RIBA warns that homes being built are too small

More than half of the new homes being built today are not big enough to meet the needs of the people who buy them, the RIBA says.

A new study of space standards reveals that a squeeze on space is depriving thousands of families of the room needed for them to live comfortably.

Called Homewise, the survey says that on average buyers of a new three bedroom home are missing 4 sq m – the size of a family bathroom.

It adds that the smallest three bedroom homes surveyed by RIBA are missing space equivalent to an entire double bedroom.

Homes in Yorkshire are by far the smallest in England – the average new three bedroom home in Yorkshire is 25 sq m smaller than one in London.

At only 84 sq m, the average new home in Yorkshire is smaller than one on London by the equivalent of a double bedroom and a family living room.

RIBA is calling for national space standards on all homes and its president Jane Duncan added: “We urgently need new homes, but building small homes or cutting corners when converting office buildings to flats is short-sighted and fails the people these new homes are meant to serve. The Government must take action to ensure a fairer minimum space standard is applied to all new homes across the country.”