Croydon calls for action on 'inadequate' shrinking rooms

Croydon councillors are demanding national action to curb developers from building homes with rooms so small they could stifle children’s development.

The call on the Government to act follows a major investigation into the size of the borough’s new-build private homes by the council’s scrutiny committee.

Its hard-hitting new report finds “inadequate” open-plan kitchen/living areas and bedrooms are increasingly common with homebuyers paying more for less space.

And it criticises a central government agency for resisting efforts to enforce better standards and calls for London-wide and national action.

A five-strong team of councillors, led by scrutiny member Councillor Donald Speakman, visited new housing developments to look at room sizes.

They found a number where there was not enough room for youngsters to do homework, for healthy meals to be cooked without ruining furniture and fittings, to store possessions or for two teenagers to grow up comfortably.

In the report, Councillor Speakman says: “New homes are very welcome as they help to reduce the housing shortage. For these new homes to be a genuine investment for the future, however, quality needs to go with quantity. We have a particular concern with the small size of rooms in new-build developments.

“The group was surprised to find that not only is there no regulation on space standards in the private house-building industry, but that efforts from any council to draw these up as part of their planning strategy have been resisted by the Planning Inspectorate (an executive agency of the Department for Communities and Local Government).

“The building industry is therefore free to build very small new homes without having to face the long-term social consequences of small and inadequate housing. Purchasers are paying more whilst room sizes are diminishing.”

Among the committee’s recommendations are that the Mayor of London should introduce standards “so that new homes can meet the social, educational and health needs of families and adapt to the evolving needs of households with growing children and provide high quality accommodation in the capital for several decades to come.”

The councillors have already welcomed new local planning guidance to improve the quality of new housing and conversions being built in Croydon.

But they have called for the Government to introduce “robust” nationwide regulations so that planning officers can reject planning applications with cramped room sizes and effectively withstand any subsequent appeals from developers.

Councillor Jason Perry, cabinet member for planning, said: “The scrutiny councillors have undertaken an important piece of work which has highlighted important issues that have serious consequences for planning authorities up and down the country.

“I will be writing to the Government and the Mayor with our findings to urge them to act now to set adequate space standards and give local authorities the powers they need to ensure that any new housing is well designed, sustainable and meets the needs of future occupants.

“We, as a society, should only tolerate good quality homes, where families can lead healthy and successful lives.”