Proposals for minimum standards of water efficiency in new homes and new commercial buildings in England and Wales were published for consultation. This responds to the commitment made by government ministers earlier this year to bring forward proposals to underpin the voluntary standards for water efficiency in the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Angela Smith, Minister for Sustainable Buildings said: "This is an important step in transforming the way we use water in the home and the workplace. By installing products such as low flush toilets and water efficient taps in new homes, we could reduce household consumption by 15-20%. There will be equivalent savings in new offices and shops from reductions in the everyday uses of water there.
"These are relatively cheap and effective ways to reduce water demand. These regulations will ensure that water efficiency becomes the norm in all new homes and workplaces"
The consultation seeks comments on the Government's proposals in five areas:
Whether a performance standard for the water efficiency of a whole building is preferable to setting standards for categories of fixtures and fittings to meet the objectives.
What the level of performance standards should be to support transformation of the market for water efficient fixtures and fittings.
Whether additional measures are needed for high water use fixtures and fittings.
Whether the Building Regulations are the right mechanism for delivering these changes.
Whether and how we should set performance standards for residential institutions, such as hospitals or schools.
The proposed regulations will apply to all new homes, and in respect of the domestic uses of water in commercial buildings, such as shops and offices.
The consultation will last for 12 weeks and will close on 9 March 2007.
Birmingham and Sandwell will benefit from nearly £44.5 million in Housing Market Renewal programme funding to regenerate some of the region's most deprived areas. Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper announced the award, which will take the work of the pathfinder through to 2008.
The funding is expected to generate up to £280 million of additional money from the private and public sectors, leading to over 7,500 homes being either built or improved in areas including Greets Green, West Bromwich and Soho, as well as creating more affordable homes. A major programme of renovation and enhancement in the Lozells area will also be taken forward over the longer term.
Yvette Cooper said: "These local communities in Birmingham and Sandwell need support to tackle deep rooted problems caused by economic decline, so that they can reach their full potential and create clean, safe, healthy and attractive environments in which people can take pride."
Commenting on the funding announcement, David Seviour, Urban Living Chairman, said: "This is excellent news. With Government funding in place, we're now well positioned to deliver a programme of interventions that will see major change take place in some of the areas that need it the most.
"Our aim is to improve the choice and range of housing so that people choose to live in the pathfinder area."
The Urban Living pathfinder area stretches across Sandwell and Birmingham, from Greets Green and West Bromwich in the west to Aston, Lozells and Birchfield in the east.
The Government will make £3.2 million available for the remainder of 2006/7 in addition to the £12 million interim grant provided earlier this year and, subject to the availability of resources, £29.2 million will be awarded for 2007/8.
Over the next two years, this funding will help to achieve the Pathfinder's objectives of retaining the more economically active of its residents at the same time as continuing to provide for and stabilise its growing population.
Midsummer Housing Association and South Northamptonshire Council have transformed a dirty, derelict factory site in Deanshanger into a well-designed and attractive housing development, providing affordable homes designed to meet the needs of local people.
The new scheme - called Kingsbrook due to a brook of the same name, which runs through the centre of the site - has brought life back to the once thriving, due to the oxide factory that occupied the land, area. When the oxide factory closed in 1999, it left the land steeped in history, but also in contamination and neglect. The new housing development has seen extensive remedial works reverse the harm done to the land and environment and the site renovated to form a natural extension to the beautiful rural village.
Of the five new two-, three-, and four-bedroom Midsummer homes, three are for rent and two are for shared ownership. They will be made available to local people who meet special eligibility criteria, as agreed by the South Northamptonshire Council and Midsummer.
Family Mosaic, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation (TTGDC) joined forces to acquire a major brownfield site on the Thurrock riverside. The 22-acre (10 hectare) site at Wouldham Road is currently a commercial site, and the partners will promote its redevelopment as a high quality, residential-led, mixed-use development.
The site is capable of delivering over 1,000 new homes, of which 30% would be affordable. The development would create a vibrant new waterfront community and form an integral part of the Development Corporation's wider housing strategy for West Thurrock. The partners plan to offer the site to the market in 2008.
Acquisition of the site by the public sector reflects the need to set a clear benchmark for the quality and scale of development that should be the norm in Thurrock. The level of funding being provided by the partners reflects their joint commitment to the Thames Gateway and to achieving the challenging targets of the Sustainable Communities Plan.
Outgoing Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Director, Richard Best, planted a tree at the site of Elm Tree Mews, to mark the start of the innovative eco-excellent housing project at New Earswick.
The six new affordable homes will contain a range of innovative features to reduce CO2 emissions to comparatively negligible amounts, and dramatically cut fuel bills. A ground source heat pump will moderate energy consumption. But the design is aesthetically appealing too, echoing the arts-and-crafts style of the nearby Folk Hall and other buildings in the village.
