Housing quality and design standards in England: the driving forces for change and their implications

Abstract

The control and promotion of housing quality, design and standards in new build is a fundamental aspect of housing policy and one that deserves more consideration. In England, the main governmental priority of the past twenty years has been to contain pressures for increased regulation in the face of opposition from the house building industry and a fear that increased regulation might reduce housing completions. In managing these contradictory pressures, governments have created an increasingly complex regulatory framework and one in which implementation and enforcement can no longer be assumed. Three overlapping types and fields of research agenda are suggested: understanding the dynamics of regulatory change; assessing the outcomes of regulation as implemented and promoting socio-technical studies that link users and different professional and interest groups.