New delivery hub to oversee sector-wide climate and environmental roadmap for high quality homes and places
Today (27th July), the country’s leading home builders have committed alongside supply sectors, regulators and environmental groups to a sector-wide delivery plan for meeting climate, nature and the wider environmental targets set by Government.
The plan, agreed through the Future Homes Task Force, which comprises leading figures from the relevant home building, supply chain, skills, environmental, planning, academic, infrastructure, utilities and regulator communities, and through collaboration with the Government, includes headline goals to deliver:
- high quality homes that are zero carbon ready and sustainable by 2025, with early investigation of the steps beyond;
- places and developments that are consistently low carbon, nature rich, resilient healthy, well-designed and beautiful by 2025;
- production and construction methods that are net zero and sustainable by 2050, with substantial progress by 2025 and 2030;
- businesses operations in line with the Race to Zero: net zero by 2050 with a 50% reduction by 2030
These goals are supported by more detailed commitments and roadmaps in the summary delivery plan, published today.
This sector-wide agreement plots a stretching but deliverable path to enable the homebuilding sector to plan early and collaborate with inter-related sectors such as suppliers, skills providers infrastructure and the conservation community, as well as the Government to build high quality environmentally friendly homes and places. It is the first sector-wide plan in the UK to cover the full range of environmental targets from net zero carbon emissions to nature, air and water quality, resources and waste as well as wider goals around sustainable place-making and resilience to the impacts of climate change. The sequenced roadmap sets a series of goals and milestones that need to be met along the way, incorporating Government policies such as the Future Homes Standard and Biodiversity Net Gain.
Speaking today Neil Jefferson, Co-chair of the Task Force said;
“The Government has set out a clear legal framework for tackling climate change and restoring the natural world. Meeting these targets means a wholesale change in how we design and build homes for future generations. This is a challenge we are committed to tackling head on. Today’s launch sees the sector taking leadership of the agenda. The broad range of stakeholders involved will hold each other to account and ensure we deliver on this vital agenda as quickly and effectively as is possible. We want to ensure that we build on the huge progress made so far and deliver world leading, environmentally friendly, high quality housing.”
Housing Secretary RT Hon Robert Jenrick MP said;
“As we drive forward our plan for the UK to meet its 2050 net zero target, we are determined to improve the energy efficiency of our homes and reduce carbon emissions in a way that is fair and affordable to everyone.
“I welcome the work of the Future Homes Task Force, which has brought together leaders across the fields that contribute to and influence homebuilding and has created this roadmap for meeting these challenges. It is right that the industry is stepping up to play a leadership role here: delivery and innovation to meet the challenges requires common purpose and partnerships that are being formed. The Delivery Hub will provide support across industry to ensure successful implementation of the Future Homes Standard.”
Stewart Baseley. Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation said:
“Today’s major environmental challenges will be with us for the future and cannot be ignored. It’s imperative we show leadership and commitment to play our part in tackling them and I’m delighted the Task Force’s delivery plan gives the industry and its partners the basis to do so.”
To drive and oversee the plan the new delivery Hub will be launched in September, with the support and involvement of Government. The Hub will help facilitate a sector-wide approach to identify the metrics, more detailed targets where necessary, methods and innovations to meet the goals and the collaborations required with supply chains and other sectors. It will incorporate the needs of all parties including the public and private sector and crucially, consumers, such that they can all play their part in delivering environmentally conscious homes that people want to live in.
The roadmap approach and the new Hub will have a particular focus on helping SME businesses, by providing them with sufficient time, advice and support, to develop the people and processes necessary to enable them to deliver on environmental goals.
The net zero elements of the plan are reflected within a wider construction performance framework, announced last week under the Construction Leadership Council’s CO2nstructzero programme.
Additional quotes from Task Force members;
Ed Lockhart, Co-chair of the Task Force and Convenor of the Broadway Initiative. “We will be judged by future generations largely on whether we can adapt to build homes and places that people love, while being fully sustainable. That change requires the many disciplines and sectors that influence homebuilding to move in lock step. The Future Homes Delivery Plan is structured to bring that cast together on the right journey. Whether we reach the destination depends on whether collectively we stick to the course.”
Beccy Speight, CEO of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. “The housing sector has a critical role to play in responding to both the nature and climate emergencies, and in helping to meet many of the Environment Bill targets. This delivery plan is an important starting point and the future development of the robust mechanisms and the partnerships needed to secure effective implementation will be key to the delivery of that role.”
Stephen Kinsella, Executive Director, Homes England. ‘The Future Homes Task Force brought together leaders in the housing sector to explore how we could all play our part in response to the urgent challenges of climate change. We all recognised the critical requirement to take a leap towards our net zero carbon future and do this collaboratively. Delivering energy efficient homes in well designed and sustainable communities requires vision, collective leadership and innovation. The Future Homes Delivery Plan sets out a vision with ambitious near- term commitments and provides, alongside government policy, a clear set of expectations for the housing sector to deliver better outcomes for people, places and the planet. Homes England looks forward to working with the Delivery Hub to share expertise and learning.’
Rachael Whelan, Land & Sustainability Director, Archway Homes, a SME house builder operating in the North West. “In a world where our environmental agenda is becoming increasingly important to our future, the Future Homes Task Force has provided an excellent forum for key organisations to collaborate and define the roadmap for our housing industry. I am very proud to have been a part of this process and Archway Homes, having already taken the decision to build all our houses to EPC A rating, is very much committed to this agenda and taking our houses forward to the Future Homes Standard for the benefit of our customers and future generations.”
Rob Boughton, CEO, Thakeham Group, a SME house builder operating in the South East, “We are proud to be part of the industry drive towards a zero carbon future. This report, and the continual work of the Future Homes Task Force, exemplifies how sector plans are a fantastic way to align members and engage stakeholders on the interim steps needed to transition. Thakeham have been able to share our zero carbon placemaking principles with the wider HBF membership throughout the process, representing the art of the possible for each Roadmap. We look forward to continuing the drive, eliminating barriers to the successful implementation of a more sustainable future for our planet, and the people living in the communities we create.”
Emma Harvey, Programme Director, Green Finance Institute “Establishing sector-specific guidelines and roadmaps is vital to help decarbonise our economy and identify the opportunities for the finance sector to accelerate the net-zero transition. The Green Finance Institute welcomes the recommendations in today’s report by the Future Homes Task Force, and looks forward to collaborating with the delivery hub to channel capital towards zero carbon new-build homes.”