A new era of sustainable housebuilding

The country’s comeback from Covid-19 does not have to be a matter of building society and our economy back exactly as they were before. The last few months have made us all reflect on, and in some cases rethink entirely, how we live and how we want to live.

As the PM made clear in his “Build, build, build” speech in June, “this moment also gives us a much greater chance to be radical and to do things differently: to build back better, to build back bolder.”

That means working with renewed focus not just on providing more homes, but creating greener, better designed, higher-quality neighbourhoods which people are proud to call home.

Our “Planning for the Future” White Paper sets out our intention to overhaul England’s outdated planning system, including through a “fast-track” scheme for well-designed, beautiful developments.

These are developments in keeping with the character and architectural identity of their area, as decided by local communities who will create their own unique “design code,” setting clear quality standards which developments will need to comply with.

This will go a long way towards making great design—such as the Stirling Prize winning-Goldsmith Street in Norwich, or the Rochester Riverside development in Kent—the norm.

These homes will also be among the greenest and most energy efficient in the world, with lower energy bills.

Our ambition is that new “zero-carbon ready” homes will not require any future retrofitting—they will be ready to play their part in our world-leading commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Outside the home, we are also helping builders design greener, carbon-cutting neighbourhoods.

Our focus on design and sustainability means we expect developers to pay serious attention to “place-making.” This involves not only delivering homes, but the infrastructure that underpins strong communities—well-designed schools and workspaces that will become tomorrow’s heritage.

We’re ensuring developers provide more green infrastructure—everything from whole new parks to community orchards.

We are also committed to ensuring new streets are tree-lined, so world-famous green designs, such as Lombard Street in San Francisco, can be replicated here too.

And our reforms are geared towards making greater use of brownfield land, ensuring our treasured green spaces are protected for generations to come. Development on green belt land will continue to be restricted as it is now.

Delivering greener, more sustainable homes will be helped along by the great strides being taken in modern methods of construction.

This involves homes being built offsite, such as in a factory, for assembly onsite.

It holds the potential to completely change the game in terms of productivity, build speed, and how green the production process can be.

Industry research suggests these homes can have up to 80 per cent fewer defects, reduce heating bills by up to 70 per cent and be assembled in days instead of months. That is why we are encouraging the widespread adoption of new techniques across the industry, so it can deliver well-designed homes at pace and in an environmentally friendly way.

By embracing new and emerging technologies, developers, councils and housing associations will be able to deliver a new generation of sustainable homes.

We are still alert to the challenges of the pandemic, but this does not stop us from looking to the future with optimism and determination—seizing all the opportunities that lie ahead.

Let us use this national recovery as a chance to build back better and create greener, healthier and happier communities for this generation and the next.