RSAW responded to the recent Welsh Government consultation on mandatory quality standards for new homes.
According to the Welsh Government, the proposed new standard will replace the current “Development Quality Requirements” (DQR) published in 2005 in response to the key recommendations of the Independent Review of Affordable Housing Supply April 2019. One of the recommendations was that Welsh Government should develop new consolidated and simplified standards for new build grant funded homes and affordable homes delivered through planning agreements (under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) and planning conditions.
These standards should be simpler to use and should not have conflicting requirements. The new standards should concentrate on minimum space standards, including storage inside and outside. The Review also recommended a requirement for all new affordable homes to be near zero carbon, using a fabric first approach from 2021 and also urged the Welsh Government to set a longer term goal of 2025 at the latest to have the same standards for all homes irrespective of tenure.
