Bungalows on the rise: How low level living could solve Britain's housing crisis

  • More single-story homes would encourage older people to downsize
  • Policy Exchange think tank hopes it would free up houses for families
  • Just two per cent of properties are now bungalows
  • Planning rules force developers to pack plots with dwellings

By Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor

PUBLISHED: 04:38 EST, 22 April 2013 | UPDATED: 11:25 EST, 22 April 2013


Britain’s housing crisis could be solved by the humble bungalow, according researchers at David Cameron’s favourite think tank.

Planning rules must be torn up to encourage developers to move away from tiny box flats to investing in low level living, Policy Exchange said.

But today it emerged that government reforms designed to stimulate the construction industry had actually slowed down the planning system.

Low level living: The popularity of the bungalow, like this show house in Maidstone in Kent, soared in the 1930s and 40s but just 300-a-year are now built

Low level living: The popularity of the bungalow, like this show house in Maidstone in Kent, soared in the 1930s and 40s but just 300-a-year are now built

It is thought more single storey houses would persuade older people to downsize, freeing up more family homes and kick-starting the housing market. It could even stop people emigrating from the UK.

Almost a third of people say they would prefer to live in a bungalow but they account for just one in 50 of all properties across the country. Four years ago just 300 bungalows were built in the UK.

Policy Exchange believes planning rules which demanded at least 30 homes be built on every hectare of land made bungalows unviable.

 

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It calls for councils to lose control over granting planning permission, instead allowing local people to decide what can and cannot be built in their town or village.

Residents could be more willing to support a wave of new bungalows, because they are less likely to impact on views.

In 1923 the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition featured a Bungalow Town, which took over a whole floor of the show

In 1923 the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition featured a Bungalow Town, which took over a whole floor of the show

The government's attempts to shake-up the planning system have proven controversial.

Moves to allow homeowners to buold larger extensions without permission hit the buffers after opposition from Tory MPs.

Now figures show that fewer planning applications have been given the go ahead since the coalition introduced its new National Planning Policy Framework.

Among developments of 10 or fewer homes, just 68 per cent were given approval within eight weeks in 2012, down from 71 per cent in 2011.

For larger developments it has fallen from 60 per cent to 57 per cent for the target of approval within 13 weeks.

Labour’s shadow planning minister Roberta Blackman-Woods told the Daily Telegraph: 'In reality planning applications are now taking longer to decide and, unsurprisingly given planning was never the brake on growth the Government claimed it was, the economy is still flatlining.

'Following the Government’s botched planning reforms we have a situation in which many areas are unprotected by local plans, Labour’s brown field first policy has been fundamentally weakened and key environmental protections are being ripped up.

'We were sold all of this on the basis that it would speed up planning and boost the economy.'

The bungalow has been a regular feature at the Ideal Home Show in Olympia, Kensington since it began in 1908

The bungalow has been a regular feature at the Ideal Home Show in Olympia, Kensington since it began in 1908

Now the government is being urged to encourage developers to build more bungalows to inject demand into the housing market.

EXPORT FROM INDIA: UK'S FIRST BUNGALOW BUILT IN THE 1860S 

The modern bungalow can trace its roots back to the bangala thatched huts of India in the 19th century

The idea of using bungalows to solve a housing problem is not new.

The term is thought to date back to 1659, an anglicised version of a single-storey Indian hut called a 'bangala' used to house English sailors.

Britain's first bungalow was built by Colonel Bragg who erected a lodge with Indian features in Norwood in London in the 1860s.

In 1882 pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti became one of the first people in England to die in a bungalow.

They took off in the early 20th century in the UK and America when they were adopted by the Arts and Crafts movement.

Fashionable for much of the first half of the century, they featured widely in the Ideal Home Exhibition.

Bungalows became more popular in Britain after the First World War, with thousands of prefabricated properties built during and after the Second World War to house returning soldiers and their families.

They were updated with more stylish designs in the 1960s and 1970s, which have not dated well.

A best-selling book in the 1970s was Bungalow Bliss, a self-build guide by Frank MacDonald.

Bungalows are said to be most popular in Wales, where up to 35 per cent of people say it is their dream home of choice.

At the height of the 2007 financial crash it emerged that bungalows had held their value better than conventional houses.

By June 2008 detached homes had dropped by 1.5 per cent and flats 2.9 per cent, but bungalows were down by only 0.6 per cent.

Older people who are reluctant to move out of family homes, even when children have moved away, could be persuaded to downsize to bungalows as a preferred way of living, the think tank believes.

Alex Morton, head of housing and planning at Policy Exchange, said ‘What is needed is a grand bargain between the generations.

‘More homes, tailored to the needs of older homeowners, will help free up family sized properties for the younger generation.

‘It’s unsurprising that many of our talented men and women are making new lives for themselves outside the UK. We must reform the planning system to get Britain building more homes.

‘This has to include more bungalows which will allow older people to downsize to a property that suits their specific needs.’

The new study -  Housing and Intergenerational Fairness – points to a 2002 study which found that 30 per cent of people said they would like to live in a bungalow.

‘This preference is even stronger for older people,’ the report added.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment noted: ‘The majority of house buyers are unlikely to initially choose to live in higher density developments... Older people say they would prefer a bungalow.’

Surveys by Halifax also reveal bungalows to be Britain’s ‘happiest homes’, with people favouring the ‘facilities such as security, cleaning and ease of use’.

The Policy Exchange report added: ‘If thirty per cent of people’s ideal home is a bungalow, and this preference is even stronger for older people, it make no sense to prevent construction of bungalows if we are interested in increasing the housing supply and a more efficient use of the existing housing stock.

‘Older people currently living in large family homes might want to downsize to a bungalow, which is smaller and easier to maintain, as well as being on one floor and offering outside space.

‘There are huge numbers of spare rooms in homes older people are currently living in. What are needed are the homes that older people like and so would like to move into.

‘But planning policy prevents these homes from being built – and this is before we even begin to discuss the fact that higher land prices caused by our planning system would in any case mitigate against building bungalows.’

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he did not know if David Cameron's views on bungalows but insisted the government was committed to a raft of measures to boost the housing market.

This Hallmark 'Sussex Bungalow' from 1963 was designed to recast the bungalow as being at the cutting edge of modern living

This Hallmark 'Sussex Bungalow' from 1963 was designed to recast the bungalow as being at the cutting edge of modern living

The Policy Exchange think tank believes a new wave of bungalows could help to solve the housing crisis, by encouraging older people who live in large family homes to downsize

The Policy Exchange think tank believes a new wave of bungalows could help to solve the housing crisis, by encouraging older people who live in large family homes to downsize

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: ‘We are pulling out all the stops to get more homes built for all generations and we're determined that good design will be the cornerstone of that.

‘Our reforms are making the planning system much more accessible and by putting local decisions centre stage we are encouraging development that protects our countryside and responsible building.

‘The new neighbourhood planning powers we've introduced ensure that local communities decide on the homes they want in their area. These changes are already paying off with a number of plans looking to provide more homes for the older generation.’

Almost a third of people say they would prefer to live in a bungalow but very few have been built since the boom in the 1940s when prefabricated homes went up quickly

Almost a third of people say they would prefer to live in a bungalow but very few have been built since the boom in the 1940s when prefabricated homes went up quickly

Bungalows are still popular on the Norfolk Broads and in large parts of Wales

Bungalows are still popular on the Norfolk Broads and in large parts of Wales

The style of bungalows has been updated over the years, with many designed by owners as self-build projects

The style of bungalows has been updated over the years, with many designed by owners as self-build projects

Last week the government was forced to u-turn on plans to overhaul the planning system.

Homeowners will keep the right to complain about neighbours’ plans for large extensions.

The move is a major climbdown after David Cameron last year promised ‘fast-track’ applications to kick-start the economy through building.

Property-owners were to be given the right to extend as far as 26ft without planning permission or opposition from adjacent families, but Conservative and Liberal Democrat backbenchers warned it would pit ‘neighbour against neighbour’.

A revised scheme means homeowners will still have to notify their local council.

Comments (106)

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Councils losing control over planning permissions? They will fight that tooth and nail, they don't like to lose control over the population.

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What would make more sense would be to build nice one bedroom flats for single people that now live in a council house .

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Where are you going to build them. On more beauty spots, robbing the wildlife and the country of its natural beauty. Stop the borders from over flowing inwards. Happy St George's Day.

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As there is a boom is the elderly population, it does make sense to consider their needs and I agree that bungalows are the most sensible option, provided they have a shop nearby. So many were built streets away from the nearest shop, which causes problems for those less mobile. I would rather live in a bungalow, or a prefab, or on mobile home park than in a flat, flats are horrible.

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I live in a 2 up, 2 down villa type town house with large garden, which is big enough for us, but if I do move, I would love a bungalow, as I see the time in the not to distant future when the stairs will be too much for me.

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Don't understand the logic in this!- Charles , Herts, 22/4/2013 20:23 Don't know why you were red arrowed I do not see the logic you have a building providing less accommodation may be two bedrooms occupying the same or more land then a three or four bed roomed house. How does this help the housing problem,

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I have been in my bungalow five months and love it, easier to clean and heat. Had to downsize as could no longer aford to live in my three bedroom house. Trouble is bungalows are more expencive so didn't make any money but happier in my little home.

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Its no good building 1 bedroom bungalows as this government want them to be small so as one cannot swing a cat around in them let a loan a wheelchair? but then we all know as to this govt feels about the disabled people / voters? these bungalows will be what they call studio style with 10x10 bedroom 11x10 front room kitchen 8x6 & bathroom / toilet 7x6 but rent will not 53 Shilling & 4d's pw they will be more £160 pw as per both councils / govt affordable rent which are from in keeping with the earnings outside London? These overly zealous affordable rent are the root of all the trouble and not welfare like the govt have said if these rents where to capped then there would be no need the bedroom poll tax full stop!!! Breaking News the Govt have said they are to issue 8x6 sheds for the poor to live in with out bucket for a toilet and 2 candels per month and they have to collect rain water to wash?

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f Thatcher hadn't sold off so many council houses there won't be a housing crisis. - Jim , Omaha, 22/4/2013 19:37 What does someone from Omaha know about it? If Blair hadn't allowed so many people into the country we wouldn't need so many houses - council or otherwise. And where do you think the people who bought the council houses would be living? Probably in the same houses that they have now bought.

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It won't because young people like to build an upstairs on them, thus making even more.........unaffordable housing

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