Housebuilders call for clarity on eco-targets

roxanne.millar@rbi.co.uk

Confused housebuilders want a moratorium on changes to sustainability regulations after research revealed up to 80% of new homes will fail to meet zero-carbon targets.

Industry bodies accused the government of "getting it wrong from day one" following the release of the UK Green Building Council (GBC) report that showed the current definition of zero carbon is unworkable.

House Builders Association spokesman Roger Humber called for a stop to regulatory changes that had discouraged builders from incorporating sustainability into their developments.

He said: "Builders can't get a handle on what they are doing. They get to the brink of understanding, then the government changes the goalposts again and they cease to believe it is even possible.

"The government should use the credit crunch to say we have over-egged it all, timetables are not feasible and that there will be a moratorium on changes to the Code for Sustainable Homes."

Federation of Master Builders director of external affairs Brian Berry said builders felt the government had the definition wrong from the start.

He said: "It is almost like politicians plucked the objectives out of the air and said 'this is what we will go for'. If they had spoken to the industry we would have more realistic targets."

The GBC report proposes that while most zero-carbon homes should self-generate their own energy, some near-site or off-site renewable energy should be allowed if the government wants to meet its targets to build 240,000 homes a year.