Almost 800,000 Fewer Homes Zero-Carbon Due To Tory Planning Deregulation

Around 800,000 homes have been built to lower emissions standards or without carbon offsets because the government scrapped tough environmental rules six years ago, it can be revealed. Ministers were accused of wasting "years of vital progress" in the fight against the climate emergency, baking in high-carbon housing stock for decades, and driving up energy bills for families. The last Labour government introduced a legal requirement for new homes to be made net zero carbon by 2016, but in 2015 the Conservative government scrapped the plan at the last minute. Read more on Yahoo News.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/almost-800-000-fewer-homes-211700911.html?guccounter=1 

Taylor Wimpey, one of the UK’s biggest housebuilders, opposed government plans to slash carbon dioxide emissions from new homes by at least three-quarters and argued against heat pumps, which are proposed as a replacement for gas boilers, one of the UK’s biggest causes of greenhouse gases. The company, which typically builds about 15,000 new homes a year, told a consultation that a target of cutting CO2 emissions from new homes by 75% to 80% from 2025 was “too high” and argued that heat pumps would be too expensive and would disappoint customers with their performance. Read more on the Guardian website.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey opposed plans to cut new home emissions | Construction industry | The Guardian

Raab Asked Not To ‘Hold Back’ On Green Homes

A group representing ambitious cities and local authorities has sent an open letter to Dominic Raab, demanding support for their efforts to cut carbon emissions from new homes through the planning system. The letter proposes new wording of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), as well as a new Ministerial Statement to provide clarity. A changing national policy context for housing in recent years has led to confusion and uncertainty about what can and cannot be done at the local level to raise the sustainability of new build homes – particularly on energy and carbon. The proposed measures would make clear that local authorities have the freedom to set higher sustainability standards in new homes. Read more on the UKGBC website.

https://www.ukgbc.org/news/local-government-leaders-to-ministry-of-housing-dont-hold-us-back-on-green-homes/