Green homes crisis

Two thirds of local authorities admit they are ‘not ready’ to deliver zero-carbon targets
An exclusive BD survey has revealed a planning system in meltdown, with two out of three local authorities not ready to deliver the green homes promised by the government.
Just six weeks before the introduction of key legislation, the findings show huge inconsistencies across the country, alarming gaps in knowledge and skills and a feeling of impotence among planners, many of whom called for stronger guidance from central government.
Some senior planning officers were not even aware that Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes would be mandatory on publicly funded homes from April this year.
Even more worryingly, 16% of authorities surveyed said they were still not meeting the regulations on energy efficiency that are already in place under the new Part L, introduced a year ago. Level 3 of the code is 25% tougher than this.
Other findings show that two out of three local authorities do not impose sustainability standards on planning applications for new housing over and above the statutory minimum, despite strong encouragement from bodies such as the GLA and BRE. And only one in four plans to enforce a level of the code on private residential development from April.
Shadow local government secretary Caroline Spelman said: “What concerns me about the findings of this survey is that local authorities have not had the proper support, guidance and direction they need from the centre. This suggests the government’s commitment to delivering energy efficient homes is merely skin-deep.”
The Department for Communities & Local Government defended its position. A spokesperson said: “The code is a voluntary standard. As such there is no requirement for local authorities to enforce it. We will continue to work closely with them over the coming months to raise awareness of the code, to explain exactly how it affects them, and how they can use it.”
But planners told BD they would be unable to deliver the government’s zero-carbon target without strong legislative backing.
“It will be difficult to achieve because it will require a significant culture change for builders, designers and customers,” said one local authority in north-east England. “Primary legislation may be the only means of achieving zero-carbon development.”
The Town & Country Planning Association’s director of policy Robert Shaw urged planners to take responsibility for implementing sustainability standards. “We all have to take responsibility for this. It’s been in the pipeline for two years,” he said.
“It’s a big job to make sure everybody is geared up for this, but a lot of it is not new, a lot of this is good practice. The urgency of climate change dictates the speed at which we do things, that’s why we need to move so fast.”
Amanda Baillieu Buiding Design February 16^th 2007.

The Code for Sustainable Homes will be mandatory for publicly funded housing from April. Initially voluntary for privately funded developments, it will be mandatory for all new homes from April 2008. The code sets minimum standards for energy and water efficiency, promotes renewable energy, and most importantly, does not allow improvements undertaken in one area to be traded against lower performances in another.

Chancellor Gordon Brown
   

Insurers warn on storms

Herzog & de Meuron buildings hit
The Association of British Insurers has warned that new buildings need to be designed to withstand increasingly severe weather conditions after storms caused £400 million of damage across the country last week.
Buildings — including Herzog & de Meuron’s Tate Modern and Laban dance centre — were prominent casualties of the storm after they were unable to withstand high winds thought to be an early sign of major climate change.
A spokesperson for the ABI, the trade association for insurers, said: “We are encouraging the government to look at how the climate will change in the future and how developers and designers should respond. We need to face the problem now: make sure no new buildings are built near flood plains, and that they are designed to resist the high winds and heavy rain expected.”
Heidi Ancell  Buiding Design 26 January 2007