HBF Technical Conference
HBF Technical Conference 2013
The government will apply “muscular localism” to streamline local standards, said DCLG’s Simon Brown today (October 24).
Speaking at HBF’s technical conference in Birmingham, Brown, team leader of the Housing Standards Review and the Code for Sustainable Homes, said that the government would “lead from the centre so that people can make intelligent local decisions” on housing standards.
He added that the current “untenable forest” of local housing standards was a result of standards often being produced in silos by local authorities “making guidance for themselves”.
“The government does not want more of the untenable forest because local authorities do not like what is in a future standards document,” he said. “Standards will only be drawn down if they’re appropriate.”
However, he said that the process of absorbing all standards immediately into Building Regulations – an outcome that much of the industry hopes for following the Housing Standards Review – was not simple. “If you want a regulation to go in, then two pounds-worth of regulations must come out. We must do a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.”
But housing standards reform must not become a “political football” for the coalition government over the coming months, particularly against a backdrop of an improving economy, said Andy von Bradsky, chairman of PRP Architects and member of the government’s Challenge Panel on standards and regulations.
“We need certainty from the government on when these changes are going to be implemented,” von Bradsky stated. “A radical overhaul of standards could lead to innovation. Over the next five to ten years, we could see a big impact from this rationalisation."
Where
AUSTIN COURT (home of the IET) 80 Cambridge Street, Birmingham, B1 2NPAgenda
HBF Technical Conference - approximate timings Conference Agenda 9.30 - 16.30Registration - 9.30 - 10.00
*approximate timings
Conference Chair
Dave Mitchell
Technical Director, HBF
Speakers Include:
Dr Dave Baker OBE
CEO, Robust Details
Craig Ferrans
Associate Director Divisional Design, Miller Homes
Andy von Bradsky
Chairman, PRP Architects
Steve Wielebski
Divisional Development Director, Miller Homes
Rob Pannell
Director, Zero Carbon Hub
Speakers
