Some construction companies, property developers and estate agencies in the UK have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to warn that his weakening and postponement of green policies will harm investment in housing and cause hardship for many people.
More than 100 companies, including some of the UK’s biggest construction specialists are reported to have urged the PM to reinstate the net zero policies, or find alternatives that “make upgrading Britain’s homes affordable”.
Earlier this week, housebuilders and property developers were reported to have benefited by billions of pounds from delays to low-carbon building regulations in the past eight years of Conservative government, while the sector became one of the biggest sources of donations to the Tory party – almost £40m since 2010, according to a Guardian analysis.
In the last fortnight alone, Sunak has dismayed businesses and investors by rolling back several key low-carbon measures, including scrapping the proposed requirements for landlords to insulate and upgrade their properties to be more energy-efficient. He also announced a delay to the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars, from 2030 to 2035, softened measures to phase out gas boilers, and is pressing ahead with plans to scrap rules on sewage from new housing.
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According to reports, these delays are only the latest example of a number of low-carbon measures that have been held up or ditched over years of Conservative government, with the result that homeowners and taxpayers will have to pay tens of billions of pounds to bring newly built homes up to low-carbon standards.
The delays have resulted in years of unnecessarily high greenhouse gas emissions, and higher energy bills for residents. There is also some division on the subject within the construction and development sector; while some developers may welcome any delay to low-carbon measures, others are looking more to the future.
Among other things, the letter addressed to Sunak notes that many construction and property companies were planning to make substantial investments in net zero, which are now in doubt. The 114 signatories include Arup, Laing O’Rourke Construction, BNP Paribas Real Estate, Landsec, BAM, Buro Happold, Grosvenor, Avison Young, Great Portland Estates, Knight Frank, AECOM, Clarion Housing Group, and CBRE Group.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
