RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:
“The Queen’s Speech outlines a substantial programme of actions and emphasises the scale of the challenges facing the country: not least in tackling the housing crisis, dealing with the climate emergency and moving forward with Brexit. The RIBA will continue to encourage government to draw on the expertise of architects to address these vital issues.
We await more detail on the new fire safety Bills outlined. New legislation must take a holistic view of the issues and urgently introduce clear and robust regulations. We have been clear that action is long overdue: England continues to lag behind other countries in the UK and across the world on fire safety, putting lives at risk.
We welcome the commitment to tackling the lack of resourcing in planning departments. The RIBA has long campaigned for this, and we look forward to working with government nationally and locally to ensure that new resourcing meets the challenge of the housing crisis and reflects the broad range of professional expertise required to deliver high quality buildings, places and communities.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. For further press information contact: Isabel Campbell (isabel.campbell@riba.org) or +44 (0)20 7307 3735
2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow @RIBA on Twitter for regular updates.
