Apr 13 2005
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.”