COP26: All talk or some real action on climate change?

[mudsticks]

p.s. hello everyone. I've wandered across to have a look around. Hope you're all watching your tone.

Always..

 

[Bromptonaut]

But that's the point- they are planning matters, which trickles down from strategic long term planning by LAs. It is Parliament that needs to lead by making planning law which prescribes the LAs' Planning Departments and Building Regulations Approved Documents [ADs] to force developers and retrofit alterations to existing housing stock to take energy conservation and carbon reductions seriously.

We are getting there in the building industry but far too slowly... lobbyists from the NHF have effectively killed off many of the programmes, like Code for Sustainable Homes which started in the 90s. We would have been at CfSH Level 5 [carbon neutral] for all new homes by 2016 had the Gov't not caved in.

I get that compliance with existing rules, where there may be flex, is a matter for local planners. We've got various bits of infill and expansion proposed locally. Could the council insist on heat pumps, photo-electric and or solar hot water, extreme insulation and orientation of developments to make best use of all of those.

What I had in mind were national standards where @Archie_tect seems t be saying the government have been rolled over by developers.

 

[Fab Foodie]

The UK government, or the devolved administrations unless the issue is reserved, have the power to prescribe things like insulation, heat pumps and solar cells on the roof. They're not planning matters.

UK gov are in the pocket of developers so don't expect mandating of eco-builds any time soon.

You can bet your arse that when somebody in the Heat-pump or Solar-cells business bungs the Tories a few quid they'll be mandated immediately and for everyone....

 

[Fab Foodie]

p.s. hello everyone. I've wandered across to have a look around. Hope you're all watching your tone.

Hello playmate...I think everybody is watching everybody else's tone....

 

[Archie_tect]

Agree it needs to be top down implementation.

Of course the planners as in the employed people in the planning dept , can only implement or interpret policy from the local plan, the LA and central gov..


But Central gov need to take bolder action, on making big scale housebuilders do the right thing .

Use their legislative powers for some good .
That would be helpful.

Alongside, putting in place funding for retrofitting older property, for low income households .

There is a retrofit scheme for grants of up to £5000 per property to improve insulation first, followed by boiler upgrades and other work to improve the energy performance of existing homes, can be the tenant, landlord or homeowner/mortgagee who applies.

 

[Archie_tect]

I get that compliance with existing rules, where there may be flex, is a matter for local planners. We've got various bits of infill and expansion proposed locally. Could the council insist on heat pumps, photo-electric and or solar hot water, extreme insulation and orientation of developments to make best use of all of those.

What I had in mind were national standards where @Archie_tect seems t be saying the government have been rolled over by developers.

To avoid the NHF calling the shots the Building Regs are being steadily improved to absorb and implement the benefits of schemes like CfSH in a more streamlined way- that's the benefits of strategic planning. But planning law changes could embed those benefits so that planning departments have the power to enforce additional and better environmental improvements even faster so that approvals require conditions to be resolved before construction can start. Wall insulation standards are nearly at the point where they are as effective as they can be [u-values of 0.1W/sqm.degK]- you then start having issues with interstitial condensation within the construction- buildings people live in need to be able to breathe.

Housebuilders are forced to comply when the laws are set, it's only when lobbyists intervene during the drafting that things get watered down.

Scottish Building Regs [they've always been separate and more rigorous] are phasing out gas fired boilers [may already have happened- need to check] - electric ASHP and GSHP will be the way forward as the alternative to LPG, oil and coal/coke at the same time.

 

[mjr]

p.s. hello everyone. I've wandered across to have a look around. Hope you're all watching your tone.

Please keep to the important topic here. https://ncap.cyclechat.net/threads/what-do-we-think-so-far.70/ is there for discussion of how things are going.

 

[mjr]

Well the 'world leaders' don't really get involved in the negotiations (thankfully or otherwise) they're just there to show support (or otherwise) for the general drift.

There's still almost two weeks of meeting , main and side..

So they've turned up for the start, then will run away and lament the failure from afar. They're not expecting any good headlines at the end that they'll want to be associated with

 

[newfhouse]

Please keep to the important topic here. https://ncap.cyclechat.net/threads/what-do-we-think-so-far.70/ is there for discussion of how things are going.

Quick, scarper, it’s the

 

[matticus]

Please keep to the important topic here. https://ncap.cyclechat.net/threads/what-do-we-think-so-far.70/ is there for discussion of how things are going.

Thanks for saying "please". Everyone's so polite here, it's lovely! (so far ... )

 

[mudsticks]

Thanks for saying "please". Everyone's so polite here, it's lovely! (so far ... )

Yeah you don't want to believe everything they say about us, over at the 'other place'.

We're pretty much all sweetness and light once you get to know us.

 

[BoldonLad]

Well the 'world leaders' don't really get involved in the negotiations (thankfully or otherwise) they're just there to show support (or otherwise) for the general drift.

There's still almost two weeks of meeting , main and side..

At least it's sunny so far.. View attachment 158

I think you do them (World Leaders) a disservice. Will they not be boosting the Hotel/Restaurant Economy of Glasgow too? (maybe a few other "service" industries too?).

 

[mudsticks]

I think you do them (World Leaders) a disservice. Will they not be boosting the Hotel/Restaurant Economy of Glasgow too? (maybe a few other "service" industries too?).

I suspect that those of us staying a little longer , are helping towards that considerably more..

 

[matticus]

I suspect that those of us staying a little longer , are helping towards that considerably more..

Yeah right ...

 

[mjr]

I suspect that those of us staying a little longer , are helping towards that considerably more..

So what's going on? It's vanished from the TV headlines this morning because some weatherman is drumming for charity.