Campaign for Healthy Homes

We are campaigning to transform the way the built environment is regulated

Too many homes and neighbourhoods built today undermine residents’ health and wellbeing. Standards for new homes and places are fragmented, complex and do not guarantee that all new homes provide for residentsโ€™ basic human needs, such as access to green space and local services, and clean air. The evidence is clear that the quality of our homes has a direct impact on the quality of our lives.

Some homes, built through Permitted Development, lack full planning scrutiny and are exposed to loopholes in building regulations. Thousands of flats have been produced in ageing office blocks and isolated industrial estates – and are being used to house the most vulnerable in society. These truly are โ€˜slums of the futureโ€™. The TCPA commissioned photographer Rob Clayton to capture some of the realities of โ€˜homesโ€™ created through Permitted Development Rights for the photobook ‘These are homes’ .

A national campaign

Working with Lord Nigel Crisp (a cross-bench peer and ex-Chief Executive of the NHS) and other parliamentarians, the TCPA has developed the Healthy Homes Bill . This legislation will simplify the regulation of the built environment and end the creation of unhealthy homes by introducing legally binding Healthy Homes Principles. We are calling on government to amend upcoming legislation (such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill) or bring forward new legislation to make the key Healthy Homes provisions law.

We don’t agree with those who are calling for further deregulation of housing standards and cutting planning scrutiny. We think house building should put people before profits, as our fact checker points out. In May 2024, the TCPA launched the Healthy Homes Pledge. Organisations from across the built environment sector are pledging their support for healthy homes and demanding to see clear political commitment to ensure that all new homes are healthy and secure and that more genuinely affordable homes are built.

A local campaign

The TCPA is working with councils and communities to explore different ways the Healthy Homes Principles can be used as a framework for improving the quality of new development in their area. Informed by that, we have produced a technical guide which explains in detail why and how the Healthy Homes Principles can be applied in local policy and practice. The project is also able to offer tailored support to local authorities to help them consider how best they can support housing and community development as a tool for meaningful levelling up.

Pledge

Healthy Homes Pledge

We are calling for the built environment sector to commit to the Healthy Homes Pledge and all political parties to establish a statutory duty that requires the sector to protect people from harm and positively promote our health and wellbeing.

Parliamentary Bill

Healthy Homes Bill

A bill that transforms the regulation of the built environment to
ensure that new homes and neighbourhoods support their
residentsโ€™ health and wellbeing

Resource

Healthy Homes Principles

We have identified a set of Healthy Homes Principles as a benchmark for what we should be achieving in new homes

Resource

Permitted Development Rights

Read more about Permitted Development Rights.

News

Healthy Homes updates

The latest announcements and monthly e-updates from the Campaign for Healthy Homes.

Resource

Healthy Homes blogs

Since its launch, the Healthy Homes campaign has attracted support from businesses, charities and organisations, endorsing our Healthy Homes Principles.

See which businesses, charities and organisations support our Healthy Homes Principles

Frequently Asked Questions

The Healthy Homes Campaign

What is the aim of the campaign? 

The Healthy Homes campaign aims to transform the way that the built environment is regulated to ensure that all new homes promote the health and wellbeing of their residents.  

Who funds and manages the campaign?

The Healthy Homes campaign is managed by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), in partnership with Lord Nigel Crisp, cross-bench peer and ex-Chief Executive of the NHS. The campaign is supported by the Nationwide Foundation.

How will this campaign create healthy homes? 

The TCPA and Lord Crisp have developed the Healthy Homes Private Members Bill, which is currently moving through parliament (see below). We are also proposing it could be applied as an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

If made law, the bill would introduce legally binding Healthy Homes Principles. These define what we mean by a โ€˜Healthy Homeโ€™ and lay out the basic standards we should expect of all new homes. They are scientifically robust, common-sense and universally important. They go far further than current policy and guidance (see below). 

The TCPA is also working with local councils and communities to offer tailored support on how they can secure greater control over the quality of development in their area. 

The Healthy Homes Principles

Arenโ€™t the Principles already covered by building regulations and planning policy and guidance?

Building regulations do not cover many of the key aspects of a healthy home. They tend to emphasize safety but not health promotion. This is particularly the case for aspects that do not concern the fabric of buildings, such as connectivity and access to green space. Planning policy and guidance, meanwhile, is often too weak, or too easily misapplied. 

More generally, the governmentโ€™s approach to securing decent homes and communities is fragmented and spread across building regulations, planning, the health and safety regime, and a variety of legislation. These โ€˜requirementsโ€™ are highly variable. The recent review of the Decent Homes standard could potentially address some of the worst issues in the Private Rental Sector and poor quality homes. However, it would not provide a comprehensive set of health requirements, including regarding climate resilience (e.g. from overheating and flood risk), access to amenities and transport, limiting indoor and ambient air pollution, safety from crime and fire.

In contrast, the Healthy Homes Principles cover all relevant aspects of homes. The Healthy Homes Bill embeds them in primary legislation and requires that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities ensures that all relevant policy and guidance for which they are responsible contributes to the delivery of the Principles. By applying to the Secretary of State, not to policy, the Principles cut across and join up regimes for regulating the quality of the built environment which are currently disjointed.

The Healthy Homes Bill also includes a duty on local planning authorities to plan for affordable housing needs, to secure the long term health, safety and wellbeing of residents. This recognises the adequate provision of genuinely affordable housing is vital to help people to thrive in their communities.

Some Principles require cross-sectoral and cross-government action. Is this a barrier to implementation? 

While cross-departmental coordination in Westminster has been poor for decades it is, quite simply, impossible to build genuinely Healthy Homes without it. Housing policy, environmental policy, health policy, transport policy, and economic policy must all be coordinated, and deployed via effective planning. A lack of coordination is one of the reasons why many new homes are of such poor quality. 

That is why the Healthy Homes Bill is deliberately designed to facilitate and require engagement between government departments.

The Healthy Homes Bill 

What stage is the Bill up to and what happens next? 

The Healthy Homes Bill originated in the House of Lords as a Private Members Bill. Private Membersโ€™ Bills are introduced by parliamentarians who are not government ministers. More information can be found here

Its second reading, when Lords debate the key principles and main purpose of a bill, was on 15 July 2022 (transcript here). A transcript of its 5 December 2022 committee stage, when Lords have a chance to give more detailed scrutiny, can be found here

Throughout that process the (then shadow) Labour cabinet indicated their support for the Bill and we are hopeful they will now accept the proposals in the new parliament. Taking into account an overwhelming evidence that shows how current policies are not delivering the decent and well-planned homes this country so urgently needs.

Who in parliament has supported the Bill?

Three All Party Parliamentarian Groups (APPGs) have endorsed the Healthy Homes Principles – the APPG on Healthy Homes and Buildings, the APPG on Ending Homelessness and the APPG for the Housing Market and Housing Delivery.

During the second reading of the Bill in the Lords in 2023, representatives from all the political parties declared their support, including: Lord Blunkett (Labour), Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative), Baroness Bennett (Green), Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat), Baroness Prashar (Crossbench) and Lord Best (Crossbench). 

Supporting the Campaign

How can I support the campaign as an individual?

You can follow the campaignโ€™s progression via our quickfire updates (sign up here). Built environment professionals can lead by examples by signing up to the Healthy Homes Pledge.

It is also important to engage in conversations that underline the connection between health and housing, whether it be with politicians, community groups, or even friends and family.  

If you are part of a community group or other organisation that you think could be interested in adopting or supporting the Principles, please see below.

How can my organisation support the campaign?

Any organisation can support the campaign by endorsing the Healthy Homes Principles and calling for them to be introduced. And, depending on what type of work your organisation does, you may be able to actively implement them, including by signing up to the Healthy Homes Pledge.

If youโ€™re a developer, you should ensure that you deliver homes that comply with the Healthy Homes Principles. If you work in or lead a local authority, you could ensure that your policy aligns with them. 

If youโ€™re interested in supporting the campaign, get in touch with Clemence (dot) Dye (at) tcpa.org.uk

As a local authority, how can we implement the Healthy Home Principles in a meaningful way, and does the TCPA offer support? 

The TCPA are working with councils and communities to explore different ways the Healthy Homes Principles can be used as a framework for improving the quality of new developments in their area.  

As part of this, the TCPA are delivering free online and in-person workshops to officers and members who want to adopt the Principles, deliver the Principles, or generally explore how they plan for healthier homes and places. 

If you are interested, please contact: HeathyHomesAct@tcpa.org.uk.

Are there examples of places that have already adopted the Principles?

The TCPA are working with several local authorities, town councils, and combined authorities to adopt the Principles in policy, and are providing training to deliver the Principles on the ground. 

Several local authorities and place-based groups are endorsing the Principles. These include: Arun District Council, Herefordshire Council, Hertfordshire Local Enterprises Partnership, Lewes District Council, London Borough of Hounslow, Norwich City Council, and Scarborough Borough Council.  

How are you working with house builders to get them to adopt the principles?

Developers, housing associations, local authorities and consultants have already focused on investing in the quality of the homes that they are building. For example, HabInteg, the Federation of Masterbuilders, RIBA, Shal Housing, Skyroom, Velux, and Wates have already signed up to the Healthy Homes Pledge

By committing to deliver Healthy Homes organisations reassure customers and residents that their long-term health is prioritised by their housing developers. The Healthy Homes Principles will also help to level the playing field to ensure that quality standards are met. 

Why Healthy Homes are a Priority

In a period of uncertainty and economic turmoil, are Healthy Homes a priority?

We believe that everyone, regardless of their income, should have a right to a home that supports their health and wellbeing. In addition, there are strong economic arguments for Heathy Homes. 

People can be more productive if they have the springboard of a Healthy Home. As we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic, high quality housing can improve peopleโ€™s resilience to external shocks.  

  • Building quality homes to begin with saves the costs that arise from retrofitting. To meet acceptable standards, we already need to retrofit many of our homes to meet climate and energy efficiency regulations. We can either do it now or more expensively later. Indeed, the governmentโ€™s decision to scrap the Zero Carbon Homes policy, that was set to be implemented in 2016, cost the occupants of new homes built up to 2019 more than ยฃ200 per year on missed energy savings according to a report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit; 
  • Poor quality housing is costing the NHS ยฃ1.4bn a year, while the wider societal costs of leaving people in poor-quality housing are approximately ยฃ18.5bn a year (BRE, 2021)
  • Economic inactivity in the UK has increased by around 700,000 people since before the pandemic. The main reason for economic inactivity for 50-69 year olds in the second quarter of 2022 was ill health (Health Foundation, 2022), something which our living environments and homes have a powerful role in determining; 
  • Meeting the objectives of the Healthy Homes campaign also coincides with meeting many of the governmentโ€™s targets in areas such as: 
    • Addressing health inequalities as a part of the ‘Levelling Up’ Agenda 
    • Climate Change 
    • Investment in infrastructure 
    • Improving public transport. 

What about poor quality existing housing? Doesnโ€™t the focus need to be on retrofitting and improving the existing housing stock?

This campaign focusses only on new housing because it seeks to fix a challenge before it arises. And even in focusing only on new homes, the Bill has the potential to affect thousands of peopleโ€™s health outcomes on a yearly basis. Indeed, the government has a target for 300,000 homes to be built each year in England. 

This campaign is also an โ€˜entry pointโ€™ to fixing housing challenges and the planning system more widely, and to promote the retrofit of existing housing. This is both in terms of local priorities and experience, and legal concepts and principles. 

Why not focus on boosting the economy instead, since wealthier people can afford better homes?

While wealthier people do have more choices in the market, it is impossible for everyone to achieve the level of affluence that is required to afford these options. Not everyone can be wealthy, and many thousands of people have no say over the homes in which they live.  

Will this make homes more expensive?

If the government introduces the Healthy Homes Principles into regulations, policy, and law, and universally applies them to all new homes, they will not only hold housebuilders more accountable for the quality of the housing they produce, but also create a level playing field for the whole industry. This would create stability over the long-term, which allow the market to adapt and innovate. 

Any increases in build costs that arise will be reflected in the price developers will pay for land.

Join

Sign up to receive news, analysis and updates from the campaign.

Learn

Access the Healthy Homes resources, including blogs and reports.

Connect

We can help you implement the HH Principles in your area.


The Healthy Homes Campaign is supported by:


Resources

Healthy Homes fact checker

This fact sheet dispels the claims from certain house builders that having higher standards for new homes costs more and slows down housing delivery.

Factsheet
Healthy Homes, Healthy Place-making

Securing Healthy Homes at the local level ย 

The TCPA has produced a technical guide which explains in detail why and how the Healthy Homes Principles can be applied in local policy and practice.

Guide
Healthy Homes, Healthy Place-making

Healthy Homes Campaign- Updates

Rapid-fire news and updates from the TCPA's campaign for Healthy Homes

Healthy Place-making

Healthy Homes special – TCPA Journal

This September-October 2023 issue of Town & Country Planning contains a special section on the Healthy Homes Campaign, including an update on the campaignโ€™s progress in influencing the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and an interview with Lord Nigel Crisp and Policy Director Hugh Ellis.

Journal
Image of tiny flats produced through office to residential conversion in North London

Expanding Permitted Development Rights

This response outlines why TCPA is strongly opposed to the radical deregulation of the planning system proposed in this Government consultation.

Consultation response
Healthy Place-making

Healthy Homes Principles

A helpful infographic explaining the Healthy Homes Principles.

Other/misc
Healthy Place-making

These are Homes photobook

As a part of our Healthy Homes campaign, the TCPA commissioned photographer Rob Clayton to capture some of the realities of โ€˜homesโ€™ created through Permitted Development Rights (PDR).

Provocation paper
Healthy Place-making

No place for placemaking

This reportย exploresย the devastating impactsย that Permitted Development (PD)ย rightsย haveย hadย on placemakingย over the past seven years.

Research report
Healthy Place-making

The Healthy Homes Bill

Healthy Home Bill documents with explanatory notes

Other/misc
Healthy Place-making

Blogs in support of Healthy Homes

Since its launch, theย Healthy Homes Actย has attracted support fromย businesses, charities and organisations, endorsing ourย Healthy Homes Act principles. Read some of their blogs in support of the campaign.

Website
Healthy Place-making