I associate myself with the spirit of the amendment. It has been enormously important in the past couple of years that England Partnerships was given encouragement by the then Secretary of State and the then Deputy Prime Minister to put design on the map. When we changed our evaluation criteria some three years ago—after six years I keep saying ““we””; I forget I am not there any more—to look at quality and design alongside the financial bid for land, it made a huge difference to the way in which housebuilders approached projects. It is important that we try to do whatever we can through the Bill to strengthen the HCA’s arm.
However, I counsel caution on two suggestions made by my noble friend Lord Howarth. I am slightly concerned about representation of a senior or eminent architect on the board. I used to have regular unarmed combat with my noble friend Lord Rogers on that; he upbraided me mightily on a number of occasions about our not having an eminent architect on the board—I hesitate to say ““such as himself””; I am sure that there was no intention on his part that it would be him. Given the breadth of projects in which the HCA will be involved, it would be extremely difficult to find a single architect whose expertise spanned residential, mixed-use, urban, and rural developments. It is inevitable that one would have architectural experience and a champion on that board, but would that then excuse other board members from taking a proper interest in design? Instead of representation, we had a panel of eminent, experienced architects on whom the board and executives were able to draw for advice on individual, significant projects. I imagine that the new organisation might want to continue that practice, which might be preferable to having a single architect on the board.
I am concerned also about review panels. There is a practical and time issue around that. That is the job of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, not of the new agency. However, the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships have done a significant job in moving space standards, when the private housebuilders did not want to do that. Where the agency invests public money, it must continue to insist on the highest standards. Anything that we can give the agency by way of robust assistance in the Bill is welcome, but retaining the board’s flexibility would be helpful.
Housing and Regeneration Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Baroness Ford
(Labour)
in the House of Lords on Tuesday, 13 May 2008.
It occurred during Debate on bills
and
Committee proceeding on Housing and Regeneration Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
701 c277-8GC 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
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2023-12-16 02:32:06 +0000
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