Tag: planning

HPH330 : What is a planning consultant? – with Andy Moger
Andy Moger, from Tetlow King Planning, explains the role of a planning consultant and the benefits they can bring to a project.

Interview with Andy Moger

Andy is a planning consultant for Tetlow King Planning: a planning and development company based in Bristol that operates nationwide.

A number of years ago he worked on the government’s first pilot scheme for self and custom build – the Heartlands project in Cornwall. Following that, he became more involved in the self and custom build sector, primarily doing work for the Right to Build taskforce. Nowadays, this sector is all he works on, dealing with applications, appeals and site promotions, ranging from single dwellings to larger developments and appeal work for some of the big house builders and strategic land promoters.

Not all building projects will require planning approval

It is possible to use ‘permitted development’ rights for work like small extensions and loft conversions, depending on the extent of the area you’re adding to your property.

The ‘prior approval’ process typically applies to larger extensions. You inform the council who will notify your neighbours. If there haven’t been any objections after a period of time then you’re deemed to have consent.

Local plans control development in each area

Each council has to have a local plan; sometimes called a district plan or core strategy. These set out a strategic approach for that area for the next 15-20 years, and contain the policies that control development. If you’re looking to get planning permission on a particular piece of land you will need to check your local plan to see how you fit with those policies, or how you might overcome any potential issues.

All of these plans will work on the basis of concentrating the development in the most sustainable locations, which will tend to be the largest settlements within an authority area. The settlement hierarchy is:
- Towns and cities
- Larger villages with a broad range of services
- Smaller villages that have some facilities but still place a degree of reliance on higher-order settlements
- Hamlets and open countryside where the presumption generally is against development happening unless there are specific circumstances, such as for essential agriculture
Start with a site appraisal

A planning consultant can carry out a site appraisal before you get to the application submission stage. This looks at a number of areas that might be a barrier to getting planning approval:
- What the local policy position is
- What the chances of adhering to those policies is
- Site constraints, such as flood zones, ecological designations, conservation areas, nearby heritage assets, etc
This would be followed by a number of surveys and reports

Providing that the planning consultant thinks they can demonstrate that the project complies with the local plan, a number of surveys need to be carried out to support the planning application. These will depend on the scale of the development but it is likely that some will be requested.

An ecological report will typically be required to identify whether there are any protected species on the site and sometimes these can only be carried out at a specific time of year. If you miss a survey calendar window, you may need to wait until the following year before trying again.

Additionally, a transport statement will look at visibility splays and traffic generation from your scheme. Depending on where your site is, there could also be heritage reports, ground contamination reports and archaeological investigations.

Local validation requirements will tell you what you need to submit

Local validation requirements supplement the national validation list, with what the local authority considers as appropriate for their area. It tells you what information you need to provide with your application when you submit it. Once you have submitted all the required information on the Planning Portal, and paid your fee, you wait for the council to validate it.

There are two routes to a planning decision

If there haven’t been objections to the scheme, or if they’ve been addressed and the case officer is satisfied, then there are two routes to planning approval that might be taken. The first is their delegated decision, which tends to be on smaller, non-contentious schemes. This is where the officer has been given the power to grant or refuse planning consent.

The other route is where it is put forward to a committee. This might be because it has been called in by a local councillor, or because it is more contentious with a number of objections.

You have six months to appeal a decision

If the case officer or committee refuse the application, you have six months in which to appeal. There are three routes for this.

The first is called written representations, which is the easiest and cheapest. In your statement you would set out your case and submit it to the planning inspectorate. The council does the same. The planning inspectorate reviews both statements and makes a decision as to whether the appeal should be allowed or dismissed.

The second route is a hearing. Both sides set out their case as above, but then attend a hearing together in person. The planning inspectorate will listen to both parties before making their decision.

And thirdly, it can go to a public inquiry. This is the most expensive and time-consuming and is run very much like a trial. There are barristers and witnesses, and the inspector will sit as judge. They make their decision based on the written evidence and what they’ve heard in the cross-examinations.

Choose a planning consultant based on their relevant experience

If you’re looking for a planning consultant to work on your case with you, it is sensible to choose one with relevant experience of the appeals process that you are using. They should be a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) and have a good track record locally. Don’t be afraid to ask for examples of cases they’ve won, so that you know you’re going with someone who is familiar with local policy and has relationships with councillors and officers in the area.

Councils have a statutory duty to make self build land available

Putting your name on the Right to Build register means that the council has a legal duty under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act to issue the same number of permissions as there are names on the register.

Andy has been involved in appeals where they have been able to argue that because the council have failed in their legal duty to issue enough consents for self and custom building, then land which might be outside of settlement limits should be permitted for development.

Andy has also found that although some councils claim to have met their obligations by granting the same number of single dwelling permissions as there are people on their register looking for a plot, further investigation shows that actually, the majority of them aren’t for self or custom build at all. Some of these can be planning permissions for up to 9 dwellings, where they’re clearly developer-led models with no ability for customisation.

Self Build and Custom Housebuilding Supply in Braintree

8 out of 10 people aren’t aware of the Right to Build Register

In one appeal that Andy worked on, although the council had met its obligations, they were able to argue that secondary data sources showed the register was actually a massive underestimation of the numbers of people in the area that wanted to self-build. Many of these were people that weren’t even aware of the self-build register. The inspector in that case allowed the appeal, even though the council had met its statutory duty.

Andy would encourage anyone to add their details to this register though, as this will increase the number of self build plots the council legally has to make available.

Outline planning permission is less risky

A full planning permission provides all the details about your scheme, including layouts, landscaping, scale and massing. If you were to then get planning consent, all you would have to do is discharge the conditions against it, such as material samples, working hours on site etc.

What a lot of people do is seek an outline consent with access only. This is an illustrative plan showing what you intend to put on the site. With outline approval you have to get subsequent reserved matters approvals for all the elements that you haven’t included at that stage. Outline permission is cheaper, so is therefore considered less of a risk.

Andy stresses the importance of discharging any pre-commencement conditions, prior to starting work on site.

Self builders can apply for CIL exemption

CIL is the Community Infrastructure Levy that some councils have implemented. It is a per square metre charge on development and is intended to pay for strategic infrastructure. Self builders can apply for an exemption, but it is incredibly important to follow the process correctly, and within the timeframes, as failure to do so could lead to a bill running into thousands of pounds.

Find out more

Visit the website of Tetlow King Planning

Follow Tetlow King Planning on Twitter

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Andy Moger
March 29, 2023
HPH268 : The state of self build in the UK – with Jason Orme

Self-builder and renovator Jason Orme reflects on the main challenges you face if you want to tackle a house build in the UK.

Interview with Jason Orme

Jason Orme is the Editorial Director of Future Plc, the publishing house behind Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, of which he is the former editor. He would categorise himself as a serial self builder, but more recently has taken on a renovation project in Derbyshire with the intention that it will be his family home for at least a few years.

Doing a renovation has made him a bigger fan of self build!

With the renovation and remodelling project coming to an end, Jason says the process has been more ambitious, costly and stressful than a self build. Once you have planning permission on a self build you are theoretically in a position to have control over everything, whereas with renovation you tend to be at the mercy of the unknown with old houses that are full of surprises. It’s not something he would be keen to repeat!

Despite that, Jason and his family were drawn to the project because of a love of the plot, the location and even the original house to some extent. They didn’t need to create much additional space, but rather remodel what was already there and make it more energy efficient.

Covering up the 1960s ugly stone-clad facade, they built a third layer around the outside which provides excellent levels of insulation, although airtightness will always be more of a challenge to achieve than if starting from scratch on a new build.

Although Jason is happy in the house and looking forward to enjoying it for the next few years, he hasn’t ruled out another self build in the future, although it would take something special to move away from the location they now have.

Justify spending on the house by calling it an investment, not expenditure!

Jason has always tended to put any spare money into property, which he hopes will end up being an investment rather than a cost. He says he’s happy to have large outgoings and mortgages on properties because ultimately it should pay back, while at the same time you have the enjoyment of living there.

Self build is delivering fewer homes than ten years ago

2005 saw a peak in self building of up to 19,000 homes a year. That is now closer to 14,000, although the demand is probably greater than ever. Jason cites the two main causes as being problems for people selling existing properties to provide the finance, and the types of plots available. While land opportunities have improved a little, it is typically serviced plots on large developments like Graven Hill, rather than individual plots. When people dream of building their own home part of that dream tends to be the location, and living on a large estate, whether a self build or not, isn’t to everybody’s liking.

Jason sees some kind of balance being self build communities that can give an element of individuality and isolation to people.

“This has been my twentieth year in the self-build sector and the frustration for me really is that we’ve sold an awful lot of magazines over the years and met hundreds of thousands of people at the shows and spoken to people on the websites, more than you can imagine really. We haven’t actually really made a fundamental difference if we’re honest with ourselves in terms of the number of self-build homes that have been delivered.”

Research they have carried out with the National Custom and Self Build Association has shown roughly a million people in the UK are ‘actively’ looking to build a home, yet only a few thousand each year go on to do it. Jason suspects the majority of these people have a look on Rightmove and are put off by the out-of-reach prices. For those that do continue, his instinct that what’s stopping them isn’t not being able to find a plot, but that they’re so fixated on a certain type of plot which they’re not going to find at a realistic price, or perhaps they just somehow can’t make the commitment.

“So, I think if people can be flexible and have that imagination then by and large, with a reasonable budget and obviously that varies from area to area, it shouldn’t be unrealistic for them.”

There should be an influx of plots on the market soon

The right to build legislation came about in the UK in 2016, which made it compulsory for local authorities to keep a register of people interested in buying plots of land, and ensure that they had that same number of plots available to purchase within three years. We’re now at that point of those three years having passed so thousands of plots should be coming to the market, but whether they will be plots that people want or in areas they want to live in will be the issue.

Self-builders can have an advantage over developers

In his seminars at the Homebuilding & Renovation Show, Jason explains how there are two types of building plots.

One type is that which has a ‘For Sale’ board outside and can be found on the market through estate agents and auctions.

The second is what he describes as the plots that developers go after. These can be found using planning permission data and using Google Maps.

Opportunities for self-builders arise where there are plots that large and small scale developers can’t quite see how they could build housing. Where they’re looking for a field or flat piece of land to build ten houses, they won’t be so keen on more awkward scraps of land, like old garages.

“So, the self-builder’s opportunity, I think, is in actually embracing the stuff that makes them different which is the individuality of the design and that agile nature of development.”

Management of budget is critical and needs flexibility

Jason has often found that people who work in offices don’t feel that they are well-placed to self build, but actually he thinks they have transferable skills like organisation, project management and making tough decisions about money.

Having control of finances is crucial and Jason says it helps to think of it in terms of a spreadsheet where if some things are going above original estimates, then reductions might need to be made elsewhere in order to balance it out. He thinks if you can be flexible in terms of these smaller pots of money rather than thinking of it as one big pot, then you can begin to take back control.

With finance often being the biggest cause of stress on a job, but plenty of other factors beyond your control to add to it, Jason says to some extent it should be part of the main contractor’s role to absorb that stress on your behalf.

Where costs do go out of control during the construction, it isn’t usually down to the construction but flaws in the design process. A good design process should include the budget, engineering issues and proper site layout.

“Where I see the failures, it’s usually where the architect at that early stage hasn’t been able to put all those different factors together into a package that the main contractor can then go on to deliver. It’s often just left to the main contractor to work out the gaps.”

There is always more to learn

With twenty years in the business, Jason says it’s a constant learning experience and you’re never going to know it all. From talking to other self builders, architects and contractors you will find out other ways of doing things and improving on them.

In his experience it’s often self-builders that are also engineers who quite often try to find out everything they need to know about house construction on their own, so they can almost second guess the designer and the architect. Jason says this usually ends in tears because they’re never going to know it all!

In his experience it’s far better to leave all that to the people he is employing to do it. Where it often falls apart is where there is a breakdown in trust between the homeowner and the people that they’re employing.

When it comes to architects, the ones to avoid are those that struggle to understand the relationship that they’re meant to have with their client. It shouldn’t be a case of dictating ‘this is the design you should have’, or even ‘what do you want me to design for you?’

“The happy medium is the one that you’re looking for where architects can deliver something that obviously adds their value in. And going back to that thing about trust really, I want architects to be able to come up with ideas that I can’t and solve problems that I can’t. That’s really what you’re paying for.”

Architects often tend to be specialised in limited styles of design, rather than excelling at all different types of house.

“It’s wise, I think, to try to pick a design style first and pick almost a process and a target, an objective almost for the project, and then begin to put the team together on the back of that.”

There needs to be trust within the team

Jason says there’s also a misconception in the sector that builders are there to be feared or controlled, when actually, the good ones clearly know far more than their clients and should be empowered and just left to get on with it.

Finding that builder that you can trust in this way is he says part art and part science: the science being the recommendations and background company checks.

The other part comes down to gut instinct, and thinking about whether they listen to you, are constructive, understand what you’re trying to do with the house, can relate to the family and can appreciate that the budget is tight and that this will be critical to the project. It will need to be someone you think you can trust to be around for the duration of the project and sometimes have difficult discussions with.

Design flexibility into the house

Having seen so many self builds, Jason is able to grasp the feel of a home and what does and doesn’t work so well. The right mix can be a space that doesn’t feel too grand or clinical, but instead gives you that ‘wow’ moment each time you walk in, and that is down to good architecture.

It is important to build flexibility into the design, with space for a growing family so far as is possible. And while the rooms and spaces themselves don’t have to be large, if they can be flexible in their design it allows a family space to spread out and do their own things.

With the trend for adding extensions to create an open plan living, cooking and eating area, Jason feels they are often designed with daytime and summer in mind, but come winter or the evening they can be lacking that cosy, snug space where actually people just want to curl up in front of the TV.

Jason cites a number of reasons why people are staying in their houses for longer: houses are more expensive, stamp duty makes it very costly to move, flexibility in working arrangements means people don’t have to move for work as much. And while people tend to stay in their homes for longer, their needs change depending on children growing up, moving away etc, so that flexibility again is so important with being able to adapt to the occupants, rather than moving out.

It isn’t affordable enough for younger generations

A notable change in the types of people attending the home shows is that the self build community is getting older and greyer. Nowadays self build can take more money to do than it used to, with greater demand for land and resulting prices escalating, and the cost of materials increasing.

Jason worries that the opportunities for self build are not as available now to people in their twenties and thirties, and this is something that he would like to see change. But that will take changes in financial offerings, planning law and land availability.

His advice to them would be to be realistic and flexible in terms of area and the type of plot to go for. He warns against holding out for the perfect plot on the edge of a village with panoramic views, and suggests instead considering looking at the less attractive plots. He says as well as ugly duckling houses, there are ugly duckling plots which, once landscaped and with a well designed house on top, can really add value.

Jason suggests starting out in self build like starting on the property ladder, where you start small, do it two or three times and work your way up to building the house of your dreams. And with labour accounting for roughly half the costs on the build, he says you can save thousands of pounds by doing things like the tiling, kitchen fitting, decorating and landscaping yourself.

“One of the great unwritten things about self-building and renovating as well is that you never seem to quite get that day where you sit back and you say, ‘I’ve done it’ and you can sit back and enjoy it.
“You’ve just got to enjoy it as it goes through and take those little marks because there’s always going to be the garden to do; there’s always going to be that bit of the house that you didn’t quite finish off properly. I think for people who are interested in housing like we are, and there are thousands of people like us, I think, you have to just realise that that’s part of the process and part of the pleasure.”

Find out more

Visit the website of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine

Visit the website of Real Homes

Visit the website of Period Living

Follow Jason on Twitter

Please connect with me

Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes

Rate and review the podcast on Stitcher

Like our Facebook page

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October 23, 2019
HPH240 : How to start planning a self build – with Ben Adam-Smith
Ben Adam-Smith runs through a few ideas of how to get started on your self build journey.

Get realistic with your finances

It’s easy to skip this step in the early days because you have all the excitement that comes with the desire to build a new home.

Without nailing down what funds are available, you are living in a dream world. Unfortunately our expectations tend to go beyond what we can afford.

What money do I have?

Do this first… and do it properly! You need to look at what assets you have and are prepared to dispose of. This could be in the form of investment properties, shares, savings, etc. If you own your own home, what additional funds could this add to the pot.

How much could I borrow?

Then consider how much you can borrow or are prepared to borrow? Sit down with a company, like BuildStore, and crunch the numbers. It may be that your finances don’t stretch as far as you would like. Well, you’re much better off finding this out on day one than when you’ve finalised what you want to build.

And whatever you do, don’t imagine that the funds will magically appear from somewhere. This time next year, Rodney, we’ll be millionaires!

Start the land search

Without land you don’t have a project and although I’m not saying you need to buy land on day one, I think you need to start grounding yourself in reality.

You will quickly get a feel for the market and whether you’re going to be able to build in your area… or perhaps have to relocate to somewhere cheaper.

Begin background learning

Magazines

One of the best things about subscribing to a self build magazine is that the information is up to date. The most popular magazines are also designed to be accessible to a beginner.

If you subscribe for a couple of years you may feel like you’ve read the information before, but this is probably is good sign. It means you have a good grounding of all the essentials.

Finally make sure you’re ‘a magazine person’ because there’s no point taking out a subscription if they sit in a pile in their cellophane wrappers unread!

The major UK magazines are:
Books

If you want to go in-depth and focus for a few hours, a book is probably what you need.

While there are lots of books on house-building there aren’t many that are reliably up to date.

That’s why we’re big fans of The Housebuilder’s Bible by Mark Brinkley. He puts in the legwork to keep the information fresh. And he’s even recently completed another project of his own.

Exhibitions, shows and workshops

There’s only one permanent exhibition space for self-builders: the National Self Build and Renovation Centre. It’s certainly worth a visit, whether to attend one of their three big shows, a course or a free workshop.

The National Self Build and Renovation Centre in Swindon

And the magazines hold numerous events across the year:

The Homebuilding & Renovating Show

Build It Live

The Self Build & Design Show

Grand Designs Live

Forums and groups

These free groups are a great resource. Our favourites are:
- BuildHub Self Build Forum
- Self Build Home Community (on Facebook)
Visit as many finished homes as possible

There is perhaps no better learning ground than visiting a construction site or finished home. And luckily self-builders tend to be generous with their time and are willing to share what they have learnt.

Passivhaus open days (from the International Passive House Association) seems to have developed into one of the biggest open house events, but watch out for other events in your local area.

The Hub

Of course we have to give our own membership community a plug too! We’re constantly trying to build up our digital vault of videos, courses and conference calls to help simplify your self build journey.

However you do your research (and most people use a range of resources) it is essential you do your learning. Try to stay open, too. We all carry baggage from the past!

Remember this is probably the biggest ticket item you will ever buy. So keep the research going until you feel in a good position.

Consider your build route

There are a few different ways to procure your project. At one extreme you can hire a project manager who can be your single point of contact… and at the other extreme you can be a true self-builder and carry out a lot of the work yourself.

Know thy self

Choosing your route starts with self-analysis. Where is your time best spent? How involved do you want to be? What skills can you bring to the table?

The famous ‘quality, speed, cost’ triangle reminds us we can’t have it all.

For example you can have a quick, high quality build but it is not going to be cheap.

Or you can have a cheap, high quality build but is not going to be quick.

Anyway you get the idea. So your key options are:
- Hire a project manager to organise everything
- Buy from a turnkey operation (as a package)
- Custom build
- Architect and main contractor
- Project manage the stages
- DIY… do as much as humanly possible yourself!
Put together a brief

A brief is essential to communication and therefore achieving the outcome you want. In the early stages it’s quite fluid. Plus this is the exciting bit of building a house.

There’s no set way to put together a brief although there are common themes:
- Accommodation and space needed
- Thoughts on how you like to live (use your existing house to examine your habits; and what would you like to change about your current home?)
- Stylistic preferences
- Quality/performance/sustainability of the home
- Budget
- Constraints
- Flexibility (over time)
We’ve got a couple of really good podcasts on forming a brief (if you want to go in-depth):

Progressing your house build before you have land

Briefing our architect for our house build

Find the right people for your project

Hiring a strong team will not only get you what you want but will probably make this a much more enjoyable process.

There is definitely a fair amount of legwork to drawing up shortlists of builders and architects you would like to work with. However, in the very early days of a project you are under absolutely no pressure. So use this as time to meet people and get to know them.

The upside of my 4-year research period (due to my struggle to find land) was that choosing a great architecture firm was easy. So don’t be afraid to hang out where architects hang out! In my case, wanting to build an energy-efficient home, the Passivhaus Trust, AECB and ASBP events were perfect.

Your input

So you’ve heard my tips. What would you add to the list?

Leave a comment below.

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January 30, 2019
HPH194 : What are the hidden costs of building a house? – with Paul Testa
Paul Testa from Paul Testa Architecture talks about how to predict the costs of a house build and shares his tips on limiting a self-build budget.

Interview with Paul Testa

Architect Paul Testa’s interest in construction led to coordinating and teaching the technology course for the MArch in Architecture at Sheffield University. He’s also a tutor and lecturer for the Sustainable Architectural Studies Masters course at Sheffield University. He is a member of AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building).

Build cost is not necessarily ‘cost per square metre’

Paul aims to help clients gain realistic expectations of their project’s costs. They start by assuming a mid-range, bespoke new-build would cost roughly £1500 a square metre. They then use their cost calculator to add in additional costs, taking into account factors like slope of the site, higher specification and external works.

To price the whole project, Paul says self-builders should include connecting utilities, landscaping, and contingency in the overall build cost. If an architect or builder prices your project at £1500 a square metre, remember this may not include all the costs of the build.

A steeply sloping site

Fees are affected by more than just project size

It is important to have accurate cost predictions for your build and these do not just relate to square metres. Paul explains that the cost of consultants isn’t tied to the size so much as the complexity of the project.

Some costs, such as surveys, might depend on both the size and the complexity of the project. Paul recommends adding 30% to your construction cost for planning and building regulations fees and any other costs. Some of these don’t change with the size of the build, so the fee will be a greater percentage of the build cost for a smaller project.

Utility costs can vary from site to site

Paul has found the cost of connecting gas to be quite consistent, but not so for the electricity supply. The cost can vary hugely depending on the work involved in making your connection, and remains unknown until the application is made. Furthermore, Paul warns that there is no room for negotiation, saying, “It’s a captive market unfortunately.”

“Most contractors won’t have sufficient insurance for the whole project”

Contractors will have insurance to cover their liabilities (public liability and employer’s liability insurance) and potentially for their equipment on site. The architect also needs professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance to cover the implications of design decisions. Paul advises clients to procure insurance to cover the new building and materials.

Claiming back VAT may depend on your contractor

Some contractors don’t pass on the cost of VAT: the client never sees that cost and the contractor just claims it as part of their quarterly VAT payments. This may be beneficial for clients who don’t have the cash flow to pay upfront for the build plus VAT and then reclaim the VAT later.

Often clients prefer to procure large single ticket items (e.g. windows) themselves, to avoid the contractor’s overheads and profit. In that case, Paul reminds clients they should budget to cover that VAT cost until the end of the project.

Keep back at least 5% of your budget as contingency

To deal with unknowns such as the ground and weather, Paul recommends having “something there to cover you, a minimum of 5% but more generously 10%”.

He warns that stretching both construction budget and contingency “can be quite dangerous.” He advises spending more at the end if you have money left, rather than pushing to do absolutely everything without compromise.

Expert advice during planning helps predict cost more accurately

Although he cannot completely mitigate the risks of unknown costs, Paul ensures that the correct investigations are done as early as possible to try and minimise additional costs. “Certainly on the bigger jobs where there is more scope for value engineering,” he says, “we will try and bring a quantity surveyor or an estimator in at roughly the planning stage.”

This expert can give a budget cost for the build. If it doesn’t fit within a client’s budget, Paul’s team can make changes before the planning application is submitted, avoiding later amendments and resubmissions.

Avoiding the tender process can actually save money

Ideally, Paul likes to find a contractor he wants to work with and that the client is happy with, who will “buy into” achieving the building at the budgeted price. He relies on the expertise of the chosen contractor to ensure that the detailed design matches that budget.

Although Paul acknowledges the benefits and drawbacks of both routes, he doesn’t believe the tender process is the best way of procuring a building, saying “We actually incentivise that in our fees and we charge less for a negotiated price with a contractor than we would do for dealing with a full tender process.”

Contractor availability can be as important as cost

Paul works with a pool of preferred builders, although this can change over time. He explains that the best contractors can be booked up to two years in advance. Although clients might be disappointed by delays, they usually come round. “If they want the very best product, they want the very best people to do that,” he says.

Engaging the contractor earlier in the process can mean that delays are avoided. Having agreed an approximate start date with a contractor, Paul stays in touch while developing drawings, maintaining agreement on budget and timescales. He says, “By the time we’re ready and the contractor’s ready, everything’s drawing together.” However, he adds, “it doesn’t always work that perfectly.”

Tender processes have their own drawbacks. A four to six week process can lead on to reviewing prices, interviews, and value engineering. After all this, the contractor’s availability might be delayed another year. It can be difficult for a client to ignore a much cheaper quote but Paul warns, “Normally, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” The project ends up costing as much but with extra difficulties.

A passive house can be built for less than £50,000!

In 2013 Paul’s team submitted a design to the National Self-Build and Custom Build Association’s annual competition ‘Self-build on a Shoestring’. The brief asked for a detached family home, on a very simple flat plot, for £50,000 or less, including all materials and specialist labour but assuming utility connections were already in place.

Paul’s approach was to make “a simple construction that can be built by the average self-builder”. While mainly a “materials only” cost, it included specialist input such as commissioning the MVHR system, certifying the electrics, gas installation and digger and scaffolding hire.

Not only did their design offer a 70m² family home for around £45,000, it was also designed using the passive house planning package. Paul says, “We delivered a building that achieved passive house for less than £50,000 and would be a compact but very comfortable single family home.”

Delivering build elements constructed off-site to manage costs and time on a steep site

Five top tips to keep build costs to £50,000
- Remove main contractor: get hands on, do physical work, and do your own project management
- Reduce risk by choosing a manageable construction method, such as a simple softwood timber frame.
- Minimise the number of materials.
- Maximise the function of each element, e.g. exploit oriented strand board (OSB) in three ways: as an airtight layer, internal wall linings and structurally, to stop the building twisting.
- Choose larger format materials with cheaper production and installation costs, such as fibre cement slates rather than timber cladding.
Find out more

Visit the website of Paul Testa

Follow Paul Testa on Twitter

Follow Paul Testa on Facebook

Visit the website of AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building)

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Paul Testa

Please connect with me
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October 13, 2017
HPH188 : What are Paragraph 80 builds and how do they work? – with Richard Hawkes from Hawkes Architecture
Richard Hawkes from Hawkes Architecture tells us about the exceptional circumstances in which planning for rural new builds may be granted.

*Since recording this podcast, the government has updated the National Planning Policy Framework. ‘Paragraph 55’ (or ‘Para 55’) policy changed in name to ‘Paragraph 79’ and then ‘Paragraph 80′, although the content remains largely unchanged. *

We have amended the show notes but the interview will still talk about Paragraph 55.

Interview with Richard Hawkes

Richard Hawkes’ self-build, Crossway, helped launch his own practice Hawkes Architecture nine years ago. Before that he worked at a large commercial practice in London.

As planning is rarely granted for new rural homes, Richard had to learn what circumstances were considered exceptions. His expertise then led to work gaining planning consent for others in similar circumstances. Nowadays Richard even sits on a Design Review Panel, made up of professionals including landscape architects and engineers, that advises planners whether or not a proposal is meeting policy.

Crossway

Planning policy allows rural development in exceptional circumstances

Paragraph 79 has four special circumstances that can permit a new dwelling in the countryside:
1. An agricultural worker’s dwelling. It’s quite difficult to create a business case for these so they don’t happen very often.
2. Re-use of a heritage asset, e.g. saving a listed building.
3. Re-use of redundant farm buildings. Relaxation of permitted development legislation has made this moot for now.
4. If the dwelling is of exceptional quality or innovative in its nature of design. All of Richard’s Paragraph 79 projects fall into this last category.
Four tests determine if a design is sufficiently exceptional

For a dwelling to be of exceptional quality or innovative in its nature of design, it has to pass all of these tests:
- Help to raise the standards of design more generally in rural areas
- Be of the highest standards in architecture
- Significantly enhance the immediate setting
- Be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area
Hawkhurst

Paragraph 79 is an important design-led policy

Since Planning’s introduction in 1946, there has been a reluctance to approve new homes in the countryside. Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Heritage Coast and other designations evidence this. Even Paragraph 79, which Richard describes as a piece of national policy originally introduced in 1997 to enable landowners to get permission for their “English country house”, states that planning authorities should generally seek to resist new dwellings.

In 2003 the Labour government sought to get rid of (then) Paragraph 55 which they felt was an elitist policy, but were lobbied by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who argued the policy would move forward dwelling design. As a result, the policy evolved into PPS 7, Paragraph 11 and actually used the term ‘contemporary architecture’.

The policy recognises the mediocrity of typical dwelling design, and has a practical significance in terms of architects’ professional development. It encourages them to learn how to respond to a setting and produce amazing buildings. Richard explains that the principles of good design can be looked at entirely objectively, even if people’s responses to design are inherently subjective.

Sustainability must be factored into the design

A beautiful house isn’t enough. A house of the highest standards in architecture will incorporate lots of insulation, heat recovery ventilation, triple-glazing, and passive solar gain. Richard describes these Passivhaus principles as just sensible design and something planners would expect to see in a Paragraph 79 scheme, not reasons why they would grant consent.

The nature of the site and its management will often tie in to the energy strategy they develop for each individual building.

West Pearroc

There are different types of Paragraph 79 house

Some locations suit a contrasting building, like an English country house. Richard describes this as unapologetically “dominating its landscape. Enhancing it but very much in contrast to it.”

Conversely, one of his own Paragraph 79 houses on a Green Belt / AONB site needed to show sensitivity to the defining characteristics of the local area and significantly enhance the immediate setting. His architecture enhanced the farmstead by reinforcing the positive qualities of stable buildings on the site while removing other buildings that were “detractors”.

Likelihood of planning consent must first be weighed up

Richard’s team must first establish whether the site has the right ingredients to get a planning consent. He uses the analogy of a set of weighing scales, and there are several factors weighing down the ‘wrong side’:
- You’re not allowed to build a house in the open countryside.
- In Green Belt, there is the principle of openness. If the site has other buildings on it, you can potentially look at “consolidating building form” as a strategy. If there are no buildings there at all, it becomes very difficult.
- AONB are protected by National Policy. It is possible, but more complex as these are highly protected pieces of land.
- If it’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or on top of a hill, any development is likely to have a big visual impact.
No one can guarantee planning consent, so Richard tries to manage that risk. To “balance the scales” he carries out a rigorous analysis of local and national policy to find benefits that could come with a scheme.

The landscape and architecture have to work together

Assuming there’s a robust enough case to proceed, Paragraph 79 applications are not for the faint-hearted; they represent a big investment on the client’s part and are about the land as much as the house. It takes months before Richard will even know what they’re designing.

Time is spent with landscape architects and commissioning reports and surveys to adequately understand the ecology, biodiversity and resources of the site. This long process uncovers minute details about animals, sun, prevailing wind direction, climate and geology.

Richard explains that involving a landscape architect right at the start helps them to lay down some rules about the site: sensitivities to avoid and opportunities to embrace. The ‘master plan’ is holistic and everything included in the plan can be justified.

Examples of ways to enhance the landscape might include:
- Binding the site together with areas of woodland
- Linking habitats
- Bolstering woodland edge
- Introducing wildflower areas and a proper mowing regime to increase biodiversity
- Putting management plans in place
Flight Farm

Designs reflect a rigorous understanding of the site and client

The practice’s design framework originates from Richard’s self-build experience. He developed the design for Crossway using two distinct, parallel processes. Firstly, responding to the client (his wife) meant considering the “mechanics of a plan”. These are things like securing the best views, ensuring low running costs, opening up the house to the south, etc. A client lifestyle analysis is done, including everything from what time they wake up to how often they entertain.

The other process is analysing how the landscape changes as you approach the plot from different directions, to determine what the house needs to do sculpturally to respond to each of the views. This was something Richard did intuitively with his piece of land: “For me, the context of any site has got rich things for you to respond to. You’ve just got to find them.”

The design then emerges from these two processes. Crossway’s distinctive arch grew from a desire for the house to sit in amongst the ecology and the biodiversity of the land. And the design for one client project interpreted the qualities of the local flint to respond to the “defining characteristics of the local area”; the building is sharp and crisp outside, like the inside of flint but the white, soft-flowing curves of the courtyard evoke the outside of the stone.

Crossway

We need to keep pushing house design forward

As well as acting as a good training mechanism for architects, Richard has a philosophical argument for protecting Paragraph 79. “If the policy weren’t there, I’d find that quite a sad reflection on where we are with design, where we are as a country with architecture. Look at all these houses going up with no aspirational policy there. I’d find that quite a sad place to be and quite short-sighted.”

Find out more

Visit the website of Hawkes Architecture

Follow Hawkes Architecture on Twitter

Follow Hawkes Architecture on Facebook

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Richard Hawkes

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
- Rate and review the podcast on Stitcher
- Like our Facebook page
- Follow us on Twitter
August 24, 2017
HPH184 : Balancing a self build with work and family life – with Donal O’Leary
Donal O’Leary tells us about his self-build in Ireland and shares advice for a successful project.

Interview with Donal O’Leary

We catch up with Donal O’Leary, the first House Planning Help Hub member to complete a self-build project! The decision to self-build came about by accident, as Donal and his wife were originally looking for a run-down property to renovate or rebuild. The properties they viewed didn’t quite meet their needs or budget, and suddenly the right site came along.

An unorthodox approach helped them secure their plot

Donal explains, “We didn’t really need the full site as it was. It was actually too big and therefore it was outside of our price range.” After making enquiries and seeking legal advice, they came to an agreement with a neighbouring landowner to join forces and put in a high enough offer to outbid another interested party. The site would then be split into two, for their own developments.

It took a year of planning before construction started

After acquiring and sorting out the site, the second year was the planning phase, split into obtaining formal planning permission and working with architects and quantity surveyors.

In Ireland, you have a pre-planning meeting with the local authority. This is an opportunity to run through plans and get approval to apply for formal planning permission (or find out what needs to be done differently). Donal explains you don’t have to have final drawings, but you do need to provide plans showing where the house will sit, access, and services like sewage and water.

Cost dictated the final design of the house

The site was large enough to accommodate a big house. But for Donal and family, the priority was a comfortable, clean and healthy home that would take advantage of the light and aspect, as well as modern insulation and air-tightness standards. Cost ultimately decided the final design, and the overall size was dictated by that design and how the spaces were arranged.

The budget was based on some funds left over from the sale of their previous property, plus the mortgage amount they would be able to secure. Donal adds, “The rainy-day fund and the piggy bank were all broken at this stage. So, we worked out roughly what we could afford…and worked back from that primarily.”

The planning phase included very detailed specifications

Their architect and quantity surveyor filled in most of the tender document template, detailing the build specifications. Donal and his wife provided additional information (such as doorknobs, stove handles, bathroom finishes) to complete the document.

It took five or six iterations of 20-30 page documents to figure out exactly what was needed. Donal says in hindsight it was definitely worth it, but at the time it was difficult. “You’re at the stage where you can’t even visualise what the house looks like, and you’re expected to say, ‘well, I want a Belfast sink with a tap that goes a certain way’.”

Time-wise, their biggest challenge was appointing a builder

Christmas time was the deadline for receiving responses to their tender. Donal says, “I’m sure the builders were delighted to be filling out a huge tender document on Christmas Eve!” They narrowed it down from four builders to two, met both and then picked one. Availability was a very important factor, as well as previous experience and price. The tender process took a couple of months and the actual build lasted just over 12 months from start to finish.

A precise calculation helped them stick to their budget

The quantity surveyor broke the build down to a very detailed level, so they knew exactly how much it would cost. Donal says they were reasonable estimates with a bit of wriggle room to alter the spec if needed, when it came to actually buying fixtures and fittings.

There were only a few minor changes during the build stage. Donal attributes this to the time spent upfront with their architect and quantity surveyor on the spec. It gave them a baseline to go back to, which helped them manage their finances. And they had monthly budget reviews with the builder.

They tried to attend site as often as possible

The building contractor was effectively the project manager. So for Donal, the biggest challenge was not a technical one, it was just keeping on top of everything and being available. He admits it’s difficult when you have to take calls and send emails while at work, but says you just have to find a way.

Donal advises others to take any chance they get – before or after work, or at lunchtime if you’re nearby – to go to site and give an opinion so things can move on. His wife spent any spare time during the day onsite, involved in the daily decision-making. Donal recalls a few times where just being there averted a disaster, explaining, “So, if we weren’t there, they would’ve done x, but because we were there, they did y.”

Keeping their architect engaged in the entire build process was worthwhile

Laws have changed in Ireland and you have to have an Assigned Certifier; an engineer or architect signs off the various certification and documentation across each phase of the build and can be held accountable by the local authority.

Donal and his wife chose to involve their architect (who they found through word of mouth) for the whole project. So she had a vested interest not just from a design perspective, but also legally and financially. As the client, they had the reassurance of a professional overseeing the builder.

They leaned on their architect quite a lot. As Donal explains, “It’s not just somebody who draws nice designs, prints them off and you go, ‘move a wall here, move a wall there.’ It’s far more than that. It’s a design eye, it’s finishing, it’s the construction knowledge that the average client doesn’t have.” She was a good sounding board when they had to make decisions, offering suggestions and steering them in the right direction.

Sustainability had to be balanced with budget

There were times where a sustainable option wasn’t the most economical or expedient, for example they considered rainwater harvesting but the cost involved would have pushed the build over budget.

However, they tried to reduce the carbon footprint of their new build where possible:
- Orienting the house for solar gain, with canopy-style shading to reduce overheating.
- Avoiding the need for oil due to high-spec insulation.
- Using an air source heat pump.
- Leaving some of the garden as a nature area for wildlife, planting some clover there instead of grass so as to have a low maintenance meadow.
Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Donal O’Leary

How stupid is our obsession with lawns?

If you’re planning a vast lawn for your new house, is it actually the most sustainable thing to do?

Donal recommends listening to a Freakonomics episode which ponders how natural lawns are and looks at alternatives.

And if you enjoy that, check out last year’s interview with Lisa Kerslake on creating a biodiverse garden.

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
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July 14, 2017
HPH110 : Reflecting on my self-build project – with Ben Adam-Smith
Ben Adam-Smith reviews where he is in his own self-build process and discusses the reasons why there will be some changes to future podcasts.

Ben Adam-Smith

Ben’s personal goal is to create his own energy-efficient home before he turns 40 in August 2016. Despite his best efforts it is looking increasingly unlikely, though not impossible, that he will achieve this target.

Exploring what houses we should be building

When Ben started the podcast over 3 years ago, his aim was to explore what housing we should be building in the 21st century. While this will always be central to the podcast, by staying close to innovation and the people that drive standards forward, Ben has come to the conclusion that there is really a common sense route for the future of house building:

The Passivhaus Standard

This is one we’ve covered many times on the podcast and with so many benefits it just seems logical that this is the way that all buildings will go in the future. While you may not necessarily get it completely right first time with regards to perhaps size, layout, architectural flair, materials etc, it will lead to a higher quality of building such as comfort levels, low heating bills, energy efficiency and air quality.

Co-housing

When Ben visited LILAC and Lancaster co-housing he felt it was easy to see that there’s a lot of sense in this too. It’s about contributing what you’re good at and sharing facilities. In a future where we could be facing bigger problems, it seems sensible to want to try and share those problems and face them as a collective rather than individually.

Decreased reliance on cars

When building new houses and new developments they should all be with a focus on how to get people walking or cycling, rather than relying on cars. It should be about creating hubs where the majority of things we do don’t involve a car.

Issues for the future

Population

With the flow of people between countries likely to be more radical in the future, it is something that globally will need addressing.

Consumerism

As we’re just through the Christmas period, Ben reflects that while he is grateful for the gifts he has received, he sometimes would rather he didn’t have the extra bits of plastic. And instead of frequent holidays and travel, perhaps trying to reduce the number of trips, or concentrate them better.

Sustainable economy

In terms of sustainable economy, it’s about just trying to do what we can as individuals: investing in people and companies more wisely when we can and being careful about the choices we make.

Changes to podcasts

Ben feels that while we don’t know exactly what we should be building in the 21st century, we know a pretty good amount. We should be turning our attention instead to why it isn’t happening.

With the volume house builders, it seems that without government legislation to back it up there just won’t be the changes to standards, as they’re always going to be about maximising profits.

Investors also play a part in this – until people renting houses demand more and have those choices then investors will keep providing the lowest denominator. If more people managed to build their own houses then the markets for some of these other things would naturally shrink.

For now, and while Ben concentrates on getting his own self-build underway, there will be no more podcasts on retrofitting. While retrofit is a huge and important issue which we’ll come back to at some point in the future, for now the podcast focus will be on new-build.

This year the podcasts are also going to focus on the UK. With Ben being based in the UK and having contacts and the ability to go out and find people who are building well, it makes sense to concentrate here. Setting up The Hub was a key goal for Ben last year and in order to develop this and have cohesion with the podcasts there has been a need to start initially by focusing on the UK market. We need to get it fully operational and successful here in the UK first before spreading it beyond. It doesn’t mean we won’t be interviewing experts in other countries, but we will be making sure they are all relevant to self-builders in the UK.

The challenges to self-building

We’re going to be looking at some of the major challenges for self-builders in the UK and see how can we break through some of these.

Finding a plot – having searched for a plot for a year and a half Ben suspects that as he is having problems then other people out there are likely having the same issues.

Finance – how do we make it affordable so that anyone can make it happen?

Planning – trying to understand a little more about the intricacies of the UK planning system.

Some of the forthcoming podcasts will be about finding a quality team for your build. We’ll also be having more case studies and perhaps rather than concentrating on their project as a whole we might focus on individual elements in greater depth.

We welcome your feedback so please do leave us comments below.

The Hub

We’ve recently added a new chapter to the Long Barrow Passivhaus story. In this episode we find out why Alex Baines opted for a raft foundation, look at some of the planning involved, understanding heave and how it was addressed. We’re looking at why Alex has made particular choices while trying to make it all as easy to understand as possible.

We also have a new course on planning permission. We have an interview with Phil Skill, a chief planner that featured on the TV programme “The Planners”. There is also a case study with Kingsley Barraclough on how he successfully achieved planning permission.

As a Hub member there’s a chance to network with other self-builders in the forum.

Find out more

Follow Ben Adam-Smith on Twitter

Please connect with me
- Subscribe, rate and review the podcast in iTunes
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January 6, 2016
Google+ Hangout Schedule for 2014
Our debate sessions are back for 2014 and we want YOU to be part of them.

We experimented with Google+ Hangouts last year and it turned out to be a great way to discuss some of the issues surrounding building a house or renovating an existing property. It was also an opportunity to see how approaches vary around the world and to share the best information.

Here’s an example of what it looks like (in case you’re not familiar with the concept of Google+ Hangouts):

Topics for 2014

1. What makes an aesthetically beautiful house? (Saturday, February 22 at 12.30pm GMT)

2. Why are more people not retrofitting (or weatherizing) their homes? (Friday, March 14 at 8.00pm GMT)

3. Getting value for money when buying land (Wednesday, April 2 at 8.00pm GMT+1)

4. Should my house be off-grid? (Saturday, April 26 at 5.00pm GMT+1)

5. Passivhaus principles or Passivhaus standard? (Friday, May 23 at 8.00pm GMT+1)

6. Getting a house through planning (Monday, June 30 at 8.00pm GMT+1)

7. Is the cohousing movement significant to self-builders? (Saturday, July 26 at 1.00pm GMT+1)

8. How is the internet changing house building? (Wednesday, August 20 at 8.00pm GMT+1)

9. How can you stick to your budget? (Sunday, September 28 at 7.00pm GMT+1)

10. Uniting the team on your build (Monday, October 20 at 8.30pm GMT+1)

11. Do I need renewables on my project? (Saturday, November 15 at 12.30pm GMT)

12. Self build advice from those that have been there done it (Friday, December 5 at 8.00pm GMT)

Although we’re booking some of the guests for each Google+ Hangout, we will leave the other half open to any of the House Planning Help community. On the whole we’ll also aim to have an even mix of a couple of self-builders and a couple of construction industry professionals.

You Need
- A computer with a webcam and access to the internet (preferably a high speed or fibre connection).
- To have a Google+ account (but this only takes a few minutes to set up if you don’t have one).
- Opinions! You don’t have to be an expert but you do have to be passionate about building a house (even if you are just beginning your journey).
Ideally you will also have an external mic to plug into your computer so the sound quality is as good as possible. We recommend the ATR2100 but the price does really vary according to which country you’re in.

Get Involved

If you would like to take part, please email us stating which event you would like to attend.

While we can’t guarantee that we can include you on a specific hangout, hopefully we can accommodate you in a future event.
February 6, 2014
Do ‘Garden Cities’ Just Become ‘Cities’ Over Time?

Although I live a few miles away from one of Ebenezer Howards’s garden cities, Welwyn Garden City, I confess to knowing very little about the garden cities movement. I’ve heard the term crop up from time to time, even at the beginning of this year as a re-visited housing strategy, but I haven’t taken the time to find out more. That’s why I’ve been doing some research on it for this post. In light of some of the recent subjects we’ve been discussing on the podcast, it’s also made me wonder whether garden cities eventually just become cities!

First, let’s look at some of the fundamentals of garden cities and consider Ebenezer Howard’s vision.

Ebenezer Howard’s Self-Contained Cities

Ebenezer Howard was a reformist who sought to provide an alternative to the overcrowded cities (where standards were deteriorating) by creating self-contained communities, each surrounded by green belt land. He wanted a place that balanced housing, industry and agriculture, finding a middle ground between town and country, and enjoying the benefits of each without the disadvantages. Community was at the heart of this, with a co-operative approach envisaged for land ownership and food grown on the surrounding fields. Howard also proposed that satellite cities would surround a larger city (as in the plan below).

It’s interesting to note that Howard had limited practical experience but nonetheless managed to plan and realise two cities in Hertfordshire, UK. His ideas were documented in the publication ‘To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform’ in 1898 and were later revised for ‘Garden Cities of To-morrow’. Making it a reality on the ground was a massive challenge. In 1899, with backing from wealthy investors, construction of Letchworth Garden City began. Some of Howard’s ideals had to be comprised, as investors sought to profit from the new town whereas Howard had proposed a much more egalitarian society.

For his second garden city, about 20 years later, Howard bought the land himself. Welwyn Garden City would benefit from the experienced gained in Letchworth.

Garden Cities Are Still Great Places to Live

Creating a city from scratch is quite a responsibility. As I think about Welwyn Garden City nearly 100 years after it was conceived, there is no doubt it is desirable. A magnificent boulevard is still a striking feature. Trees line the roads. The grass verges are wider than perhaps they needed to be and there is space. I personally feel this ‘connection with something green‘ is vital in all our lives but I can see the flip side of the coin. Critics of garden cities suggest that low density housing wastes land and invariably forces us into our cars. In an energy-constrained future, we need sustainable urban spaces. Striking that balance is difficult.

Maintaining The Population of a Town is a Challenge

I have questions about whether you can maintain the size of a town or city in this current cycle of growth. Yes, we cannot keep on multiplying as a species indefinitely, as the planet does not have the resources, but where does that leave us with creating great places to live? If there is an optimum amount of people for a town or city – as Howard proposed in his garden cities with 32,000 per satellite city – there will come a time when the city is full. The only way to maintain this population would be to police it. Construction would have to stop or only replace like for like (in terms of capacity). As far as I’m aware we’re not doing that.

Part of Howard’s vision was to start the next city at this point anyway. As these new cities are not on the cards, what happens to the population of existing garden city? Is a green belt only a protected area until more land is needed? My experience is that towns keeping growing. If the green belt is respected then old houses get removed in favour of new higher density housing. Gardens get split in half and have a new house at the other end. Over time this must have an impact.

Where Does That Leave us Today?

We have to set our targets high, like Howard did with his Utopian dream, when we are planning places to live. In an energy-constrained future, the vision of our cities – particularly if starting from scratch – is more important than ever. Sustainable urban systems are essential as the greatest impact on the natural environment is made, ironically, in our cities. Although this self sufficiency did not happen in Howard’s two garden cities, perhaps it’s becoming a much more relevant idea once again. If travel becomes a luxury, working where we live or remotely via the Internet would increase. We’d also need to cater for the products that we used to import from the other side of the world.

Could Self Build Communities be The Modern Garden Cities?

The more I consider the self build market, the more I like it. Self build communities seem to encapsulate the passion that Ebenezer Howard had for planning better places to live, the only difference being that everyone has an input once the master planning has been done. Not only are houses likely to be built to a better overall standard, but they are bespoke to the individual’s needs and this whole construction process creates bonds in the community. It seems possible that this is the natural progression of the garden city model.

Is the garden city movement something that is still relevant today? How do we create sustainable urban areas?

April 9, 2013