Rabbit Hutch or What?

Interesting figures from the Royal Institute of British Architects[1] who show that the recommended square footage for a new build one bedroom flat is 50 square metres.  None of the leading house builders achieve this as the table below shows with our friends Barratts only delivering 90% of the recommendation.

Persimmon	49 sqm	99%
Berkeley	47 sqm	94%
Taylor Wimpey	47 sqm	94%
Bellway	47 sqm	94%
Crest Nicholson	47 sqm	94%
Galliford Try	46 sqm	92%
Barratt	45 sqm	90%
Lovell Partnerships	43 sqm	86%

They do fare slightly better when it comes to a two bedroom house where the recommendation is 95 square metres.

Berkeley	98 sqm	102%
Galliford Try	90 sqm	94%
Barratt	89 sqm	93%
Taylor Wimpey	88 sqm	92%
Persimmon	88 sqm	92%
Bellway	86 sqm	89%
Lovell Partnerships	85 sqm	89%
Crest Nicholson	84 sqm	88%

So there you have it.  Not only are new homes “pig ugly” according to the Planning Minister they are also the size of a rabbit hutch.  The ones in the NEGT will also be under the flight path of an international airport and be more expensive due to the introduction of a Community Investment Levy (CIL) of £15,000 and about £25,000 due to having to be built to fulfil eco standards.

Want to buy one?

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[1] First published September 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects | 66 Portland Place | London W1B 1AD www.behomewise.co.uk The Case for Space: the size of England’s new homes | © Royal Institute of British Architects