Mar 19 2008
A new online tool-kit, developed by CABE and funded by the Housing Corporation, will help developers, housing associations and their design teams show planners and funding bodies how their proposed development meets the Building for Life standard – the national benchmark for well-designed housing and neighbourhoods.
The Housing Corporation, English Partnerships and an increasing number of local authorities now require new housing developments to fulfil between 12 and 16 of the 20 Building for Life criteria.
The new guidance, launched today (Thursday, 13 February), is also designed to help funding bodies and planners assess whether proposed developments meet the Building for Life standard. It provides clear examples of the design-related material – diagrams, plans, visuals and models – clients can include in grant application tenders or design and access statements; and explains how that material should be evaluated.
The new tool-kit is available to download for free from the Building for Life website, www.buildingforlife.org.
Matt Bell, director of campaigns and education at CABE, said, "Design teams need to speak the same language as the people who assess their proposals. The Building for Life tool-kit helps them prepare accurate and relevant information that will make their case clearly and effectively. For assessors, this will help them understand the strengths and weaknesses of a proposed development, and eliminate spurious subjective concerns."
Steve Douglas, chief executive of the Housing Corporation, said, "This guidance is a valuable tool for both architects and developers. It explains the expectations of the schemes against the Building for Life criteria and provides useful links and information on how this can be achieved."