Birmingham City Council has become one of the only three local authorities in the UK to sign up for the Government’s new campaign to ensure all new built homes produce zero carbon emissions by 2016.

The only one of England’s core cities to have signed the 2016 Commitment, Birmingham City Council will now work alongside developers and construction firms to introduce environmentally friendly heating, power and building techniques in order to hit the target.

Cllr John Lines, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “I am very pleased to sign this Commitment today. It signifies this Council’s determination to make sure that the City’s housing stock is in future built to the best possible environmental standards. This makes sense for the planet. But it also makes sense to every family that the energy running costs for each new house is reduced significantly.

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“Of course there are still enormous challenges in making the existing housing in the City – whether they are owned by the City Council, rented from Housing Associations, private rented or owner occupied – better insulated, and have their energy from renewable sources to reduce their running costs. But our commitment shown by signing the 2016 Statement today shows that we are committed to address the energy needs of all the housing in the City.”

He continued: “We will build on the examples we have already set with the Family Housing Association at Summerfield to make our existing homes become more carbon neutral.”

The 2016 Commitment is just the latest in Birmingham’s continuing drive to develop an active role in responding to Climate Change, which will see the first-ever Birmingham Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan agreed later this year.

The Commitment sets down an ambitious timetable for the progressive tightening of building regulations (Part L) in 2010 and 2013, with the aim of achieving zero-carbon new homes by 2016.

This will be supported by the Code for Sustainable Homes, The Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change and stamp duty relief for zero carbon homes.

(JM/SP)