Architects brand new builds “shameful shoeboxes”

The RIBA Case for Space study found that the floor area of the average new three-bedroom home is 8% smaller than the recently introduced recommended minimum in London.

It said that this means homes are "missing the space equivalent to a single bedroom which could comfortably accommodate a single bed, bedside table, wardrobe, desk and chair".

The most common type of three-bed home was revealed to be just 77% of the recommended minimum, equivalent to two double bedrooms.

The study examined 3,418 three-bedroom properties across 80 sites in England, basing its findings on London's recommended space standards.

Unlike many countries in the EU, the UK has no official standard for the size of new properties.

Harry Rich, chief executive of RIBA, said: "Our homes should be places that enhance our lives and well-being.

"However, as our new research confirms, thousands of cramped houses - shameful shoe-box homes - are being churned out all over the country, depriving households of the space they need to live comfortably and cohesively."

He added that the very fact there is a shortage of new building in the UK makes it the right time to address the issue of the quality of those homes, or risk "storing up unnecessary problems for the future".

Sir John Banham, chair of the Future Homes Commission, said: There are some fundamental issues that need to be addressed to ensure we have more of the right kind of affordable homes in villages, towns and cities right across Britain."

However, the Home Builders Federation said that building bigger homes could make them unaffordable.

HBF head of planning Andrew Whittaker told the BBC: "If you increase standards you're going to increase costs.

"That's going to mean houses are going to become more expensive and we're already suffering from a lack of affordability for young people and first-time buyers."