The Good Homes Alliance (GHA) are establishing a growing network of local authorities and housing delivery organisations that have declared a climate emergency in order to support them in developing new policies and strategies to match their declarations.
The Local Authority Vanguard membership builds upon the work of the GHA Vanguard Campaign, a two year campaign which aims to encourage local authorities and developers to adopt enhanced sustainability standards for new homes. A series of regional campaign events have taken place around the country to over 200 public and private-sector developers, showcasing the exemplar work of regional champions from the GHA membership network.
During 2019, the situation has changed radically, with declarations of a climate emergency by many local authorities leading to an increased emphasis on zero carbon homes. The UK Government has also recently stated its ambition that all new homes should meet a Future Homes standard, aiming to halve the energy use of all new buildings by 2030, compared to the current (2018) Building Regulations requirements, which is a significant step towards a net zero target.
The new Local Authority Vanguard membership will focus on sharing learning, best practice and targeted resources. This will allow local authorities to achieve common aims whilst avoiding duplicate activities and saving public money in the process.
The Good Homes Alliance will assist Local Authority Vanguard members in:
- Developing specifications and SPDs for new housing (as designed and delivered by the Council)
- Addressing net zero/carbon positive targets but also addressing key issues such as air quality, overheating risk, and well-being. The areas for investigation include:
- Cost of delivery – business case to include public health benefits
- Delivery mechanisms – supply chain, procurement frameworks
- Process – how to ensure the standards are embedded and truly delivered
- Best practice learning from case studies in urban high-density housing projects
Membership is open to local authorities and housing delivery organisations including garden villages/towns and joint ventures. Current Local Authority Vanguard members include Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, Cambridge City Council, Enfield Council and Haringey Council.
To find out more about membership benefits and fees:
- Visit goodhomes.org.uk/join-the-gha
- Contact Julian Brooks, Network and Programme Manager, julian@goodhomes.org.uk, +44 (0)1308 487 012