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Quality Standards
The quality of the places in which we live and work is important to our quality of life.
How places are designed, built and run affects our housing opportunities and choices; our access to public transport, education and jobs; where we shop and spend our free time; even whether we feel safe walking down the street.
English Partnerships’ Quality Standards apply to all of English Partnerships’ projects. These core common standards provide a level playing field, enabling potential partners to plan ahead and adapt policies, products and practices to achieve the quality required.
The standards were revised in November 2007 and they now incorporate:
- The Code for Sustainable Homes - Level 3
- Measures to prevent the overheating of homes in rising summer temperatures
- A requirement to reduce noise penetration in new homes
- Environmental quality in civil engineering
- Minimum space requirements for new homes.
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English Partnerships' Quality Standards are available to download from the Publications page. |
The Quality Standards are grouped into four themes:
Quality Places
- Design statements – creating well-laid out and distinct communities
- Building for Life (Silver or Gold) – the CABE quality standard
- Inclusive design – design of homes for people with a range of physical abilities
- Secured by Design – safe and overlooked streets and public spaces
- Integration of tenure – creating mixed communities
- Car parking – accommodating the car but not letting it dominate
Quality Homes and Buildings
- Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 minimum – tackling climate change and improving environmental quality
- BREEAM – Very Good minimum environmental standard for non-residential buildings
- Lifetime Homes – flexible, adaptable homes for people of all ages and physical abilities
- Noise – reducing noise impact between and within homes
- Building specifications – using more environmentally friendly building products – only Category A, B or C products in BRE’s
- Green Guide to Building Specifications
- Overheating – designs, technology and landscaping to reduce overheating of homes due to rising temperatures
- Space standards – minimum space standards for various house-types to make them more likely to appeal to a wider population and sustainable in future housing markets
- Fire safety – reducing deaths from fire in the home
Construction Quality
- Construction efficiency – better cost efficient buildings that will be supported by lenders and insurers and offer good consumer warranties
- Re-use of resources – remediation and demolition plans, controlling site waste and reusing buildings
- Civil Engineering Environmental Quality (CEEQUAL) – improving the environmental performance of civil engineering
- Health and safety – better construction management to reduce accidents
Rewarding Quality and Delivering Locally
- Site-specific issues – addressing local and planning concerns
- Deliverability and long-term management – how likely the ideas will be turned into reality with a long-term stewardship of the place and public realm
- Community engagement – involving and engaging local people in the process before and after development
- Delivery and financial capacity of developers – the capacity of the developer’s team and partners and suppliers to deliver the project and act commercially
