Friday 17 February 2006

Halifax - the UK's largest mortgage provider - has launched a new competitive and exclusive mortgage offer for customers purchasing new homes from George Wimpey, Crest Nicholson and The Berkeley Group, who recently topped the Sustainability Benchmarking survey produced by WWF and Insight Investment.

Paul King, Director of WWF's One Million Sustainable Homes (OMSH) campaign said, "WWF is delighted that Halifax is rewarding the best performing companies, and their customers, with these mortgage products. This is a positive step and should send out a strong message to the house-building industry, with the first evidence of a real market-based incentive to develop sustainable homes.

"We are encouraged that the UK's leading house-builders are taking strides to reduce the environmental impact of their new homes and believe that this clearly demonstrates that the industry and investors are taking sustainability seriously."

WWF continues to campaign for the Government to introduce fiscal incentives, tougher regulations and a strong code for sustainable homes to move sustainable homes from the fringes to the mainstream of UK housing.