New Housing (Hansard, 17 March 1998)

§ Mr. Gordon Prentice
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 10 March 1998,Official Report, columns 95–96, what (a) research he has commissioned and (b) evidence he has evaluated concerning trends in the size of rooms in newly-built houses and flats. [34520]

§ Ms Armstrong
The Department does not collect information on the size of rooms in newly built houses and flats, and no research has been commissioned on this. Information is collected on the total useable floor area of houses and flats, and trends in the size of common types are set out below.

Average useable floor area of common dwelling types (sq m), by date of construction

Date of construction 1 bed flat 2 bed flat 2 bed house 3 bed house 4 bed house All dwellings

1991–1996 45.5 55.5 55.9 81.2 112.5 71.6

1986–1991 42.3 59.0 54.4 71.6 125.6 73.1

1981–1986 44.7 52.2 55.0 78.9 110.7 71.7

1976–1981 44.7 60.7 60.2 76.7 118.3 74.9

All Dwellings¹ 46.9 63.3 64.2 80.9 125.7 78.2

¹This is for the whole stock and includes older dwellings which tend to be larger than those built today. All dwellings that have subsequently been extended from their original form have been excluded.

§ Mr. Webb
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that large-scale developments of new housing have enough space set aside to provide for the leisure and recreational needs of prospective residents. [34338]

§ Mr. Caborn
Our Planning Policy Guidance note 17: "Sports and Recreation", advises local planning authorities to assess their needs for public open space and recreation provision, in order to identify deficiencies and draw up their own standards of provision. It also advises that local planning authorities may seek to enter into a planning obligation, under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure provision of544W open space, playing fields and other facilities. We will be considering whether to revise this guidance in the light of recent research which we will be publishing in the near future.
Our Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: "Housing", advises that new housing developments should include adequate provision of suitable areas for children's play, including formal play space. We have recently announced our intention to revise this guidance. All aspects of this guidance will be reviewed.

Average useable floor area of common dwelling types (sq m), by date of construction
Date of construction	1 bed flat	2 bed flat	2 bed house	3 bed house	4 bed house	All dwellings
1991–1996	45.5	55.5	55.9	81.2	112.5	71.6
1986–1991	42.3	59.0	54.4	71.6	125.6	73.1
1981–1986	44.7	52.2	55.0	78.9	110.7	71.7
1976–1981	44.7	60.7	60.2	76.7	118.3	74.9
All Dwellings¹	46.9	63.3	64.2	80.9	125.7	78.2
¹This is for the whole stock and includes older dwellings which tend to be larger than those built today. All dwellings that have subsequently been extended from their original form have been excluded.