Council challenges government to allow stronger policies for low-carbon homes

The lead Cabinet member for planning at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is calling on the government not to stand in the way of its plans to set higher energy efficiency standards for new homes to tackle the climate emergency.

Aiming for all new homes in the borough to be net zero carbon, the council is progressing ambitious draft plans for new builds to meet very high energy efficiency standards and to require new housing developments to generate as least as much renewable energy as they use.

People were recently asked to have their say on these and other proposed planning policies as part of the council's public consultation on its draft Local Plan that, once adopted, will guide development and planning decisions in the borough until 2040.

As the council engaged with its communities on these draft local planning policies, the government was also undertaking its own consultation on several proposed changes to national planning rules, which the council must follow.

Put forward as part of its Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation, the government's draft policies for energy efficiency would see new homes built to become carbon neutral at the point when the National Grid transitions to be fully powered by renewable energy.

However, the government's current proposals are not considered ambitious enough as they would not require new homes to be built to such high energy efficiency standards.

Following the start of its consultation, the Minister for Housing Lee Rowley confirmed the government's expectation that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, councils should not adopt stronger energy efficiency policies than those set nationally.

Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Andy Konieczko said: "Climate change is a real and growing threat and it is not acceptable or fair to future generations that we continue to allow homes to be built that will emit carbon until the National Grid is fully powered by renewable energy, which may be decades away. While the government's proposals are a step in the right direction, they do not go nearly far enough and we know from our recent Local Plan consultation that our communities want new homes built here to be as sustainable as possible.

"With the support of local people and an impending target for a net zero carbon borough by 2030, as a council we must continue to push ahead with our ambitious policies for energy efficient homes and carbon-neutral communities. I urge the government to recognise this local support and exceptional need and to back us in this."

With the unanimous backing of its councillors, the council declared a climate emergency for the borough in 2019. This included an ambitious target to work with communities towards achieving a net zero carbon borough by December 2030.

More information about the council's progress to update its Local Plan is at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/LPU

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