The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, CABE, has said that 94% of new private housing built over the last three years in the north of England fails to reach a good standard of design. In its latest audit of new housing, CABE reviewed the design quality of 93 schemes by the 10 largest volume housebuilders in the north of England. It judged 24% of the schemes to be poor, 70% to be average and 6% as good or very good. Chief executive Richard Simmons said: “These latest findings show that the design quality of new housing is a national problem. We are planning to build the largest number of new homes for decades and yet almost a quarter of them built in the last three years are judged to be ‘poor’ and the vast majority are simply ‘average’. It does not seem to be a question of ability. Every major volume housebuilder has won design-related awards in the last few years - so there's proof that they all can do it. What we need is real commitment and ambition on the part of developers and local authorities alike to deliver great places for people to live.”