The £157 Million Robbery

Photograph: Family handout/PA

In my book (Climate Change House)  I make a lot of references to filtering air in houses. Today we see headlines about the deadly effect of mould after the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

Why not save the NHS £157 million this year. The latest findings, published in a report from Public Health England, that warn these costs could reach£18.6 billion by 2035. HEPA standard filtered air and heat exchange can mitigate a large proportion of this.

There is a mindset among those who would rebuild and refurbish houses and estates to create a gentrified model. The ‘renovated/rebuilt Garden City districts of mixed dwellings designed for middle class residents, students and the retired with lots of gardens filled with poplar and willow saplings on green space lawns is faulty. It seems that various neighbourhood habits become at odds with each other as a result of introducing new residents. Particularly low income residents feel their ways of life are becoming threatened. In terms of the right to the city debate, it is important to ask the question as to how democratic the mixing process is as well as how daily neighbourhood rhythms and perceptions of neighbourhood space are affected. The disadvantaged, by their nature, are not well represented in the debate about what rebuilding means to them.

The use of socioeconomic analysis of local communities to identify a real need at a point in time is essential.

It is evident that some standards need to be adhered to. Homes need to be well insulated and warm in winter and cool in summer. Not damp but dry with clean filtered air. The accommodation has to be adequate for current and future generations of users and set in a well managed estate. Pokey flatlets in exoffice blocks rightly have a poor reputation. As we continue to evolve, it is the case that homes will continue to grow in size.

The planning process outlined in chapter 7 still needs to apply in renovation, repurposing and rebuilding. After careful research homes need to be built to suit local need.  Posh repurposed dwellings with homeless beggars at the front door and elderly relatives stuffed into a bedroom are no solution.