The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has produced two new resources to boost the quality of new developments and improve social outcomes.
The organisation believes local authorities and developers must work together to improve the standard of new homes. UKGBC’s Housing Standards Playbook is designed to support local authorities in driving up the sustainability of new homes through policy. The playbook urges local authorities to act consistently to:
- Set a standard for all new homes to be built to 19% improvements compared to current national minimum on carbon reduction.
- Commit to a policy for all new homes to be net zero carbon in operation from 2030 at the latest.
- Require developers to demonstrate they have acted to mitigate against overheating risk, and have acted to close the performance gap.
The second resource, Social Value in New Development, is guidance for developers and local authorities to help deliver social value outcomes in new residential and commercial developments.
Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC said: “Raising the bar on standards for new homes and tackling energy and climate change are fundamental to delivering the high-quality, efficient, and healthy new homes we need.
“Sustainable development can deliver a wide range of benefits not only to residents, but to communities and cities at large. This comes through boosting local economies and quality of life through activities such as: providing jobs and apprenticeships; upgrading social and community facilities; and driving health and wellbeing through the provision of nature and green space.
“We hope that these resources can help drive further collaboration between local authorities and developers to deliver truly sustainable development.”
