<p>The government will use “all the powers we have” to prevent schemes that are not “aesthetically high quality” from coming forward, according to housing secretary Michael Gove.</p> <p>Speaking at a Centre for Policy Studies conference in which he stated that planning reform was not “dead”, Gove said he would ensure unappealing developments “don’t go ahead”. He claimed that the “disappointing” aesthetic quality of new homes was one of five reasons why communities opposed new development. </p> <p>“For those who are seeing the new homes being built, the fact that housebuilders use a restricted pattern book with poor quality materials and the aesthetic quality of what is produced is both disappointing and not in keeping with the high aesthetic standards of what may already exist – that is a reason why communities say ‘no'", he stated.</p> <p>Gove added that local residents “do not want ugliness to be imposed on them”. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) would unveil a series of policies “to ensure that we improve the quality, in particular the aesthetic quality of new developments” to achieve “beauty”.</p> <p>Communities also rejected new schemes, Gove claimed, for their lack of supporting infrastructure and a concern that “it …