Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has made an assessment of the relationship between the characteristics of the built environment and antisocial behaviour and crime.

The Government are aware of the role that the Built Environment has to play in the prevention of antisocial behaviour and crime. Within the revised National Planning Policy Framework it states that development should seek to provide environments that are “safe and accessible, so that crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion.” Planning practice guidance will provide further advice in relation to crime prevention.

Existing planning guidance refers to Secure by Design, a standard for security in the design of places and spaces between buildings. The standard makes recommendations for parts of development that might at risk of crime and provides an advisory service to help design out crime. The requirements in Secure by Design that relate to security of the home are a requirement under Part P of the Building Regulations. The revised planning guidance will continue to reference Secure by Design standards.

With regards to assessing the relationship between the Built Environment and crime, no evidence has yet been gathered. However, social value, which includes the creation of safe places for people to live and work, is something that we are in the process of addressing.