Planning for the Future - UK Government

The UK government recently announced changes designed to relax planning laws. It’s described as a means of boosting economic growth post lockdown.

What I want to see as part of this is legislation to ensure new homes and dwellings are fit for purpose. 

There is no point in creating jerry-built boxes without adequate storage or room to work and breathe for their occupants.

This is the perfect time to devise a new plan – to really think about the ways in which people use their home now and will do so in the future.  

The last few months have shown us the importance of having dedicated office or study space, indeed both are required in family homes where parents may be working and children trying to do their schoolwork simultaneously.

I’ve never been a fan of open plan living – yes a kitchen/diner makes complete sense to me, but I think lockdown has categorically proved that open plan living is loud and unhealthy when a family are trapped at close quarters trying to do everything in a single open space.

A garden or private outside space where it’s possible to sit in the sunlight essential for vitamin D, have a coffee and breathe fresh air is vital. 

If working at home is the new normal, let’s forget the apartment blocks with sheer blank walls and incorporate useable safe balconies with room to sit at a table, relax on a lounger and have a better quality of life than rats trapped in a shoe box.

Is it really too much to ask?

We have to get real about the mental health implications of confining humans in an unsupportive space. And believe me, a home without adequate light, space, sensible storage and air is unsupportive in the extreme.

We have to understand that the basics in the 21st century include natural light, washing machines and dishwashers, generous wardrobe space to meet the needs of two adults in the master bedroom and somewhere other than the doormat for outdoor shoes and wet coats.

We have a once in a lifetime chance to tap into the incredible wealth of opportunity these planning changes give us to create homes which genuinely enable the people who live and work there to thrive, whether they are couples, families, multi-generations or chose to live alone.