The Future of Housing Design

"Sacrificing design is not an option, we should be collectively asking why England, in my opinion, has consistently produced the poorest design in housing in western Europe.”

Richard Rogers was part of a high profile panel discussing 'The Future of Housing Design' in the second annual Alan Cherry Debate. Alongside David Lunts, Keith Bradley and Nick Raynsford, and joined by secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles, the paneleists debated the importance of design quality and how it could be delivered in an age of austerity.

Rogers  surprised delegates by lending support to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), something he admits he has been “horrified” by in the past. “The good news on this was that government accepted it had to be improved,” he said. “Did you know that 35 criticisms were made of it and 30 have since been addressed, which I find very interesting.”

He moved the debate on by adding that innovation needs to be a key part of successful homes design: “there is very little innovation in housing design at the moment. There are a number of dwellings in London, for example, that look back from the Thames which I find amazing.”

“You have to really work at it, but I would say that I think we have done rather well generally. Apart from housing which, as I said at the start of this debate, I think is all very poor in this country. And that’s what we really need to change.”