Healthy Homes Campaign- Updates

Dear friends,

Noting the Chancellor’s announcement setting economic growth as the government’s primary aim, we remain concerned about the quality of that growth – and who will benefit most, in terms of both current and future generations? As our Healthy Homes Fact Checker highlighted, various market factors, rather than planning issues, are undermining the delivery of more good quality affordable homes in this country. More positive announcements have been made about the Private Rental Sector, with additional energy efficiency requirements, alongside funding for private landlords, to bring all rented homes up to Energy Performance Certificate rating C by 2030. On tackling housing hazards including damp, Awaab’s Law is due to come into effect in October this year, but it won’t be a legal requirement to fix dangerous hazards until 2027.

Please read on for the latest TCPA updates, wider Healthy Homes news, and upcoming events.

TCPA Updates

Healthy Homes Principles special: How do we ensure all new homes have access to local amenities, nature and transport?
Our ability to live healthy lives is deeply connected to where we live—our homes and the places that surround and connect them. This blog examines how access to essential services, nature, and active travel options plays an essential role in shaping our physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and supporting planetary health.
Link: https://www.tcpa.org.uk/how-do-we-ensure-all-new-homes-have-access-to-local-amenities-nature-and-transport/

Raising the healthiest generation in history. Inside Housing
Children from deprived backgrounds are more likely to live in poor-quality homes and suffer worse health outcomes. It’s the role of social landlords to change this, writes Gemma Hyde, policy and projects manager at the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA).
Link: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/raising-the-healthiest-generation-in-history-90110

Wider Healthy Homes news

Nearly 1m children in UK at risk of poverty due to housing costs. The Guardian
Last year, 159,000 children didn’t have a home. One million children will be affected by shortfalls in housing support by March 2026. The Comprehensive Spending Review must fund delivery of 90,000 social homes a year…
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/03/children-poverty-housing-costs-report-lha

Number of child deaths in temporary accommodation rises to 80 in one year. Inside Housing
Analysis by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) showed the known number of infant fatalities in temporary housing to have risen between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024, accounting for 3% of the total number of child deaths during this period (3,605).
Link: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/number-of-child-deaths-in-temporary-accommodation-rises-to-80-in-one-year-90240

Assessing the social impact of build-to-rent developments. Quality of Life Foundation
In 2024, the Quality of Life Foundation partnered with the British Property Federation and The Association for Rental Living to examine the social impact of build-to-rent developments on residents and their communities. Drawing on insights from 297 residents across three sites, this report reveals how the build-to-rent sector can enhance wellbeing and foster stronger social connections.
Link: https://www.qolf.org/wp-content/uploads/Assessing-Social-Impact-of-BTR_FINAL-compressed.pdf

The Housing and Ageing Alliance urges the government to take action on the Older People’s Housing Taskforce recommendations. Housing Digital
The Older People’s Taskforce made clear recommendations about prioritising the housing needs of our ageing population – where the supply of specialist housing is around 8,000 a year while the need is between 30,000-50,000. We have asked the government to adopt the recommendations, pointing out ‘Improved provision of later life housing will boost disposable income and GDP and enables active participation in local economies for longer.’
Link: https://housingdigital.co.uk/letter-to-the-editor-better-housing-for-older-people-benefits-all/

Social homes outperforming private housing on energy standards. BRE
Over half of English homes (53%) are now Energy Performance Certificate Rating (EPC) C or better, up from just 4% in 2004, according to new data in the English Housing Survey. However, progress towards EPC C differs across different housing tenures, with social housing significantly out-performing private sector housing (both private rented and owner-occupied).
Link: https://bregroup.com/documents/d/bre-group/bre_warm-homes-plan_briefing_feb_2025

Upcoming events

How to deliver high-quality housing in disadvantages areas – Report Launch. The Place Alliance, supported by Civic Voice, TCPA and Urban Design Group
11 February, 13.00-14.00, online launch.
Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-high-quality-housing-can-be-delivered-in-less-well-off-areas-tickets-1215446917449?aff=oddtdtcreator

Health Equity Network Monthly Webinar: February – Place-based systemic working and integrating health. Institute of Health Equity
12 February, 12.30-13.30, online
This webinar will explore Sport England’s approach to place-based systemic working and how integrating health plays a crucial role in creating active, thriving communities. The speakers will outline the ambition behind this approach, share key successes, and discuss the next steps for expanding and deepening impact.
Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2f9fd082-888c-41e7-824e-61c4e846a5e9@1faf88fe-a998-4c5b-93c9-210a11d9a5c2

Festival of Pineapples 2025. Festival of Place
27 February, 13.30-16.00, online event
The Pineapples awards for place recognise built and future projects and initiatives that make a positive impact on places and people. See 110 finalists across 18 categories present to the judges as they compete to win a golden pineapple, including for the Healthy Homes category, in association with the TCPA. Tune in for an amazing survey of the work taking place in urban regeneration.
Link: https://www.airmeet.com/e/1a437e20-d80d-11ef-85ba-cd990e736c2f

Beyond Building Safety: Why Can’t Healthy Homes be Grenfell’s Legacy? Healthy Buildings Network Leeds
27 February, 2:00-4.00, Leeds
This year marks the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy—a moment to reflect on the legacy of the disaster that claimed 72 lives. Despite successive legislation and a comprehensive public inquiry, key questions remain:
• What has truly changed in building and housing safety?
• Are current policies enough to prevent another disaster?
• How can we expand our focus to embrace a healthy homes agenda that goes beyond mere safety and decency?
Link: https://forms.office.com/e/WsMqjuwsca

Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture Inquiry. HCLG Committee
Submission deadline: 5 March 2025
The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry to look at how land value capture policies can contribute to the delivery of the Government’s house building plans and help fund affordable housing and public infrastructure. Public evidence sessions are expected to commence in March 2025.
Link: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/17/housing-communities-and-local-government-committee/news/204843/delivering-15m-new-homes-and-investing-in-public-infrastructure-housing-communities-and-local-government-committee-launches-new-inquiry-on-land-value-capture/

‘A Festival of Ideas’ – Age-Friendly Homes and Connected Communities. Housing LIN
6 March, Leeds and 26 March, London
Housing LIN organises two in-person events focusing on planning, designing, developing and managing our future housing in the context of Age-Friendly Homes and Connected Communities.
• Leeds ‘Festival of Ideas’ will focus on the latest policy discussions surrounding the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiries.
• London ‘Festival of Ideas’ will highlight the critical topic of developing, managing and investing in affordable housing for all.
Leeds link: https://www.housinglin.org.uk/Events/Housing-LINs-Annual-Conference-2025-Leeds/
London link: https://www.housinglin.org.uk/Events/Housing-LINs-Annual-Conference-2025-London/

With best wishes,
Clémence, Rosalie and Sally

Dear friends and colleagues, 
 
Wishing everyone a very happy and heathy 2025! Please read on for the latest TCPA updates, wider Healthy Homes news, and upcoming events. 
 
TCPA Updates 

Healthy Homes Principles special: Air pollution
If there’s one thing that the tragic and preventable deaths of nine-year old Ella Adoo-Kissi Debra and two-year old Awaab Ishak have shown us, it’s that where we live, and the quality of our homes has a fundamental impact on our health and wellbeing. This blog examines what needs to change to address the huge toll that indoor and outdoor air pollution is placing on people.
Link: tcpa.org.uk/prevent-air-pollution 

Wider Healthy Homes News 
 
HAA members urge action on Older People’s Housing Taskforce 
Members of the Housing and Ageing Alliance have written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for urgent implementation of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce recommendations. 
Link: housinglin.org.uk/News/HAA-members-urge-action-on-Older-Peoples-Housing-Taskforce  
 
New Towns and grey belt: Healthy placemaking or just housing numbers? The Planner 
In this article, Daniel Black examines the current obsession with housing numbers and argues that we prioritise new models of neighbourhood development delivery, where the health of people and the planet are the ‘grand mission.’ He considers opportunities to make future New Towns healthy places, drawing from the learning and recommendations from the TRUUD (Tackling Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Environments) research consortium. 
Link: theplanner.co.uk/2024/11/20/new-towns-and-grey-belt-healthy-placemaking-or-just-housing-numbers  
 
Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2024 Health in Cities. Department of Health and Social Care 
The Chief Medical Officer’s annual report examines the health of our major cities. It looks at the issues affecting the largest cities in the UK and addresses some specific challenges for health seen in cities. Section 4.3 focuses specifically on Housing and Health, covering housing numbers and quality, highlighting problems such as cold homes, fuel poverty, overheating, indoor air quality. 
Link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6756e67b43b2de5fee8dae87/cmo-annual-report-2024-health-in-cities.pdf  
 
Upcoming events 

Healthy Homes Coalition – Planning and Infrastructure Bill catch-up Wednesday 5 February, 3-3:45pm – online 

An opportunity to catch up with other Healthy Homes supporters and to input to our plans to promote better housing standards in the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Please email: clemence.dye@tcpa.org.uk if you are interested to join the catch up. 

How high-quality housing can be delivered in less well-off areas in England – report launch. Place Alliance. Early Feb (TBC) – Pre-register now 

This report by the Place Alliance is based on a detailed assessment of 20 housing development case studies drawn from across England, identifies ten best practice routes to success in creating high quality development in areas where the housing market is relatively weak. Supported by Civic Voice, TCPA and Urban Design Group. 

Pre-register here: udg.org.uk/content/how-high-quality-housing-can-be-delivered-less-well-areas-report-launch  

Child-friendly planning and design: insights and experiences from European cities. TCPA . 13 February: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, free webinar 

Many European cities are embracing child-friendly planning and urban design, and this webinar will explore four case studies from Spain, Slovakia, Albania and Germany that offer insight, inspiration and practical lessons that could be applied in the UK. 

Link: tcpa.org.uk/event/child-friendly-planning-and-design-insights-and-experiences-from-european-cities  

Housing as a social determinant of health: Insights from the SIPHER consortium. 20 February: 12:30pm, free webinar
Housing is a key social determinant of health and plays an important role in shaping public health outcomes. This webinar will offer an overview of research consortium – SIPHER’s qualitative and quantitative research on the relationship between housing and health. It will also introduce SIPHER’s systems tools designed to provide evidence on housing and health. 

Register: https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_asFwRg6zRI2pRz1X4TtOHg#/registration  

With best wishes, 

Clémence, Rosalie and Sally 

On 18 December 2025, Lord Crisp asked the government to clarify its policy position on creating additional housing units through permitted development rights. This short briefing outlines the TCPA’s concerns over the health and placemaking impacts of permitted development rights (PDR).

Briefing link: tcpa.org.uk/resources/permitted-development-rights-health-and-housing-parliamentary-briefing

Dear friends and colleagues, 
at the time of writing, we are waiting for the release of the revised National Planning Policy Framework, the Devolution White Paper, and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, amongst other announcements. In the meantime, please read on for the latest TCPA updates, wider Healthy Homes news, and upcoming events… 

Latest TCPA updates

Healthy Homes Principles Special – Housing and climate resilience. TCPA
This latest blog on the Healthy Home principle of Climate Resilience discusses the urgent need to ensure all new homes and communities are responsive to the challenges of further climate change. This includes being designed to respond to growing risks that include: flooding and storms, heatwaves and wildfires, as well as air pollution. 
Link: tcpa.org.uk/why-all-new-homes-must-be-climate-resilient/

Raising the healthiest generation in history: why it matters where children and young people live. TCPA
This report is a compilation of the evidence submitted to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee inquiry looking at how better planning, building and urban design in England will enhance the health, wellbeing and lifelong opportunities of children and young people. Multiple issues are raised regarding housing and children’s health, such as the lack of decent space standards for children and babies, overcrowding, lack of affordable family housing supply, and the impacts to children’s mental health and school attendance from poor quality and insecure homes. The report calls for adoption of the Healthy Homes Principles to provide all children and young people with secure, high-quality homes.
Link: tcpa.org.uk/resources/raising-the-healthiest-generation-in-history

Time to halt further slum housing. TCPA
On 18 December 2025, Lord Crisp will be asking the government to clarify its policy position on creating additional housing units through permitted development rights (PDR). This short briefing outlines the TCPA’s concerns over the health and placemaking impacts of PDR rules that allow the easier conversion of offices and industrial buildings into homes without proper planning scrutiny. This approach has led to substandard housing, in the wrong locations, and undermined resources for affordable housing and community amenities. Residents have compared their living conditions to ‘prisons’. Local authorities report insufficient regulatory power and resources to properly shape the quality of PDR housing. To ensure safe and healthy housing, we are recommending that the government impose a moratorium on further PDR conversions and revert to pre-2013 regulations.
Link: tcpa.org.uk/resources/permitted-development-rights-health-and-housing-parliamentary-briefing/ 
 
Wider Healthy Homes news 

Trapped behind the wheel: How England’s new builds lock us into car dependency. New Economics Foundation
‘Trapped behind the wheel’ a report by New Economics Foundation (NEF) has found that car dependency is locked into new housing development. NEF applied a Car Dependency Index (CDI) to new housing sites over the past 15 years, around England. The findings revealed the same trend across all regions outside of London, especially in rural and poorly connected urban fringes. NEF points to a number of reasons, including top down housing targets, cheaper greenfield land values, and a lack of early integrated planning. 
Link: https://neweconomics.org/uploads/files/NEF_Trapped-Behind-The-Wheel_Final.pdf

Housing should be the government’s mission. Nationwide Foundation CEO, Inside Housing
Kate Markey, CEO for the Nationwide Foundation, has said the government has a once in a decade opportunity to address the housing crisis. Stating that a good housing system is a fundamental driver for the nation’s economy and wellbeing, she noted, ‘Without decent, affordable and healthy homes, families’ livelihoods (and life chances) are crippled, our nation’s health and social care – not to mention productivity – are strangled and our communities’ wellbeing blighted.’
Link: insidehousing.co.uk/comment/housing-should-be-the-governments-mission-89562

Healthy Homes in the East of England report launched. EELGA
‘Only 20% of our health is determined by the healthcare we receive. The wider determinants of health are far more significant and account for the remaining 80%’
This report from the East of England LGA for Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) calls for enhanced collaboration between housing and health sectors to improve health outcomes. It sets out five Guiding Principles for better coordination, including aligning strategies; engaging with partners, agreeing roles and accountabilities; and focusing on the frontline. Recognising that housing demand in London is placing greater pressure on surrounding regions, this regional report calls for the identification and bringing forward housing development sites within their boundaries ‘to demonstrate collaborative place-making in line with those principles. It also seeks a regional conversation involving EELGA, central government and Homes England, to better join-up on health and housing.
Link: eelga.gov.uk/healthy-homes-in-the-east-of-england-report-launched  

Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population. Older People’s Taskforce
The Older People’s taskforce published its final report that explores housing solutions tailored to an ageing population, focusing on designs that enhance wellbeing, foster community connections, and support healthy ageing. It emphasises integrating accessibility, sustainability, and social inclusion into future housing developments to meet the diverse needs of older adults.
Link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/674831555ba46550018ceb1e/Our_Future_Homes_-_Housing_that_promotes_wellbeing_and_community_for_an_ageing_population.pdf

Angela Raynor calls for a fundamental review of Building Regulations Approved Documents. UK Government
In response to the 2018 Hackitt Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report, the Secretary of State has called for the Building Safety Regulator to establish an expert review panel in early 2025. The aim is to make the guidance easier to use, to be updated more regularly in line with technological advancements, as well as make it more accessible for small and medium businesses. 
Link: https://buildingsafety.campaign.gov.uk/building-safety-regulator-making-buildings-safer/building-safety-regulator-news/fundamental-review-of-building-regulations-guidance

Upcoming events / consultations

Good Homes Alliance Annual conference
29 January 2025, 1:30pm – 5:00pm, London
The housing sector is at a crossroads. The new Labour government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years and planning reforms. Imminent updates to the building regulations following the Future Homes Standard consultation are not expected to go far and fast enough in addressing the urgent need for change to meet our climate commitments, or to deliver the healthy homes with low bills that we need. 
Link: https://goodhomes.org.uk/good-homes-2025

TCPA Webinar on flooding and coastal erosion: Updates to NAFRA2 and NCERM 
11 February 2025, 1:00pm – 2:30pm
What does the new flood risk and coastal erosion mapping mean for development planning? If you’re a local authority officer working for a local planning authority or lead local flood authority on either planning policy or development management, you are invited to join this TCPA webinar. 
Link: tcpa.org.uk/event/webinar-updates-to-nafra2-and-ncerm-information-for-planners

Consultation on Right to Buy (ends 15 Jan 2025)
This government consultation is seeking views on how the Right to Buy should be reformed in England. The consultation follows the reduction in maximum Right to Buy cash discounts announced at Autumn Budget 2024. It is seeking views on:
the qualifying criteria for tenants
initial and maximum discounts as a percentage of the property value
which types of properties should be exempted under the scheme
whether there should be increased restrictions on properties after sale
the replacement of homes sold under the Right to Buy
rules governing the use of Right to Buy receipts and how these could be simplified
Link: gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-right-to-buy/reforming-the-right-to-buy 

We want to thank all those individuals and organisations who have supported the campaign over this year and all those who have signed up to adopt the Healthy Home Pledge in their work. 

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy Christmas and new year ahead! 
Clémence, Rosalie and Sally

Dear friends and colleagues,  

this month’s Healthy Homes update comes in the aftermath of the new Government’s budget announcements and Kemi Badenoch becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party and her shadow cabinet, including Kevin Hollinrake MP as the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Read on for the latest TCPA updates, wider Healthy Homes news and upcoming events below. 

Latest TCPA updates

Healthy Homes Principles Special: Reduction of carbon emissions for all homes. 
This latest Healthy Homes Principle blog examines the health links with energy efficient, well-insulated homes, explores opportunities for future progress and highlights local case studies. 
Link: www.tcpa.org.uk/reducing-carbon-emissions-in-all-homes/

Budget 2024 – what are the housing commitments? 
The autumn 2024 budget contains a whole raft of housing commitments. While it is unclear how many of these commitments are new funds, the budget does give us a sense of the new government’s early ambitions for the sector. 
Link: tcpa.org.uk/budget-2024-what-are-the-housing-commitments-2 

Securing Healthy Homes at a local level. LGA conference 
At this year’s LGA Conference which took place in October, the TCPA, Cllr Emily O’Brien of Lewes District Council and BRE’s Dan Asquith discussed how adopting the Healthy Homes Principles locally provides a comprehensive framework for ensuring housing quality which is vital for the creation of healthy thriving communities and future proof homes.
Links: The ‘Securing Healthy Homes at the local level – technical guide’  and an earlier webinar recording about the guide here.

Healthy Homes award in the Pineapples – still time to submit your entries
There’s still time to submit your new housing schemes to this new Healthy Homes category of the Pineapples – powered by The Developer and sponsored by Wates. Deadline for entries is 27 November 2024.
Link: festivalofplace.co.uk/thepineapples

Wider Healthy Homes news 

Pennycook says housing sector needs more SME building and pledges diversification –Building
Housebuilding in the UK relies too much on a small number of volume housebuilders, according to  Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook. Speaking at a fringe event of the Labour conference in Liverpool, he said the industry needs to diversify – ‘We are overly reliant, everyone knows this, on a handful of volume builders that have a particular business model’.
Link: building.co.uk/delivery-of-new-homes-over-reliant-on-a-handful-of-volume-builders-says-housing-minister/5131746.article

The GP crisis on Britain’s new-build estates. INews
New-build homes are being built without promised GP surgeries, putting pressure on local healthcare services, doctors and councils have warned. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, raised concerns that the need for GPs was not being considered carefully enough in the new Government’s housebuilding plans. ‘As communities expand, it is essential that local services expand as well, and that includes increasing the size and numbers of GP practices,’. 
Link: https://inews.co.uk/news/gp-crisis-britain-new-build-estates-3306692

Planning rules have failed to link new homes to public transport – The Guardian / RTPI report
A decade of planning policy has left millions of people still dependent on cars, an RTPI study has found. The study of 1.6m new homes given planning permission between 2012 and 2021 has found on average it was twice as fast to reach the nearest hospital by car than by public transport.
Link: theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/06/planning-rules-have-failed-to-link-new-homes-to-public-transport-report-finds

Community-led housing for all – Nationwide Foundation
This report is the first co-produced national overview of the challenges faced by black and ethnic communities within the community-led housing sector in England. It highlights that community-led housing has the potential to tackle racial inequalities within the housing system, but there are barriers to achieving this that need to be addressed. 
Link: nationwidefoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Community-led-housing-for-all_FINAL.pdf

Only 5% of London private rentals affordable to low-income households. London Councils
Recent research undertaken by Savills for London Councils highlights the lack of affordable homes in the London private rental sector. It also provides evidence that the sector has shrunk in size, with 45,000 rental properties sold between 2021 and 2023, without being replaced, affecting the lower-cost end of the market in particular.
Link: londoncouncils.gov.uk/node/10947  

Upcoming events

HAPPI Hour Webinar – Health and Housing: getting the integration message across. Housing LIN 
19 November, 4pm-5pm 
This webinar will discuss the findings from work commissioned by a regional Integrated Care Service, which focuses on fostering close partnerships across local housing, health, and social care sectors to better understand population health and housing needs. It will also touch on how a Midlands-based housing association is actively improving the health and wellbeing of its residents, as well as examine best practices for designing and building healthy homes. 
Link: housinglin.org.uk/Events/HAPPI-Hour-Health-and-Housing-getting-the-integration-message-across/  

Housing quality and people’s health: making the case for improving health through housing. Centre for Ageing Better
20 November, 10am-11am
This one-hour webinar will explore the link between housing, health and care in a local context and demonstrate the benefits of connecting these services in policy and practice. It will also showcase good practice across the country, including a discussion of the findings from an evaluation of West Yorkshire ICS Winter Warmth Programme. 
Link: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AvlZXonz-kzL2xAgLfS0kRbDJSFAPBmeCH5XweiY1yXK1LvxISpC~AvUWRqxZ9uxfn0bGz5qpbbDiWfTmdrghnYWZzgEF1Xag9uTFzvltBsRyTQ

The TCPA Annual Conference 2024: Tackling the housing, health, climate and nature crises – the role of planning and placemaking
26 November, 10am – 4pm
With the new government ensuring housing and planning remain high on the political agenda, and the introduction of a revised National Planning Policy Framework, the TCPA’s 2024 Annual Conference will focus on ways in which the planning and wider built environment sector can maximise the potential of the new proposals; exploring the opportunities it offers, while also highlighting the restrictions and challenges that remain. 
Link: tcpa.org.uk/event/save-the-date-the-tcpa-annual-conference-2024-in-person/

Green Infrastructure Partnership Conference: from local innovation to national transformation (Online)
10 December, 9:30am-12pm
Brought to you by the TCPA and the Green Infrastructure Partnership, this online conference will look at innovations in policy and practice and is essential for anyone interested in how urban greening can help create healthy, climate resilient places. It will be of particular value to councillors, planners, parks teams, community environment groups, academics, researchers and consultants.
Link: tcpa.org.uk/event/save-the-date-green-infrastructure-partnership-conference-from-local-innovation-to-national-transformation-online/

We encourage you to submit your housing project to the new Healthy Homes category in the Pineapples, and sign up to the Healthy Homes Pledge if you haven’t already! 

Best wishes,   Rosalie, Sally and Clémence 

Dear friends and colleagues,  

New Healthy Homes Pineapples awards category announced with The Developer 

The TCPA is excited to announce this new category of Healthy Homes in the Pineapples – powered by The Developer – which will recognise recently completed housing schemes that promote the health of residents and citizens and will be judged according to the Healthy Homes Principles. Projects can be mixed-use developments, social housing or a small development sites. The judges will be looking for new homes that incorporate healthy living into their design, delivery and the ongoing governance of the project. We encourage any organisation who has adopted the Healthy Homes Pledge and is implementing the Principles to make a submission (Deadline 28 November 2024).
Link:  festivalofplace.co.uk/thepineapples

Some other recent Healthy Homes news and events to share with you follow: 

NEWS 

Healthy Homes Principles Special: Liveable Space for all homes. TCPA 

This Healthy Homes Principles special article considers some of the health impacts when homes do not provide adequate liveable space and lead to overcrowding, and why we need a clear mandatory principle that ensures all new homes, including those converted through permitted development, are designed and built to provide enough liveable space for individuals and families. Link: tcpa.org.uk/liveable-space-for-all-homes/
 

English planning system is failing to protect new housing development from flood risk. TCPA 

Drawing on two in-depth case studies, stakeholder interviews and a literature review, this research examined the effectiveness of the planning system for the delivery of flood resilient new housing development in England. Link: tcpa.org.uk/english-planning-system-is-failing-to-protect-new-housing-development-from-flood-risk-tcpa-research-finds/

TCPA formal response to the NPPF consultation. TCPA 

The TCPA has submitted a formal response to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation. The TCPA thinks that the proposed changes to the NPPF are inadequate and will not result in the climate-resilient places and healthy populations that the government has committed to achieve. While the TCPA fully supports the government’s ambition to build more new homes more quickly, this must not lead to the creation of homes and places that will entrench problems for the future. Link: tcpa.org.uk/resources/nppf-consultation-response-2024


Why ‘decent homes’ simply isn’t good enough. TCPA
How did we end up with such a poorly resourced, fragmented and reactive system of rules around housing quality? Unlike when you buy a car, there is no single comprehensive MOT for homes which would provide assurance to prospective tenants, buyers, landlords and developers that a newly built home is safe or even of a good standard. This article for ‘Healthy Homes Healthy Places’ week, looks at the current system and why it needs comprehensive reform.
Link: cih.org/blogs/why-decent-homes-simply-isn-t-good-enough

Securing Healthy Homes Locally – webinar recording and slides. TCPA

The TCPA has produced a technical guide which explains why and how the Healthy Homes Principles can be applied in local policy and practice. This webinar (September 2024) shares highlights from the guide and outlines some of the approaches adopted by different local authorities around England. It includes presentations from Lewes District Council, the Building Research Establishment and Tibbalds about the ways they are promoting Healthy Homes and communities locally. Recording and slides Link: tcpa.org.uk/resources/securing-healthy-homes-locally-a-webinar-for-local-government/

Securing the future of Council Housing: Five solutions from over 100 of England’s council landlords. Southwark Council 

This interim report highlights the urgent need for communities across the country to have access to truly affordable and secure homes. It covers the difficulties to maintain and build council housing and then summarises the solutions over 100 council landlords in England agree are needed to solve this crisis. It also outlines a plan to work with government as national financing and the policy environment must change to allow council landlords to fulfil their crucial role in ensuring new building, upgrades and maintenance works offer excellent value for money.  Link: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/housing/securing-the-future-of-england-s-councilhousing#:~:text=The%20report%20aims%20to%20help%20the%20new%20government
 

New Quality of Life Framework launched. Quality of Life Foundation

The Quality of Life Foundation has just released its new strategy and framework, with key themes such as sense of control, and connection to nature. On Healthy Equity, the framework talks about housing standards and points to the Healthy Homes Principles as a way to think about housing quality to deliver better health outcomes.  Link: qolf.org/framework/quality-of-life-framework-health-equity/housingstandards/#:~:text=Housing%20standards:%20Quality%20of%20Life%20Framework.%20Given%20that

Review confirms positive impact of the Government’s Community Housing Fund in driving affordable housing. Community Land Trust Network

A new review undertaken by the Community Land Trust Network in collaboration with MHCLG and Homes England  finds that the government’s Community Housing Fund has significantly helped to deliver more affordable homes in England.  Link: communitylandtrusts.org.uk/news-and-events/review-confirms-success-of-governments-community-housing-fund 
 

EVENTS

Retrofit Revisit: Building Performance Evaluation Workshop. Good Homes Alliance 

9 October, 9:30am-1pm, University of Salford 

Retrofit Revisit is a project that has seen the evaluation of 10 dwellings, 10 years after they originally received energy efficiency retrofit measures. This workshop is an opportunity to delve further into the building performance evaluation approaches (planning, techniques and technologies) that informed the projects findings, with insights and expertise from the lead building performance evaluators – Julie Godefroy and Marion Baeli. Link: https://goodhomes.org.uk/events/retrofit-revisit-bpn-london#:~:text=Event%20details.%20Date:%20Tuesday%2018th%20June%202024.%20Time:
 

Healthy City Design Conference. SALUS 

15-16 October, Liverpool, Royal College of Physicians 

The Healthy City Design 2024 International Congress & Exhibition is a global forum for the exchange of knowledge on the research, policy, investment and practice of designing healthy and sustainable cities and communities. The two-day programme and keynote speakers will focus on building a fairer future and advancing health equity through impact investment.  Link: healthycitydesign.global/registration 
 

BSP research seminar: Looking after Housing. UCL
17 October, 2pm–4pm
A free research seminar on housing and health with presentations from researchers in England and France, about what matters for planning today and people’s lived experiences. Participants can join the discussions on health and housing, and how to look after our homes.
Link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/planning/events/2024/oct/bsp-research-seminar-looking-after-housing 

We encourage you to submit your housing project to the new Healthy Homes category in the Pineapples, and sign up to the Healthy Homes Pledge if you haven’t already! 

Best wishes,   Rosalie, Sally and Clémence 

Healthy Homes Pledge launch. Town and Country Planning Association 

The TCPA launched the Healthy Homes Pledge on May 8^th as a part of the Campaign for Healthy Homes. It urges organisations and professionals from the built environment to pledge their support for healthy homes and demand political commitment to ensure that all new homes are healthy and secure, with an increase in genuinely affordable homes being built. Several organisations have already pledged their support, including: Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, the Chartered Institute for Housing, CPRE, Good Homes Alliance, Housing LIN, Quality of Life Foundation, Renters Rights London, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), TrustMark and Wates. 

Links:  

• Healthy Homes Pledge – Town and Country Planning Association (tcpa.org.uk) 

• Housing sector urged to prioritise healthy homes – Town and Country Planning Association (tcpa.org.uk) 

Safe Homes Now Campaign. Centre for Ageing Better 

At the end of April, the Centre for Ageing Better and nine charities launched the Safe Homes Now Campaign, calling for a national strategy to tackle the poor quality of the country’s homes. The campaign stems from the need to halve the 3.7 million dangerous homes present in England over the next decade, to protect the lives of their 8 million inhabitants. It reflects the public’s growing demand for action from the government, with a new polling highlighting how more than half of the people surveyed say government should be doing more to support people in ensuring their homes are safe and in good condition. 

Link: Safe Homes Now | Centre for Ageing Better (ageing-better.org.uk) 

Carol Easton, Chief Executive of Centre for Ageing Better at the launch of the Safe Homes Now Campaign, in the House of Commons, highlighted the dire number of poor-quality homes and the impact on their inhabitants’ health. 

Homes for All: A vision for England’s housing system. The Church of England/Nationwide Foundation 

The Homes for All vision, supported by a coalition that includes the Church of England and Nationwide Foundation, calls on all political parties to design a comprehensive strategy to transform England’s housing system. With the housing crisis denying millions of people a decent home, the Homes for All strategy seeks to change the conversation and envisions 25 outcomes that shows what a well-functioning system should look like. It highlights the need for a long-term plan for policy and a Housing Strategy Committee to guide and assess government action.   

The Archbishop of Canterbury at the launch of Homes for All report in the House of Lords. He described how millions of people are denied healthy, affordable and secure homes – and said the call for more homes must be about more good quality and genuinely affordable homes for all. 

Link: Homes For All 

The Renters Reform Bill. The Guardian 

At the end of April, Michael Gove’s renters’ reform bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons. The bill originally promised to sharply improve things for people living in expensive rental properties, in particular with the flagship measure to eliminate no-fault evictions. As it now goes through the House of Lords, it has been so watered down that it lost the support of many charities that originally backed the bill. The promise to end the use of section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction notices has been forgotten. 

Link: Thursday briefing: How Michael Gove’s ‘new deal’ for renters went sour | The Guardian 

Designing Housing for People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People webinar. HousingLIN  

A recording of HousingLIN’s latest excellent ‘HAPPI Hour’ webinar is now available online, looking into how to design more inclusive homes for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.  Bath and North Somerset Council (B&NES) share their experience of developing supported and social housing. And Arcadis outline how they have supported the Council to design a distinctive landscape-led development comprising 16 homes and a clubhouse. 

Link: HAPPI Hour – Designing Housing for People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People – Events – Housing LIN 

Low-use homes in rural and coastal areas of the UK. Report by Action on Empty Homes and University of Sheffield 

Action on Empty Homes and the University of Sheffield have released a new report focusing on the policy changes required to boost rural and coastal housing access. The report outline policy recommendations regarding second homes, licensing to regulate short-term lets and improve health and safety, planning, social housing, local tax retention and responsible lending:  

Link: Low-use homes in rural and coastal areas of the UK: Geography, impact and responses. REPORT 24 

Government ‘lacks urgency’ in protecting tenants in unhealthy homes. Housing Digital 

The recent response of the government to the Health and Social Care Committee report ‘Prevention in Health and Social Care: Healthy Place’, showcases a lack of urgency in protecting tenants in unhealthy homes.  

Link: Govt lacks urgency over unhealthy homes, say MPs : Housing Digital 

Best wishes, 

Rosalie, Sally and Clémence 

The TCPA recognises the urgent need for more good quality and affordable homes. However, the TCPA is concerned that the further incremental expansion of Permitted Development Rights (PDR) is undermining local authorities’ attempts to masterplan and promote healthy homes and communities and deliver effective regeneration. Existing PDR rules are failing to ensure good quality homes and places that enable healthy outcomes for people and communities. We know that the poor health consequences associated with poor quality homes have knock-on costs to society and the economy, harming productivity and prosperity.

Our particular concerns in this latest consultation relate to:

• Householder development: allowing further flexibilities for householder extensions will potentially increase the loss of private green space and incur loss of daylight, impacting on neighbours ‘rights of light’;
• Building upwards: removing the age limit of buildings that can have floors added to them, raises potential structural safety concerns for older buildings, highlighting the need to require safety checks; it also poses potential harm to cultural heritage and design character; and
• Demolition and rebuild: expanding the scope of buildings permitted to be demolished raises concerns about the standards of rebuilding (as they will not need to obtain a full planning application), the loss of contributions to affordable housing and local amenities through section 106 agreements, and the loss of embodied carbon from relatively new buildings.

The response is available here: https://www.tcpa.org.uk/resources/permitted-development-housing-and-health-a-review-of-national-policy-and-regulations/

Date published: 03/04/2024

Yesterday’s government announcement that allows large offices to be converted to housing through permitted development rights (PDR) has disregarded the evidence about the consequences of this deregulation for people’s health and wellbeing. Homes that are created through permitted development are not subject to national and local planning policies or guidance. Therefore, the quality of these homes relies almost entirely on building regulations and a limited set of ‘prior approval’ conditions.

Extensive new research published by the TCPA with UCL’s Bartlett School of Planning (funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research) has found gaps and loopholes in relation to the regulation of permitted development.

The review finds that current policies, guidance and regulations are complex and inconsistent in what they require regarding homes created through permitted development. By side-stepping the requirement to obtain full planning consent, the government has removed a key mechanism for ensuring affordable, good quality homes in appropriate locations.

The report is available here: https://www.tcpa.org.uk/resources/permitted-development-housing-and-health-a-review-of-national-policy-and-regulations/

Date published: 14/02/2024

The latest report from the Environmental Audit Committee has raised serious concerns over the UK’s lack of preparedness in its report on ‘Heat resilience and sustainable cooling’ released yesterday. They say the “silent killer” of heatwaves will risk 10,000 lives annually in the UK without concerted action, and over 4.6m homes in England are reported to overheat in the summertime. The committee are calling for urgent action, including investment in green infrastructure & housing.

“Tackling overheating at scale will not be a quick or easy undertaking. Clear collaboration between Government departments and local authorities is necessary, supported by a clear messaging campaign and a pipeline of funding and skilled retrofitters to undertake the work needed. Existing Government policy fails to grasp the urgency of the task at hand. A Minister with oversight on heat resilience must be appointed to oversee this important work.”

Report link: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/62/environmental-audit-cmmittee/news/199660/eac-heat-resilience-report-published/

Date published: 01/02/2024

The latest report of the Housing Ombudsman (for social housing) a ‘Relationship of Equals’, has called for a re-establishing the link between housing and health. It recommends establishing a Royal Commission which would create a long-term plan for social housing, after finding that current approaches for the sector are not working for residents with a vulnerability.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “The effect of a combined cost of living and housing crisis has put parts of the sector at breaking point, compounded by a narrow vision of what social housing is for; one which is far removed from its conception 150 years ago….This sector has a proud history of tackling social injustice and this housing crisis speaks to new social injustices in health, equality and race and it can rise to this challenge for the benefit of the country. Our calls for a Royal Commission, which is independent of government and not impeded by politics, could be transformative.”

Report Link: Spotlight on: Relationship of Equals | Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)

Date published: 26/01/2024

The latest Health Foundation report – Moving to Healthy Homes highlights ongoing problems in delivering good quality, affordable & secure housing, especially for the Private Rental Sector. Over 14.6% of all homes in England (3.7 million homes) don’t comply with the Decent Homes Standard in 2022.

Housing issues linked to poor health do not affect the population equally. Households on lower incomes are more likely to live in non-decent, overcrowded properties and are more likely to experience a greater housing cost burden, all of which negatively affect health. The report calls for comprehensive Healthy Homes Standards – this is urgently needed to protect owner occupiers, private & social tenants.

The TCPA welcomes this report and argues these standards need to include enhanced and mandatory requirements on: accessibility and adaptability; air pollution (indoor and outdoor); access to amenities, transport and green infrastructure; climate resilience; space, as per the Healthy Homes principles.

Date published: 08/01/2024

The UK Health Security Agency’s latest report about the #health impact of #climatechange includes a chapter on the potential impact to housing.

Ch. 5 of the report focuses on the indoor environment – noting on average we spend 95% of our time indoors making this a key determinant of health. Considerable investment is required to upgrade existing #housing stock and ensure all new homes are adapted to ensure thermal comfort and indoor air quality, through a ‘holistic’ combination of orientation, insulation and ventilation measures.

Amongst a range of climate adaptation options for our homes, the report includes a brief reference to the potential role of living roofs and walls, which can improve insulation for buildings and the surrounding microclimate. It would be good to see more investment in that area, as such #greeninfrastructure measures, if properly installed and maintained, could also bring a number of other benefits, such as rainwater capture, biodiversity and aesthetic benefits. 

HECC report 2023. Chapter 5: Impact of climate change policies on indoor environmental quality and health in UK housing (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Date published: 12/12/2023

This report looks at the health costs of London’s housing stock. It repeats the national findings by the Building Research Establishment, that investing now to improve housing will bring immediate benefits to people’s health and long-term benefits to health and social care sectors, the economy, and more widely.

Using English Housing Survey data, an estimated 242,000 homes in London have serious health hazards in 2018 (so called ‘category 1’ hazards according to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System). The most common hazards were associated with falls and cold.

Date published: 05/12/2023

Michael Gove has made some positive noises in the last couple of days about tackling the housing crisis, including how he ’would like to see’ 30,000 new social homes being built every year. However, his desire for new social housing falls well below Shelter’s estimate of the 90,000 council homes that are needed. And significantly, there is no definitive commitment to set clear statutory requirements that will ensure all new homes protect and enhance people’s health. This is despite overwhelming evidence that the existing regulatory framework is failing to ensure healthy homes for everyone, especially those most vulnerable groups.

The government is talking about further expanding Permitted Development Rights to make the conversion of existing buildings to residential use ‘easier’. As our These are Homes photos make clear there are huge problems with such conversions. Indeed, the chair of the Local Government Association, Shaun Davies, recognised, new homes are much needed but  shops, offices and barns are not always suitable for conversion;

’Further expanding permitted development rights risks creating poor quality residential environments that negatively impact people’s health and wellbeing, as well as a lack of affordable housing or suitable infrastructure.’ (Guardian, 23.07.23)

The government is also talking about expanding the application of the Decent Homes Standard to the private rental sector. Currently the standard only covers social housing, where the standard’s guidance states that social landlords ‘should bear in mind’ rather than what they must, by law, deliver. Importantly, the Decent Homes Standards only address the most serious ‘category 1’ hazards for households and does not seek to actively promote health through good quality homes.  

A joint report by two cross-party parliamentary groups (the APPG for Housing Market and Delivery and APPG for Ending Homelessness) released last week was clear that health protection and promotion must be made mandatory requirements:

’We support the Healthy Homes Principles and their inclusion within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill… If introduced, these standards would also level the playing field in terms of costs, as currently developers can and do lower standards in order to save on costs.’

Changes to Permitted Development requirements in 2021 regarding natural light and space were insufficient, and they did not ensure residential conversions address all Healthy Homes Principles, including: ensuring sites are located with good access to amenities, green spaces and play areas; ensuring climate resilience to flood risk, overheating and excess cold; adequate provision of windows; indoor and outdoor air quality; limiting noise pollution.

It is vital the government brings the Healthy Homes principles into primary legislation, whether in the form of the Healthy Homes Bill or via the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to provide a clear and mandatory requirement for all new homes, not only to protect people from harm but importantly to positively promote everyone’s health.

Further information:

Healthy Homes Campaign July update – Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill

Click here to join the Campaign for Healthy Homes (tcpa.org.uk) now!

Date published: 24/07/2023

Last month, the National Housing Federation published a paper that looks at the shocking scale of overcrowding in England. Over 2 million children were found to live in accommodation with little to no personal space, and over 300,000 share beds with a family member. The report uses the data measured in the English Housing Survey to determine the scale of overcrowding as well as exploring how it can impact the health and wellbeing of those living in these conditions.

Key findings include:

• Nearly half of children in overcrowded homes struggle to do their homework due to lack of space.
• Over half of respondents have to sleep in a room other than their bedroom due to overcrowding.
• Three quarters of overcrowded families have experienced negative health impacts due to overcrowding.

This report further adds to the overwhelming evidence that our housing system is broken. Overcrowding is a clear indicator that there is shortage of homes that can meet the needs of the country, and as a result resident health and wellbeing is bound to suffer. In order to improve our life chances, homes should be built to promote rather than detract from our health.

The TCPA supports the National Housing Federation’s call for a long-term national plan that will meet England’s housing needs. Our Healthy Homes principle on liveable space states that all new housing must “meet the needs of people over their whole lifetime, including adequate internal and external storage space”.

These principles establish the foundation of the Healthy Homes campaign. Currently, Lord Nigel Crisp has proposed the addition of the Healthy Homes amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill as it continues its passage through the House of Lords. If successful, this will ensure that the Healthy Homes principles are enshrined into law.

The ongoing conversation about the provision of good quality and affordable homes is vital but we also need to see real change. This report by the National Housing Federation serves to further outlines the need to reform the regulation of the built environment to ensure that people are housed in that allow them to flourish.

Date published: 02/05/2023

The Resolution Foundation report ‘Trying Times’ looks at how people living in poor quality housing have fared during the cost of living crisis

By Lalitha Try, Resolution Foundation

Kindly reproduced from original summary, 15th April 2023

Plenty of research has shown the important role housing plays on our living standards, attitudes and wider health and wellbeing. But less attention has been paid to the effect of housing quality on living standards. In this report, we use data collected in March 2023 from an online YouGov survey (funded by The Health Foundation) of 10,122 adults aged 18+, to analyse the experience of the cost of living crisis by tenure, the incidence of poor quality housing, and the impact of poor quality housing on health and wellbeing. 

According to our survey, 10 per cent of people live in poor quality housing (defined as living in homes that are not in a good state of repair, where heating, electrics or plumbing are not in good working order, and where damp is present), with people from more disadvantaged groups more likely to live in poor quality housing. And poor quality housing is also associated with poor health, which is still true after controlling for a range of income-related and demographic factors.   

Key findings

• Renters have been the most likely to have fallen behind on their housing costs over the last three months – with 15 per cent of social renters and 10 per cent of private renters in this position, compared to 4 per cent of mortgagors.
• Although worries have fallen slightly over the past four months, a significant minority of people remain worried about their ability to afford their housing costs in the near future, with nearly 4 in 10 social and private renters worried about meeting their housing costs over the next three months. 
• 10 per cent of people (6.5 million people) live in poor quality housing, defined in this report as living in homes that are not in a good state of repair, that have damp, and where the heating, electrics or plumbing are not working. People from traditionally more disadvantaged groups are more likely to be living in poor quality housing. 
• People living in poor quality housing are twice as likely to have poor general health than those who don’t (22 per cent compared to 11 per cent). After controlling for income-related and demographic factors, the gap narrows but still exists: people living in poor quality housing were 4 percentage points more likely to say their general health is poor, and people living in poor quality housing were 6 percentage points more likely to have had poor mental health than those not living in poor quality housing. 
• Over half of people living in poor quality housing felt that the stress caused by rising living costs had worsened their health or that the money they had to spend on rising heating costs made their health worse, compared to 27 and 22 per cent respectively for those not living in poor quality housing; these differences also remain after controlling for demographic and income-related factors. 
• To work towards fixing the problem of poor quality housing, the Government must build more new affordable housing both for rent and purchase, better regulate housing conditions in the private sector, and improve conditions in social housing.

Further information:

• Link to the Resolution Foundation report
• Healthy Homes Campaign
• Healthy Homes Principles

Date published: 18/04/2023

The Healthy Homes campaign has reached a pivotal moment in parliament. Peers from across the political spectrum in the House of Lords, including Lord Blunkett, Lord Young of Cookham, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Lord Bishop of Derby, the Earl of Lytton, amongst others, gave their wholehearted endorsement of the Healthy Homes amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB), as put down by Lord Nigel Crisp, former Chief Executive of the English NHS and Cross-bench Peer.

Lord Crisp’s amendments seek to enshrine 11 legally-binding ‘Healthy Homes Principles’ in law. A further amendment on affordable housing has been proposed by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, where assessment of affordable housing need should be based on average and below-average income levels, rather than on market prices. 

In an impressive two-and-a-half-hour-long debate, peers pointed to the huge social cost of poor quality homes and neighbourhoods. They noted that new homes can be of such poor quality they will need to be retrofitted almost straight away. A recent report from the Building Research Establishment shows that the combined annual cost to the NHS of ‘category 1 hazards’ in owner-occupied, private-rented and social housing totals over £1 billion every year. Another report from Arup found that over half (55%) of the UK’s housing stock is prone to dangerous over-heating in the summer, leading to an estimate 791 excess deaths per year in England and Wales. Excess cold, linked to poor insulation and fuel poverty, increases arthritis, undermines sleep quality, as well as exacerbates cardiac and respiratory conditions, including those with asthma and other allergies. Overheating is also linked to respiratory and cardiac problems, sleep loss and hypertension. Peers called for a simplified, fairer and stronger regulatory landscape to avoid exacerbating long-term chronic illnesses in the population, to promote resilience to climate change, and to create a level playing field for developers in terms of requirements.  

Lord Crisp introduced the amendments by pointing to the lack of provisions to promote health and wellbeing in planning legislation and guidance. He noted: 

“Even in the key paragraph 20 of the National Planning Policy Framework, where the Government set down requirements on strategic policies in local plans, there is no mention of promoting health and well-being but simply a reference to the provision of healthcare facilities. This seems to be a very old-fashioned view of health which equates health with healthcare….

Our homes and neighbourhoods deeply influence our health, for good and for bad, and this all influences our life chances. If we want to level up and create the circumstances in which people can flourish, health and well-being must have central roles in our planning system.”

Baroness Hayman highlighted the benefit of getting buildings right from the outset otherwise we face creating a legacy of health and building costs in the future:

“Scandalously, hundreds of thousands of homes are being built every year which will require future retrofitting because we did not implement the standards early enough. We have our most vulnerable citizens living in fuel poverty in cold and leaky homes.”

The Earl of Lytton agreed, noting:

“We need neighbourhoods and layouts that work and we need homes that are cherished; if they are cherished, they are looked after and then they last longer. If they are not, it almost does not matter how well they are constructed; deterioration and dereliction will set in, which is an attrition of the built environment.”

In the government response to the amendments, Earl Howe recognised that healthy homes and neighbourhoods are important, stating that existing policy was ‘very clear on sustainable development’. He noted that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was a material consideration in shaping planning decisions. In reply, Lord Crisp, pointed to the big difference between guidance and what is required by statute in terms of affecting what developers deliver in practice, “we need to build homes that are fit for purpose”. He further emphasised,

“Planning is often seen as a negative, but all noble Lords described it as something that could enable the creation of the flourishing individuals, society and communities that we all want.”

Next stage: Mobilising parliament

We want to thank all the Healthy Homes coalition members and wider supporters for all your help to date in helping to raise awareness about the campaign.

This next stage is critical in terms of engaging peers to vote for the amendments in the House of Lords. And, if successful, we need to mobilise MPs from across the parties to support the amendments when they go back to the House of Commons for ‘Ping Pong’ – likely to be later in June / early July.

Your continued support at these next stages is vital, engaging those peers and MPs you work with to commit to voting in favour of Lord Crisp’s Healthy Homes amendments and to support Baroness Taylor of Stevenage’s affordable housing amendments to the LURB (see links below).

Key LURB dates

“Parliament doesn’t work in a straight line”. The committee stage in the Lords has already been extended by five weeks. As such, the following dates for the LURB process are likely to move, and are only an approximation of when the next stages are likely to take place:

• Lords report stage: The report stage typically takes place two weeks after the conclusion of the committee stage, which currently looks like the weeks beginning either the 15^th or 22^nd May
• Lords third reading and vote: The report stage will be followed by a third reading which is just a brief vote. The vote is likely sometime around the weeks commencing 22^nd May or 6^th June 
• Ping pong: There’s no set time period between third reading and vote in the House of Lords and the beginning of ping pong with the House of Commons but this is likely to take place sometime after the 19^th June

Further information

• Link to Healthy Homes Campaign
• Link to These are homes photobook
• Link to the Healthy Homes Principles,
• Link to a Lord’s briefing paper on the amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB)
• Link to amendments can be found here:
  • Lord Crisp’s Healthy Homes amendments (schedule 6, after clause 86 – currently amendment numbers 188; schedule 13, after clause 155 – currently amendment numbers 394-399)
  • Baroness Taylor of Stevenage’s affordable housing amendment (currently amendment number 213 5(B)) 

Contact:

Dr Rosalie Callway: Rosalie.Callway@tcpa.org.uk

Sally Roscoe: Sally.Roscoe@tcpa.org.uk

Date published: 29/03/2023

A recently published report by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has found that over 700,000 homes in England are ‘excessively cold’ in the winter. It is costing the NHS over £540m a year to treat those who are impacted by the worst of these properties. 

Over half a million owner occupied homes and 200,000 privately rented homes are failing residents. Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE, commented: 

“Today’s analysis reminds us just how much of an impact poorly insulated and inadequately heated homes are having on residents and our public services, particularly in the poorest quality properties. Poorly insulated homes have an immediate impact on the health of the people who live in them, as well as being expensive to heat and a barrier to meeting our net zero ambitions.” 

Additionally, poor insulation and limited ventilation (due to either having no windows or single aspect windows), results in many homes are also overheating in the summer. 55% of the UK housing stock (15.7 million homes) fail the bedroom overheating criterion (Arup, 2022), and an estimated 791 deaths are associated with overheating every year.

All new homes should be designed to promote health, not make people ill. This is why TCPA are calling for the Healthy Homes principles to be embedded in the Levelling Up Bill as a statutory duty to the Secretary of State to ‘secure the health, safety and wellbeing’ of all residents. This would ensure that all new homes are designed to provide year-round thermal comfort for their residents.

Date published: 02/03/2023

Last year, the TCPA commissioned photographer Rob Clayton to document the stark realities of those living in poor quality office-to-residential homes created using permitted development rights (PDR) through our These are Homes project.

Our goal for this project has been to highlight the poor conditions of many of these PDR conversions by creating a visual resource that truly shows this shocking reality as a part of our Healthy Homes campaign.

PDR allows for conversions to bypass the planning system, and as a result many do not meet the standards outlined in the TCPA’s Healthy Homes principles. To create a clear regulatory basis for all new homes, these principles have been proposed as amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill by Lord Nigel Crisp in the House of Lords. The amendments will be debated from 20^th February to 15^th March.

We displayed some of these photos for the first-time last month at the Healthy Homes reception, and many in attendance felt these photos left an indelible mark. We have now created a photobook that has been published on the TCPA website. 

Click here: These are Homes photobook

Please share this resource with any colleagues who may find this of interest.

Date published: 16/02/2023

he Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation (funder of the Healthy Homes campaign), have launched a new strategy for planning and housing campaigners to communicate the connection between affordable and high quality homes with health and wellbeing.

The two organisations are set to publish a toolkit in early 2023 which sets out how the strategy’s recommendations on can be used in practice.

The webpage for the project explains that:

“When we talk about the importance of home we want to shift the dominant understanding of housing as a source of wealth to homes as essential to a decent life.”

This work is sorely needed and incredibly relevant to current political and policy debates. Indeed, before developing this strategy, Frameworks worked with the TCPA to help us develop our messaging around the Healthy Homes campaign.

The Healthy Homes Bill is nearing its 3^rd reading in the House of Lords (you can follow the its progression here), and the Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is approaching its 1^st reading in the Lords. Stay tuned for a briefing on this early in the new year.

Date published: 12/12/2022

The Institute for Health and Inequalities has recently published an evidence review titled Housing and Health Inequalities in London. It outlines that housing is a major determinant of health, and in London it was found that poor quality housing significantly contributes to the city’s health inequalities.

To contribute to addressing these inequalities, the report recommends that:

“The GLA could further endorse draft legislation – the Healthy Homes Bill – that is recommending that legally binding ‘healthy homes principles…”

Current housing policy is inadequate, and as a result the health of the nation is suffering. In an article for the Times published on Wednesday, Lord Crisp argued that the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak due to prolonged mould exposure illustrates how dire the situation is, and the urgent need for transformative change in how we regulate the built environment.

Good homes provide a foundation for flourishing lives. Without them, it is impossible to expect a nation to thrive.

Date published: 18/11/2022

“The COVID-19 crisis has drawn renewed attention to the role of cities in shaping health risks, and their power to exacerbate or alleviate urban health inequality”

This week the WHO published a report which outlined its priorities for research into urban health. It frames the connection between health and the built environment a globally important agenda and reinforces the human need for access to green space, safe public transport, and sustainable places to live and work.

In the English context we address this in our Healthy Homes Bill. Currently, the Bill is awaiting the Committee Stage in the House of Lords, and as a part of our local campaign we are running workshops with: Herefordshire Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, London CLT, NHS Property Services and Princes Risborough Town Council.

Before Christmas the TCPA and Lord Crisp will host a reception for Healthy Homes campaign to bring supporters together, share our ambitious campaign plans for 2023, exhibit images from our These are Homes campaign. We also hope to hear from key representatives of the medical community. Do stay tuned for more information.

Date published: 01/10/2022

Suburban Taskforce adds its voice to list of inquires concerned about the impacts of PDR homes

To satisfy the high demand for homes in the country, residential conversions made through ‘permitted development rights’ (PDR) are often presented as a solution to quickly increase the nation’s housing supply. Yet, the creation of these homes is largely unregulated and often does not prioritise the wellbeing of their residents.

This month, the Suburban Taskforce, co-chaired by Rupa Huq MP (Labour) and David Simmonds MP (Conservatives), published the report An Inquiry Into the Future of the Suburbs detailing the state of the England’s suburbs and providing recommendations to address the challenges they face. One such recommendations outlines that:

“…further consideration is given to the use of permitted development rights as a means of delivering new homes and cautions against the use and extension of these”

The report then goes on to explain that PDR take development out of the established system of control, which does not allow for the planning system to balance the pressures and competing interests that are tied to new development.

Not only this, but residential conversions made through PDR rarely consider how these new homes will impact the health and wellbeing of their residents. Some existing PDR homes lack natural light, do not meet national space standards and have little to no access to green space and amenities.

The publishing of this report by the Suburban Taskforce further adds to the insurmountable evidence that the regulation of the built environment is broken, and PDR only worsens this problem. We are sacrificing the quality of our homes to rapidly produce unhealthy and unsustainable homes.

At the TCPA, we are campaigning to change this through our Healthy Homes campaign. We are calling on the government to create Healthy Homes Act that introduces legally binding healthy homes principles that ensure that new homes are built to promote the health and overall life chances of their residents.

Date published: 08/09/2022

Recently, a range of articles were published that analysed the implications of extreme high temperatures on England’s homes and their residents.  Last week’s heatwave in particular drew attention to a lack of thermal comfort in poorly regulated housing.

In an article for the i, Vicky Spratt powerfully illustrated the human cost of the government’s failure to ensure that homes converted from offices through Permitted Development Rights are properly ventilated or insulated.

She heard of several residents’ experiences during the recent heatwave, with some concerned about whether their homes will be habitable in the future. This included an account from Steph Pike, who lives in a one-bedroom flat that was formally an office block and was now “unbearable and suffocating.”

PDR conversions require only a basic check list for permission, and often do not take residential comfort into account. In the article, Dr Daniel Slade, Healthy Homes campaign project manager at the TCPA explained that:

“So many of these [former office buildings] are completely sealed and only make sense from a living conditions point of view, if they’ve got building-wide air conditioning but that is not kept during the conversion process of remodelling.”

Thermal comfort is a basic biological need that is not being provided for in thousands of new homes.

Indeed, earlier this month, new research was published that analysed the number of deaths caused by heat and cold between 2000 and 2019. It found that, on average, an excess of 791 deaths associated with heat occur annually in England and Wales. With the increasing occurrence of extreme weather, this number will only increase, unless serious action is taken. 

In an article for the Guardian, Phineas Harper explained that the UK has some of the worst performing housing stock in Europe – unable to keep residents cool in the summer and are expensive to heat in the winter.

Another article for the Guardian writes that the climate change committee warned last year that over 570,000 residences constructed since 2016 were not resilient to high temperatures, and neither are a further 1.5 million that are due to be built in the following five years. This is not to say that the design solutions needed to address indoor temperatures are lacking, instead it is often the case that they are not being implemented or enforced at the level that they are in other countries. Tighter, binding standards on health and wellbeing are required.

The Healthy Homes Bill provides these, by placing in primary legislation a series of healthy homes principles for all new homes in England. One of these principles specially focuses on thermal comfort, stating that:

“all new homes must be designed to provide year-round thermal comfort for inhabitants.”

The Healthy Homes campaign is underpinned by the core value that housing should not undermine health and wellbeing, and this includes making sure that new homes are resilient to the rising temperatures associated with climate change.

To find more updates from the campaign and follow along as the Bill progresses through parliament, click here.

Date published: 25/07/2022

“The logic is one of economy as well as public health. The logic is one of liberating people to be independent and self-reliant, as well as a communal duty and obligation to each other.”

– Lord David Blunkett

“People often talk about welfare provision as a safety net, stopping people falling to the ground, but if we want to talk about it in physical acrobatic terms, we should also think of [The Healthy Homes Bill] as a springboard, enabling people to reach higher. It is about not just the negatives of tackling problems but the possibilities and positives of enhancing and enabling lives, creating opportunity, and enabling people and the country to thrive.”

– Lord Nigel Crisp

Last Friday was a pivotal moment for the Healthy Homes campaign. Lord Crisp’s (CB) Private Members Bill received its Second Reading in the House of Lords. Peers from across the political spectrum debated the Bill, where the case was made for passing it into legislation.   

Lord Crisp made a powerful introduction, where he summarised the overall purpose of the Bill:

“In short, it is about improving the lives, life chances and opportunities of our fellow citizens—particularly those who are most in need and have the fewest opportunities in life—and it is immensely practical.”

Lord Young of Cookham (Con) and Lord Blunkett (Lab) then followed by stating their support, drawing on the importance of bringing health and housing together as a route to greater personal opportunity.

Lord Stunell (LD), Baroness Prashar (CB), the Lord Bishop of Ely and Lord Shipley (LD) all outlined the importance of providing quality housing as many new developments are often lacking in this criterion for sustainable development.

Lord Best (CB) then highlighted three recent publications which point to the need for the bill: The University of Oxfords’ Commission on Creating Healthy Cities report (that  Lord Best chaired and which explicitly supports the campaign), the Meeting Housing Demand report for the Lords Select Committee on the Built Environment, and the Government’s levelling up White Paper.

Baroness Walmsley (LD) drew on the Bill’s inclusion of fire safety, and how if passed, this Bill may assist in other government ambitions.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP) connected the adverse effects of poor-quality housing to the North-South divide:

“The reality is that northern workers are facing extra costs for essentials of £133 per month, compared to an average in the south of £103. A significant part of such extra costs, £360 a year, is associated with poor housing—which, of course, is before the further increase in energy prices that we are expecting.”

Baroness Andrews (Lab) followed where she stated that:

“…unless we emphasise the building of places in their context, unless we get buildings and homes right, we will not be able to get the whole environment right.”

Baroness Brinton (LD) and Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab), the Opposition’s shadow spokesperson for levelling up, each stated their respective concerns with the quality of homes that are currently being built across the nation.

Despite such widespread and passionate support, Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con) outlined the Government’s opposition to the bill on the bases that the problems it identifies are already being dealt with via alternative policy routes. Lord Crisp countered this point by explaining that:

“…one of the fundamental points here is that quite a lot of what the Government have been doing has been proffering guidance and not making it mandatory. I noticed that a number of noble Lords around the Chamber talked about the importance of having some mandatory standards.”

As the Second Reading was then concluded, it was clear that the Bill receives support from Peers belonging to all of the major groupings in the Lords.

The next step will be the Committee Stage, where all parts of the Bill will receive a detailed examination. There is not yet date set for this, but we anticipate that this could be as early as this autumn.

A transcript of the full debate can be found here.

Date published: 18/07/2022

Yesterday DLUHC released their 2020-2021 English Housing Survey reports, detailing the state of the country’s housing stock.

Notably, the housing quality and condition report outlined that in 2020-2021, 3.5 million occupied homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard and 2.2 million contained at least one Category 1 hazard.

Overall, across most of the nation, improvements in the quality of the housing stock have stagnated, with some regions, such as the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, clearly falling behind.

This is deeply concerning for the government’s levelling up agenda. And, at human level, a situation in which millions of people’s home undermine their occupiers’ health and safety is clearly unacceptable.

These reports focus on existing housing stock, but they make clear the need for new homes to address, rather than worsen, the crisis. This is often not the case.

With the second reading of Healthy Homes Bill on Friday next week, these reports only further emphasise the need for transformative change.

Date published: 08/07/2022

Last week, the Queen’s speech marked the beginning of the 2022-23 session of parliament and with it, the ballot for private members’ bills took place in the House of Lords. This ballot determines the order in which the first 25 of these bills – promoted by Peers of all stripes, and not just ministers – will be introduced.

We are delighted to announce that Lord Crisp’s Healthy Homes Bill was drawn 9^th, and will therefore be introduced on Thursday the 26^th May. This is a genuine and crucial opportunity to simplify and strengthen the way that we regulate the quality of new homes and ensure that they do not undermine their residents’ health and wellbeing.

Date published: 18/05/2022

According to a recent analysis by the New Economics Foundation, the provision of green space has declined in younger housing stock when compared to early 20^th century developments.

Residents in neighbourhoods built in the new millennium are more likely to have to travel further to reach their local parks, which are on average smaller than those built in past development periods. The median size of the nearest park for houses built in the 1930s was around 61,500m², whereas for houses built after the year 2000, the closest park is only about 36,200m² – a 40% decline!

Research has continually shown the importance of green space on both mental wellbeing and physical health. Access to green space is not a luxury. It is an essential component for achieving a good quality of life.

We clearly need to transform the way the built environment is regulated so that all new homes support residents’ life chances. A Healthy Homes Act would ensure that resident health and wellbeing is prioritised in all new developments by introducing a series of Healthy Home principles, including access to green space, to primary legislation. These high-level and holistic principles were developed with expert input and would provide the stronger, simpler foundations for local decision-making on new developments.

To celebrate the successes of the Healthy Homes campaign and thank our supporters, the TCPA and Lord Nigel Crisp will be hosting a parliamentary drinks reception on June 7. For more information see our formal invitation.

Date published: 05/05/2022

Yesterday was an important day for the Healthy Homes campaign. Peers from across the political spectrum made the case for Lords Crisp (CB), Young of Cookham (Con), Stunell (Lib Dem) and Blunkett’s (Lab) House of Lords committee stage amendment to the Building Safety Bill. This lays the ground for a vote on the amendment at Report Stage.

Lord Crisp’s amendment would ensure that the Building Safety Regulator, introduced by the Bill, would understand ‘safety’ as not just the absence of immediate physical harm, but also in terms of people’s wider health and wellbeing.

Lord Crisp (Cross Bench) made a powerful introduction to the amendment:

“We must not miss this opportunity to take a holistic view of safety. Do we want a future where we have regulated appropriately for fire but, to take just one example that the Committee will be addressing, let people fall down unsafe steps, even though we know what can be done to prevent it?” 

Lord Stunell followed this by making the case for a regulatory system based on a clear and strong ambition:

“…it’s that broader outlook, that broader vision of what we actually mean by making a building safe – creating a safe home for people – which lies at the heart of this amendment.” 

Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab) then outlined Labour’s support for Lord Crisp’s amendment, and how it will enable the Building Safety Bill’s content to match its aspirations:

“The opposition strongly supports Lord Crisp’s amendment. Safety is currently undefined in the bill. So it is simply not clear whether people’s health and wellbeing should be considered by the building regulator. This lack of clarity is unhelpful because the safety of people is generally defined as an absence of health risks or harms. By broadening the definition of safety in this part of the bill, the amendment provides an opportunity to look at the risks beyond high-rise buildings and fire and to address housing health and safety issues which the Bill’s title claims to address.”

The Earl of Lytton (Cross Bench) and Lord Foster of Bath (Lib Dem) also offered strong support for the amendment during the debate.

Yesterday’s debate signalled to the Government the strength of support for Lord Crisp’s amendment in the Lords. In doing so, it lays the ground for it to be voted on, and potentially added to the Bill, at Report Stage. We will be in touch again once a date has been set for this.

You can find the briefing we shared with Peers at committee stage here. A transcript of the full debate can be found here. 

During a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, both Labour and Conservative MPs raised concerns over the quality of many new build homes, highlighting the damaging impact of the government’s expansion of permitted development rights and calling for the introduction of improved or legally-binding housing standards.    

The shadow minister for housing and planning, Matthew Pennycook MP (Lab), said: 

“…the Government must, as a minimum, rescind the damaging relaxation of permitted development rights and return those powers to local government. Ministers should then turn their attention to what more the Government must do to encourage the creation of thriving communities that support the health and wellbeing of their residents, not least by implementing comprehensive national housing standards so that developers—particularly the volume housebuilders—have no choice but to deliver in core place making.” 

David Johnston MP (Con), the Conservative MP who led the debate, also argued powerfully for raising housing standards, and concluded: 

“As the chief executive of one of my local housing associations said to me, “[Developers] are building something to walk away from, and we are buying something we need to maintain for people to live in for 50 to 100 years.” That is at the core of the problem….a home should be a sanctuary, not a place of great stress.” 

The Building Safety Bill is currently making its way through Parliament and will soon reach report stage in the House of Commons. Amending the Bill to make its contents as ambitious as its long title – that is, to ensure the safety (and therefore health) of all people in or about buildings – would address the concerns raised by some MPs in the debate on Wednesday, by requiring developers to build all new homes to a standard which supports people’s health and wellbeing. Those which do not would be outlawed. 

Wednesday’s debate makes clear that concern for poor housing quality goes beyond party politics. Introducing legally-binding housing standards that consider all factors that shape people’s health and safety in or about buildings – not just risk of fire – to the Building Safety Bill, would be an ambitious but practical solution that would improve thousands of people’s lives. We are currently working with Lord Nigel Crisp to do this.  

The TCPA will publish an urgent briefing about how the Building Safety Bill could still be used to transform the quality of the built environment before it reaches report stage in the Commons.

Date published: 10/02/2022

The Local Government Association has published a new report which explicitly recognises the link between housing and health.  It calls for the delivery of tens of thousands of new affordable homes which are “delivered through a locally-led planning system with public participation at its heart which gives communities the power to ensure new developments are of a high standard…[and are]…built in the right places”, as a key part of the recovery from COVID-19.

A Healthy Homes Act would guarantee the delivery of quality homes while also ensuring that these homes were accompanied by the infrastructure needed to create high quality, sustainable places such as access to green space and good active travel links.

Date published: 22/04/2021

Since 9 September the House of Commons Public Bill Committee has been scrutinising the Government’s Building Safety Bill (BSB) – landmark legislation that represents the Government’s most substantial response to the Grenfell disaster. 

The bill’s scope means that it presents a huge opportunity for real reform, which transforms not just how we ensure that tall buildings at risk of fire are safe, but the whole of the built environment. In its current form, it does not capitalise on this opportunity. It is nowhere near ambitious enough.

The Bill’s long title states that it ‘Makes provision about the safety of people in or about buildings and the standard of buildings…’. But the ‘safety of people’ is generally defined as an absence of health risks or harms, and many important building-related risks or harms are not dealt with in the current BSB.  Such health risks include those caused by air pollution, overheating, a lack of access to greenspace and walkable neighbourhoods and cramped living conditions, among others. 

Introducing a definition of safety which includes the concept of ‘health’ would open the bill up to considering critical factors like these. This is what Shadow Planning Minister, Ruth Cadbury, and Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Mike Amesbury, argued in the Public Bill Committee last week. Their amendment read:

“In this part [of the Bill], “safety” means risk of harm arising from the location, construction or operation of buildings which may injure the health and wellbeing of the individual.” 

Citing the TCPA’s written evidence to the Committee, Mike Amesbury stated:

“…health risks and harms such as air pollution, overheating and noise pollution, as well as more indirect issues, such as poor accessibility or walkability, insecurity, lack of access to green space and cramped living conditions, are not covered by the Bill but undermine people’s wellbeing and health and ultimately their safety. I therefore hope that the Minister will consider the amendment.”

After an important debate, Amesbury and Cadbury withdrew their amendment. This is a major milestone for the Healthy Homes Act campaign, which lays the groundwork for further efforts to make the bill more ambitious as it moves through the legislative processes. Lord Nigel Crisp will be leading our campaign in the House of Lords.

To read the full transcript from the debate, click here.

Date published: 23/09/2021

The UCL Virus Watch research team have published new research which finds that members of overcrowded households are 2 to 4 times more likely to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus.  These findings echo those of a previous study carried out by the Health Foundation last year.  

This research underlines the importance of ensuring that all homes are spacious enough to allow for adequate ventilation and social distancing, both of which are factors known to significantly reduce virus transmission rates.  On 22^nd September, the UCL research team will be hosting an online panel discussion with experts in the field of health and housing policy to present the research findings, highlight the link between housing and COVID-19, and to discuss ways forward.  You can register for this event, here.      

UCL’s research concludes that “measures to protect overcrowded households from COVID-19 and promote healthier housing should be considered and evaluated…In the long run, minimum space and ventilation requirements and increasing the availability of affordable, appropriate housing should be considered”.  Over the next few months, the TCPA will be focussing on securing amendments to the Building Safety Bill to widen its scope from purely fire safety to a much wider consideration of how buildings affect the health and safety of their inhabitants, including requiring new homes to provide the liveable space needed to meet the needs of people over their whole lifetime.  This Bill presents a rare opportunity to fundamentally change the way we regulate the built environment so that homes are built to a decent standard and do not risk people’s long-term health and wellbeing.

Find more on the TCPA’s Healthy Homes Act campaign here. 

Date published: 10/09/2021