More than 50% of new homes not big enough for families

More than half of all the new homes being built are not big enough for the needs of the people buying them, depriving thousands of families the space to live comfortably, the architects’ trade body has warned.

According to a new survey by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the average buyers of a new three bedroom home are missing 4 square metres – the size of a family bathroom.

Homes in Yorkshire are by far the smallest in England with the average new three bedroom property 84 square metres. This is 25 square metres smaller than an average property in London, which is 108.5 metres square, the equivalent of a double bedroom and a family living room.

After London, the biggest rooms are in the South East, where an average three bedroom property is 93.9 square metres.

In the North East the average size of a three bedroom home is 85.4 square metres, while in the East Midlands it is 86.9 square metres.

In October 2015, new rules were introduced to allow local authorities to set minimum sizes for new homes.

RIBA said that the level of administration required means that it will take several years for local authorities to adopt any changes and that offices that are converted to residential use are exempt from the space standard.

RIBA wants an amendment in legislation currently passing through Parliament to end to the building of sub-standard homes and is calling for a national space standard that applies to all homes.

RIBA president, Jane Duncan, said: “Tiny rabbit-hutch new-builds should be a thing of the past. But sadly our research shows that for many people, a new home means living somewhere that’s been built well below the minimum space standard needed for a comfortable home.

“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.”

Table showing the average size of new-build homes by region