Historically, housing development and production haven’t always been as sustainable as it could have been.Unfortunately, many housing developments in the modern world have cut corners when it comes to sustainability, and we are now paying the price for mistakes made in the past. Because of this, there has been a growing dialogue around the importance of sustainable housing, and the positive impact that prioritising this could have on the generations to come. In this article, we’ll be discussing the future of sustainable housing in the UK, and how developers can create a more environmentally friendly build.
What Is Sustainable Housing?
Sustainable housing can be defined through two key factors, depending on the organisation that is defining it. The first, and one that is generally accepted by both sides, is the ability of a housing development to meet the needs of those who live there, without compromising the needs of generations to follow. The second definition, which is used by UK housing regulators, is that sustainable housing involves ‘ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come’. This approach has led to UK property developers spending more time evaluating the impact that their projects will have on local and national communities, in order to not only meet UK regulations but also to improve the experience of the people who will be living in the properties that they build.
What Are The Benefits Of Sustainable Housing?
While sustainable housing hasn’t always been heavily on the radar for property developers, there are some incredible benefits that come with sustainable projects, such as:
- Efficiency
Sustainable homes are often a brilliant choice if buyers are seeking a home that is efficient. Additions like solar panels and double-glazed windows do a great job of increasing the energy efficiency of properties, and make sustainability a desirable factor. Experts from double glazing windows Bristol can help you make a sustainable house upgrade right away. Builders can even introduce technology that works within a property to boost its sustainability, such as automatic tap controls which work to reduce water wastage.
- Lower Carbon Footprint
For individuals looking to purchase a home, sustainable housing is a great choice if they want to lower their carbon footprint. As these homes have been built with sustainability in mind, they are able to provide a range of ecological benefits that traditional property cannot.
- High Property Value
With the growing demand for sustainable property, and the attitudes of the UK population shifting more positively to environmentally friendly options, there’s never been a better time to sell a sustainable home – this increased interest is driving up the value of these properties and making them a reliable investment for today, and for the future.
With such a wide range of benefits for all areas of society, building sustainable housing is more important now than ever before.
How Developers Can Create Sustainable Housing
If you’re a property developer, or you are working in the housing planning industry, then it’s important for you to ensure any building works are done in a sustainable way. To do this, it’s helpful to create a development plan that prioritises sustainability at every stage, and offers measurable metrics through which to assess its effectiveness. Some sustainable housing elements that developers can consider include:
- Completing A Sustainability Survey
One of the key drivers behind sustainable development is the ability of planners to complete an adequate survey on potential development land. The UK is home to a huge variety of different habitats and species, some of which are protected by law, so it’s vital that when land surveys are completed, they study the area appropriately to check for any potential disruption that building work could cause and whether they can plan their work to sustain the natural landscape. Creating a biodiversity net gain plan is a great way to do this and ensures that all of the regulations for housing development planning have been followed correctly.
- Choosing Sustainable Materials
The next thing to consider when building sustainable housing is the materials that will be used in the process. Historically, a lot of housing developments have used materials that are cost-effective, but that don’t promote biodiversity or long-term sustainability. With the UK government’s ambition of hitting net zero by 2050, sustainable housing is the solution to a lot of issues that the housing market faces in its attempts to reduce carbon emissions, as materials can be utilised for sustainability in an effective way. For example, there are sustainable alternatives for building materials in all areas of a property, such as the windows, flooring, and insulation.
- Hiring An Ecological Consultant
When applying for planning permission in the UK, all property developers will need to provide a plan for how their project is expected to come to fruition, and what steps they have taken to address the sustainability and biodiversity questions being asked today. Hiring a professional ecological consultant is a great way for developers to ensure that they’ve hit all the bases when it comes to property planning, and Arbtech’s consultancy service provides an exceptional way to do this – you can speak with Arbtech to discuss a range of ecological issues like bats, trees, and overall biodiversity, all of which have the potential tobe raised at a planning hearing.
Read also: 3 Ways to Move Your House for Free on the Cheap
The Future Of Sustainable Housing
As developers turn towards building sustainable housing, a bright future awaits. Through reducing the carbon footprint of development companies, making homes more efficient, and boosting property values for sustainable homes, a more environmentally conscious society awaits. There has even been research carried out that considers what our future sustainable homes could look like, which provides a fascinating insight into what we can expect from the sustainable housing of the future.
Ultimately, only time will tell when it comes to how the world adapts to sustainable housing, but in the UK, it is clear that property planners and developers are heading in the right direction. With the clear benefits afforded by sustainable housing initiatives, as well as the action that developers can take to create biodiverse, well-thought-out communities, society can flourish in property that thinks not only of the present but of the future, too.
