The Chesham and Amersham by-election was the elephant in the room, albeit virtually, when housing secretary Robert Jenrick addressed the Conservative think-tank Policy Exchange this week on how to beautify new housing.
The subject was not his alone, inheriting it from his predecessor James Brokenshire and the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission. But what has given the subject added political impetus is the bloody nose the Government received in the by-election for its perceived ignoring of local opinion both on new housing planning guidelines and HS2.
