Housing associations who inherited council housing have been ‘highly successful’ in delivering improvements to tenants, new research by the Joseph Rowntree Association has found. More than one million tenants have switched from local authority to housing association tenancies during the 20 years stock transfers have taken place and the research found that housing associations typically
The Confederation of Business Industry has said that delays in the planning system are discouraging major investment in renewable energy. It said little progress has been made in quickening up the planning process and that business was being prevented from investing in the new low-carbon technology. It wants the government to publish national policy statements
A coalition of organisations in the construction industry has called for the suspension of section 106 agreements to help the sector survive the recession. The group wants a s.106 holiday, and then a cap on the value of such agreements; it wants targets for all local authorities to fast track the planning process to release
A study by the North West regional design panel has found that quality design can help weather the economic storm, and could even add up to 20 per cent in rents and capital value. The research urges planners and developers to pay greater attention to ‘cost-neutral’ aspects of good design, looking at the ‘whole life’
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has published guidance on how social landlords can bid for part of the additional £84 million funding package to cover cavity wall insulation. The scheme aims to cover the properties which would not normally have been filled under the decent homes programme because they were hard to treat, and
Tens of thousands of tenants could benefit from an EU decision to fund a massive programme of green measures to improve social housing. The proposals will provide 1 billion euros to fund energy efficient building initiatives and renewable energy measures including insulating walls, roofing and windows, using solar panels and replacing old boilers with more
Just one in six British households trusts a tradesperson’s green guidance in energy efficiency a poll from the Energy Saving Trust has found. More than half suspect tradespeople of using guidance to gain extra work. The trust is calling for new standards and training on energy efficiency and clearer guidance for tradespeople and consumers.
Housing minister Margaret Beckett today established the government consultation process for making all new homes zero carbon from 2016, adding the government was ‘absolutely committed’ to the 2016 target. The proposals include setting a minimum level of carbon reduction that developers must achieve through, for example improved insulation or providing onsite renewable energy; requiring a
Meanwhile a petition calling for new eco-standards to be applied across the house building industry has been given to 10 Downing Street. The petition was organised by the National Housing Federation and has the backing of 200 housing associations from across the country and demands private developers are compelled to build new homes to the
Two London regeneration projects – Albert Basin and Elephant & Castle – have been named as two of the 16 founding projects of the international climate positive development programme, launched by Bill Clinton at an environmental summit in South Korea today. The project aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by having developers and local