Greens have called for developers of eco-friendly homes to be rewarded while those who fail to meet high environmental standards be penalised. Diana Moore, Green Party councillor in St David’s ward, says such a policy could be implemented by the council through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) – the contribution developers pay towards local infrastructure and services. She says such a move would be a practical step towards helping the council meet its 2030 carbon neutral pledge.
The council is currently updating CIL rates. Greens have been highly critical of the current policy which offers developers of luxury student flats a ‘discount’ compared to the rate paid by housebuilders. They want this to be scrapped and say now is an ideal opportunity to set future rates based on the environmental credentials of new developments and developers.
Writing in last week’s Express and Echo [1], Cllr Moore said:
“For too long the developers of purpose-built student blocks have enjoyed paying only half the [CIL] rate that housebuilders pay… It is time the levy worked in residents’ and the climate’s favour.
“So, a discount to those developers that build to the highest environmental standards is required… Developers will no longer have an excuse not to do the right thing. For developers unwilling to change, building only to the low environmental standards of the building regulations, the highest levy fees must be charged.”
Cllr Moore argues that such a policy would incentivise developers to build houses that are not only carbon neutral but have low energy costs and so are cheaper to run, helping maintain good health and tackle fuel poverty. She says the income from the highest fees could be reinvested in insulating hard to heat homes across the city.
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[1] See also blog post: https://dianamooregreen.wordpress.com/2019/10/