omes and an ability to provide a ‘roof over your head’. But social housing is more than that, it has to do with living standards and space. Space is what gives us the opportunity to relax, cook, sleep and socialise in comfort. It is central to humans idea of well-being and belonging. Space standards aren’t a new concept. But they’ve come and gone over the last 100 years.
In 1961 the Parker Morris Space Standards were introduced to close the gap between those on higher and lower incomes. The aim of these standards were to ensure that everyone had access to a clean, warm and spacious space to call home. A space that provided more than just a roof, but that provided a space to eat, relax, socialise and sleep in comfort. These have since been abolished, and those who manage to access social housing will be allocated bedrooms based on necessary requirements. Which is perfectly reasonable as long as the housing meets other basic standards.
Instead of focussing solely on how to reduce the space that people are living in in order to reduce costs, we need to focus on the cost of not having enough. Limited space can have an effect on mental and physical well-being. And so the cost has to be based on more than merely financial. The standards were originally introduced to protect the most vulnerable people in our society including those on low income or disabled people. We need to ensure that when social housing is built and refurbished it meets the minimum standard for space to ensure mental and physical well-being.
What are the current space standards for social housing?
Planning policies are there to ensure that all developments:
- function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development;
- are visually attractive as a result of good architecture, layout and appropriate and effective landscaping;
- are sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting, while not preventing or discouraging appropriate innovation or change (such as increased densities);
- establish or maintain a strong sense of place, using the arrangement of streets, spaces, building types and materials to create an attractive, welcoming and distinctive places to live, work and visit;
- optimise the potential of the site to accommodate and sustain an appropriate amount and mix of development (including green and other public space) and support local facilities and transport networks;
- create places that are safe, inclusive and accessible and which promote health and well-being, with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users46; and where crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion and resilience.
Whilst the generic criteria for place shaping is welcomed through the National Planning Policy Framework (2019), minimum space standards can differ among local authorities, i.e. some Councils have adopted standards and some don’t. The Nationally Described Space Standards (NDSS) deal with the space dwellings and set out the requirements for gross internal floor area of new dwellings at a defined level of occupancy. As well as floor areas for key parts of the home. However these are optional for Councils to use if they are linked to a local policy however the NDSS do not consider the need for an appropriate level of outside space.
With the lack of space standards this does leave the door open for any housing developments to be of a standard which doesn’t reflect occupancy levels and could promote overcrowding.
England has a housing crisis. Increased housing prices are making it harder than ever to own a home. This plus a reliance on private landlords and a lack of social housing means more and more people end up without a home. We need to do more to ensure that those who are the most vulnerable in society are protected. And more social housing with good space standards needs to be built to bridge the gap between the available housing and those who need it most.
We have much 