Proposals to develop a 15-year pathway to decarbonise the UK’s housing stock have been warmly welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
The National Deal for Net Zero homes is one of several recommendations put forward in a report, ‘Ambition 2030: A Partnership for Growth’, developed over the past 12 months by the Covid Recovery Commission - a coalition of the UK’s top business leaders.
The report published today [Wednesday 28 April 2021], sets out the case for a National Prosperity Plan, a blueprint to boost growth and living standards in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Deal for Net Zero homes includes a commitment by government to make every social home in the UK as energy efficient as possible, the introduction of a Green Homes Bond and a social impact bond to provide upfront funding for the retrofit of buildings.
Other recommendations in the report include the creation of at least one new globally competitive industry cluster in every part of the UK by 2030, a commitment to develop a Great British Supply Chain, a ‘Help to Train’ scheme to assist in halving the projected skills gap, the creation of a new Community Infrastructure Endowment Fund and the introduction of a Wellbeing at Work Guarantee which will ensure all employees can access mental health support.
Chief Executive of the RTPI, Victoria Hills, who was an advisory group member of the Commission, said: “I warmly welcome proposals for a National Deal for Net Zero homes which closely align with the RTPI’s climate action work. We have long called for all new homes to be carbon neutral and for a national retrofit strategy to ensure existing housing stock is decarbonised.
“I was delighted to be an advisory group member over the last year which enabled me to ensure the role of planning was integrated into these proposals. However, I will once again repeat our calls for local authority planning departments to be adequately resourced to enable them to deliver these bold ambitions.”
The RTPI has previously called for Green Growth Boards (GGBs) to enable the delivery of joined-up strategies, not only for climate action, but also infrastructure, housing provision, health and nature recovery.
The Institute’s #PlanTheWorldWeNeed campaign calls on governments across the UK and Ireland to capitalise on the expertise of planners to achieve a sustainable, resilient and inclusive recovery.
