Memorandum submitted by the North West
Regional Assembly
The NWRA is a partnership of local government,
business organisations, public sector agencies, education and
training bodies, trade unions and co-operatives together with
the voluntary sector that works to promote the economic, environmental
and social well-being of the North West of England.
The North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) welcomes
Communities and Local Governments' inquiry into existing housing
stock and climate change. The following comments represent officer
level views from the NWRA.
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS
AND STATISTICS
— NWRA considers that the impact of
existing housing stock on climate change is significant. Nationally
it is estimated that 2/3 of the homes standing in 2050 will have
been built before 2005[49].
The average embodied energy in a new build home is estimated to
be around 90,000 kwh whilst the average embodied energy in a full
refurbishment is only 15,000 kwh[50].
— 9.0% (England average 6.9%) of households
in the North West lived in fuel poverty (based on income and heating
costs) in 2005, down from 14% in 2001[51].
In 2005 the region had the second highest proportion of households
living in fuel poverty, but action is being taken to reduce this.
— 1,010,683 dwellings in the North
West failed to meet the "Decent Homes" standard in 2003.
This represented 34% of the region's stock of dwellings (England
average 31%).[52]
However a number of successful initiatives are tackling this issue
and the North West aims for 95% to meet the standard by 2010.
— A number of North West housing initiatives
which are focussed on the Decent Homes Standard also have great
benefits for energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.
EFFORTS TO
REDUCE CARBON
EMISSIONS FROM
EXISTING HOUSING
STOCK
Regional Spatial Strategy
The Examination in Public (EiP) of the Regional
Spatial Strategy made a number of recommendations which further
strengthened policies on climate change and energy efficiency.
It is the intention for Climate Change to be "mainstreamed"
throughout the RSS. and those policies most relevant to climate
change and existing housing stock are highlighted below:
Policy DP8—Reduce Emissions and Adapt
to Climate Change, recommended by the Panel report of the EiP,
states that "As an urgent regional priority" regional
activity should "contribute to regional policy to reduce
CO2 emissions from all sources". The EiP particularly
highlighted that "Policy makers should use the North West
Integrated Appraisal Toolkit to assess and strengthen the climate
change mitigation and adaptation elements of their plans and strategies"
and that "Applicants and local planning authorities should
ensure that all developments meet at least the minimum standards
set out in the North West Sustainability Checklist for Developments".
The North West Integrated Appraisal Toolkit
has been developed by the NWRA and partners. Free training is
currently being offered on its use. The Tool is equally applicable
for use on developments to existing housing stock as to new build.
EM 16—Energy Conservation and Efficiency
was also strengthened by the EiP to say that "Plans and Strategies
should actively facilitate reductions in energy requirements and
improvements in energy efficiency by incorporating robust policies
which promote . . . implementation of energy conservation measures
and efficiency of design, layout, location and use of materials
and natural resources in new buildings and refurbishment schemes
. . . [and] the wider adoption of energy efficiency measures in
existing buildings."
Full texts of DP8 and EM16 are provided in the
Appendix 1.[53]
Climate Change Action Plan
The North West Climate Change Action Plan has
been developed with input from an advisory group of regional partner
organisations, led by the NWRA, NWDA, Government Office for the
North West and the Environment Agency.
The vision for the Climate Change Action Plan
"A low carbon and well adapted Northwest by 2020" states:
"Domestic buildings are appropriately heated & insulated
and fuel poverty has been eliminated". In order to achieve
this vision the Action Plan contains a number of actions which
relate to existing building stock. These are listed in Appendix
2 along with the 2010 target of having 272 Low Carbon Building
Programme grants issued in the North West.
The implementation of the Climate Change Action
Plan is being driven by a newly formed regional Climate Change
Unit. Further information can be found at: http://www.climatechangenorthwest.co.uk
TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE
TO REDUCE
EMISSIONS
Policy EM17—Renewable Energy states that
"In line with the North West Sustainable Energy Strategy,
by 2010 at least 10% (rising to at least 15% by 2015 and at least
20% by 2020) of the electricity which is supplied within the Region
should be provided from renewable energy sources".
Retro-fitting of micro-generation technologies
onto existing building stock has the potential to significantly
contribute to these targets. The partnership of NWRA, NWDA, GONW
and EA has committed to empowering organisations and individuals
across the North West to access funding and investment sources
for such sustainable energy practices, recognising that co-ordinated
advice in this area is currently lacking.
Full text of EM17 is provided in Appendix 1.
ROLES OF
REGIONAL BODIES
The NWRA and the North West Development Agency
(NWDA) are establishing a basis for a regional low carbon economy
through the production of the Regional Spatial Strategy and the
Regional Economic Strategy. A Climate Change Action Plan for England's
Northwest and a North West Sustainable Energy Strategy have also
been launched by a consortium of organisations led by the NWRA,
NWDA, Government Office for the North West, Environment Agency
and other regional bodies.
Domestic Energy Alliance
The North West Domestic Energy Alliance (DEA),
a regional partnership which includes the NWRA, was formed in
2005 in order to foster a sense of regional identity and unity
within the North West by bringing together organisations that
can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the domestic
sector, and the eradication of fuel poverty. The DEA has created
a Low Carbon Housing and Fuel Poverty Action Plan 2007-09. The
full activity plan can be viewed at: http://www.nwdea.org.uk/
Using Energy Savings Trust funding the Domestic
Energy Alliance have also purchased a Toolkit for identifying
and targeting existing hotspots for energy efficiency and microgeneration
assistance in the region. Licences for use have been issued to
30 (of 43) Local Authorities so far, 19 of which have received
initial training.
OTHER HOUSING
ACTIVITY
The NWRA is actively pursuing issues of energy
efficiency, climate change adaptation and mitigation in relation
to the existing housing stock as part of the Decent Homes Standard.
The North West region is home to four of the
nine national Pathfinder market renewal programmes (East Lancashire,
Manchester and Salford, Merseyside, Oldham and Rochdale). Both
refurbishment and clearance/rebuild have been key to the successes
of these schemes which have included examples of modern methods
of construction and energy efficient measures.
The NWRA is also looking to progress an equity
loans scheme with private sector partners in the region, again
working towards the Government's standards on Decent Homes. Small
scale model local authority schemes are active in the region releasing
homeowner's equity to fund improvements to properties.
The NWRA has recently commissioned the DEA to
produce an advice note on the implementation of Code for Sustainable
Homes. This will also cover the XB programme for existing homes.
They will also be hosting a regional workshop on the issue on
10 January 2008.
OTHER REGIONAL
RESPONSES
The NWRA consulted members of the NW Housing
Forum before responding to this enquiry. The full responses of
two member organisation's officers are included in Appendix 3
and a third is enclosed in a separate document (due to the large
file size).
49 Communities and Local Government, 2006. Back
50
"The Green House Effect" The Guardian, Thursday May
5, 2005. Back
51
Sustainable Development Indicators-Regional Fact Sheets.http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/progress/regional/documents/north_west_factsheet.pdf Back
52
Sustainable Development Indicators-Regional Fact Sheets.http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/progress/regional/documents/north_west_factsheet.pdf Back
53
Appendices 1 and 2 not printed. Back
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