Wales to build 400 green homes

The Welsh Assembly Government described the pilot project as “unique”, made up of 22 different schemes being constructed in both urban and rural locations at levels Four and Five of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Details of the project have yet to be outlined, but its announcement follows a major report into affordable housing in Wales, which placed a priority on housing associations to provide new homes to higher green standards to help reduce carbon emissions and cut household fuel bills through energy efficiency.

“Less than five months after the Essex Report was published we are taking action to deliver one of its key recommendations,” commented Jocelyn Davies, Deputy Minister for Housing in Wales. “This pilot scheme will help us investigate how we can achieve this on a large scale.”

It is hoped the project will help the building industry develop the skills required to deliver homes in the mass housing market at the same time as help government understand the implications of building homes to the higher standards of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

“Rising fuel bills affect us all – and the homes in this pilot area will have lower bills and help to reduce our carbon footprint. A key issue in the coming decades for all housing will be long–term affordability. The question is not just how much a home will cost upfront, but how affordable will it be to live in and run,” commented Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales. “I have already set targets for sustainability standards in new buildings as part of tough new planning policies to tackle climate change. The planning system needs to do more to encourage the take-up of new renewable energy technologies by developers to help Wales play its part in tackling climate change.