The demand for housing across the country is greater than ever, with the National Housing Federation estimating 340,000 new homes need to be supplied in England each year to meet demand.* While building new properties to meet this need is undoubtedly important, it is also vital to consider the impact any new buildings are likely to have on the surrounding area and existing residents. With that in mind, we take a look at what needs to be considered when designing a new development.
Beautiful design
In 2021, the government introduced Build Back Better, putting local communities at the heart of plans to ensure new developments are beautiful and well-designed. In July last year, a National Design Code was published, setting out considerations for the design of new developments, including street character, building type, façade and the requirements for wellbeing and environmental impact. Local councils were able to use this to produce their own versions, specific to the character of their areas, giving residents a chance to have their say on what their community should look like. As a result of the new requirements, greater importance is being placed on quality, design and the environment in new developments than ever before.
Sustainable homes
The environment is now a key consideration when it comes to designing new homes. The government recognises housing has a considerable role to play in reducing emissions if the UK wants to reach its net zero target by 2050, which is why it has introduced the Future Homes Standard. This sets out a number of requirements for using sustainable building methods and materials and increasing the energy efficiency of new properties. As well as helping the environment, this is also good news for homeowners, who will benefit from lower energy bills.
Enhancing the local area
A well-designed development isn’t just about making the new buildings look attractive, it also provides an opportunity to enhance the surrounding area and offer new facilities for the local community. These could include new trees and green spaces, playgrounds, shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, and additional parking spaces for cars or bicycles. Hand-in-hand with this, there may be features already existing on the site that require preservation or restoration – i.e. heritage buildings or monuments. You can read more about the benefits and challenges for developers when working on historical sites in our blog here.
Protecting wildlife and ecology
As part of developers’ commitment to enhancing and improving the local area, it’s important to preserve any existing nature on the site wherever possible. While it is difficult to have zero impact during construction, there are steps that should be taken to limit it. For example, the area should be surveyed prior to work getting underway to identify any vulnerable or endangered species and what precautions need to be taken to protect them. If possible, any existing trees identified on the site should also be retained or, if necessary, moved.
At Regent, we work closely with architects to ensure the designs for our residential and mixed-use developments include attractive, high-quality, sustainable new homes and consider the existing surrounding area, while making a positive contribution to the local community.
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*https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7671/
