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New residential properties just too small for normal living

Properties are not being designed or built to provide enough space for residents, according to a poll conducted by the government's design watchdog, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

It found that 47% of residents of new-build property in the capital and the South-east said they did not have space for the furniture they had or required.

More than 35% said their kitchens were not big enough for the appliances they needed and 37% said they and their children did not have enough space to entertain guests privately.

Well over half, 57%, said they did not have enough storage space and more than 72% said they did not have enough space for three bins needed to recycle their rubbish properly.

Richard Simmons, Cabe chief executive, said that planners need to take the needs of ordinary people into account.

'This research brings into question the argument that the market will meet the demands of people living in private housing developments. We need local planning authorities to ensure much higher space standards before giving developments the go-ahead,' he explained.

The report points out that there are no minimum space requirements in the UK. Adequate space is a pre-requisite for basic living. There should be enough room for residents to cook, eat, relax and socialise. There should be sufficient space for furniture and the storage of personal possessions. If homes are to have a long life, they must offer functional and adaptable spaces that meet the needs of families, children, older people and disabled residents,' it says.

'But there are no national minimum space standards, and neither building regulations nor the planning system specify minimum floor space for privately developed homes in England. The result has been private housing which does not consistently provide what CABE would consider to be adequate space,' it adds.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, recently proposed stringent space standards for publicly funded housing in the capital, with the intent that private developers would eventually have to follow suit.

The Royal Institute of British Architects has also called for national minimum space standards in all new-build properties, whether it is privately or publicly funded.

The results of the Cabe research were drawn from a survey of 2,500 residents of homes completed between 2003 and 2006, including flats, bungalows and houses. All of the homes were either in London or within an hour's drive of the capital.

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