London mayor Ken Livingstone plans to raise the decent homes standard for social housing as part of his campaign over climate change.
The housing strategy consultation paper, which was launched last week, says estate regeneration and stock refurbishment schemes will have to include a greater emphasis on environmental performance.
This will include measures to cut the carbon emissions that housing produces, making more efficient use of resources and reducing internal and external noise through better insulation.
Livingstone said he will use his housing investment powers, which were recently promised by the government, to ensure that social housing was “as close to carbon neutral as possible”.
Launching the strategy at the Thames Gateway Forum, he said: “Going green means taking practical steps that not only protect the environment but also reduce the amount of money each household is forced to spend on its energy bills.”
London’s housing generates 44% of carbon emissions, according to the document, which also lists steps to encourage more foreign contractors and developers to work in London to sharpen up competition in the city’s development market.
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