Dec 1 2005
As the UK Government prepares to announce the biggest housebuilding programme for two generations, WWF resigns from the Government's Senior Steering Group for the Code for Sustainable Buildings in despair, as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister backslides on energy efficiency and environmental standards for homes. Following 18 months of agonisingly slow progress by Mr Prescott's department in drawing up the Code which is a Labour manifesto pledge, it is about to issue a draft that represents a Government in reverse.
UK homes are responsible for nearly a third of all CO2 emissions and at a time when the UK faces an energy supply crisis, tackling the energy efficiency of new and existing housing is critical to the UK's chances of hitting CO2 reduction targets.
Robert Napier, Chief Executive of WWF-UK said "We have done our very best to work with Mr Prescott's department, to help them deliver something that would live up to the Deputy Prime Minister's own commitments to sustainable, energy efficient housing. It appears that the recommendations and advice of the Senior Steering Group has been ignored and in a final demonstration of disregard, the members of the Senior Steering Group have not even been given the opportunity to comment on the draft to be published on Monday."
WWF understands the draft Code for Sustainable Buildings, a requirement for the public sector, will represent less than existing commitments for publicly funded housing to go beyond minimum building regulations for energy efficiency. The draft Code will also drop existing public sector requirements for new homes to be close to public transport and for assessments of the ecological value of a development site.
"WWF seeks to work constructively with progressive government agencies, but on this occasion we regret we can no longer sanction what Mr Prescott's department is producing. The Government must now take the public consultation extremely seriously if it stands any change of delivering what is so urgently needed. " Robert Napier said.