Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is part-funding a study which will look at the prospects for replacing 1960s, 70s and 80s slab and point block housing estates in London with more traditional streetscapes such as the terraces and mansion blocks typical of areas like Islington and Pimlico, with the intention being to achieve higher densities but better quality housing in the process.
Of particular interest to IHBC members may be the views on re-building traditional streetscapes and involving communities in the design process.
Planning Portal writes:
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: ‘Our intention is to increase the number of homes on inner city estates, but also to increase their quality. Past experience tells us mere tinkering won’t work. We need to be more ambitious.
‘Completely rebuilding traditional streetscapes can provide more housing and commercial space using the same amount of land. These estates would represent neighbourhoods like Pimlico or Islington, with terraced streets of houses, apartments and commercial space.’
The minister pointed out that Government had set aside £150m in the last Budget statement to fund the regeneration of existing housing estates.
He said: ‘We are part-funding a comprehensive study by Savills to consider the best way to get started, redeveloping areas while fully involving local communities in the design and planning process. This will report back later this year.’
He added: ‘The study will also address the barriers that need to be overcome. These could even be the Government’s own rules, which sometimes restrict building the types of homes and streets that people value the most.’
Read the complete article (republished on the DCLG website)
