The Housing Standards Review has clearly established the Government\u2019s policy to rationalise and simplify the many overlapping and confusing technical housing standards currently in operation. The Review will enable quality and sustainable housing developments to be brought forward more easily but without compromising essential safety and accessibility protections. The outcome of the Review also means that a number of the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes will be consolidated into the Building Regulations, which would require substantial changes to the content of the current Code, as well as reconsideration of its role. So in the light of this, the Government stated in the recent technical consultation that the current Code will be wound down to coincide with the changes incorporating the new standards coming into force, early in the new year. The consultation also set out proposals on the transitional arrangements, and for the handling of legacy developments being built out to current Code requirements.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1492", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stephen Williams"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bristol West"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stephen Williams"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "212394"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-06T16:44:57.7173753Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Housing: Sustainable Development"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will prepare and publish a new draft code for sustainable homes.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/394", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Clive Betts"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sheffield South East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Clive Betts"} ], "uin" : "212607"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/101808", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/101808/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has policies and programmes in place to assist local authorities to build more homes. This includes the £122 million additional borrowing allocated to 22 councils to help them build new affordable homes and support local growth. We will make further announcements of additional borrowing to local councils later in the year. This is only possible thanks to the decisive action we have taken to reduce the deficit left by the last Labour Government. Further details of the actions we have taken recently to support house building, amongst other departmental work, are set out in the written statement made on13 October 2014 (Official Report, Written Ministerial Statements, Column 2WS).<\/p>
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All new homes have to meet Building Regulations\u2019 requirements and in April strengthened energy performance standards came into effect. In the Housing Standards Review, the Government is streamlining the technical standards which apply to new housing development and consolidating as far as possible necessary requirements into Building Regulations to ensure new homes are sustainable. As part of the review, the Government intends to bring forward optional Building Regulations requirements in areas such as accessibility and water efficiency which will enable local authorities to apply higher standards than the Building Regulations national minimum standard where there is a local need, and viability is not compromised.<\/p>
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Furthermore, The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to sustainable development and local authorities should consider applications for housing development in that context.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1492", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stephen Williams"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bristol West"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stephen Williams"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "212393"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-06T16:40:58.1808692Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Housing: Sustainable Development"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to enable local authorities to promote sustainable house building.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/394", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Clive Betts"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sheffield South East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Clive Betts"} ], "uin" : "212608"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }