Architects have warned of the disastrous unintended consequences of a government proposal that would allow high streets and town centres to be converted into housing without planning permission.
The half-baked ideas could do irreversible harm to the commercial hearts of towns and cities up and down the country, they said, and render local authorities powerless to intervene in shaping their districts.
Former RIBA president Ben Derbyshire said the loss of local democratic control was unacceptable at a philosophical level and questioned ministers claim that the proposal would breathe new life into cities. Instead he predicted that footfall would plummet with devastating results.
In a consultation announced this month the government proposed the creation of a new permitted development (PD) right, effectively granting permission for the vast majority of commercial buildings in England to be converted to homes.
The proposed right, which could come in to force as soon as August and does not require primary legislation, would apply even in conservation areas.
It would allow any buildings in the newly created Class E use class to be converted into homes without planning consent.
Class E covers the vast majority of non-residential town centre uses, including offices, shops, restaurants, estate agents, gyms, GP surgeries and nurseries and many more. Only a small number of distinct uses kept outside Class E because of their unique characteristics or community value such as pubs and theatres will be exempt from the new right.
The proposed right is much wider ranging than existing conversion rights, introduced in 2015, which have seen more than 72,000 homes created from former offices and light industrial units. Not only does this extend the right to many more building types restaurants and cafes, clinics and creches for example but the tight size limits imposed on many of the existing rights would be removed.
Until now, for example, while developers have technically had a permitted development right to turn shops and professional services premises into homes, this has only applied to properties smaller than 150sq m.
Now, however, properties of any size can be converted without planning permission meaning the largest shops on the high street could be quickly converted into homes, with no right for the local authority to object.
In order to undertake the conversion, developers will have to meet space standards and ensure the provision of adequate natural light, as well as meet a handful of other tick-box prior approval criteria a response to the growing criticisms of the poor quality and small size of many existing homes created under PD rules.
However, these prior approval criteria will not allow local authorities to object to the conversion on the basis that they want to retain commercial uses in a particular location, or in order to support the delivery of local plan policies around town centres.
The proposal also goes further than previous rights in that it will apply in conservation areas albeit with an additional prior approval criterion added to consider the impact of conversion on the conservation area.
Only a short list of areas including National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be exempt from the new right. However, local authorities will have the ability to apply for so-called article 4 directions exempting specific areas from the measures, if they can mount a persuasive case as to why that is necessary. A number of London boroughs, for example, managed to secure similar exemptions from the 2015 office-to-resi rights. And they were enthusiastically deployed by prime minister Boris Johnson when he was mayor of London to protect the capitals commercial heartland.
Local authorities will not be able to object on the basis that they want to retain commercial uses in a particular location, or in order to support local plan policies around town centres
The new proposal is so far-reaching that leading planning barrister Zack Simons, of Landmark Chambers, said it was by far the most radical planning reform of the year, despite the publication of the Planning for the Future white paper in the summer, and the bringing in of a raft of other controversial permitted development rights (such as the right to demolish and rebuild commercial property).
The proposals have been welcomed by some developer lobby groups, including the Home Builders Federation, with Housing Today columnist Paul Smith, of developer Strategic Land Group, writing today that permitted development rightsprovide the ability for our towns and cities to respond quickly to changing circumstances.
However, Holly Lewis, co-founding partner at architect We Made That which has extensive experience of working with local authorities on urban realm strategies, told Building Design: When have you ever walked through a residential area and thought, Wow! This place is buzzing!? Its common sense that uncontrolled switching of high street units into housing threatens the vitality of our town centres.
Opening up high streets to property speculation as a misguided attempt to answer current challenges will only exacerbate the ingrained inequalities that have been so starkly exposed by the pandemic.
Julia Park, head of housing research at architect Levitt Bernsteins, questioned the governments haste.
In a column published today in Housing Today sister publication BD, she writes: It is hard to imagine that the re-purposing of high streets and town centres will ever be reversed so these decisions cannot be taken lightly.
Given the long-term impact that so many of these half-baked ideas will have, local authorities surely deserve time to plan for an orchestrated shrinkage of town centres and high streets, incentivised by favourable business rates for non-residential uses and we deserve a planning process that upholds local democracy.
Ben Derbyshire, chairman of housing specialist HTA Design, warned of the chaotic free-for-all that would ensue.
As everyone knows, including Robert Jenrick, a successful high street has to be curated: ask any of the Great Estates in London, he said. Marylebone High Street prospers because someone really cares about whos there and the shopping experience.
He warned: The amount of activity of high streets would plummet and that has to be really carefully managed and thats before we get to the quality of the accommodation itself.
PD conversions would bring in no section 106 money and councils would also lose business rates, while at the same time facing a potentially higher social services load as a consequence of people living in substandard accommodation. He also questioned how the new homes would be serviced with no space for wheelie bins among other issues.
Derbyshire urged the profession to keep up the criticism until the disastrous unintended consequences have been averted, pointing out that some U-turns on PD rights have already been won by campaigners, such as the requirement for space standards to apply and for habitable rooms to have a window.
Follow this link:
Architects fear latest permitted development expansion will be disastrous - Housing Today
- Demolition of Mary Miss's art at Des Moines Art Center paused - The Architect's Newspaper - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- AIANY and ASLANY announce transportation and infrastructure awards - The Architect's Newspaper - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Termites are nature's architects, building well-ventilated nests - Earth.com - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- JSA/MIXdesign share its work for the Queens Museum and champion participatory design processes - The Architect's Newspaper - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- County okays agreement with architect for renovation county office building - WspyNews - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- hiroyuki ito architects' tenjincho place is a curving slice of nature in tokyo - Designboom - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- An international competition seeks to find a design team for Helsinki's New Museum of Architecture and Design - The Architect's Newspaper - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Coachella debuts its 2024 art installations by Morag Myerscough, HANNAH, and Nebbia - The Architect's Newspaper - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- New University of Mississippi Architect Contributes to 1000 Projects and Counting The Local Voice - The Local Voice - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Similar, but not the same: How qualifying as an architect differs between the US and UK - Building Design - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Charles E. Dagit Jr., award-winning architect, civic leader, and champion sailor, has died at 80 - The Philadelphia Inquirer - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Renowned architect to visit Stuckeman to juror student design competition - Penn State University - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Architects win citation for Raleigh County Sheriff's Office Headquarters design - MSN - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Trial begins for man accused of throwing Des Moines architect over a railing to his death in 2016 - KCCI Des Moines - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- 'It will be breathtaking,' Notre Dame's chief architect says; iconic cathedral reopens Dec. 8 - Detroit Catholic - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- The reflection of a city in motion. West Bund Orbit by Wutopia Lab | The Strength of Architecture | From 1998 - Metalocus - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- The best new metal songs this week: April 12 2024 - Louder - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Architecture and the Right to Housing - Canadian Architect - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Architect Tipton Housewright Says Too Much Parking is 'Bad Urban Design' - CandysDirt.com - CandysDirt.com - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- Why architects sorely need a new approach to resourcing projects - Architect's Journal - April 17th, 2024 [April 17th, 2024]
- former textile workshop transforms into modern machiya residence in kyoto - Designboom - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- MoDus Architects wraps school in tartan pattern for "warmth and familiarity" - Dezeen - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Architect Eyal Weizman on Mapping Israel's Genocidal Campaign - Democracy Now! - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Aural Art Show Brings Aestheticism to Architects - PantherNOW - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- 125 Greenwich Street by Rafael Violy Architects catches fire in Manhattan while under construction - The Architect's Newspaper - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Barcelona Architects Association visit the Spotify Camp Nou works - FC Barcelona - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Disagree Better Architects, Not Arsonists - National Governors Association - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Construction Underway for Music Venue in Midtown Sacramento - San Francisco YIMBY - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- House of Reclaimed Gold / OutOfTheBox I Eco-Architects - ArchDaily - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Baracco+Wright Architects realizes a light-filled back building - The Architect's Newspaper - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- HMC Architects is one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2 - Fast Company - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- AE Works Announces Strategic Acquisition of WTW Architects, a Pillar in Pittsburgh's Architectural Legacy - StreetInsider.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- DINGWALL Streams ARCHITECTS' Bassist Ripping Through "Doomsday" - GearGods - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Exclusive: Connie Booth, One of the Chief Architects of PlayStation's First-Party Studio System, Is Joining EA - IGN - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Bookstore in the Blast Furnace / hyperSity architects - ArchDaily - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- The Dalmore Luminary Series 2024 Edition revealed - Wallpaper* - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- MAD Architects' Forthcoming Lishui Airport: a White-Feathered Bird Ready to Soar - Archilovers.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Neon surprises await in this Cologne home by DIIIP architects - Yahoo Lifestyle UK - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Count down to Architect'24, the ASEAN's largest building technology exposition - Nation Thailand - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- foster + partners designs 'the star,' a hollywood tower wrapped in spiraling gardens - Designboom - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Kasper architects + associates Inc. seeks DDRB approval for facade renovation of Downtown office | Jax Daily Record - Jacksonville Daily Record - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Fernando Lara looks beyond famed architects to uncover deeper themes throughout history | Penn Today - Penn Today - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Photographing the BEM - The shared learning building (BEM) at cole Polytechnique - World-Architects - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Among the Clouds Art Center / Yuan Architects - ArchDaily - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- The Most Talented Landscape Architects in Arizona - Iconic Life - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Gallery of MVRDV, Orange Architects, and LOLA Unveil WrtZ Masterplan in the Netherlands - 2 - ArchDaily - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- MVRDV, Orange Architects, and LOLA Unveil WrtZ Masterplan in the Netherlands - ArchDaily - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Why Architects Should Watch "Perfect Days by Wim Wenders - Archilovers.com - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Croxatto and Opazo Architects front Chilean home with rotated terrace - Dezeen - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Exploring the Legacy of Modernist Landscape Architect Dan Kiley - ArchDaily - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Rethinking Marketing? The Rise of Narrative Architects | by Meir Amarin | Jan, 2024 - Medium - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Check Out This Ultra-Luxe Half-Floor Residence At One Thousand Museum By Zaha Hadid Architects Asking $8.5 Million - PROFILE Miami - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- 16 Materials Every Architect Needs to Know (And Where to Learn About Them) - ArchDaily - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Holcim and Zaha Hadid Architects team up to print circular bridge - Global Construction Review - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- MSG withdraws its application to build a Sphere in London - The Architect's Newspaper - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Kooo Architects designs rural hotel to blend with village in China - Dezeen - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Deep-finned colonnade frames home extension by Will Gamble Architects - Dezeen - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Designer and Architect Neri Oxman Accused of Plagiarism - Hyperallergic - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- With 'Hand and Machine,' architects revert to analogue forms of expression - STIRworld - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Ontario landscape architects seek legislative update for profession - qpbriefing.com - January 13th, 2024 [January 13th, 2024]
- Paying Tribute to the Influential Architects We Have Lost in 2023 - ArchDaily - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Five international work opportunities for architects and designers - Dezeen - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Architects OMA reinvent the art museum in Buffalo - The Globe and Mail - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Architect Shigeru Ban of Japan visits Maui to offer sustainable housing option in wake of wildfire - Maui Now - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- James Gunn shares photo of some of the DCU architects - Batman-News - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- MAD architects' nanhai art center in china emerges from the lake like endless ripple of water - Designboom - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- MAD Architects imagines Nanhai Art Center like "a continuous wave of water" in Foshan city - World Architecture Community - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Preliminary Application for 1581 University Avenue in Central Berkeley - San Francisco YIMBY - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Kapoor named new CEO of DMR Architects - ROI-NJ.com - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Kadre and Lehrer Architects team up for a new transitional housing community in Los Angeles - Archinect - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- sa Hjort Architects completes blocky home on Sweden's southern coast - Dezeen - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Repurposed Imperfection-Embraced Buildings - Trend Hunter - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Architects recommend awnings for temperature control, design accents - Palm Beach Daily News - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Vote for US Building of the Year 2023 - - World-Architects - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Client Solution Architects Achieves ISO Recertification for IT, InfoSec, Quality Management Systems; Tim Spadafore ... - ExecutiveBiz - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- The Multiple Facets of the Architect: Exploring the Works of lvaro Siza Vieira - ArchDaily - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Meet the American Institute of Architects' First Black Woman President - The Story Exchange - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Civic Architects and VDNDP "embrace imperfections" for university retrofit - Dezeen - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Architect Coke Florance Remembered for Influencing Nation's Capital and Colleagues - CoStar Group - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Five international work opportunities for architects and designers - MSN - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]