Energist - Part L Compliance Experts - Blog

In May 2009, Jane Davidson, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and
Housing launched the first National Sustainable Building Planning Policy in the UK. The policy sets a minimum
national sustainability standard for most new buildings proposed in Wales from the 1^st September 2009 and replaces the Ecohomes standard.

·                  Housing developments of 5 or more dwellings submitted for planning permission after 1^st September 2009 will be subject to the policy with all new housing developments being included from September 2010.

·                  Applications for 5 or more dwellings received on or after 1 September 2009 will be required to meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and obtain 6 credits under issue Ene1 - Dwelling Emission Rate.

·                  Applications for 1 or more dwellings received on or after 1 September 2010 will be required to meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and obtain 6 credits under issue Ene1 - Dwelling Emission Rate.

·                  For non domestic buildings, applications received on or after 1st September 2009 for non-residential developments either with a floorspace of 1,000 m², or which will be carried out on a site having an area of one hectare or more, will be expected to meet the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standard as a minimum and achieve ‘Excellent’ for carbon reduction.

At Energist UK we provide a full Part L compliance service with BREEAM, EcoHomes and Code for Sustainable Homes all under one roof. We have fully qualified Assessors for all BREEAM schemes and for the Code for Sustainable Homes. For more details and technical advice about your current or planned projects, call Energist on 08458 386 387 and ask to speak to our Projects and Pricing Team.

Visit our website for more about our Code for Sustainable Homes services: http://www.energistuk.co.uk/residential/code-for-sustainable-homes

John Healey, the Government housing minister recently announced a three-year extension to planning consent duration. Previously, planning permissions that were not used, expired after a three-year period. But the economic downturn has meant that many new developments do not have the funding to begin construction during this time span. The Ministers announcement means that local authorities will be given temporary powers to extend that period to up to six years.