Barratt Developments Plc and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) have received good news this week in their quest to reach a Level 6 standard of housing in respect to the Code for Sustainable Homes, which was launched by the UK Government in April 2007. Barratt Developments and the HCA have received planning permission to build 195 carbon neutral homes as part of an eco village in Gloucestershire.
According to former Housing Minister, Margaret Beckett, who was ironically removed from Government on the 5th June 2009 following a controversial second home expenses claim, the housing market in the UK makes up a quarter of the country’s carbon emissions, which is why the Code for Sustainable Housing demands zero carbon housing as of 2016. Whilst this is an ambitious target, the project undertaken by Barrett Developments and the HCA prove that it is one that can be achieved.
How to Make an ‘Eco Village’
All new homes developed as part of the so-called eco village will be made from energy efficient materials and will conform to very high standards of cavity wall and loft insulation. Furthermore, the homes will feature advanced water conservation techniques – another area in which the UK Government aims to reverse the damage inflicted upon the environment by our housing needs.
Indeed, water conservation is a mandatory requirement of Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which demands that new housing incorporates a specific design for daily water usage of 80 litres per person. This may be achieved through dual flush water closets, flow reducing taps, a 6-9 litres per minutes shower, smaller shaped baths and maximum volumes imposed on washing machines and dishwashers. Level 6 also requires that at least 90 out of 100 points is achieved across the Code’s nine categories of sustainable design, which includes reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, using environmentally friendly construction materials and minimising the buildings’ ecological impact.
Therefore, when inflation begins to recover and the housing market returns to some form of normality, which invariably means inflated selling prices, look out for the new sustainable homes – they are a genuine step forward into the future.
