<p><span>New research from Redrow shows that elements of the government’s National Model Design Code (NMDC) are at odds with Britain’s post-Covid living preferences, it said today (April 8).</span></p><p><span>The housebuilder polled more than 2,000 British adults and more than 500 local councillors in England and Wales through YouGov, discovering that 51% of councillors were not familiar enough with the NMDC to state how their constituents would receive it. Redrow said this was “surprising”, given that three in five survey respondents either currently sit on, or have sat on, a planning committee.</span></p><p><span>The research also showed that both customers and councillors agreed on future housing preferences but the NMDC did not reflect these, Redrow said. </span></p><p><span>It explained that while the NMDC encourages terraced homes and three-storey townhouses, only 4% of customer respondents aspired to live in the latter, with 3% picking a terraced home. Meanwhile, 77% chose a lower density, two-storey detached home when asked about the type of new build home they most aspired to live in.</span></p><p><span>Councillors also favoured detached homes when asked about the housing style most likely to impact positively upon quality of life. Only 15% cited the government’s suggested townhouses.</span></p><p><span>And while the NMDC states that car parking “should not …