The Healthy Homes Initiative

As mentioned in the previous blog, the Town and Country Planning Association have drawn up 11 Healthy Homes and Places Principles, which are that:

All new homes;

1. must be safe in relation to the risk of fire.

2. must have, as a minimum, the liveable space required to meet the needs of people over their whole lifetimes, including adequate internal and external storage space.

3. must provide access to natural light in all main living areas and bedrooms.

4. must be designed to be inclusive, accessible, and adaptable to suit the needs of all, including the designed surroundings.

5. should be built within places that prioritise and provide access to sustainable transport and walkable services, including green infrastructure and play space.

6. must secure radical reductions in carbon emissions in line with the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008.

7. must demonstrate how they will be resilient to a changing climate over their full lifetime.

8. must be built to design out crime and be secure.

9. must be free from unacceptable and intrusive noise and light pollution.

10. must not contribute to unsafe or illegal levels of indoor or ambient air pollution and must be built to minimise, and where possible eliminate, the harmful impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment.

11. must be designed to provide year-round thermal comfort for inhabitants.

None of which seems to be an unreasonable expectation in the 21st century, so we will have to see how many of our colleagues agree with us at full council on 9th Feb..