Vision and framework for a low carbon housing market
Home : Projects : Low carbon housing market framework 2007 - 2008 : Low carbon housing market framework
A partial review of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) is currently underway. This process has emphasised the growing gap between actual regional CO2 emissions and national government targets, with domestic emissions accounting for a significant proportion of these emissions.
The regions total annual CO2 emissions in 2002 were estimated to be 41.6 M tonnes of which 30% were accounted for by domestic energy use. The 51,330 GWh hours of energy used by homes within the West Midlands generated 12,6 M tonnes CO2.. The Regional Energy Strategy proposed targets to reduce domestic emissions by 2.4 Mtonnes (19%) by 2010, and then 3.7 Mt (29%) by 2020 from a 2002 starting point.
This report therefore seeks to respond to this gap by building on the Regional Climate Change Action Plan to reduce the carbon emissions of the West Midland regions housing stock in line with national and regional commitments.
It sets out a series of recommendations for the region, making the link with the regional housing policy framework and the Regional Climate Change Action Plan (see below), and outlining a vision and model framework for local action to deliver low carbon housing, with a focus on two key areas for action:
- New-build housing: The need to support the housebuilding industry as it moves towards compliance with the new Code for Sustainable Homes, and as Regional and Local Government moves towards a stronger focus on planning for low carbon development in response to the new supplement to PPS1 on Planning and Climate Change and the draft RSS Revision;
- Existing housing stock: The need to raise the standard of the existing housing stock in order to deliver domestic emissions reductions in-line with the Regional Climate Change Action Plan, regional and local climate change strategies and the emerging CO2 reduction framework being promoted through the proposed Climate Change Bill, which will seek to cascade five year targets down to a regional and local level.
In looking at these two distinct sectors of the housing market we have sought to build on the approach promoted by the West Midlands Regional Energy Strategy, and to explore the role of different stakeholders at a regional and local level whose engagement will be required in order to achieve domestic CO2 reductions in-line with the proposals under the Climate Change Bill.
SHAP3_Case studies report part 1
[1.46mb]
SHAP3_Case studies report part 2
[4.7mb]
SHAP3_Case studies report part 3
[4.7mb]
SHAP3_Regional framework report
[5.5mb]