This House Believes Deregulation is the Pathway to Hell

The UK built environment is rife with codes, regulations and legislation. Increasingly, new buildings are faced with a plethora of codes and guidelines with which to abide by- the Code for Sustainable Homes, Lifetime Homes Standards, Secured by Design, Design and Quality, Standards and Building for Life. Is our built environment more sustainable, accessible and therefore successful as a result? Or is all this guidance influencing our buildings and our ability to build negatively?

This debate will examine the proliferation of regulations within the built environment professions- questioning their role in an effective design process. We will compare the situation in the UK with less regulated countries in the rest of Europe, and ask whether the UK could adopt a similar approach. The debate will cover aspects of planning, building and broader built environment regulatory frameworks, in an attempt to discover which ones are hindering design and the creation of successful spaces the most.

Chaired by Dickon Robinson

Speaking For the Motion
Daisy Froud, AOC
Steven Bee, English Heritage

Speaking Against the Motion
Chris Hampson, Hampson Williams Architects
Roger Zogolovitch, Solidspace