ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes changes in regulation and the current position. The Housing Standards review of 2015 resulted in the publication of the Nationally Described Space Standard, together with guidance on accessibility. A carefully designed and flexible internal layout, well-proportioned rooms, ample daylight, sunlight, orientation and privacy, easy access to private open space, and a good view will probably always matter. Despite the constrained site and modest footprint, each home feels well designed and generously proportioned, due largely to the main sectional shift. Carefully positioned windows maximise views at all levels, while protecting privacy between the houses – further enhancing the quality of the internal environment. In 2015 Barratt Homes launched ‘Home of the Future’, an open design competition looking for ideas for new suburban housing that respond to current and future patterns of living. Adopting the scale of traditional suburban housing, Essex Mews also reflects the local vernacular with London stock bricks, pitched roofs and chimney stacks.
