The Conservative Party published its manifesto for the General Election this
morning. Among the key points of most interest to the Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) are:
- Extra £15 billion a year for schools by 2009-10 and the creation of disciplined
environments where children can learn;
- Abolition of regional assemblies and return of regional planning functions
to local authorities;
- Giving local communities a greater say over planning decisions and greater
powers to help local councils deal with breaches of planning law;
- Halting Labour’s plans to “concrete over our green fields”;
- promotion of brownfield development and establishment of more Green Belts
with tighter development rules;
- Greater incentives to make homes more energy-efficient.
The Royal Institute of British Architects, in its own Manifesto for Architecture,
has also called for incentives to encourage energy efficiency, waste reduction
and a better-equipped planning system containing streamlined processes.
Commenting on the Conservative manifesto, RIBA President George Ferguson said:
“I welcome the Conservative Party’s recognition that incentives should be in
place to encourage householders to do their bit to reduce the country’s carbon
emissions. “The Conservatives are right to prioritise brownfield development
but I am disappointed that they have not heeded the call by the RIBA and others
to equalise VAT on all forms of construction to encourage regeneration, discourage
unnecessary sprawl and protect the historic environment. We also want the next
government to lead by example by using publicly-owned land to pioneer environmentally
responsible design and construction techniques, together with mixed tenure to
meet people’s different needs.”
“I welcome the commitment for greater investment in schools. Pupil behaviour
is linked to good school design – whether it’s creating better learning environments
or getting rid of areas where bullying can occur. I hope that the Conservatives
would agree with the RIBA when we say that Government funding should therefore
be conditional upon good design quality.”