Micro Homes in back gardens | Is this the future of starter-homes and elderly housing, or just another planning nightmare?

The news that in Bristol two new single storey 'affordable homes' have been built in the back gardens of and existing housing estate is innovative but is likely to struggle to become mainstream because of the inevitable backlash by neighbours and local planning authorities. An article in the Architect's Journal this week describes the projects by Wecanmake Bristol which are truly innovative and with the help of the community and the support of the Local Authority create new homes in gardens which are otherwise un-used and un-tendered.

It appears that these homes have been created in the gardens of an existing council estate with the full support and assistance of the local authority, create stunning small spaces. This is truly a social exercise as the occupants of the these garden homes and the main house will be living cheek-by-jowl and sharing the same private garden space and the article clearly states the concerns that in the wrong hands this incentive could be exploited for garden-grabbing, the LPA's will be very wary of this. We know at PAPA through our on-going assessments that the majority of similar schemes submitted across the country are refused for the most minor of reasons, but we also understand the strains of young people not being able to afford their first home and the cost of care for the elderly together with the desire for family members to look after their ailing parents in their own home as they become more dependent.

In both cases this would be a brilliant incentive, home owners could release the capitol in their homes to construct a garden building which could be lived-in by their relatives, sharing their garden space and giving them valuable independence whilst not encountering the rigours of the the mortgage market. A good degree of this type of construction can actually be built under permitted development as long as it is used ancillary to the main house and so the planning system really needs to consider an addition to the wording of this policy which includes creating space for family or dependent relatives, this together with possibly a zero-rating for VAT would streamline the process, provide valuable housing in locations already developed and give the small scale building industry a valuable boost.

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