The new House of Lords Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment (BE) has opened its inquiry and held its first public evidence session by taking evidence from experts specialising in planning and design.
The Committee, chaired by Baroness O’Cathain, heard from:
- Professor Rachel Cooper OBE, Professor of Design Management, Lancaster University
- Dr Richard Simmons, former Chief Executive of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)
- Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones, Professor of Town Planning, Newcastle University
Areas the session covered included:
- What are the main built environment challenges we are currently facing and how might these change? Does demographic change present a particular challenge?
- What will the legacy be of the last 30 years of commercial and residential developments?
- How can we ensure new buildings respect their environment and help to foster communities?
- How effective are we at rejuvenating existing housing developments? Should there be more focus on ‘retrofitting’ existing buildings rather than focusing on new builds?
- Why does the UK consistently fall so far short of meeting its targets on house building completions?
