the mayor said. “I don’t want the stuff that we build to be torn down in 20 or 30 years’ time, I want it to stand.”

Johnson reiterated his election pledge to scrap London’s 50% affordable homes targets, which he said got “in the way of good development”.

He did, however, confirm plans to build 50,000 affordable homes by 2011, which he said would be achieved by agreeing separate targets with each London borough.

Under the new plan, Johnson also pledged to:

* prioritise public funding for new housing that embraces Secured by Design standards and has a high level of environmental benefit;
* bring forward public and private sector land for new homes;
* buy up unsold market homes for use as affordable housing; and
* build more family homes