Public opinion sought on new guidelines for Manchester housing standards

Manchester City Council is calling for public views on a proposed design and quality standard for new housing in the area.

The authority said its quality guidance will demand design excellence and set minimum space standards for all new housing stock across the city.

Until October 2, the city council will be asking members of the public for views on issues such as the ideal size of a new house, how much outdoor space it should feature and how dense apartments should be built.

To develop the draft standards guide, the authority put together a team of architects and housing professionals chaired by Stephen Hodder of Manchester architecture practice Hodder + Partners.

Stephen, chair of the new Manchester Residential Quality Guidance Sounding Board, said: “I’m intensely aware of the importance of the role we have been given.

“We’re not just talking about the look and feel of new residential development, but a wholesale city-wide approach to how people live, how they interact with the homes they live in and how those homes impact on the carbon reduction ambitions of the city.”

He added: “It’s an exciting prospect, but one that needs to be taken incredibly seriously.”

The draft standards, available in full on the council’s website, call for developers to understand the city’s unique character and heritage, as well as the relationship between new homes and their surrounding environment.

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