Mr Boris Johnson recently unveiled the London Housing Design Guide, which proposes to utilise existing environmental standards as the government plans for more homes to be established in the city. In an announcement, the London Mayor pledged to boost the number of affordable homes, while promising to work hard and make more public land available for development. All of this means great opportunities in the foreseeable future for those with construction jobs.

The government?s strategy appears to be providing local authorities with more power to take the initiative with housing programmes. This means that local needs will be catered for, while local authorities can have more incentives and flexibility to generate income and spend it on major housing and infrastructure projects. Those with construction jobs would also be glad to know that the aforementioned housing design guide draws on existing standards such as the Code for Sustainable Homes and the City of London?s Supplementary Planning Guidance on Sustainable Design and Construction. All colours have now turned green.

In order to promote green housing, the guide proposes that all new publicly funded homes should meet at least Level Three of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Furthermore, while all new housing developments should provide low carbon and renewable energy generation on-site where feasible, existing social rental homes should be improved to better than ?decent??? standard. Finally, by 2016, all occupied homes in London should achieve a Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating of at least 40 and should aim for 65 where the building fabric will allow. It is expected that these measures will lead to a wide range of green construction jobs being created and supported.

It seems that the guide?s vision of green housing may gain the approval of at least one group. The G2Action, an alliance of building services industries including insulation, heating and lighting, recently suggested that the government should prohibit homeowners from selling or renting properties unless energy efficiency measures are carried out. As those with construction jobs would know, this would effectively turn energy performance certificates from advisory reports into commands for all homeowners in the market.