New housing developments need 'soul', says Bishop of Bradwell

With up to 500,000 new homes planned for the next ten to fifteen years, the East of England region is set to experience rapid growth. Speaking at a major conference called ‘Faith in New Developments?’ held in Chelmsford, the Bishop of Bradwell, Rt Revd Laurie Green, has said that new developments need ‘soul’. The conference was co-hosted by East of England Faiths Council and Inspire East , the regional centre of excellence for sustainable communities in the East of England.  

Bishop Laurie spoke of the global background to housing developments. The new global culture is one of competition and market place, he said; so the profit motive runs very high and constrains attempts to build houses that help human beings really to flourish. It is usually a case of money before people.

The Church, he said, has been alongside people through the long history of the building of new settlements in the UK and so it has substantial experience to share. However, the Church now despairs to see the lack of regard for the planet as homes are built across flood plains. Vicars are reporting that, as they visit the new homes, they often see very poor build quality. Just as in a supermarket, the packaging from the outside may look great, but inside, the product is not always of good quality. 

What is built matters because it has great influence upon how we live our lives. If we don’t build well, a community is almost impossible to produce and sustain. Are the new settlements well resourced with shops, community facilities and safe open spaces for our children? And looking ahead, what happens to the new sprawling suburbs when the oil reaches prices no one can afford?  Why are we building homes so far from work, school or shopping malls which all depend on cheap oil prices?

Bishop Laurie also looked at how diverse the new population of our area will be in future. Many Christians will come from Africa, Eastern Europe and elsewhere, and so places to gather for worship will be important for them and for those of other faiths. It will be important for all newcomers that these new settlements have ‘soul’ so that they prove to be places were people really want to live, and where they can also afford to live.

The conference comprised faith representatives and also planners, architects, developers and local government representatives. Bishop Laurie was keen that all should learn one another’s languages so that we can work more carefully and sensitively together for the wellbeing of those who will live in these new areas. Bishop Laurie finished his address by quoting Professor Kunzmann who said, “the story of regeneration begins with poetry but ends in real estate.” He was keen that we should use all our wisdom to make sure that what is actually built retains some poetry; for unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labour in vain.