HOUSING

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From 1 June 2007, all homes in the UK must be given an energy efficiency rating before they can be sold. The government says the move, which is in line with European agreements, will help the UK reduce its carbon emissions. The Energy Performance Certificate will form part of the Home Information Packs, to be introduced. Inspectors will evaluate the current and potential energy efficiency of each home, giving a rating from A to G. The report will also list measures the home owner could undertake to improve the rating.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said that people should be entitled to have information on energy costs before buying a home, drawing a parallel with the energy ratings available for various white goods such as fridges and boilers. "By providing people with sound advice on how to improve energy efficiency this will help sellers and buyers who want to do their bit to cut carbon emissions as well as cutting their fuel bills too," she said. (Source: The Register, Jun/06)

The Government claims its planned home information packs will speed up housing transactions and stop money being wasted on surveys. The pack will cost the vendor as much as £1,000, and will be compulsory for anyone selling a home after June 2007. If the home is off the market for more than 28 days, the pack will have to be updated, involving more expense. There will be a fine of £200 a day for any property that is on the market without without a pack, even if it is advertised on a private website or simply by a board in the garden. (Source: Daily Telegraph, Jun/06)

The home information pack scheme is in crisis because only 232 people have been trained to produce them, just 3% of the thousands of inspectors the Government says are needed. The Government has admitted it will need up to 7,400 specially trained "housing inspectors" in place by June 2007, but a response to a parliamentary question put to Yvette Cooper, the housing minister, revealed that only 232 people have completed their training which began nine months ago.

The scheme faced further criticism after it also emerged that £2.5 million of taxpayers' money will be spent annually on enforcing the compulsory packs, also known as "HIPs". The packs, which will cost people selling their homes up to £1,000, will contain details of local searches, legal information and a "home condition report" compiled by an approved inspector. Training for the inspectors, who must obtain a diploma in home inspection, costs up to £8,000 and can take up to two years to complete.

The Government claims that the packs will put an end to gazumping and will speed up lengthy transactions. But critics of the scheme have predicted they will cause chaos and that loopholes in the legislation will not require sellers to include information on the state of a house's electrical installation or possible subsidence, forcing many buyers to continue paying for their own surveys. (Source: Daily Telegraph, Jul/06)

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said the survey element of the packs needed further testing and will not come into force in June 2007 as planned. There were also concerns there would not be enough inspectors to cope with demands for home condition reports.

Ms Cooper said the introduction of the survey, or home condition report (HCR) element of the pack, would be postponed, following dry run tests on 14,000 home information packs with searches. Further testing was needed to make sure the HCRs delivered "the assumed benefits for consumers and that the operating systems that support them work smoothly."

Charles Smailes, president of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) said, "The announcement is something of a U-turn by the government on legislation it has been working on for over five years. The legislation would seem unnecessary and does not cover the important reasons why home sales and purchase transactions fall through." (Source: BBC News, Jul/06)

More than 60 new homes are to be built in Derby despite widespread concern among residents. At a planning meeting of Derby City Council, councillors granted permission for numerous developments which had been opposed by residents living nearby. A 30-flat development in Ashbourne Road, containing five one-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom flats in a three-storey building with parking for 27 cars was agreed. Approval was also given to build 10 apartments and one house in Shardlow Road, Alvaston. Outline planning permission for a resident of Baker Street, Alvaston, to demolish his own house and build up to nine homes in his back garden was granted.

Other developments which were given the go-ahead included a £3m building at the former day nursery, in Cavendish Street, Derby. The 26,000 square foot creative industries workshop, which is the size of half a football pitch, will be on the site of the former Ford Street day nursery. The workshop is expected to attract graphic design, film-making and computer games businesses and will be seen as a key building in the plans of Derby Cityscape, the company set up to spearhead a £1bn city-centre regeneration. The application, which was submitted by the council's own creative industries department and described by officers as "a major application", was favoured by councillors.

Planning consent was also given to build commercial studios, offices and associated facilities - such as a cafe, reception area and meeting rooms at the development. It was also agreed the former nursery building, which has been vacant for some years and was declared redundant by the city's social services department in 1998, would be demolished. Councillor Sara Bolton told the meeting, "I very much welcome this application. It's very prominent in the Friar Gate Conservation area and this is a site we've wanted to see developed for some time."

Each of the 41 commercial studio spaces would be between 350 and 500 square feet, big enough for three people to occupy. Funding for the project is being provided by the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership, East Midlands Development Agency and Derby City Council. Greater Derby Primary Care Trust, which runs GP services, was successful in gaining planning permission to build a £5m two-storey health centre, in Coleman Street, Alvaston. It will serve people living in Alvaston, Boulton and Chellaston. Forty-eight full-time staff and 73 part-time staff are expected to be based at the centre, after being transferred from organisations including Boulton Lane Clinic. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)