Following the publication of the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on environmental sustainability and housing growth, RIBA President Chris Williamson has welcomed the findings and said it was time for Government to start taking decisive action.
In the report, MPs said nature is not a “blocker” to delivering new housing, but rather a necessity for building resilient towns and neighbourhoods.
It challenges the “lazy narrative” that nature is a blocker or an inconvenience to delivering housing.
The Committee finds that the measures contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, passing through final stages in Parliament, are not enough to allow the Government to meet its targets on both the environment and housing. MPs also find that without further action, severe skills shortages in ecology, planning and construction will make it impossible for the Government to deliver on its housebuilding ambitions.
Chris Williamson said: “With climate talks continuing at COP30 in Belem, we welcome this timely report from the Environmental Audit Committee, which echoes many of the recommendations RIBA has long championed.
“The committee rightly recognises the urgent need for regulation to drive down embodied carbon, and we now need the government to bring forward the consultation on this topic, promised by the previous administration. A clear direction of travel for reducing embodied carbon would give developers and investors much-needed certainty and help build a robust market for lower-carbon materials.
“The report also highlights the need for a skilled workforce to deliver the government’s housing and net zero ambitions. Architects will play a central role in this transformation, which is why the recent decision to defund Level 7 apprenticeships runs counter to the government’s own agenda.
“There is an urgent need to reduce the carbon impact of our built environment. We look forward to working with the committee and government to deliver this.”
Meanwhile, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, who gave oral evidence to the Committee's inquiry, said: "Our country has one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe and moves to retrofit our existing 29 million existing homes have to date been very slow. Government measures are largely focused on social homes with too few incentives for owner occupiers. The Committee's report calling on the Government to review current tax policies such as Council Tax and Stamp Duty echo what many have been saying for many years in the construction sector."
“The Committee has called for the rate of VAT on retrofit projects to be reduced from 20%, a move the FMB believes would significantly boost energy efficiency improvements while supporting local building companies.
"The Committee's call to prioritise retrofitting over demolition by reducing the rate of VAT on retrofit projects from 20% would certainly help create more energy efficient homes whilst at the same time support local building companies who would be best placed to carry out this work. The report's recommendation that the Government should confirm that a retrofitted property brought back into use would count towards housebuilding targets would be a significant step to help deliver the Government's stated aim to build 1.5 million new homes over the next four years."
The Committee's recommendations offer practical pathways to help the Government meet its ambitious housing targets while improving the energy performance of existing homes.
Mr Berry concluded: "At a time when many are questioning how the Government can fulfil its election promises the Committee's report offers some valuable policy recommendations to help them get back on the road to recovery."
