'Shameful shoe-box homes are too small for family life', claim British architects
Average floor space of new homes is 88sq m - recommended minimum size is 96sq m
Lydia Warren
14th September 2011
Housebuilders have been accused of constructing ‘shameful shoebox homes’ too small for family life.
The average three-bedroom home is 8 per cent smaller than the recommended minimum size, research shows.
This means families are being deprived of space equivalent to a single bedroom which could comfortably fit a single bed, bedside table, wardrobe, desk and chair.
The research, by the Royal Institute of British Architects, also found the most common three-bedroom house built in the last three years is smaller – about three quarters of the recommended minimum space.
In these homes, families are being duped out of space equivalent to two double bedrooms.
The RIBA, which looked at 3,418 three-bedroom homes across 71 sites in England, said the squeeze is depriving thousands of families of space needed for children to do homework, for adults to relax and for guests to stay.
The findings were based on building regulations introduced in London in July which set the minimum space benchmark of 96 sq metres (1,033 sq ft) for an average three-bed home.
But research found the average floor area of new homes is 88 sq metres (947 sq ft). And the most common size is 74 sq metres (797 sq ft).
Harry Rich, RIBA’s chief executive said: ‘Our homes should be places that enhance our lives and well-being.
‘However, as our new research confirms, thousands of cramped houses – shameful shoebox homes – are being churned out all over the country, depriving households of the space they need to live comfortably and cohesively.’
The institute has appointed Sir John Banham, the former director general of the Confederation of British Industry, to lead an inquiry into British homes.
Sir John said: ‘We want to find out from people what they think about their homes and communities where new homes are being built, as well as garner intelligence and research from industry about the housing market before making some recommendations about what might happen next.
‘There are some fundamental issues that need to be addressed to ensure we have more of the right kind of affordable homes in villages, towns and cities right across Britain.’
The Future Homes Commission report will look at what people want and need from houses before making recommendations to the building industry.
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: ‘Developers must deliver the homes that communities need and buyers want – and that includes ensuring the homes they build meet families’ needs.
‘That’s why ministers scrapped minimum density targets they argue contributed to a lack of family-sized homes and flats that are so in demand.’
But the Home Builders Federation said bigger homes could prove unaffordable.
Executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: ‘We’ll happily work with RIBA and others, but if they are serious about the future of housing in this country they must ensure that they fully understand the pressures on land and viability that home builders face every day.’
In 2009, a report by the Government’s former design watchdog, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, found new homes in Britain were the smallest in Europe.
It revealed homes in Greece and Denmark had almost twice the floor space of UK homes.
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