Climate Emergency

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:45 pm on 17 July 2019.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:45, 17 July 2019

Yes, well, I don't disagree with the sentiment behind that. There are more complex reasons behind it, and I don't want to comment on an individual planning application about which I know nothing, but there can be other complex issues. It's not always entirely carbon-neutral to remove an old building that is made of completely unrecyclable or unsustainable materials. And that can often create a higher carbon footprint than the house itself that you're proposing to build. I'm not suggesting that that was the case in that case—I know nothing about it—but it's important to look at the entire life-cycle of such a thing when you're looking at a carbon-neutral approach to things. When we are responding to the decarbonisation working group and once we've had a chance to digest their report, which we'll be receiving tomorrow, I know, because I've had some preliminary conversations with them, that they are very concerned about that life-cycle issue as well, because replacing an older, less efficient home with a new one superficially sounds good, but what are you going to do with the material in the old home if it's unsustainable and unrecyclable, for example? So, there are bigger issues there.

What I would say is that that's not really the planning process, although each individual planning authority will take its own view. The policies are in place to allow eco-houses to be built right now. What we are doing is reviewing our building regulations, so that, in building your house, you have to do certain things. You'll know that we're doing that partly in response to the Grenfell tragedy, and so we're looking to make sure that our fire safety processes are up to scratch, but, in doing that, we are also looking at decarbonisation of the building process itself, so that when you are granted planning permission you do, of course, have to build whatever it is you have planning consent for in accordance with the building regulations. So, the building regulations are an important toolbox in that, and I will shortly, Llywydd, be bringing forward proposals to consult on proposals to change the building regulations, which we will then be taking through the Senedd, so you'll have an opportunity to scrutinise our plans in that regard as well.