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Future is local, says Sustainable Development Commission
09/07/10
Edited by Andy Jowett. Allowing communities to lead neighbourhood-wide home improvement projects would be the most cost-effective way to ensure that the UK's villages, towns and cities are fit for future generations, according to a new report.
The study by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) argued that empowering people to identify, finance and deliver these types of works in an integrated way would save money by achieving economies of scale, while increasing levels of participation compared with programmes focused on single issues.
Furthermore, the organisation said communities themselves would be strengthened because they would be involved in decisions about their area.
The SDC claimed there needs to be a greater focus on energy efficiency in order to achieve the full economic, environmental and social benefits of neighbourhood-wide home improvement projects.
Its figures put the cost of retrofitting residential property to meet the government's target of cutting CO2 by 80 per cent compared with 1990 levels by 2050 at a minimum of £210 billion.
Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders recently said that upgrading existing homes to eco-friendly standards will be the main engine of jobs growth for the construction industry in the years ahead.
