Better Housing Design needed

Housing Minister Grant Shapps said:

"We all recognise the bog standard, identikit Legoland homes that typify some new developments - all looking exactly the same on streets that could be anywhere in the country. Whilst we are seeing good examples emerging, too often new developments are dominated by the same, identikit designs that bear no resemblance to the character of the local area.

"I want more developers to think outside these Legoland designs and consider how the expertise, knowledge and materials that are locally available could be best used to reflect the identity of their surrounding neighbourhood.

"But power also rests in the hands of the residents. Neighbourhood plans, designed and voted on by communities themselves, could offer vital support to those architects and developers who are more sensitive to the look and feel of the place in which they are building."

Planning and Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said:

"Banal, identikit housing schemes have given development a bad name. Experience here and overseas shows that when local people have the chance to influence the function and appearance of developments, opposition can be turned into enthusiasm and buildings are constructed that we can be proud of.

"Neighbourhood planning will give people the chance to exercise meaningful choice over the look and feel of the places where they live - from the location of new homes, shops and offices, to the choice of materials used. That way, developers who work with local people are likely to benefit from a smoother process for obtaining planning permission."