Building Sustainable Homes

This report from the JRF looks at the opportunities and constraints for building sustainable homes. It highlights the organisational and structural constraints that prevent significant changes in the number and sustainability of homes - and whether these can be overcome. Of interest to Housing LIN members, it finds:

• Over four in five RSLs and over half of private developers usually or always built to Building for Life standards, and two-thirds of Registered Providers (housing associations) but less than one in five private developers usually or always building beyond minimum accessibility standards.
• Building regulations need to include a single 'as built' performance standard for energy-efficient building, with Local authorities needing to ensure that allowable solutions are used effectively, and in promoting sustainable places; and
• Investment in training and skills is needed to meet skills shortages at all levels, from housing design to construction.