Labour’s ‘grey belt’ plans could result in isolated communities, warns leading architect

Exclusive: Muyiwa Oki, president of RIBA, says new estates must be high quality and have access to shops, schools, transport and green space

Labour's plans to boost housebuilding by allowing the construction of thousands of homes on green belt land could have the unintended consequence of producing isolated communities, the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects has warned.

Muyiwa Oki said the government should avoid making the mistakes of the past, which have led to housing estates being built without proper access to transport, schools or shops. This would require more architects and design experts to be hired and retained in local authority planning departments, he said.