Issue - meetings

Report by Head of Place (attached).

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Place (circulated previously) regarding the Future Homes Standard 2019 consultation on changes to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the building regulations for new dwellings.

The Head of Place highlighted the following:

·         The Government’s 2019 Spring Statement included a commitment that, by 2025, they will introduce a Future Homes Standard for new build homes to be futureproofed with low carbon heating and ‘world-leading’ levels of energy efficiency. Energy efficiency requirements for new homes were set by Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and Part 6 of the Building Regulations.

·         The consultation document sets out the Government’s plans for achieving the Future Homes Standard, including proposed options to increase the energy efficiency requirements for new homes in 2020 as a stepping stone to the Future Homes Standard.

·         A draft response to the consultation was detailed in Appendix A.  The Building Control team had been consulted and provided responses which had been included within the draft response.

Councillor Lane declared a personal interest as a developer.

In response to a question, the Head of Place advised that the Council would wait until the regulations had been made and then consider whether to produce a Supplementary Planning Document.