Affordable Housing, Cartledge House Farm, Great Hucklow, SK17 8RG, United Kingdom
Code for Sustainable Homes
Sustainable Buildings, Environmentally-Friendly & Green Housing are all important areas of Social Housing that is being developed and built now. The Code for Sustainable Homes was introduced by the British government to improve the quality of new housing stock and force builders and developers to build to a minimum national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes. It ensures that basic standards of building are met and that due account has been taken of the effect on the environment of the energy systems and construction materials used in housing.
This Code for Sustainable Homes has particular relevance for Social Housing as although it is being phased in for all new residential property schemes it is starting with community housing.
From 1st May 2008 it has been mandatory for all new homes to have a Code rating.
At present, in England open market housing (where no planning condition dictates otherwise) must apply as a minimum for a Code Level 0 rating. Code Level 0 is equivalent to a Building Regulation pass.
In contrast, in Wales all housing schemes of five or more dwellings must achieve Code Level 3, however, from the 1st September 2010 every new house constructed in Wales must meet Code Level 3 as a minimum standard.
In practice Local Authorities are imposing in their planning conditions a requirement for Code Level 3 or higher on new housing schemes notwithstanding the fact that at present the legal requirement is only for Code 0 upon open market housing.
Within the Social Housing Sector it is a requirement of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that all houses and flats must achieve Code 3. This was scheduled to increase to Code Level 4 in April 2010, although the increased Code Level has not yet been formally announced. Many Housing Associations are now already requiring code level 4 as a minimum standard.
The benefit for those looking for Low Income Housing is that energy efficiency is now being built into the Social Housing stock which in the long run will make this type of Affordable Housing much cheaper to heat and light.
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