Wednesday 15 October 2003

Paul King, Director of WWF's One Million Sustainable Homes (OMSH) Campaign said: "WWF is very pleased to be working with the Housebuilders Federation and the New Homes Marketing Board to seek out and reward the very best examples of sustainable housing available today. As house buyers begin to see the social and economic, as well as environmental benefits, they will all want to demand that their new homes meet these standards."

An award scheme has been launched to ensure that not only the way homes are built, but also the way in which they are built and the lifestyles they enable for the people living in them, are as sustainable as possible.

The comprehensive list of criteria examined will be exhaustive taking into account the following:

• Energy efficiency and use of renewables energy.


• Ecological value of the land - how development has protected and/or enhanced biodiversity.


• Minimisation of waste - resulting from both in construction and lifestyles of residents.


• Water efficiency and recycling, sustainable urban drainage


• The sustainability of sourced construction materials and the use of low environmental impact materials


• Airborne pollution levels and use of toxic chemicals


• Lifestyle sustainability: health and wellbeing including levels of light and private space in finished dwellings

Wherever possible other factors will also be considered to assess overall sustainability, including:

• Provision of environmentally friendly transport options and facilities.


• Availability and proximity of public amenities and features associated with the effective nurturing and growth of sustainable communities.

The proposal is to allow entry into the awards scheme for developments already reaching a minimum of the BRE Eco-homes "Very Good" standard.

Pierre Williams, spokesperson for the House Builders Federation and New Homes Marketing Board, said: "The word "sustainability" has been abused almost as much as it has been used since it became a buzzword a decade or so ago.

"Taken in isolation, references to sustainability mean very little. Only by taking a holistic approach - examining environmental impact before, during and after construction - can the sustainability of housing be most accurately assessed.

"There is a widely-held but inaccurate belief that the new development is likely to be environmentally damaging. Already, new homes are four times more energy-efficient than their Victorian counterparts and with the majority of homes built on brownfield sites, new housing development has been the principal driver for cleaning up of derelict land." omsh