clarity

community

efficiency
initiatives
Quality
Priceregeneration
design
development
competition

sustainability
Policy Guidance
Quality and Price
Standards
for use in development competitions
and site disposal tendering
 design quali
deliverabilit sustainability
community engageme
long-term management

English Partnerships is committed to creating

quality places. To achieve this, we have adopted
a set of national standards to help developers
meet our expectations.
This document details these quality and price
standards and clarifies our requirements for
developer submissions.

02 English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards

 quality
ty
y
&price
nt
English Partnerships’ commitment to quality is widely known. English
Partnerships produced the Urban Design Compendium, which has been very
influential within urban design and architectural practice. We have developed
a number of projects and programmes to provide practical demonstrations of
quality in urban design and construction, such as the Millennium Communities
Programme, our various design coding initiatives and the Design for
Manufacture Competition.
In addition to promoting quality, English Partnerships is also required to
demonstrate financial efficiency. We must achieve best consideration in our
investments and land disposals. Best consideration goes beyond price and
includes a wider value for money assessment to include the scale and nature
of outputs and outcomes, timing of delivery and quality of product.
English Partnerships therefore uses a single, clear and unequivocal set
of nationally recognised quality and price standards and principles as outlined
below. These relate directly to the Government’s Sustainable Communities
Plan and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s (ODPM) Public Service
Agreement (PSA) targets. Our approach brings clarity and consistency to all
our projects whilst rewarding innovation, responding to site-specific issues
and maintaining full market competition. Such an approach enables
developers to optimise design and supply chain efficiencies through better
planning and partnering.
Our standards cover:
I design quality
I community engagement
I deliverability and long-term management
English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards 03
 core requirements
standards
sustainability minimum criteria
clarity focus
English Partnerships’
quality standards
English Partnerships’ Board approved the following standards in 2005.
After testing on several English Partnerships sites, these standards are now
mandatory for development of our sites and for our funding of projects.
English Partnerships has mainly adopted existing standards with independent
validation rather than invent new requirements and measures. The definition
of what we want to be included for each quality and price standard is outlined
and source documents are listed. The wording of previous versions of this
document has been revised to give clarity on several points, whilst maintaining
the same core requirements agreed by English Partnerships’ Board. These
standards will be reviewed again once the Government’s consultation on the
Code for Sustainable Homes has been completed and English Partnerships’
role in implementing the Code is clarified.
Standards must be achieved across the board. The standards do not allow
for trade-offs between categories. For example, failing Lifetime Homes
standards cannot be outweighed by scoring high in environmental quality.
English Partnerships project teams may outline local or competition-specific
standards in addition to those listed in order to achieve an appropriate
standard for their projects depending on its focus and local objectives.
04 English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards
Sustainability
The standards English Partnerships use follow the sustainability definition
used by the Government.
The ODPM’s Homes for All policy (2005) says a Sustainable Community is:
I active, inclusive and safe – fair, tolerant and cohesive with a strong
local culture and other shared community activities;
I well run – with effective and inclusive participation, representation
and leadership;
I environmentally sensitive – providing places for people to live
that are considerate of the environment;
I well designed and built – featuring a quality built and natural
environment;
I well connected – with good transport services and communication
linking people to jobs, schools, health and other services;
I thriving – with a flourishing and diverse local economy;
I well served – with public, private, community and voluntary services
that are appropriate to people’s needs and accessible to all; and
I fair for everyone – including those in other communities, now and
in the future.
The following standards aim to achieve these
sustainability objectives.

quality
1 Design statements
A design statement must be submitted with all bids
2 BREEAM / EcoHomes
EcoHomes Very Good for homes and BREEAM Very
outlining how proposals have responded positively to Good for commercial property. Certificates from the
the requirements of the brief. Building Research Establishment (BRE) will be required
at the design stage and post completion. All homes
Design statements improve the quality of the places we deliver in two ways:
should achieve a minimum energy rating of NHER 9.
by ensuring our procurement process raises awareness of the opportunities
for good design in a specific context at the earliest possible stage, and in
English Partnerships actively promotes high-quality, sustainable developments
turn deliver quality places more economically and efficiently. They also help
in support of Government policies on the environment and construction.
the developer demonstrate understanding of the brief and their interpretation
This involves an assessment and validation by certificate of a prescribed
of design and project objectives.
performance for each project, using the Building Research Establishment
Environmental Assessment Method, known as BREEAM, for offices and
The design statement should include the following key areas as outlined in
industrial buildings, and its equivalent EcoHomes for residential properties.
the Urban Design Compendium published by English Partnerships and the
Housing Corporation:
English Partnerships approved the use of BREEAM and EcoHomes with a
I appreciating the context;
minimum acceptable rating of Very Good in September 2002. This standard
I creating the urban structure;
is now accepted practice throughout English Partnerships and we are leading
I making the connections;
the way nationally in achieving environmentally sustainable homes. We require
I detailing the place; and
Post Completion Certificates for all projects to ensure that the standards are
I implementation and delivery.
actually being achieved on site.

A design statement shall also reflect local and national guidance specifically
English Partnerships expects developers to achieve either Very Good or
Planning Policy Statements, the Urban Design Compendium, Building for
Excellent on all BREEAM / EcoHomes categories. Further information can be
Life, Inclusive Design, Car Parking, the ODPM’s By Design and Safer
obtained from the BRE website www.bre.co.uk
Places / Secured by Design guidance and any site specific requirements of
the brief. The statement shall explain design principles in terms of layout,
density, scale, landscape and visual appearance; how these principles
have evolved from the policy context, and how they are relevant within the
specific site context.

Full specifications of proposals including public realm must be included

in the design statement in order that a true comparative assessment can
be carried out for each project.

The level of detail required will depend on the scale and sensitivity of
the development.

The Urban Design Compendium can be ordered or downloaded from the

English Partnerships’ website www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/publications

English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards 05

 3 Secured by Design
Secured by Design accreditation by the local
constabulary in support of the Government’s Public
Service Agreement (PSA) 8 and in line with English
Partnerships’ legal obligation to create safe and
secure environments.
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 2000 place
a significant moral and legal obligation on authorities responsible for the
design of the built environment to take adequate steps to ensure that
they have considered likely crime and security implications in their design
decision-making process.
The Government publication Living in Urban Britain shows that crime and
fear of crime is by far the most important factor considered by people in
assessing their quality of life. English Partnerships places a similar heavy
weighting on this issue in the briefing and assessment of schemes.
Consultation with Architectural Liaison Officers or Crime Prevention Officers
is advised from the embryonic stages of scheme conception, through to
detailed design.
Secured by Design accreditation is a police initiative, which encourages the
building industry to adopt minimum standards in designing safe and secure
developments. This scheme gives equal weighting to the importance of
environmental design and physical security. There is significant research to
prove that schemes that meet these standards are significantly less likely
to suffer from vandalism or criminal attacks.
In achieving Secured by Design, the following principles should be considered
and addressed:
I natural surveillance;
I defensible space;
I community interaction; and
I CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design).
Proposals should outline in their design statement how they have responded
to the above principles and to the ODPM’s guidance document Safer
Places – the planning system and crime prevention. Additional guidance
can be found at www.securedbydesign.com
06 English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards
4 Building for Life
Building for Life Silver. The minimum Silver standard
represents the national quality design standards for
housing and neighbourhoods as recommended by the
Building for Life partners which include the Commission
for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE),
the Home Builders Federation (HBF), the Civic Trust,
Design for Homes, the Housing Corporation and
English Partnerships.
The Building for Life standard represents the national standard for housing
and neighbourhoods awarded to new and refurbished housing projects that
demonstrate a commitment to high design standards and place making.
Projects are submitted for assessment and judged against 20 defined
criteria. Projects that achieve 14 of the 20 criteria are deemed as having
achieved the minimum Silver standard. Projects achieving 16 or more
receive a Gold standard. A Platinum standard may be awarded to projects
of exceptional quality.
The aim of the standard is to reward developers of high-quality new
developments and increase awareness of the importance and value of
good design, architecture and landscaping to the general public when
buying homes.
Proposals to English Partnerships must outline in the design statement how
bidders believe they have addressed each of the 20 criteria, and how they
intend to achieve the award upon completion. All projects shall be submitted
for the award when 50 per cent of homes have been completed. Additional
information can be found at www.buildingforlife.org
5 Inclusive design
An Access Statement must be submitted outlining
measures taken to achieve an environment that is
accessible and appealing to all regardless of physical
ability, age, gender or circumstance.
Inclusive design is a way of designing buildings and environments so that
they are usable and appealing to everyone regardless of age, ability or
circumstance by working with users to remove barriers in the social, technical,
political and economic processes underpinning building and design.
English Partnerships promotes the design and implementation of environments
that will achieve social inclusion through the use of inclusive design principles.
The objective is to serve the widest range of users and customers of the
built environment on the scale of the neighbourhood and the individual home.
Guidance on inclusive design can be obtained from the English Partnerships’
website www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/inclusivedesign
 6 Lifetime Homes
Lifetime Homes standards promote housing that is
flexible, adaptable and robust to changing social and
demographic trends. Homes should be of a reasonable
size to allow adaptation and flexible use by owners
throughout their lifetime regardless of physical ability.
In the 1980s, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation became particularly concerned
about the quality of British housing and in particular how inaccessible and
inconvenient many houses were for large segments of the population – from
those with young children through to frail older people and those with
temporary or permanent disabilities.
In 1991 the Lifetime Homes concept was developed by a group of housing
experts who came together as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Lifetime
Homes Group. Lifetime Homes have 16 design features that ensure a new
house or flat will meet the needs of most households. The accent is on
accessibility and design features that make the home flexible enough to meet
whatever comes along in life: a teenager with a broken leg, a family member
with serious illness, wheelchair use, or parents carrying in heavy shopping and
dealing with a pushchair.
The Lifetime Homes standards go a little further than Building Regulations
Part M in their requirements for adaptability and flexibility to be designed in to
the home. The 16 standards apply to both the interior and exterior of homes;
most of the additions have minimal or no cost if considered at a project’s
inception. We expect all homes to be designed to meet the main principles of
Lifetime Homes and some homes in the developments to achieve all 16
standards. Further information can be obtained at www.lifetimehomes.org.uk
In addition to promoting the use of new technologies and processes,
English Partnerships is also promoting efficiencies in construction, which
help deliver more speedily and economically. This initiative is spearheaded
by the Design for Manufacture Competition (www.designformanufacture.info)
which seeks to deliver homes with a construction cost of less than £60,000,
using improved ways of employing traditional materials and construction
skills or by developing innovative new methods. The outputs and lessons
learnt from this high-profile competition will be fed into mainstream
English Partnerships business to help maximise our contribution to the
Sustainable Communities agenda. Where English Partnerships does
not stipulate MMC in a brief it always requires bidders to demonstrate
construction efficiencies, reduce construction waste and detail construction
supply chains, irrespective of the build method or materials used.
8 Car parking
English Partnerships’ maximum permitted car parking
standards shall equal the minimum acceptable standard
to the local authority. Well-designed and integrated
on-street parking is promoted to supplement on-plot
provision.
We aim to achieve an optimal relationship between the needs of car owners
and the creation of more positive streetscapes where pedestrians and
cyclists are accommodated equally with the car. Proposed developments
must pay careful attention to the amount, location and design of car parking.
The maximum parking spaces allocated per home should be supplemented
with well-designed on-street car parking which shall help create vitality on

7 Construction efficiency the street and supplement on-plot provision.

Car parking spaces should be clearly defined using high-quality contrasting

A requirement to use modern construction materials. Spaces must be well surveyed, well lit and their impact reduced
techniques that achieve significant efficiencies in by well-planned landscaping schemes. A variety of parking solutions should
terms of delivery and output – whether through be used in each site. Rear parking courts should be used sparingly and
should generally serve no more than six homes.
English Partnerships / Housing Corporation defined
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) or other English Partnerships has developed a design toolkit in collaboration with
methods, and by building on the lessons learnt in Design for Homes, Car Parking: what works where, which provides an analysis
of good practice case studies in relation to car parking in residential
the Design for Manufacture Competition.
developments. The document highlights the most appropriate car parking
approach according to density of development and housing typology.
English Partnerships is at the forefront of major innovations in the use of MMC
Car Parking: what works where can be ordered or downloaded from the
on several projects on which lessons for the future policy will be based. MMC
English Partnerships’ website www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/publications
has been included in the development briefs for certain exemplar projects,
such as Oakgrove Millennium Community (30 per cent), Broughton, Milton
Keynes (30 per cent), The Housing Partnership (50 per cent) and the London-
Wide Initiative (50 per cent).

English Partnerships has adopted the following policy on MMC and is

carrying out further research and testing of MMC:
I 25 per cent of homes to be built using MMC to be achieved on a
region-by-region basis across all English Partnerships’ programmes;
I adoption of the Housing Corporation definitions of MMC (with the
exception of category 4: Off-site Manufacture (OSM) Sub-Assemblies
and Components); and
I continuing collaboration with the BRE and others to progress a system
of certification for MMC products.

The definition of Modern Methods of Construction can be obtained from the

English Partnerships’ website www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/MMC

English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards 07

 9 Building specifications
Building specifications and detailing must be integral to
the construction of the building and have regard to the
impact on the environment. No specifications that are
rated as category C within the BRE Green Guide to
Housing Specification will be permitted on any sites.
The BRE Green Guide to Housing Specification catalogues potential
specifications that are used in the construction of new housing. The guide
rates each in accordance with its effect on the environment in its construction
use and its capacity to be recycled. Specifications are rated A, B or C, with C
having the most negative effect on the environment.
It is necessary to exclude the use of all in the C category from the construction
of new housing or other buildings in order to make a positive contribution to
the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Such specifications are not
environmentally sustainable and are not conducive to a long lifetime of use.
It is also best to avoid detailing that is not integral to the construction of each
home, such as add-on Glass Reinforced Plastic chimneys, dormers etc.
10 Remediation of land
Remediation of land should minimise the requirement
for landfill and make use of in-situ remediation and
modern decontamination technology in adherence
to DTI / CIRIA guides and also to English Partnerships’
best practice guide on land remediation. Proposals
must include a Remediation and Demolition Statement
as part of the bid.
The legislative impact of the EU Land Use Directive, including the landfill tax
regime, has provided some disincentive against the use of dig and dump
methods of remediating brownfield sites. English Partnerships has invested
heavily in research and best practice in alternative methods of remediation
including in-situ methods and recycling of materials.
English Partnerships therefore requires all developments for sites requiring
significant remediation or demolition elements to set out their remediation
proposals that maximise the use of in-situ and other modern technologies
and use of reuse and recycling of materials and that minimise landfill
dumping of remediated material and building rubble / waste. English
Partnerships encourages use of the DTI / CIRIA best practice guide, Managing
the Development of Previously Developed Land (2002) and all bidders will
be given English Partnerships’ own recent best practice guide on land
remediation. A remediation and/or demolition statement is required of all
bidders setting out how they will handle demolition (e.g. re-use of building
materials, asbestos removal) and remediation methods.
Existing buildings and materials should be reused wherever possible.
These requirements will be reviewed later in 2006 when the ODPM and
English Partnerships publish the Brownfield Compendium as part of the
National Brownfield Strategy.
08 English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards
11 Fire
Measures must be taken to reduce the likelihood
of deaths by fire in the home in support of the
ODPM’s PSA 3. A number of measures are available
to developers, including fire sprinkler systems.
Public Service Agreement 3 Fire (PSA 3) aims to reduce the number of
deaths by fire in the home. Research by various UK fire authorities have found
evidence from the USA and Canada that the likelihood of deaths in the home
by fire where a fire sprinkler system is fitted is greatly reduced to the extent
that no recorded deaths have been reported. Such systems are now very
specialist, using small amounts of water or mist and are sensitive enough to
control the dispersal of water to the source of the fire only. The cost of
installing the systems may be offset by savings achieved by reducing the need
for fire compartmentation and additional means of escape. The use of such
systems may allow for a more flexible layout, which would help accommodate
changes in social and demographic trends.
The use of sprinkler systems is most beneficial in homes over two storeys in
height and in apartment buildings. The demonstration scheme at English
Partnerships’ Allerton Bywater site, near Leeds, based on the Summit House®,
will use this technology. However, alternative innovative measures to reduce fire
risk are also encouraged.
12 Integrated tenure
The developer must demonstrate clear proposals to
integrate tenure such that social housing and other
affordable and low cost home ownership housing types
are not differentiated by design, quality or location within
a site, timing of development or by significant differences
in access to services and amenities.
In 2004 English Partnerships’ Board approved a policy on the integration of
housing tenures and ‘tenure-blind’ development and design approaches. It is
English Partnerships’ policy to provide a mixture of different tenures or forms
of ownership (e.g. owned, rented, affordable for sale, affordable to rent,
shared equity, etc.) in its projects to reflect the different needs and
requirements of the community and individuals.
Development and designs should be ‘tenure-blind’ in that the type of tenure
could not be deduced from the design, quality, location within the site,
timing of development or by significant difference in the access to services
and amenities. In all bids, the developer must not merely pledge to abide by
these objectives but should also give concrete proposals to show how they
will be achieved.
English Partnerships encourages mixed-tenure development and mixed-
income communities to achieve better social cohesion and sustainability.
Site briefs may indicate the maximum size or grouping of social housing
units in any development. Typically no more than six social units should
be grouped together in any development. Apartment blocks of only social
housing units are not acceptable.
13 Site-specific design
issues
For each project the English Partnerships delivery team
will add additional objective criteria specific to the site
context. Additional requirements may be in the form of a
site-specific design code or other guidance.
Site-specific requirements will help define unique and identifiable places of
the highest quality. The extent of site-specific requirements will depend on the
site opportunities and planning restrictions. Site-specific issues may include
Section 106 requirements.
English Partnerships sees the national standards outlined in this document
as the starting point for defining quality places. The site-specific requirements
will help define exemplar projects and to continually improve on the standards
of housing delivered throughout our portfolio.
Site-specific briefs may outline specific innovations appropriate to each site
by defining objective targets, such as reducing carbon dioxide, using
renewable energy or encouraging a balance of housing and employment.
Site briefs will be very specific as to how the requirements outlined will be
assessed. All assessments will be carried out in a consistent and objective
manner.
14 Deliverability and
long-term management
In assessing true value to society, English Partnerships
also look for developers to provide long-term management
strategies and processes for disengagement.
The quality of the bidders’ delivery and management team and their
experience of dealing in similar projects is important to English Partnerships.
Proposals should outline partnership arrangements and evidence of previous
experience in working with proposed Registered Social Landlords (RSLs),
suppliers, manufacturers and contracting companies in delivering successful
and sustainable places.
Proposals should include an outline of how the project will be delivered
including phasing and disengagement strategies.
Proposals should include strategies for maintaining the quality of place
delivered on a medium and long-term basis, including after-sales services,
management company proposals and services charges to residents.
15 Community
engagement
Development proposals to English Partnerships will
be assessed on the extent to which they demonstrate
social, economic and environmental impacts and
long-term outcomes for local communities.
It is important to create communities in which people want to live, work
and play; therefore engagement of the community is essential in all projects.
All proposals put to English Partnerships should clearly outline how this
engagement will take place both within the development process and within
the long-term management of the project.
Proposals should highlight methods for enabling and fostering community
interaction.
Methods for encouraging community engagement in the design process
should be clearly outlined in all proposals. English Partnerships is pioneering
the use of collaborative design workshops to create visions for our sites and
we can give advice to developers about the benefit of these techniques.
English Partnerships is currently developing new good practice guidance on
community planning and engagement; this work is being undertaken together
with the British Property Federation, Urban Forum and the Royal Town
Planning Institute (RTPI) and will be published in 2006.
16 Delivery and financial
capacity of the proposal
All bidders must demonstrate that their company or
consortia is able to deliver the project and has suitable
experience. Lead organisations for consortia should be
specified and the nature and strength of parent company
endorsement or support should be clear. All bids will be
expected to pass English Partnerships’ financial and
company vetting process.
English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards 09
Only bids or projects that pass the quality standards will be considered for
their price offer / potential cost to English Partnerships. The bid or tender to
English Partnerships will then be awarded to the bidder with the best price
offer that meets all the standards.

price Projects with an estimated pre-sale valuation of

less than £10m will not normally be judged against a
minimum target ‘base premium’ price offer or be required
to follow a set phasing of payments. However, these
requirements may be defined for site-specific reasons.
Where ‘base premium’ price bids are sought by
English Partnerships they may be required on different
bases for comparison, for example:
I deferred payment inclusive of overage;
I deferred payment exclusive of overage;
I cash bid;
I the above inclusive of Section 106 requirements; and
I the above exclusive of Section 106 requirements.

Projects with a pre-sale valuation of £10m-£20m
will be expected to exceed a minimum target ‘base
premium’ price offer specified in the brief.
However, whichever of the above is sought in the brief,
English Partnerships will always require that the winning
bid must exceed the reserve price based on one of these
options. The brief will clearly outline which of the above
approaches are required.

Projects with a pre-sale valuation of more than

£20m will be expected to exceed a minimum target
‘base premium’ price offer and promise a payment
phasing specified in the brief.

10 English Partnerships Quality and Price Standards

clarity
community

efficiency
initiatives
Quality
Priceregeneration
design
development
competition

sustainability
English Partnerships is the national regeneration
agency helping the Government to support high
quality sustainable growth in England.
We have five core business areas and deliver our
objectives through:

I Developing our own portfolio of strategic projects.

I Acting as the Government’s specialist advisor on brownfield land.

I Ensuring that surplus public sector land is used to support wider

Government objectives, especially the implementation of the
Sustainable Communities Plan.

I Helping to create communities where people can afford to live

and want to live.

I Supporting the Urban Renaissance by improving the quality of

our towns and cities.
English Partnerships is able to provide literature in
alternative formats including large print, braille and audio.
Please contact us on 01925 644741 for further information.

English Partnerships offices

Corporate Headquarters Arpley House Jordan House
110 Buckingham Palace Road 110 Birchwood Boulevard Hall Court
London Birchwood Hall Park Way
SW1W 9SA Warrington Telford
T 020 7881 1600 WA3 7QH TF3 4NN
F 020 7730 9162 T 01925 651144 T 01952 293131
E mail@englishpartnerships.co.uk F 01925 411493 F 01952 293132

Central Business Exchange II St George’s House

414-428 Midsummer Boulevard Kingsway
Central Milton Keynes Team Valley
MK9 2EA Gateshead
T 01908 692692 NE11 0NA
F 01908 691333 T 0191 487 6565
F 0191 487 5690

Fairburn House
Park Lane 10th Floor
Allerton Bywater 2 Exchange Tower
West Yorkshire Harbour Exchange Square
WF10 2AT London
T 01977 669430 E14 9GS
F 01977 669431 T 020 7531 2400
F 020 7531 2401

www.englishpartnerships.co.uk
Publication date: May 2006