New homes are too small for everyday life, say residents

New homes are failing to provide enough space for everyday activities, according to new research conducted with the owners of 2,500 private new homes.

The findings, published in CABE’s Space in new homes: what residents think, revealed that private homes do not provide enough space to prepare food easily, have friends round for dinner or find a quiet place to relax. All of the residents surveyed lived in homes that had been built between 2003 and 2006 and they included flats, houses and bungalows.

The findings showed that in all households:

• Forty four per cent said that there wasn’t enough space for small children to play safely in the kitchen while meals are being prepared;
• Forty seven per cent don’t have enough space for all the furniture they have, or would like to have;
• Thirty five per cent said they didn’t have enough kitchen space for the appliances they need, such as a toaster or a microwave;
• Thirty seven per cent said they or their children do not have enough space to entertain guests privately;
• Fifty seven per cent don’t have enough storage; and
• Seventy two per cent said they did not have enough space for the three small bins required to recycle properly.

In fully occupied properties the situation is worse - for instance, 58 per cent don’t have enough space for all the furniture they have, or would like to have. A fully occupied home is one where the number of bed spaces matches the number of inhabitants aged ten or over. A single bedroom counts as one bed space and double bed as two. The fact that 90 per cent of the homes surveyed had a spare bedroom adds extra weight to this research.

The research points to lower-income households suffering from more of the problems associated with a lack of space than wealthier households. This in turn may impact upon health and educational attainment.

Richard Simmons, CABE chief executive, comments: ‘This research brings into question the argument that the market will meet the demands of people living in private housing developments. We need local planning authorities to ensure much higher space standards before giving developments the go-ahead.’

CABE believes that the implications of these findings are wide-reaching. Increased space in homes has direct implications for national policy priorities such as health and well-being, education and recycling. For example, dining as a family could encourage healthier eating habits and stronger family relationships. Children without space to entertain friends will do so outside the home, beyond parental supervision. Privacy at home is vital too - there are links between lack of space and mental health and well-being.

The government’s 2007 Waste Strategy for England includes a target for 40 per cent of household waste to be recycled by 2010. Without the space for waste separation such targets will be very hard to meet.

CABE recommends that local authorities should use their existing powers to only approve developments that include sufficient space in new homes. CABE also believes that private housebuilders and estate agents should provide better information for buyers about space, using net floor area rather than the number of rooms; and that the Homes and Communities Agency should seize the opportunity to produce new cross agency standards for space.

Notes for editors

• The research was jointly commissioned by CABE and English Partnerships, with RIBA to explore residents’ views on the adequacy of internal space in their homes. HATC Ltd. commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake a self-completed postal survey, asking residents about the space available to them for performing everyday activities at home. Questionnaires were sent out to homes built between January 2003 and 2006 in London or within one hour’s travel distance from London. 2,488 were completed.
• Minimum space standards have been enforced in social housing and for development on publicly owned land for many years. Both the Homes and Communities Agency set and enforce minimum requirements on all housing schemes that they funded. The Greater London Authority is currently developing policies for minimum space standards in public housing provision in the capital and a number of planning authorities have already adopted their own space standards for both social and market housing.
• CABE is the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space, and design reviews about 350 schemes a year. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people. We help local planners apply national design policy and offer expert advice to developers and architects. We show public sector clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their users. And we seek to inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces. Advising, influencing and inspiring, we work to create well-designed, welcoming places.