Six shortlisted for London zero carbon housing scheme

London mayor Ken Livingstone has revealed a six-strong shortlist for London’s first zero carbon housing scheme.

The shortlisted developers or developer-led consortiums are: L&Q Group, Guinness Trust/Gallions Housing Association, Crest/Bioregional Quintain/Southern Housing Association, Metropolitan/J Leon & Co, Bellway/Genesis Housing Group and Lendlease/First Base.

The six have been whittled down from 17 expressions of interest to construct 200 homes on a three-acre site in the Albert Docks in east London.

The developers will now enter further submissions, followed by an interview with the London Development Agency. A preferred development partner will be announced in December.

The news comes as last week Livingstone announced that no more public money would be invested in new housing developments in the capital that are not designed to be carbon neutral over their lifespan.

He said: “I’ve already said I want to see at least one such development in each borough by 2010 and judging by the industry’s response, which obviously sees the opportunity as commercially viable, as well as our own consultant's analysis, I think we should be able to more than achieve this target.”

He added: “That is why I am totally confident that once I take over responsibility for the investment plan for London’s £1.7 billion affordable housing budget not a single pound will be spent subsidising environmentally inefficient public sector homes in the capital.”

Consultant Arup, which is working on the initial plans for the Albert Docks development, this week gave the go ahead for the zero carbon scheme, saying it was commercially and technically feasible on the site.