Mr. Dominic Stevens:

One way to think about community-led housing and affordability is what is expected by the client. The Mitchell McDermott report that came out last week showed that apartments in Utrecht were delivered to the end user not in a turnkey situation but without kitchens and flooring. That is something within the community-led housing sector that reduces prices and costs. The people living in the houses do what they can afford when they move in. They would, in general, be happier with the finishes they put in place.

The work we have done with community groups shows they are interested in as minimal sizes as the regulations allow, and would go smaller if the regulations allowed for it. They recognise that clever design means that a house does not have to feel small. That speaks to the scope to reduce things within the regulations. One is always put upon as soon as one says that, but the people who are going to live in the houses are often happier with that.