Michael Gove has backed the Policy Exchange proposal for a school of place. There is some suspicion amongst the architectural profession that this would turn out to be another manifestation of the fallacious argument that local communities would welcome new development if only it were designed to look as if it were built in the eighteenth century.

But wait! There is more to the housing secretary than that. In his foreword to the report he suggests that all the built environment professions (not just architects) would be availed of a curriculum including “the best theories, principles and most importantly practices that will enable them to consistently deliver liveable, successful and sustainable places that embody the very highest standards of architectural and urban design”.