“North Tyneside Council must do more to force house builders to improve energy efficiency in new housing”
– Penny Remfry (Green Party Mayoral Candidate)
Over the past five years, hundreds of new homes have been built in North Tyneside and there are plans for thousands more new homes to be built in the borough.
These new homes are not being built to the energy efficiency standards needed to meet the Council’s Net Zero Target.
Penny asks: “North Tyneside Council has pledged to make the borough net zero carbon by 2050 but with the additional 10,000+ houses planned for the next 10 years [according to the 2017 Local Plan] how is this going to happen?“
Over one third of carbon emissions in the borough come from heating our homes. With another 10,000+ homes based on gas central heating and cooking, the borough’s carbon footprint will be going up, not down.
Penny says: “In addition to poor energy efficiency standards, new homes are being built to poor standards in other respects as well. A survey of new homes built in North Tyneside found that 2 and 3 bedroom houses are generally being built below recommended standards [1]”
There is a missed opportunity for homes to include solar panels, and other renewable energy capture sources, which could provide energy to the grid as well as reduce household energy bills.
Penny says: “The Council must require much higher energy efficiency and other standards in the new housing from developers, to be implemented immediately. If this council can’t do it alone, because of developer resistance, then it has to work with neighbouring authorities to enforce better standards.”
If North Tyneside Council do not take these steps, the Net Carbon Zero target will not be met.
NOTES [1] Nationally Described Space Standard (NDSS) – 2017 Local Plan p.112